Lives up to the good reviews

It is hard to evaluate keyboards without having one in front of you to touch. I took a chance on ordering this never having seen one in person, but I'm glad I bought it. It definitely has a "premium" feel to the keys that is hard to describe. Go to a thrift store and test out the many entry-level keyboards people donate, and you find they tend to have a slightly wiggly, uncertain feel to the keys. This Logitech keyboard is nothing like that. Each key motion is clean and certain. The overall build is solid, too--not cheap or flimsy. The key motion is also very quiet. Not absolutely silent. Some fancy chiclet keyboards might be even quieter, but this is pretty close. If you are using this in a shared space, it does not have any annoying click-clack sounds to irritate others. The illumination is very nice in every way. It is functional--I have no problem seeing any of the characters or numbers on the keys--and it is pleasant to look at, not garish like some of the red/purple gaming keyboards I've seen. This is hardly scientific, but I tested my typing speed with the new keyboard and found it was consistently about 10 wpm faster, and more accurate than with cheaper keyboards I have around the house. I suspect the speed comes from the accuracy in that I'm not second-guessing and pausing to see if I hit the key right, or if it registered. The key motion is just so good and certain that it is a pleasure to do heavy typing on it. I had a cheap "comes with PC" keyboard for a while that was the opposite of this--lots of missed characters or double-keying. Two small quibbles that I share with some other reviewers: the F-keys along the top have the alternate functions illuminated instead of the F numbers. This actually makes sense, since users are better able to guess, or just count the number over, but you would have to *memorize* the "email" and "calculator" functions if you can't see them. Still, it's a little weird to just see icons lit up. The other issue is the attached palm rest. I used to use a thick, soft gel wrist rest separate from the keyboard which I liked quite a bit. This is "soft" the way a rubberized smart-phone shell is soft. It's not hard, brittle plastic, but it has absolutely no sponge-like softness to it. The fact it is attached means I have to live with it, as it's not practical to put the gel wrist rest on top of it. I haven't had any discomfort from using it, so maybe I never needed all that cushion in the first place. Overall, neither of these are enough for me to drop the rating by a star. If I could, maybe I'd give if 4 and a half stars. In the end, I'm happy I paid more for a "premium" keyboard like this. There are lots of $15-20 keyboards out there, plus like I say the entry-level ones that come with basic PCs. There really is a difference when you pay a little more. If you type a lot for work or school, I do think you'll benefit from the higher build quality and smooth keystrokes. And by the way, I bought a "manufacturer refurbished" one, so I saved some money on it this way, and the keyboard looked pristine and functioned perfectly, so I have no regrets not buying a truly new one. As always, YMMV when it comes to used/refurbished items, but that was my experience.Read full review

Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished