Review: Logitech's CRAFT Wireless Keyboard is Pricey, but the Input Dial Is a Useful Addition

[Analog Kid]

This does go to show the value of the touch bar-- far more useful and versatile than the knob unless you play a lot of Pong.

I so miss real keys though. I've got one of the newest magic keyboards and the tactile response isn't much different than typing on an iPad. Maybe that's the plan: slowly desensitize us to poking at glass... The newer keyboards are quieter than the old keycap style, but I find I'm having a much harder time touch typing than I ever did before. Even need to enter my password over and over again until I get the rhythm right...

Of course I'm one of the last people in this world to type with more than my thumbs, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

 

[ErikGrim]

My mind is blown. I never knew this. Thanks!!

-everyone added this-

 

[anson42]

What you should really be doing is pressing Cmd-Shift-4, and then hitting your Spacebar...
Then your cursor turns into a little camera icon, and you can click over any window (even those partially hidden behind others) to get a perfect screenshot of just that window, complete with transparency.

That's a good one! Most of my use cases capture parts of browser based applications but this is a handy dandy feature I didn't know about. Thx

 

[Quu]

I just wanted to add to this review, Logitech do sell a UK layout of this keyboard as I bought it from Amazon. Has the larger UK enter key and so forth.

 

[groovyd]

I had it and returned it. Here are the issues...
- Lowering the backlight intensity only lowers it for until the next time the keyboard sleeps. It then reverts back to full intensity.
- With any use of the backlight the battery dies in 10 days or less.
- Backlight likes to turn on sometimes even when you just hover your hand over your mouse next to the keyboard.
- Dial does not always work properly.
- Spacebar squeaks significantly, was enough to drive me crazy.
- Key feel/travel is awkward.
- It often mis-types by not registering key presses unless you hit the keys in a certain way leaving a string of auto-corrects in it's wake.
- Price is way out of range of it's true value.

 

[glenno]

OK, I have to ask - how do mac people remember the shortcut to print screen (either one). I have to google search or put a sticky on the screen to remember. The ipad, on the other hand, brilliant with the two buttons.

In addition to the comments above, I often use the built-in Screenshot widget in the Dashboard. You don't need to remember any combos, and it adds several great features. E.g., you can also do a timed screen capture, for when you need to set something up after hitting the screen capture button. You can also choose the file format of your capture, preview it before saving or redoing it, and choose to either open it (in the app of your choice for editing), or save it -- and set where to save it.

 

[PrismaticRealms]

I have this keyboard. I like the look and feel of it very much but it's got some serious (driver) flaws that prevents me from recommending it to other macOS users.

 

[David58117]

I have this keyboard. I like the look and feel of it very much but it's got some serious (driver) flaws that prevents me from recommending it to other macOS users.

Really?

I'm not having any driver issues with it (on Mojave PB though, and keyboard updated to latest firmware).

 

[Painter2002]

Really?

I'm not having any driver issues with it (on Mojave PB though, and keyboard updated to latest firmware).

How is it to type on? I’m looking for a good keyboard I can easily switch between a MacBook Pro and windows, and I was eyeballing the Logitech Craft, but all these bad reviews have me wondering at the steep price it’s going for. I have an MX Master with no issues so I’ve had good experiences with Logitech. Also how good is battery life?

 

[ignatius345]

Those keys look cheap and nasty. Logitech has lost it's premium quality (not price) ways a long time ago.

I've generally hated their mice -- until I got the G305 wireless gaming mouse, which is truly a revelation. I'm not a gamer, but this is by far the best mouse I've ever touched. I made sure to get an extended warranty because my previous Logitech mice have had a nasty habit of dying just outside the 1-year warranty period.
[doublepost=1532701031][/doublepost]

Also, after Cmd-Shift-4, Space, hold control down while clicking and that image goes on the clipboard instead of to the 157th 'Screenshot *.png' file on your desktop. Same trick for the other screenshotting commands (typically I skip the space and draw out the rectangle I want, but with ctrl held down so I can paste the result in a message / slack / email / etc.

[Sorry, strayts; I swear your message right above wasn't there when I started typing this ... darned distracting work!]

(All of which really goes right to the original poster's point about print-screen functionality being super-hidden in macos, to the point that a lot of people think they need third-party utilities just to grab a snapshot of what is on screen).

If you dive into OnyX, you can specify exactly what folder your screenshots are saved to, instead of just the desktop. I have mine set to an iCloud Drive folder so they're synced and available on my other Macs. But really, anything is better than the desktop in my opinion...

 

[PrismaticRealms]

Really?

I'm not having any driver issues with it (on Mojave PB though, and keyboard updated to latest firmware).

Yep! For example, does your Insert key work? Mine doesn't. Startup a Windows virtualization app (such as VMware Fusion) and try to use the Insert key. Any cheap $20 keyboard has a functional Insert key.

Also, can you use your Craft to boot you Mac into Safe Mode? Or Recovery? I can't.

And there are several other issues with it as well. Here is a list I submitted to the Logitech community.
[doublepost=1533135024][/doublepost]

How is it to type on? I’m looking for a good keyboard I can easily switch between a MacBook Pro and windows, and I was eyeballing the Logitech Craft, but all these bad reviews have me wondering at the steep price it’s going for. I have an MX Master with no issues so I’ve had good experiences with Logitech. Also how good is battery life?

I rather like the feel of the keyboard myself. It's heavy and firm. Keypresses feel nice, not plastic-y like say their K811 keyboard.

As for battery life, I never turn my Craft off and I always keep the backlight sensor on and I find I have to plug it in every 4 or 5 days or so to charge.

Be sure to review my list of reported issues (see previous post) before deciding to buy one. If you can live with those issues, then by all means go for it!

 

[Quu]

As for battery life, I never turn my Craft off and I always keep the backlight sensor on and I find I have to plug it in every 4 or 5 days or so to charge.

Mine is like that also. I think the poor battery life is my only complaint, well that and the volume getting stuck on full blast or zero if you hold down the button too long (sometimes, intermittent fault).

 

[Painter2002]

Yep! For example, does your Insert key work? Mine doesn't. Startup a Windows virtualization app (such as VMware Fusion) and try to use the Insert key. Any cheap $20 keyboard has a functional Insert key.

Also, can you use your Craft to boot you Mac into Safe Mode? Or Recovery? I can't.

And there are several other issues with it as well. Here is a list I submitted to the Logitech community.
[doublepost=1533135024][/doublepost]

I rather like the feel of the keyboard myself. It's heavy and firm. Keypresses feel nice, not plastic-y like say their K811 keyboard.

As for battery life, I never turn my Craft off and I always keep the backlight sensor on and I find I have to plug it in every 4 or 5 days or so to charge.

Be sure to review my list of reported issues (see previous post) before deciding to buy one. If you can live with those issues, then by all means go for it!

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually bought another keyboard and didn’t like it, and it turned out that the craft was $20 off at Best Buy yesterday so I went ahead and made the splurge. My pocket book hurts but I must admit this is a pretty beautiful feeling keyboard. It’s alot easier for more me now switching between the keys on Craft keyboard and those on my built in laptops keyboards (windows and Mac) and so far no issues with connectivity!

 

[JhnsSch]

And there are several other issues with it as well. Here is a list I submitted to the Logitech community.
[doublepost=1533135024][/doublepost]
...

Sadly your post is gone or the link is just dead. I would be great if could please provide that again. It's been years since this thread started, I bought mine just before Catalina got released, following the overall consensus I thought there was in all that I read; that being:
**

• it's nice - esp. the built quality of the 'slate';
• either you like the key cap design or you don't;
• at this point (before Catalina got released) it does finally do, what it promised to do in the first place;
• if there is an issue (I was concerned, cause my Mac Pro 5,1 cannot handle 'smart bluetooth devices'),
  then you can always rely on the receiver that comes in the box

**

Therefore my question is: DID ANYONE EVER GET IT TO WORK?*

*not 'but'; 'if'; 'when' - Legit usage with 3 devices, seamless switching between them, no random pulses of the backlight (which whilst I wrote this post, by now interrupted my typing 12 TIMES)

Is there someone out there with: Nothing to complain about/ with a working unit of the Logitech logi Craft keyboard? If so, pls hmu


My post in their 'community' for reference.

I experience exactly the same issue.

• After connection issues arose (they did only, since I had purchased the craft keyboard & tried using it, as well as my MX master 2S simultaneously), the sheer amount of different issues & the disregard from logitech's side simply lead to the most frustrating situations following my attempts of receiving some kind of customer service from them - I personally do still expect customer service, especially considering that other people buy a notebook for the price that (just taking me as example for sake of simplicity) I paid to get a premium keyboard and mouse..

• Back then it just lead to me taking the premium cardboard box (excellent job on that one!) and stacking the 'craft' in it, for it to wait for the day when I have some 'time to engage in crafty tasks', simply because at that point (having spent noumerous unproductive and disappointing hours with the matter), the initial rationale for purchasing 'the craft' was so far out of sight, that no prospective increase in productivity would have justified spending only another minute with 'it'.

All I can tell you Rocky Roark is that although, I had experienced numerous problems with it, the issue of the key mapping/ detection of it being connected to a Macintosh computer failure, is one surprise to me, because this did not happen previously - I was used to (at least) that working just fine which now it does not


*PSA: The 'crafty craft' as of now disconnected itself (= it being unresponsive for up to 5 seconds) a total of 9 times during the writing of this comment)*

 

[JhnsSch]

Update!

- many things have happened...

Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here new Mac os installed 👻
Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here complete reinstall of logic options LO 🤠
Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here tried without that dysfunctional software 🤞
Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here found out there is a driver software that was never mentioned anywhere
Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here discovered the support article Logitech centriole center LCC mac links an .exe 👉
Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here discovered a mac version somewhere 🤭
Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here learnt that it is impossible to link to any logitech support page 💩
Imagine 8 exciting paragraphs here LCC without LO; with LO; mac bt, bt usb thing, unifying usb thing; regardless - nth.

TLDR - still does not work.

I bought the Ferrari of Logitech Products and
everything is as terrible as one could imagine it to be
- meanwhile:​

Looking for merit.. t.b.c.