Cherry KW 300 MX evaluation: Mechanical but quiet keyboard

Greatest Costs Immediately: Cherry KW 300 MX

Apple presently makes use of a really flat design for its personal keyboards: each the desktop keyboards for Macs and pocket book keyboards have elegant, flat keys and the important thing journey may be very quick—identical to on a laptop computer. This ensures the identical typing really feel on all gadgets.

Nonetheless, followers of mechanical keyboards with actual key journey and a exact strain level is not going to be pleased with these enter gadgets. There are quite a few options for them on the Mac: try our critiques of the finest Mac keyboards. An attention-grabbing new wi-fi mannequin is the KW 300 MX from Cherry, which prices $149.99.

Visually, the keyboard makes a sober however very high-quality impression with its gray keys and black housing. The retro-look design might even remind some folks of outdated Mac keyboards such because the open-top Professional Keyboard.

Cherry has chosen a so-called 75% format with out a quantity pad for this compact keyboard, which is presently in vogue. It’s about as extensive as Apple’s Magic Keyboard with out a quantity pad, however thrice larger. This makes it ideally suited for small desks, and a mouse can be positioned very near the keyboard with this format.

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As a consumer of a traditional keyboard, nevertheless, I needed to spend a while getting used to the unfamiliar place of a number of the keys throughout testing. The arrow keys, Enter key and Web page Up/Web page Down keys are barely offset in comparison with an ordinary keyboard. There isn’t a palm relaxation, however at the least you may modify the angle of the keyboard with stands.

The Bluetooth keyboard can handle as much as 4 gadgets, and even an iPad Professional can be utilized with it with none issues. Nonetheless, the KW 300 MX is much less appropriate for cellular use, because it is just too heavy and thick at slightly below 750 grams.

A particular characteristic of the keyboard is a placing rotary wheel on the facet, which additionally serves as an influence button and is backed by a bronze steel floor. You possibly can swap on the keyboard by urgent and holding the wheel, and later swap between two features by merely urgent it.

It’s a nifty characteristic, however I’m just a little dissatisfied with the vary of features. The rotary wheel can solely be used to regulate the brightness of the keyboard lighting in levels or to alter the amount of the Mac. Each are helpful, however given the restricted vary of features, the rotary wheel looks as if a missed alternative to me.

The backlight is kind of vivid and white, and purple LEDs additionally point out configuration choices. For instance, after switching on, you may choose the 4 Bluetooth channels utilizing the F1 to F4 keys.

The built-in battery is charged by way of USB-C, however it’s also possible to join the keyboard on to a pc by way of USB-C. The battery ought to final for every week of use with the backlighting energetic, and Cherry claims a runtime of six weeks with the backlighting turned off. That’s not precisely lengthy, and most customers will in all probability solely use the backlighting sparingly in the long term.

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Nice typing really feel

The largest drawback of many mechanical keyboards is that they’re very loud and disturb colleagues or flatmates with their loud keystrokes. Nonetheless, there are additionally quiet mechanical switches such because the MX2A Silent Pink, which may be put in within the KW 300 MX on request.

These switches, produced in Germany by Cherry, mix a first-class, exact typing expertise with acceptable noise ranges. The housing is even specifically insulated to additional cut back the amount. Nonetheless, this doesn’t make the keyboard silent by any means; a keyboard resembling

These Cherry switches, manufactured in Germany, supply a first-class, exact typing expertise at a average quantity. The housing can also be specifically insulated to additional cut back noise. Nonetheless, the keyboard shouldn’t be utterly silent—fashions such because the Logitech Signature Slim Photo voltaic are considerably quieter.

The keyboard can also be accessible in a model with completely different switches, the Cherry MX2A Brown. These are so-called tactile switches, which supply barely stronger suggestions than the linear MX2A Pink. Nonetheless, the MX2A Brown can also be fairly quiet and are primarily beneficial by Cherry for workplace customers or programmers, whereas the MX2A Pink are extra appropriate for avid gamers.

Regardless of the insulation, the typing really feel is superb. In contrast to an Apple keyboard, the whole key journey is about 4 millimeters and you’ll really feel a definite strain level. As a result of insulation, that is softer than on different mechanical keyboards, however in my view it is a wonderful compromise. The sturdiness can also be mentioned to be spectacular, with Cherry promising a lifespan of as much as 100 million keystrokes.

Mac compatibility

You possibly can truly use virtually any Home windows keyboard on a Mac. Nonetheless, the Alt and Home windows keys are assigned in a different way on Home windows keyboards, and it’s important to reconfigure this by way of System Preferences > Keyboard .

Even with out this reconfiguration, the Cherry keyboard can supply Mac key assignments. All it’s important to do is press the Fn and M keys for 3 seconds after switching on, and the keyboard will swap to Mac mode. You possibly can reactivate the default Home windows mode utilizing the Fn and W keys. You may as well set this default individually for every of the 4 Bluetooth modes—for instance, in the event you use the keyboard on each a Mac and a Home windows laptop.

The keyboard has one other particular characteristic to supply: it comes with three keyboard caps and a particular loop-shaped software that you need to use to take away the three Home windows keys (Alt, Home windows and Alt Gr) and change them with Mac keys. The keys are specifically designed by the producer to be simply changed.

That is one other benefit over Apple’s delicate keyboards in the case of repairs. Sadly, the Keys software program for configuring the perform keys is barely accessible for Home windows computer systems; there isn’t a Mac model.

Value

The Cherry KW 300 MX prices $149.99 or £125.

Do you have to purchase the Cherry KW 300 MX?

The brand new Cherry KW 300 MX presents an attention-grabbing various to Apple’s flat keyboards. It’s significantly aimed toward customers of compact mechanical keyboards who wish to be thoughtful of their environment. The compromise between exact typing really feel and average quantity is properly achieved, and Mac compatibility is a welcome bonus. Nonetheless, it isn’t with out its limitations: the compact format and relatively excessive design require some getting used to for a lot of Mac customers, and the restricted performance of the rotary management is considerably disappointing.