Logitech finally releases mech kb!

Do I really need to see the G710+ logo 3 times on the front? Also dislike the orange bordered macro keys. Other than it looks ok.
 
Is this the first mechanical with multimedia keys? I haven't used my stereo in years, and my TV may go weeks without being turned on. All my music and much of my tv/movie viewing is through my computer, so a keyboard without MM keys is a non-starter. I like the volume roller.

I'd hate to give up the LED display on my g15, but after a several years, I've found I only really use it to see what time it is, with occasional checks to CPU usage and internet UL/DL usage. All of these can be found by different means.
 
Docjon said:
Is this the first mechanical with multimedia keys? I haven't used my stereo in years, and my TV may go weeks without being turned on. All my music and much of my tv/movie viewing is through my computer, so a keyboard without MM keys is a non-starter. I like the volume roller.

I'd hate to give up the LED display on my g15, but after a several years, I've found I only really use it to see what time it is, with occasional checks to CPU usage and internet UL/DL usage. All of these can be found by different means.
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You could also just yank the screen and turn it into a USB screen.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1306850/logitech-g15-removed-lcd-mod-separate-lcd
 
I have a G510 that I really like and rotate it out with my BlackWidow every once in a while and I love the media keys and actually use the LCD a lot. Either with the Core Temp applet to watch temps while gaming and also with FRAPS as it shows a graph along with frame rates. I think it's pretty cool.

I thought about getting one of these but I really love my BlackWidow and I've really come to love MX Blues even for gaming. Ilk probably end up getting one eventually but only if I find it on a really good sale or get a bunch of gift cards.
 
Jorona said:
You could also just yank the screen and turn it into a USB screen.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1306850/logitech-g15-removed-lcd-mod-separate-lcd
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Holy $#!%, thanks for that! I'm using one of those now, and I have the old-style sitting in a drawer. Wonder if I can do that with the old-style folding LCD. Worth looking into. I've been wanting a new project anyway.

Periodically, I'll do a Google search and see if anyone's hacking little screens and using them for stand-alone substitutes for the G15 LCD's, either as a direct substitute, or with it's own software. Not happening so much.
 
Function switches aren't mechanical. Keyboard looks tacky as hell. I saw one at Microcenter last night. For $159.99 I think I'll pass.
 
Not sure what you're talking about with the function keys. All the keys except the very top row (M1-M3, MR, media keys, etc) and the mute button are Cherry browns. The F1-F12, Print Screen, G-keys, etc are all mechanical.

Looks is a personal preference thing - can't help you there.
 
other than wider availability i'm not sure why i'd want that ugly (mho) monstrosity over my WASD or a Ducky or Filco... heck aggressive branding not withstanding i'd rather have a CM storm over that thing.

Of course i also have never used a media hotkey in my life nor macro keys ... but blah...that thing is hella fugly in my view... but taste of course varies by person to person.
 
cpate said:
Not sure what you're talking about with the function keys. All the keys except the very top row (M1-M3, MR, media keys, etc) and the mute button are Cherry browns. The F1-F12, Print Screen, G-keys, etc are all mechanical.

Looks is a personal preference thing - can't help you there.
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I was under the impression from an earlier comment that the function keys weren't mechanical. Aside from that, I'm not interested in media or macro keys. Not interested in tons of G710 logos everywhere, it's huge foot print for a 104 key keyboard, or even Cherry MX Browns. The thing is big and it's ugly. so even Cherry MX Blue switches wouldn't change my mind about it.
 
Docjon said:
Is this the first mechanical with multimedia keys? I haven't used my stereo in years, and my TV may go weeks without being turned on. All my music and much of my tv/movie viewing is through my computer, so a keyboard without MM keys is a non-starter. I like the volume roller.

I'd hate to give up the LED display on my g15, but after a several years, I've found I only really use it to see what time it is, with occasional checks to CPU usage and internet UL/DL usage. All of these can be found by different means.
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No, the corsair K90 and K60 were the first mechanical with dedicated multimedia keys and they came out about a year ago.

BTW this keyboard has been out for months.
 
Dan_D said:
Function switches aren't mechanical. Keyboard looks tacky as hell. I saw one at Microcenter last night. For $159.99 I think I'll pass.
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Yep. Both the $150 MSRP & apparent retail selling prices are far too high for a Brown key board (that isn't fully Brown). Several other Brown mechanical boards widely out there at a much lower price, including those with dedicated "multimedia keys" (CoolerMaster, Rosewill, Corsair, etc.).
 
Fritingo said:
Yep. Both the $150 MSRP & apparent retail selling prices are far too high for a Brown key board (that isn't fully Brown). Several other Brown mechanical boards widely out there at a much lower price, including those with dedicated "multimedia keys" (CoolerMaster, Rosewill, Corsair, etc.).
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Well I get the half-height keys not being mechanical to a degree. I also don't think they should have used Cherry MX Brown switches and tried to dampen the sound. The result is an odd ball of a keyboard. The sound may be off and while that may not be a problem for many it may alter the feel of the keys. I'll check them out if Microcenter of Fry's ever puts one out for display. I've just seen them on shelves. If you are making a pure gaming keyboard then the only switches that make sense are Cherry MX Blacks and Reds. I'm not going to get into the BS of double-tapping keys or other claims of why X switch sucks and X switch is badass. From a noise perspective its the only thing that makes sense.

I'll never buy a keyboard marketed like that because while I game a ton I type more and I prefer the feel of Cherry MX Blues over anything else I've tried since the IBM Model M's buckling spring switches. From what I can tell it looks like WASD (I also liked the Leupold and Filco boards but they are hard to get in the US.) is the only keyboard maker that makes what I want in a full sized keyboard these days. Now if they'd just make a backlit version I'd be all set.

And interestingly enough I picked up another CM Storm QuickFire Rapid for my test bench the other day. They got rid of all the extra logos they had plastered all over them. I didn't mind it but the new one is much cleaner. I pulled the keycaps off of it and they are built pretty much exactly like the Das Keyboard keys and Filco keys. In fact I'm rocking the red WASD set from the CM Storm QuickFire Rapid on my Das Keyboard right now. I wasn't going to use them on my test bench as I wanted to differentiate it from the other one on that bench which is sometimes used for gaming when friend's come over etc.
 
Dan_D said:
Well I get the half-height keys not being mechanical to a degree. I also don't think they should have used Cherry MX Brown switches and tried to dampen the sound. The result is an odd ball of a keyboard...
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For sure. Without question, at that price and being Logitech, they are not marketing that thing to enterprise video production workstation users. They are marketing it to gamers. Browns are thus a bit of an odd choice; Red & Blacks are the more popular gaming options.

Nice to hear about your keycap compatibility. Maybe they are used the same OEMs? I know about Costar & (lower quality) iOne; likely several others out there as well.

What's intriguing about the whole CM line right now here is the fact that with each different model, you can get it with different Cherry key types. So if you like a particular layout/features, you can get the keytype you want too. And at an affordable price.

WSADs have the same Cherry choice flexibility as CMs along with a lot more customizability options. But it looks like at a bit higher price and one-website-only availability. And of course there are Filcos, Das and so on. NCIX in Canada are an official distributor of Filcos, but oddly the US version of the site doesn't list them. But can order from Canada, of course.

Dan_D said:
I'm not going to get into the BS of double-tapping keys or other claims of why X switch sucks and X switch is badass..
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:D For sure, preferences in key types are very personal.
 
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Wow... screw you Logitech. $149 and you get 6 lousy g keys? Sorry I was die hard Logitech for years. You couldn't convince me there was a better keyboard than the original 18 gkey g15. Then corsair released the k90 mechanical with 18 gkeys that did everything the original g15 did and all its successors failed to do. I am supremely disappointed in Logitech lately. Keyboards are overpriced and lackluster and nothing to replace the g7 mouse. So disappointing.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Wow... screw you Logitech. $149 and you get 6 lousy g keys? Sorry I was die hard Logitech for years. You couldn't convince me there was a better keyboard than the original 18 gkey g15. Then corsair released the k90 mechanical with 18 gkeys that did everything the original g15 did and all its successors failed to do. I am supremely disappointed in Logitech lately. Keyboards are overpriced and lackluster and nothing to replace the g7 mouse. So disappointing.
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Logitech has been out of touch with the keyboard market for several years now and it shows in the G710+. The original G15 wasn't a very good product. The finish rubbed off the keys super fast and it had membrane keys in it. Granted mechanical keyboards just started to come back around that time but they were already available. Logitech also produced the thing with a retarded foot print. The original G-15 was needlessly large. The successor to it had the questionable orange color scheme but was overall an improvement in virtually every way. Mechanicals have been all the rage for some time now and Logitech still hasn't got with the program until now. And what they produced is quite far off the mark.

Arguments about media keys aside, the Corsair keyboard isn't perfect either. While some don't mind, I can't stand the membrane based function keys. As soon as the forum learned about that they were blasted for doing it and they've never done anything to change the keyboard. I believe I read something concerning looking at changing that in future versions or in additional models. It's been at least a year and no new models were introduced or revisions to the K60/K90 design have been released. Not to mention they suffer from horrible key repeating issues which are still ongoing I believe. Evidently no one company seems to fully grasp what the market needs or wants, or simply can't deliver on the quality front.

On the mouse front Logitech does have a good replacement for the G7. It's called the G700. As a multiple G7 owner I've found the G700 to be a better mouse in every conceivable way. The only thing the G7 has for it is slightly less weight but the battery life was terrible. The G700 gets longer battery life, has more buttons, better surface texture, more features, better ergonomics (subjective) and can be used while charging in corded mode. The receiver is super tiny and doesn't require some cradle charging device for battery packs.
 
Dan_D said:
Logitech has been out of touch with the keyboard market for several years now and it shows in the G710+. The original G15 wasn't a very good product. The finish rubbed off the keys super fast and it had membrane keys in it. Granted mechanical keyboards just started to come back around that time but they were already available. Logitech also produced the thing with a retarded foot print. The original G-15 was needlessly large. The successor to it had the questionable orange color scheme but was overall an improvement in virtually every way. Mechanicals have been all the rage for some time now and Logitech still hasn't got with the program until now. And what they produced is quite far off the mark.

Arguments about media keys aside, the Corsair keyboard isn't perfect either. While some don't mind, I can't stand the membrane based function keys. As soon as the forum learned about that they were blasted for doing it and they've never done anything to change the keyboard. I believe I read something concerning looking at changing that in future versions or in additional models. It's been at least a year and no new models were introduced or revisions to the K60/K90 design have been released. Not to mention they suffer from horrible key repeating issues which are still ongoing I believe. Evidently no one company seems to fully grasp what the market needs or wants, or simply can't deliver on the quality front.

On the mouse front Logitech does have a good replacement for the G7. It's called the G700. As a multiple G7 owner I've found the G700 to be a better mouse in every conceivable way. The only thing the G7 has for it is slightly less weight but the battery life was terrible. The G700 gets longer battery life, has more buttons, better surface texture, more features, better ergonomics (subjective) and can be used while charging in corded mode. The receiver is super tiny and doesn't require some cradle charging device for battery packs.
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Obviously some level of personal preference comes into play. At the time I bought the G15, I wasn't into mechanical keyboards and frankly knew little about them. I was playing a large variety of MMO's though where having Banks of hotkeys was a lifesaver. I also have a huge desk so the G15's size never bothered me. So from that perspective every single version of that line has been a progressive step backwards. Less G keys and less usb ports for how I used it were losses of functionality. I won't argue about the finish though, I wore that off pretty quickly considering I was heavily raiding in those days.I talk purely from a functionality perspective.

The corsair keyboard has its faults, but from the original G15 or any of that line it was a huge step forward. I agree having the macro keys as mechanical as well would of been nice and honestly it doesn't make any sense why they aren't. However in the capacity I use them, it doesn't bother me as I am not spamming them anywhere close to as fast as I hit the regular keys. As for key repeating issues, I personally haven't had any. Not saying it doesn't exist, just saying it hasn't affected me at this time.

As for mice. I have a G700 and no it isn't a replacement for the G7. It replaces the Performance mouse MX as a more game oriented mouse. I actually own all three mice and have been a huge fan of logitech mice especially the MX line for a long long time. I still have an MX 1000 that works like a champ. For my slower paced games I use the G700 for the additional macro buttons and the game performance. It does well at that. Its battery life is pretty abysmal compared to the performance MX, but as mentioned the charging cable alleviates that issue. My G7 on the other hand is strictly for speed in highly twitch based games like FPS and RTS. Simply put the G700 isn't nearly as fast in my hands as the G7. I can move my G7 extremely fast with an extremely light touch, while the G700 requires more. I got it hoping it would replace my G7 as I am down to one battery pack for the G7 and they are getting harder to find. Battery life was a non issue for the G7 as it took less than a second to swap and you always had 1 charged. In my case due to an RMA I had several charged at any given point.

Obviously some of this is subjective to personal use. We do agree though that logitech is horribly out of touch when it comes to the keyboard market. I feel they are quickly losing touch with the Gaming mouse market as well as the current generation of gaming mice just leave much to be desired. They need a good light high speed gaming wireless, everything they currently have is god awful heavy.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Obviously some level of personal preference comes into play. At the time I bought the G15, I wasn't into mechanical keyboards and frankly knew little about them. I was playing a large variety of MMO's though where having Banks of hotkeys was a lifesaver. I also have a huge desk so the G15's size never bothered me. So from that perspective every single version of that line has been a progressive step backwards. Less G keys and less usb ports for how I used it were losses of functionality. I won't argue about the finish though, I wore that off pretty quickly considering I was heavily raiding in those days.I talk purely from a functionality perspective.

The corsair keyboard has its faults, but from the original G15 or any of that line it was a huge step forward. I agree having the macro keys as mechanical as well would of been nice and honestly it doesn't make any sense why they aren't. However in the capacity I use them, it doesn't bother me as I am not spamming them anywhere close to as fast as I hit the regular keys. As for key repeating issues, I personally haven't had any. Not saying it doesn't exist, just saying it hasn't affected me at this time.

As for mice. I have a G700 and no it isn't a replacement for the G7. It replaces the Performance mouse MX as a more game oriented mouse. I actually own all three mice and have been a huge fan of logitech mice especially the MX line for a long long time. I still have an MX 1000 that works like a champ. For my slower paced games I use the G700 for the additional macro buttons and the game performance. It does well at that. Its battery life is pretty abysmal compared to the performance MX, but as mentioned the charging cable alleviates that issue. My G7 on the other hand is strictly for speed in highly twitch based games like FPS and RTS. Simply put the G700 isn't nearly as fast in my hands as the G7. I can move my G7 extremely fast with an extremely light touch, while the G700 requires more. I got it hoping it would replace my G7 as I am down to one battery pack for the G7 and they are getting harder to find. Battery life was a non issue for the G7 as it took less than a second to swap and you always had 1 charged. In my case due to an RMA I had several charged at any given point.

Obviously some of this is subjective to personal use. We do agree though that logitech is horribly out of touch when it comes to the keyboard market. I feel they are quickly losing touch with the Gaming mouse market as well as the current generation of gaming mice just leave much to be desired. They need a good light high speed gaming wireless, everything they currently have is god awful heavy.
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When I got into computer gaming and the hobby, and even as a profession mechanical keyboards were the norm. I remember membrane keyboards taking over as they were "spill proof." The fact is that often times a spill still ruined them as you could almost never get them clean enough after such an accident. They were cheaper for companies to make. I purchased my last mechanical keyboard in 1997 at Microcenter for $50. It was the most expensive keyboard there and it featured keys similar to Cherry MX Blacks to some extent. It didn't use Cherry switches at all. It was marked "NMB Right Touch!" keyboard. Later iterations of it were membrane based and sucked like everything else. I used that keyboard up until 2007 when the beige boxes were all gone and it looked like an eyesore next to my black LCD's Ikea Jerker desk and CM Stacker case. I replaced that mechanical keyboard for purely cosmetic reasons alone.

I had both Logitech G15 keyboards. That was my initial choice when I ditched the beige keyboard. I missed my mechanical keys from day one but as far as membrane's went Logitech did a good job. After 8 months of usage the keyboard looked horrible. My beige mechanical still looked good and typed like the day it was new after 10 years of solid use. The G15 was worn out after a short time. The keys stopped feeling right and keys that I didn't use as much felt like they were new and most of the keys felt like crap. I found I rarely used the LCD or media keys. They weren't really as useful as I thought they would be. I rarely ever used the macro keys on it either. All that the keyboard did was take up space. When the smaller G15 Revision 2's came out I was all over it. After 6 months or so it was more of the same. While it wasn't as worn as the original G15 was it wasn't pretty anymore and I was getting tired of it.

Then mechanical keyboards started to come back. I ordered my Deck Ice Legend for lack of any real choices. I enjoyed the back lighting, build quality and the Cherry MX Black switches weren't unlike the NMB keyboard's switches I used for so long. I still remembered my IBM Model M which I had used for years prior to the NMB. That was my all-time favorite keyboard. Then more and more keyboard offerings hit the market and eventually I bought the Das Keyboard professional. That was about 2 years ago and it's still working fine. I do not miss macro keys, media keys, USB ports, membrane keys, so called spill resistence (which I never needed anyway) and the Cherry MX Blue switches are about as close to the buckling spring as you'll find. The keys on my Deck are shiny but the lettering is clear and it feels like it did when it was new albeit glossier.

I type a lot as you can see by my post history, combined with reviews and posts on other forums as well. I also type a lot for my regular job. So typing is job #1 for me. So a keyboard must be good for that first and foremost. I game a lot too but I find that the Cherry MX Blue switches are fine for that. The noise has never bothered me. And I game more and more with headphones these days so that's even less of a concern.

But if I were going to make keyboards myself I'd do things quite differently than everyone else. I'd create typing models and gaming models. All keyboard housings would have matte finishes rather than being glossy. They'd all feature minimalist style casings rather than oddball angles and weird shapes. They would all feature microUSB cables which are braided like those on the CM Storm QuickFire Rapid do. Keys would be made to be durable above all else. All keyboards would have metal baseplates like the older keyboards and Deck's 10-keyless offerings. Non-backlit models would come with red gaming WASD sets in case someone wanted to use those keys like that.

I'd want 10 models total.

The Typist:
  • Matte Finish
  • Metal Baseplate
  • Braided MicroUSB cables (PS/2 offered as a separate cable.)
  • Cherry MX Blue or Cherry MX Brown switches
  • No media keys
  • No USB ports
  • No macro keys
  • No audio jacks
  • Choice of Windows / Logo keys
  • 10-Keyless options available.
Basically a black non-rubberized version of the CM Storm QuickFire Rapid with a numberpad. Basically four models right there. Cherry MX Blue and Browns only, with and without number pads. These would have the same slim footprint those afore-mentioned keyboards do.

The Gamer:
  • Matte Finish
  • Metal Baseplate
  • Backlit Keys
  • Braided MicroUSB cables (PS/2 offered as a separate cable.)
  • Cherry MX Red or Cherry MX Black switches
  • Media keys
  • 8 Macro keys
  • 4 USB ports
  • Audio jacks
  • Window key disable feature
  • Choice of Windows / Logo keys
  • Backlit design (Color changing LED backlighting.)
  • Disable all but WASD light feature
I would attempt to make this keyboard as small as possible. But these would no doubt be the largest I'd have. This would account for four models as well as these would have numberpad and non-numberpad models in both Cherry MX Red and Black switches.

The Specialist:
  • Matte Finish
  • Metal Baseplate
  • Braided MicroUSB cables (PS/2 offered as a separate cable.)
  • Cherry MX Blue Switches
  • Backlit keys. (Color changing.)
  • No media keys
  • No USB ports
  • No macro keys
  • No audio jacks
  • Choice of Windows / Logo keys
  • No 10-keyless option.
Basically the keyboard I'd want.

Finally I'd make this:

The Administrator:
  • Matte Finish
  • Metal Baseplate
  • Braided MicroUSB cables (PS/2 offered as a separate cable.)
  • Cherry MX Blue Switches
  • Backlit keys (So they can be seen in a variety of lighting conditions.) (White or blue backlighting I'm thinking.)
  • No media keys
  • No USB ports
  • No macro keys
  • No audio jacks
  • Choice of Windows / Logo keys
  • 10-Keyless only. (For server racks.)
Won't please everyone but 10 models could just about do it I think. Custom keycaps could probably happen as well as blank keys. And if people wanted a totally metal solution I think the top portion of the case could be made of metal and sold by itself as an upgrade option.

Filco and some other companies have come close to meeting most of the criteria I think but not all of them. And many companies have just one or two good models. But they don't cover enough ground. They all compromise too much and try to set themselves apart by doing XYZ differently and they end up making a product that isn't as good as it could have been for their target demographic.

Just my opinion I guess.
 
Lose the gamer design. Most of the mech purist like myself, like a no frills board.

Dan_D said:
From what I can tell it looks like WASD (I also liked the Leupold and Filco boards but they are hard to get in the US.) is the only keyboard maker that makes what I want in a full sized keyboard these days. Now if they'd just make a backlit version I'd be all set.
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Coming March 2013
 
WorldExclusive said:
Lose the gamer design. Most of the mech purist like myself, like a no frills board.
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I agree that keyboard purists arent going to like this thing but I dont think its meant for guys like you. Its meant more for guys like me that like all the cool lighting, features and play pretties like that. I admit to being a sucker for them. For guys like me that love my glossy, backlit BlackWidow, this G710 will be right up my alley. For guys like you that prefer a Das, all business look, this aint for you. When it first came out I thought the price was about right for what it offered but with more and more mechanical keyboards coming out below $100, I think Logitech needs to trim some off the price tag for this IMO.
 
The two posts above highlight my point. If I were a keyboard maker that's all I'd make. Keyboards. So 10 products isn't unreasonable. I basically put out what I think would be the ultimate 10 models which would make most people happy. The gamer board as I specified above isn't for everyone. It's for the target audience of the G710, K90, etc. The typist models I outlined would be no compromise boards designed to look and feel great with that minimalist approach. The specialist design is that pure typing keyboard with backlighting. It's like a Ducky Shine or XArmor that isn't built like shit.
 
And if theyve got cool looks and lighting, Ill buy one from ya. :D

I guess its because I grew up watching Battlestar Galactica (the real one) and Buck Rogers and all those cool blinking lights and stuff they were always using. LOL
 
Costs more than the Corsair K90? Think I'll definitely pass. I'll buy when this thing sells under $90.
 
Well it seems corsair answered the gripe about the gkeys bout begging mechanical.
 
just like every "gaming keyboard" fUGLY. Whats up with these linear cyborguesque lines? Is it what gamers are thought to like? Poorly designed tech cyborg look shit?
 
Had mine a few months now. Works like a champ and feels good too. :D No more double ghosting key punches like the K90
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Well it seems corsair answered the gripe about the gkeys bout begging mechanical.
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If I recall correctly they stated that it was done on purpose so you'd know by feel which keys you were pressing. I never believed that. We aren't blind typists. The function keys are far enough away from the main keys that you'd never make that mistake. It seemed like a cost cutting measure above all else.
 
Dan_D said:
If I recall correctly they stated that it was done on purpose so you'd know by feel which keys you were pressing. I never believed that. We aren't blind typists. The function keys are far enough away from the main keys that you'd never make that mistake. It seemed like a cost cutting measure above all else.
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Possibly was, I couldn't guess myself. As mentioned the Gkeys not being mechanical never bothered me much, but I agree they should of been. I just wish the new one came in the brushed aluminum as well. Will probably end up buying a K95 but will likely go to the wife since I like the look of the k90 better and the keys don't bother me too bad. She has been itching to upgrade her G110 to one of these. She already stole my Vengeance 1500 headset, I threatened her life if she ganked my KB lol.
 
I like the K95 going full mechanical. Still don't care for some of the extra buttons it has on the top for volume and crap like that. I also really like black anodized look over brushed aluminum. I also like the back lighting. Of course I'd never buy one because i don't like typing on Cherry MX Red keys but I think it's a much more solid offering.
 
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