45User Rating: 4 out of 5

Review title of Herrmann117 A Keyboard Here to Stay

As with the computer world, mechanical keyboards have taken everyone by storm, and I may be one for the few but I can't stand them. For a longtime I repurprosed a wired Mac Keyboard because I loved the look and the short and quiet keystrokes. However, it began to fail me and I hated that it was wired and I had to run certain software to even allow me to use the multimedia keys. Once I saw Microsoft release this keyboard I knew I had to get it. It was a full keyboard (num pad is a must have for me), wireless and having a surface and a desktop the multimedia keys looked perfect. Once I received it I did fall in love. The texture of the keys feels like a 'soft' plastic that has become somewhat standard these days. Some things that I enjoy and took me by surprise: - Locking FN key: I hadn't seen this before but dear god do I love it. Similar to how we see the num lock work, the FN key allows you to lock and unlock it. This means that weather you want the multimedia keys to be on all the time or you want access to the F# keys, with a simple click of the FN key you have one or the other. - All the Windows 10 specific shortcut keys: as someone who has fully embraced Win10 I love being able to popup a calculator or have a quick search key or to change desktops. Especially while using this keyboard on the surface, its wonderful. - Battery life: I have used this keyboard daily since I received it back in the beginning of January (its been almost 3 months), and haven't yet had to change the batteries. If you are someone that is coming from a wired keyboard this may seem like a hassle, but with other wireless keyboards I have had, I've had them die anywhere from 1 month to 4. I am just fine with how this has held up thus far! Some gripes or some things I'd like changed/added: - Probably my largest complaint is that when you don't use the keyboard for a moment or two (probably in the 60-120sec range, it'll go into what I am going to call a 'hibernate' mode. It is still there but when you go to begin typing again there is a small delay from when it begins to register which can cause me a moment of misspelling (because of me, not the keyboard). However, having used it now for a bit, its something I have gotten used to. - I would LOVE just a bit of space between the main keyboard and the insert/delete/arrow keys. I find it can be difficult for me to find the arrow keys without looking down because I usually judge it off the gap between the keys. Again something that me being a novice typer is more the cause of than the keyboard, but just my opinion - As a person with multiple computers (surface and a few desktops), I would love to see a quick connect to different computers. This is something I have seen in just a few keyboards, but if it were introduced I would by a new one in a heartbeat. I have the Logitech MX Master Mouse, which has a wonderful quick select between computers and it is easily my favorite feature. Overall: I gave it a four because to me, almost no keyboard is perfect. However this is (embarrassingly) my 9th keyboard in 3 years, starting with the cheapest of cheap wireless combos, to mechanical, to apple and now to this, I am whole heartedly happy with this keyboard thus far. I look forward to Microsoft's next iteration of peripherals, keep up the good work folks!