Logitech MX Mechanical Keyboard

[varezhka]

Man, I've been so tempted by the MX Mechanical Mini after playing with it in the local Best Buy.
I don't *need* it between my HHKB and MX Keys, but it's so tempting. And you are right, things like seamless connection and proximity lighting is something that Logitech does really well. Keys was far the least stressful keyboard I tried moving between multiple PCs and mobile devices. Keychron was a nice keyboard on its own right, but I found it was best used wired.

 

[DMG35]

I'm gonna have to go in and try out the MX Mechanical at Best Buy. I really like the MX Keys, but if I can get even more of a key response and better feel then I'm all in.

 

[enc0re]

Just ordered the MX Mech Mini, Master 3S, and Logi desk mat. A little bit of an impulse purchase, but I've had good experience with Logitech dongle input devices (much better than Bluetooth IMHO). I'll let you all know how it is.

 

[generationfourth]

I have the full size one and I love it. I replaced most of the keycaps with Nuphyair75 caps. Sound and feel is much better. There isn't 1:1 for each key, they aren't shine through, some keys don't fit, and I had to buy two sets to do all cmd, fn, opt, ctrl modifier keys but it was worth it for my OCD.

The normal keycaps are fine but definitely can be improved IMO. I didn't like how the legends were printed and felt like they were low contrast. I have a monitor light bar and it made it hard to see what was on each key because of how light reflected. After switching the keycaps to Nuphy I don't even turn on the backlighting. I've had the keyboard for a month+ and it's still at 100%.

The one thing I'd recommend is lubing the stabilizers that are on each wide key (spacebar, shift, enter, backspace, etc). A lube kit is $10 on amazon and there are YT vids for it. Very easy to do and gets rid of a lot of the rattles you hear.

One thing to keep in mind with mech keyboards is 'quiet' simply refers to the switch. The keys still bottom out and are louder (depending on typing style) than any membrane keyboard and the magic keyboards are silent in comparison. These are perfectly acceptable in an office environment but if you are in a compromised WFH situation with sensitive spouse, house mates, sleeping baby I'd be careful.

I didn't think I needed the device switching but I it's been useful- sometimes I end up looking at my phone and typing an email or something I just press #2 on this keyboard and type away! I also think they nailed it with the emoji, screenshot, and mute button- I find them all useful for WFH. Also, the FN row is fully customizable and includes Mac OS mission control (as you can see my f16-f19). Only thing I noticed is the FN keys have quirks using the receiver but the connection is rock solid, on BT the connection may not be as solid but FN keys work perfectly. My last complaint is it goes to sleeps/disconnects too fast at times, and when I accidentally wake it via FN button it'll wake up and use the default setting instead of mine which can be really annoying. Other than that I love the thing.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I got the MX Mechanical mini last week and agree with the posters here. It's still a LOT louder than a membrane keyboard but it's not as obnoxiously loud as the old school mechanical keyboards. So far I've been pretty happy with it. I have used keychron before in the past and miss the wired mode but the bluetooth mode has been really good and despite seeing some reviewers on Amazon complain about the sleep wakeup time, I've had absolutely no problems with it. There is no lag with the Bluetooth 5. I don't use it in lighted mode and it's been at 100% since I charged it (it charges fairly slow).

Like other posters here - keychron was best used wired. I ended up giving that away to family.

Wow those keycaps look great above.

 

[generationfourth]

I got the MX Mechanical mini last week and agree with the posters here. It's still a LOT louder than a membrane keyboard but it's not as obnoxiously loud as the old school mechanical keyboards. So far I've been pretty happy with it. I have used keychron before in the past and miss the wired mode but the bluetooth mode has been really good and despite seeing some reviewers on Amazon complain about the sleep wakeup time, I've had absolutely no problems with it. There is no lag with the Bluetooth 5. I don't use it in lighted mode and it's been at 100% since I charged it (it charges fairly slow).

Like other posters here - keychron was best used wired. I ended up giving that away to family.

Wow those keycaps look great above.

Yes I agree with you and I think a mechanical keyboard is more like an instrument and your typing style could dictate how it sounds. I bought both the linear red switches and tactile brown. I type very lightly and on the linear switches I could make them pretty darn quiet by not bottoming out the keys! I didn't like the tactile brown switches but felt like I made fewer errors though with slower typing speed. I do like the brown switches with the Nuphy keys- they feel a little more linear and they now have nice crackling sound!

Also, to be clear the Nuphy caps pictured above are not shine through! but an interesting setup could be just to replace the letters and numbers and leave all the other keys lit if backlighting is important.

 

[jazz1]

Yes I agree with you and I think a mechanical keyboard is more like an instrument and your typing style could dictate how it sounds. I bought both the linear red switches and tactile brown. I type very lightly and on the linear switches I could make them pretty darn quiet by not bottoming out the keys! I didn't like the tactile brown switches but felt like I made fewer errors though with slower typing speed. I do like the brown switches with the Nuphy keys- they feel a little more linear and they now have nice crackling sound!

Also, to be clear the Nuphy caps pictured above are not shine through! but an interesting setup could be just to replace the letters and numbers and leave all the other keys lit if backlighting is important.

I've now had my MX Mechanical Mini for several days now. I too am not as fast typing vs. the non-mechanical version. But I also make less typing errors. I did go "tactile" style switches. Do the other versions take less typing force?

I do like the ability to switch to other devices, like my iPad and iPhone.

 

[edubfromktown]

I went with a Das 4 Pro MACSFT-3G7 Cherry MX Brown (less clickey) USB mechanical keyboard and it has been awesome.

 

[generationfourth]

I've now had my MX Mechanical Mini for several days now. I too am not as fast typing vs. the non-mechanical version. But I also make less typing errors. I did go "tactile" style switches. Do the other versions take less typing force?

I do like the ability to switch to other devices, like my iPad and iPhone.

The red linear takes less typing force but it's easy to accidentally depress keys. In terms of speed the linear keys felt faster because they took the least amount of force but I seemed to average the same amount of WPM with both.

 

[bluespark]

I have the Linear (mini version), and am on the fence. It requires more movement and pressure than I'm used to and from my perspective, the key caps decisions are really weird. I can't imagine giving one of a very small number of special keys to emoji, for example. Also, it's exceedingly bizarre that four of the function keys are a different color from the rest, and printing the regular and shift- functions side by side rather than above and below makes me have to stop and think about what a particular modifier key actually does. On the other hand, it's great that they added a column of home, page up, etc. keys on the right.

Also, since the key caps are removable anyway, why not package this keyboard with some alternative key caps for those who need, for example, Mission Control rather than damn emoji.

 

[generationfourth]

I have the Linear (mini version), and am on the fence. It requires more movement and pressure than I'm used to and from my perspective, the key caps decisions are really weird. I can't imagine giving one of a very small number of special keys to emoji, for example. Also, it's exceedingly bizarre that four of the function keys are a different color from the rest, and printing the regular and shift- functions side by side rather than above and below makes me have to stop and think about what a particular modifier key actually does. On the other hand, it's great that they added a column of home, page up, etc. keys on the right.

Also, since the key caps are removable anyway, why not package this keyboard with some alternative key caps for those who need, for example, Mission Control rather than damn emoji.

I agree with everything you said. The side by side legends are a weird design choice. and they should definitely give you dedicated Mac or windows specific modifier keys in addition to the combo ones. Especially at this price point. If they offered packs for video/photo/excel I'd buy those for extra!

In terms of how the linear keys feel they are definitely different if you are used to magic keyboards like I was. A membrane/scissor switch registers upon bottom out which is probably one reason why Mac keyboards are so low pro. A mechanical keyboards actuation is typically in the first part of the travel but there is a lot of travel past the actuation point. Like I said they feel more like instruments and personally I like to type very lightly on them with very little to no bottom out. I could type very quickly once I got used to the differences, especially on the linear keys. But when I first got Logitech mechanicals I felt like like my fingers were swimming in plastic. My typing speed went up (even on the magic keyboard) but overall the mechanical board feels less 'frantic' and more pleasing in comparison to the magic keyboards. But I still love the feel of those to...

As far as the fn keys I really love the emoji, dictation, screenshot, and mic mute. All of those cater to my WFH uses, but I also bought the full size so I use f16-f19 for mission control related navigation.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I agree with everything you said. The side by side legends are a weird design choice. and they should definitely give you dedicated Mac or windows specific modifier keys in addition to the combo ones. Especially at this price point. If they offered packs for video/photo/excel I'd buy those for extra!

In terms of how the linear keys feel they are definitely different if you are used to magic keyboards like I was. A membrane/scissor switch registers upon bottom out which is probably one reason why Mac keyboards are so low pro. A mechanical keyboards actuation is typically in the first part of the travel but there is a lot of travel past the actuation point. Like I said they feel more like instruments and personally I like to type very lightly on them with very little to no bottom out. I could type very quickly once I got used to the differences, especially on the linear keys. But when I first got Logitech mechanicals I felt like like my fingers were swimming in plastic. My typing speed went up (even on the magic keyboard) but overall the mechanical board feels less 'frantic' and more pleasing in comparison to the magic keyboards. But I still love the feel of those to...

As far as the fn keys I really love the emoji, dictation, screenshot, and mic mute. All of those cater to my WFH uses, but I also bought the full size so I use f16-f19 for mission control related navigation.

I got a Tactile Mini and it feels like in between a Cherry Red and Brown. It's not all that quieter either.

Same here. I still use my Magic Keyboard and my mini - I have to because on Teams calls, this keyboard is very noticeable so I have to use the Apple one for when I'm on calls. lol.

Like you I've noticed my typing speed has increased and that also is seen on the Apple keyboard too, interestingly enough. Yes, typing on the mini is pleasant - so much so that I can think more out loud on my keyboard than before.

At first I was a little worried about the build quality due to some reviewers saying it was poor - or a squeaky space bar - but I am surprised. No squeaky space bar here and while the build quality isn't KeyChron, it's still acceptable. I've used it for a week+ now, pretty heavily, and it's doing really good. I can tell I haven't quite broken the keyboard in either. I'm still not happy with the cost but it is nice to have a "wireless" keyboard again. I could not use the keychrons wireless...

 

[bluespark]

I agree with everything you said. The side by side legends are a weird design choice. and they should definitely give you dedicated Mac or windows specific modifier keys in addition to the combo ones. Especially at this price point. If they offered packs for video/photo/excel I'd buy those for extra!

In terms of how the linear keys feel they are definitely different if you are used to magic keyboards like I was. A membrane/scissor switch registers upon bottom out which is probably one reason why Mac keyboards are so low pro. A mechanical keyboards actuation is typically in the first part of the travel but there is a lot of travel past the actuation point. Like I said they feel more like instruments and personally I like to type very lightly on them with very little to no bottom out. I could type very quickly once I got used to the differences, especially on the linear keys. But when I first got Logitech mechanicals I felt like like my fingers were swimming in plastic. My typing speed went up (even on the magic keyboard) but overall the mechanical board feels less 'frantic' and more pleasing in comparison to the magic keyboards. But I still love the feel of those to...

As far as the fn keys I really love the emoji, dictation, screenshot, and mic mute. All of those cater to my WFH uses, but I also bought the full size so I use f16-f19 for mission control related navigation.

I’m starting to discover typing without bottoming-out the keys and that definitely helps. Your instrument analogy is a good one, as this experiment reminds me of playing a string instrument — great musicians glide rather than push the bow, and I was trying to push. Still, it’s likely to be the weird key caps that drive me away.

For now, I’m still trying.

 

[bluespark]

I got a Tactile Mini and it feels like in between a Cherry Red and Brown. It's not all that quieter either.

Same here. I still use my Magic Keyboard and my mini - I have to because on Teams calls, this keyboard is very noticeable so I have to use the Apple one for when I'm on calls. lol.

Like you I've noticed my typing speed has increased and that also is seen on the Apple keyboard too, interestingly enough. Yes, typing on the mini is pleasant - so much so that I can think more out loud on my keyboard than before.

At first I was a little worried about the build quality due to some reviewers saying it was poor - or a squeaky space bar - but I am surprised. No squeaky space bar here and while the build quality isn't KeyChron, it's still acceptable. I've used it for a week+ now, pretty heavily, and it's doing really good. I can tell I haven't quite broken the keyboard in either. I'm still not happy with the cost but it is nice to have a "wireless" keyboard again. I could not use the keychrons wireless...

I’m also satisfied with the build quality, and may try the tactile quiet as well. I am starting to see the attraction, even if it ultimately may not be for me.

 

[Roadster Lewis]

How are people getting on with these? I am tempted to get one, or the Nuphy Air75. I already have the MX Master 3, so have Options+ installed.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I'm enjoying it still. I find I revert to my Apple Magic Keyboard because during work calls I can't be clacking away on my MX mini keyboard (I spend a lot of time on work calls). So I save most of my usage of that keyboard for after hours and gaming. So far the keyboard is holding up a lot better than I thought it would. It does not feel as rugged as some of the other mechanical keyboards I've used in the same price class but it is holding up very well.

Bluetooth connectivity significantly better than other mechanical keyboards I've used.

I refuse to install any Logitech keyboard software so the keyboard works really well without it, just a note.

I definitely recommend it.

 

[legal]

A question for the owners of the Mini. How do you deal with the missing buttons for brightness control (in my case of a Studio Display)?

Is it possible to swap the keyboard brightness control buttons with the screen brightness control buttons? Is it then possible to additionally define that the keyboard brightness is controlled with the same keys by holding the FN key? A double function of the same key, so in a way...

 

[Lucas Curious]

A question for the owners of the Mini. How do you deal with the missing buttons for brightness control (in my case of a Studio Display)?

Is it possible to swap the keyboard brightness control buttons with the screen brightness control buttons? Is it then possible to additionally define that the keyboard brightness is controlled with the same keys by holding the FN key? A double function of the same key, so in a way...

I now use the new Nuphy Halo75 and brightness control without hitting Fn and works with Studio Display. I quit using my Mechanical mini. Being new to mechanical keyboards, I bought the Logitech but now that I use NUphy keyboards, I'll sell the Logitech for what I can get for it. Bad switches and bad keycaps and not customizable. Great battery life though.

 

[legal]

I see...I have the Nuphy and the K3 in mind. With the Logitech, the battery life suits me and I can get it for $70 at the moment.

 

[rocketbuc]

I recently got a Logitech Mechanical Mini for Mac (in white). Has been great so far and much smaller than the Macintosh Extended II that I was using before.

As others have mentioned, only issue is that the backlight turns off way too quickly and does not really work for a write-think-write sequences. This is a real pity as the battery is powerful enough so it is solely a missing software feature.

Also, I cannot connect the Firmware Updater on my M2 Air for some reason.

 

[Lucas Curious]

I see...I have the Nuphy and the K3 in mind. With the Logitech, the battery life suits me and I can get it for $70 at the moment.

I would urge you to try to Nuphy Halo75 first or both at same time with preferred switches. once you start using nippy you may not like the feel of Logitech although logitech is somewhat quieter if you care about that. Other than the typing feel, the Logi is a nice keyboard. if you really want a perfect condition Logi why original box and all the stuff, I'll sell you mine.

 

[legal]

Thanks a lot, the Nuphy is indeed interesting but it does not yet have the country-specific keyboard layout I am used to. The Nuphy is unfortunately not so easily available here, but the K3 would be. The Logi I can het here today brand new in stores for $69 which is quiet ok. I would have to choose between the K3 and the Logi I guess.

 

[kwijbo]

A question for the owners of the Mini. How do you deal with the missing buttons for brightness control (in my case of a Studio Display)?

Is it possible to swap the keyboard brightness control buttons with the screen brightness control buttons? Is it then possible to additionally define that the keyboard brightness is controlled with the same keys by holding the FN key? A double function of the same key, so in a way...

This is the one issue for me. I bought the MX Keys when it first came out and that had a similar "combo" Win/MacOS layout. It was annoying but I used it for a while, then some time later Logitech came out with a dedicated MX Keys for Mac which had the proper Mac layout and I'm still using that today. I would guess that sometime in January/February after CES and holiday return periods are over we'll see some 2023 products start to trickle out and there might be a MX Mechanical for Mac, which would be an instant buy.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I would urge you to try to Nuphy Halo75 first or both at same time with preferred switches. once you start using nippy you may not like the feel of Logitech although logitech is somewhat quieter if you care about that. Other than the typing feel, the Logi is a nice keyboard. if you really want a perfect condition Logi why original box and all the stuff, I'll sell you mine.

I realize this is probably the wrong thread to ask but - any feedback as to the bluetooth connectivity of the Nuphy Halo75? It can be used as a wired keyboard too right like the Keychrons? I've found most keyboard's bluetooth to be atrocious (including Keychron - had to end up using it wired). One thing Logitech's MX keyboards have is strong bluetooth.

Those keyboards do look really nice tho! (Nuphy).

 

[rocketbuc]

I realize this is probably the wrong thread to ask but - any feedback as to the bluetooth connectivity of the Nuphy Halo75? It can be used as a wired keyboard too right like the Keychrons? I've found most keyboard's bluetooth to be atrocious (including Keychron - had to end up using it wired). One thing Logitech's MX keyboards have is strong bluetooth.

Those keyboards do look really nice tho! (Nuphy).

Bluetooth between MacBook Air M2 and MX Mechanical Mini for Mac has been rock solid for several weeks now. It reconnects quickly, no hiccups. I was also worried about that but for Logitech it seems fine.