For anyone still on the fence of the G910

[exyia]

Just thought I'd share my short (for reasons I'll explain below) experience with the G910.

 

I've used:

MX Reds

MX Blacks

MX Blues

and currently on MX Browns

 

I've been moderately unsatisfied with all of them. The G910's unique-ness has always caught my curiosity. The new switches, the keycaps, the physical design (don't hate it, don't love it, just interested what it's like in person), and obviously the lighting. Also - I was STILL curious about the switches because every review still seems to gloss over them (or maybe I'm just expecting too much in a switch review over a video/text)

 

Local Best Buy's have these, so I figured "why not?" - return if I don't like it.......

 

I ended up returning it an hour later - that's including drive time from and back to the store.

 

1. I LIKE the keycaps. I type in a "stroke" manner - in that my fingers hover like a "hunt + peck" typer, but my finger strokes are in quick/rapid strokes of full words. I know there are quite a few people out there that type like this without realizing it. Because of this, the indentions on the keycaps felt like landing zones. I liked them.

 

2. The switch......I don't mind it (didn't have it for long), but it is definitely "gamer" oriented. The actuation/register point is VERY high. Very twitch-friendly. While there's some good resistance towards the bottom, the switch has actuated LONG before you start feeling any meaningful amount of it.

 

It is not a loud switch, but there is still feedback/tactility - but again, the actuation happens much faster than the feedback. This is definitely not a switch to be written off as a "Cherry MX spinoff" of sorts. It has it's own qualities to it and I definitely see a reason for it to exist in the mechanical keyboard market.

 

If you want to know what MX key it feels most like? Honestly, none of them. It feels like a ultra sensitive MX Red with the higher actuation point, followed by a quiet and soft bump at the bottom like a membrane.

 

3. I think the keyboard looks much better in person than in photos, WITH the more symmetrical wrist rest. The extended one looks silly. With the straight(er) one attached, it has a much more straight line appearance than weird angular one that the online pictures seem to suggest. It doesn't look that tacky - just unique.

 

4. Software is not buggy - it works and is relatively responsive. Didn't have to read the manual, and the program is centralized with all Logitech products. I didn't have to load two separate programs between my G502 and G910 - it condensed into the same program - so no extra software clutter.

 

...

 

but now the negatives in mostly the order I came across them:

 

1. The keyboard does NOT tilt up much at all. I couldn't believe this. With the rear feet raised, it only feels flat at that point. I triple checked to see if there was a second set of feet or more adjustment, because I couldn't believe the LACK of tilt.........ok. Not a deal breaker....I can prop it up later if I decide to keep it.

 

2. Next....went to set the keyboard to white. My default will be white - I mostly game on my Razer Orbweaver, so I plan to have the colors change or even fade out of the way when I game. since it's built off the same software of the G502, I know the game detection is VERY good and 99% bug free. But for now, set it to white and deal with the fancy stuff later....

 

wow...the lighting is NOT very bright/vibrant. It IS uniform, but wow....it is dull. I triple checked that the brightness was maxxed. Especially if you're coming from a colored backboard keyboard (like some of the CM Storm's or FUNC keyboard), the lighting will feel incredibly weak....

 

3. People have told me that the G logo on the top-left and the G910 logo in the wrist-rest are also color customizable - good, because to me, if you can't control ALL colors for uniformity, then I don't care how many features your RGB keyboard has.

 

And what do you know.....the whole upper right of the keyboard (mostly media control buttons) are ONLY Logitech blue.

 

What's worse....is that combined with #2 above, the relatively dim white LED setting on the keyboard started to look like it had a blue-ish tint when next to the un-changeable blue LED's. Hugely disappointing - nothing "white" looked very white on this keyboard.

 

4. Ok - reactive typing. Always wanted it on a keyboard, but the ones that have had it lacked some other feature I wasn't willing to give up on anything $150+.

 

To my disappointment, this is where the lack of customization started to show....

 

You can only choose:

Freestyle color lighting (pick whatever keys to whatever color individually)

OR

Zone lighting (pick zones, pick colors)

OR

Per profile lighting

OR

Special effect lighting

 

Key word being OR. THAT'S IT.

 

For instance, say I wanted Reactive Typing while non-gaming, then the keyboard to autoswitch to red and breathing while in-game because my hand will have moved to the Orbweaver. NOPE - You can ONLY pick Special Effect lighting (like Reactive) ORRRRRRRRRRRRRRR per profile lighting.

 

....

 

I'm sorry....wut? Maybe I didn't understand or figure out the software yet....

A quick google search revealed that this was a common topic and complaint.....and of course the response is "Maybe/possibly in a future software update"

 

I'm sorry, but this keyboard is ~$200. That was my last straw, I immediately packed it back up. The software is very intuitive and works well - but the amount of customization is a complete joke. This is ridiculous. I'm not going to spend $200 then sit and wait, HOPING the features I want are added later.

 

So for anyone STILL on the fence about trying this keyboard - those are my thoughts. I think it's a complete joke for $200. Shame...because I actually liked the keycaps the most of all things......

[spwath]

I tried it out at best buy, liked keycaps and switches.

Feels like my 1992 apple adjustable keyboard with alps switches

[Maheshvara]

A nice review (probably a tad too subjective), but you basically returned the keyboard because it's backlighting wasn't to your liking...

[Whorax]

I seem to disagree with you with especially on the key caps and the switch. I hated them both. I didn't think the caps catered to the curve of my fingers, and I felt like if I was going to buy the keyboard for the switches I'd be better off staying with my old HP rubber dome keyboard that came with my old computer years ago and save my money on something else.

 

But to each their own I suppose.

[exyia]

A nice review (probably a tad too subjective), but you basically returned the keyboard because it's backlighting wasn't to your liking...

 

all within the context of a $200 keyboard though

I'm sorry, $200 for a keyboard is kind of ridiculous

Spending $200 for a keyboard and being told to wait for more lighting customization to hopefully be added later is unacceptable

 

I seem to disagree with you with especially on the key caps and the switch. I hated them both. I didn't think the caps catered to the curve of my fingers, and I felt like if I was going to buy the keyboard for the switches I'd be better off staying with my old HP rubber dome keyboard that came with my old computer years ago and save my money on something else.

 

But to each their own I suppose.

 

/shrug

 

I never said the key caps and/or switch were the best thing ever - it's all preference of course. I have my reasons for liking the key caps and the switch is different enough to warrant being made imo (as compared to Razer switches just being a method to work-around being at Cherry's will)

 

---

 

forgot to mention

 

if you decide to do per profile lighting, you STILL don't get full per-key lighting customization. You can only choose two different colors for two different zones on the keyboard....

 

the best part? those "zones" of keys? you can NOT specify them. So choosing per-profile lighting not only rules out any lighting effects you might want to use - it also limits your choice on WHICH keys you decide to light up certain colors

 

again - this is all in context of a $200 price tag. Nothing but disappointing imo