30.5.2013

Ok, so 80 quid is a lot for a generic keyboard, so what do you get for you money? Essentially, think of a laptop-style keyboard (complete with scissor springs-dontcha just love them...) in a desktop style casing. Which lights up when your paws get near the keys (Oooooh). Reservation over the first of these relates to the joys of trying to re-attach the button plates to said scissor springs when your eyesight is not great and spud-like fingers lack dexterity.Build quality on many Logitech products has been slipping of late, unless you confine your choices to their higher ended offerings, which I guess this is. Longevity is really my only (minimal) concern with this. So,that's the simple response from someone who's been using one for all of 24 hours.And, despite this, in that 24 hours I've fallen in love. I'm no touch-typist, more a steriophonic potato-fingered neanderthal key stabber, but I love typing on this. With practice, I really think I could reach two words a minute... nothing wrong with ambition. The action is light and crisp, with just enough weight to the action to convey a sense of quality. Think of the action on a decent laptop, like the Mac Books of a few years ago. They were the the best and this really is that good. Read the other reviews here on how nice this is to use. They are absolutely spot on. I popped into the office this afternoon to grab some files too large to download and the standard keyboard on the machine I normally use suddenly seemed so pedestrian.Overall, this is a really nice piece of design. There is a thin plinth which makes up the main casing, with the usual pair of retractable feet giving some adjustment to the angle of attack. Second minor gripe is that the battery cover on the back is secured with a small Phillips screw. Why? That aside, the photos really do a poor job in representing this keyboard. Styling is clean, slimline, minimalist and rather elegant. Well, for a keyboard. Logitech have obviously spent some time thinking about the aesthetics on this one. The K800 is a really nice piece of design that wouldn't look out of place anywhere. It both looks and feels expensive. Again, 80 quid is a lot for a keyboard, but quality is never cheap. In terms of value however, I certainly don't feel short-changed by this. It has a surprising heft to it as well, which adds to the impression of quality. Three rubber strips beneath the leading edge of the casing ensure it stays in place on slippery surfaces. With the retractable feet, erm, retracted, each has a another rubber button. There are none on the leading edges of them when extended, but would be unneccessary as the weight of your hands would rest on the front portion of the casing. I only mention this as further evidence that they've really thought about the design of the K800.I wrote off the illumination as little more than a gimmick, but have come to appreciate it now. I sit behind three monitors, 30", 27" and 22", all LED, so there's a fair bit of illumination on offer. I normally have a table lamp on during evening sessions but my beloved chrome Anglepoise has become redundant (besides its all-round lovelyness). The keys illumination spring to life as soon as your fingers approach the keyboard. Even in full daylight, it's a nice touch. As the light fades, it really comes into its own. Another nice touch is that when your hands move away from the keyboard, after a second or so, the back-lighting slowly dimms away. I find this a rather pleasing effect and, again, shows they've put some effort into the design.Remaining gripes? the keyboard seems to be less than the full size you normally expect from desktop keyboards. It's definitely smaller than the layout on my beloved LX710 which died after more than 5 years of abuse. This has led to severe miss-typing, though it's getting better as I slowly adapt to this layout. I have rather large hands (please...) which doesn't help.I really do miss the media hotkeys from my old keyboard. There are the usual options accessable from the Function overrides to the F keys, most of which have limited customisation choices available. You CAN change the function of the calculator hotkey however, which can be set via the only hotkey tab in the setpoint options. Again, the choices are limited, but they are there if you feel so inclined.In conclusion, this is a pricy bit of kit. I do think it represents good value for money though. It looks good, is well made and is a delight to use, which is the prime concern for me. As other reviewers have correctly asserted, this is a quality item in an age of diposable mediocrity. Yes, at the end of the day, a keyboard is a keyboard is a keyboard. This, however, is a nice one that is a delight to use, is wonderfully tactile and looks fantastic. If you're in the market for a decent bit of kit and aren't phased by the price, this makes a good buy and, minor gripes aside, would recommend it to you in good faith without reservation.

13.1.2012

In a sea of predictably under-engineered rubbish this keyboard looks like a masterpiece. I spent ages deliberating over which keyboard to buy, but I knew I wanted wireless and hopefully backlit. Surprisingly that narrowed my search down to about 3 keyboards, including this k800 and other ludicrously priced insults to my intelligence. I was scared I would feel silly having spent £110 on a keyboard but I thought that I would just trust the principle that with technology, especially wireless gadgets, you get what you pay for. I was not disappointed.My biggest fear was the range, no matter what the description said all previous wireless keyboards and mice seemed to solve the problem of wires and replaced it with the even more frustrating problem of signal dropouts.This keyboard has never once missed a single keystroke from my sofa across the room about 5m from the computer, utterly flawless in a room filled to the brim with various other RF signals and whatnot. When you turn it on there's no slight delay, no hourglass symbol, no prompt to update software, no silly nonsense cluttering up your life, just pure connection and instant control. The battery is not even an issue, it lasts months even with my default setting of the lowest backlight (perfectly functional and best ambient setting) always on and used every day. In fact the first time I saw the low battery warning light I was reminded that the thing even used batteries at all. Don't worry, although the battery is astonishing, there is still an easily accessible on/off switch for the piece of mind of those with OCD.The backlights stand to attention when you so much as think about needing to find a key and fade away once you're done after a suitable delay. The feel of the keys is a magical compromise between the feeling of the trusty chunky keys of the good old days and the looks and space saving flatness of new laptop keyboards. It feels perfect, no spongy cheapness, no style over substance sacrifice (DiNovo Edge) and a weight that feels portable yet suitably expensive. It has a thin taper for your palms to rest on as you type and to grip without accidentally typing out goobledygoop when carrying it around the room, and after hours using it I have never once felt even a little sore.The styling is modern and slick, but at the same time is also well thought out to maximise visibility, and ultimately make typing a unconscious activity. The keys are laser etched with the symbols which sounded like marketing spewage to me when I was buying it, but I can see that after intensive use I am never going to get to a point where the letters start to fade away and look abused. In fact I am pretty confident that the thing that will eventually stop me from using this keyboard will be me breaking the keys off or losing it. I even at one point was scared they were going to stop selling the k800 because it was not profitable enough and considered buying a spare in case something happened to this one.To sum up this piece of engineering really is a masterclass on how to produce a quality product, that just works to the best of human design capabilities. I can't really think of anything that compares with this product for simply providing perfection, complete and utter perfection, in every single category. Nothing frustrates me more than a piece of technology that could work, but doesn't. Technology is there to make our lives more productive or easier, so often it is the case that gadgets don't work quite as well as you would expect them to or are clearly engineered by thoughtless buffoons, there's always an irritating catch. This K800 has been produced by people who clearly take pride in their work and recognise that out there there are custmoers who are prepared to pay the price necessary for the optimally designed tool. You could buy a cheaper keyboard that will 'work', but if stress and frustration is something you want to avoid wherever possible this is the keyboard to buy, as it simply dominates anything I have ever used. I promise that you will be impressed with what humans are capable of producing and once you have experienced this everything else just looks like a joke to be honest. Buy this keyboard and finally forget about your keyboard woes once and for all, I have had this for a year and it hasn't missed a beat and looks and feels the same as the day I took it out the box. Flawless.

1.3.2013

I didn't but this from Amazon as John Lewis had a better price at the time but now they are the same price.Just to make clear this is a wireless keyboard but with rechargeable batteries built in that are charged via a micro USB charger as and when required, a 3 LED indicator on the keyboard indicates the state of charge when you press Function-F7. The keys are illuminated when the unit senses your hands nearby and then dims to off when you remove your hands.I received the unit on 15 Feb 2013 and despite it showing a full charge I gave it an overnight charge to make sure. That one charge then lasted until today 1 March precisely 2 weeks. During this time I have been using it full time i.e.around 8 hours per day and 7 days per week. I don't switch it off at all even overnight! I am very impressed by that not to mention highly delighted.I went for this keyboard because all of my previous keyboards (Logitech, Microsoft, Cherry) the key legends wears off pretty soon (a matter of months). Whilst this is of less concern to a touch typist it is annoying. As the light shines through this unit's keys they are made with the white legends cast into the key and right through (double-shotted I think the term is) so they cannot wear out as the stuck-on legends of all other modern keyboards do.In operation the keyboard works well with good key action. Some may quibble at the small left shift key on UK keyboards but I don't find this any problem in practice. The unit is, for a full keyboard with a wrist rest, quite compact and doesn't take up huge amounts of my limited desk real estate (unlike previous Logitech and Microsoft wireless keyboards that can be quite bulky).One quibble is that the 3 bar led indicators of charge are not linear. My unit was indicating full charge right up until yesterday and then 1 bar this morning. But as charging is via a micro USB charger with a long lead (both supplied with the unit) Putting it on charge is no great problem, it is on charge as I type. {Update: It charged to full in 6 hours}So despite the high price well worth it if you use a keyboard a lot.**** Update: 24 March 2013 ****I have just charged the keyboard for a second time that is 23 days since the last charge. Again the power level LEDs went from 3 to 1 overnight but I'm not sure at 1 LED how much further it had to go. About 5 hours to fully charge this time but it is fully usable during this time due to the long lead on the charger which I now prefer to all others I have for charging other micro USB equipment. Also this design approach allows for keyboard LEDs to show caps lock for instance a great improvement on other wireless keyboards that have to eschew such aids to conserve battery life.This is great performance. Over 3 weeks between charges and I use the keyboard every day and never switch it off even overnight. Perhaps this last period has been more like 2-3 hours per day but that is 7 days per week. Also I haven't played around with the set-ups to reduce power consumption, I still use the back-lighting on the keys for instance. I am very impressed and immensely pleased. It is a pleasure to use such a well engineered piece of kit, congratulations to the designers and engineers who built it.A first class keyboard, good feel, compact although full sized with a wrist rest, solid construction and keys that won't rub off lasting a lifetime. The only downside is it is a bit pricey but I guess you get what you pay for and in this case you are paying for a brilliant keyboard.Buy it, if you can afford it, you will not regret it.**** Update 19 March 2014 ****I've had this great keyboard for over a year now and it is still as good to use as it was on day one. Great feel and completely reliable with the added bonus the keyboard legends are still clear and,as anticipated, have not worn at all. The only difference now is the battery charge only lasts for 8 days before I have to recharge, but I do leave it permanently on and am quite a heavy user.So bottom line a great buy and heavily recommended.

22.12.2010

When I'm using a keyboard, there are 2 situations that get me frustrated:- If my laptop is plugged into my TV and I want to watch something, it's always a hassle to have to get up and type something.- I love working at night and I have a tendency to do it while the lights are out. This means I sometimes have to pause and squint at my laptop to try and find a key. This is especially troublesome as I'm from Portugal but have spent the last couple of years in the UK, so I usually use both keyboard layouts every day (UK while working, PT at home).I searched online and found a couple of wireless backlit keyboards, but one was from Microsoft and had that wave shape I dislike and another one was a really small one with only 56 keys.Luckily, Logitech was going to release the K800 soon. Being a faithful Logitech customer for years, I waited. The high price did force me to think hard on whether it was really worth it, so I had to decide if I was going to take a risk - mind you, I have never purchased an expensive keyboard before, my gadget money usually goes to mice.I saw a couple of videos of the keyboard on Youtube and it looked good. I never saw or touched one in the shops.I finally decided on ordering it. I have been using it and I have to say... it's amazing!- ShapeThe K800 is very thin, minimal, quite low profile. It's shaped like a slim wedge with a transparent plastic edge around it. The micro USB plug is placed at the top right. I think it would have been better in the middle or the left side, so the wire stays away from the right side of your desk - where I have my mouse.- KeysThe keys have a great feel to them, they are low so your fingers don't have to travel a lot when pressing down but they still make that "clacky" sound indicative of a proper keyboard. Above the number pad on the right, there are some keys to control the volume. Above those keys, an on/off switch and a battery indicator with 3 levels.- BacklightingYou can disable it and there are 3 levels of intensity. I find myself using the lowest level of intensity even when the light is on, as the symbols don't have high contrast against the black keys. That makes sense, as the symbols can't just be "white" as normal keyboards; they need to be translucent so the light shines through.The keyboard emanates a sort of "grey" light, which looks amazing. The sensor works very well, you just waive your hand or start typing and the light kicks in.- Battery lifeI work from home and am usually at the computer 8-10 hours a day. I charge it once a week. The keyboard lasts for a long time. When I get the warning about low battery, I just plug it to the computer via a USB cable and continue working. After a while, it's charged and I remove the USB cable. Absolutely no hassle.- ConnectivityLogitech's Unifying USB receiver is just brilliant. It is so small you never notice it. You plug it in and forget about it.Along with this keyboard, I have also purchased the Logitech MX Performance Mouse (Tracks on Glass). Both products share the same receiver and work flawlessly. I love smart technology.As Arthur C. Clarke put it, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."And this keyboard does feel like magic. If you are tempted, treat yourself and get it. You will not regret it.

8.6.2015

I've been using the Logitech K120 for over two years and wanted something much quieter, wireless and with an overall quality that made it nice to use each day. Given that my background is that of a hopeful author, finding the right keyboard was adamant for (sometimes) 10 hour writing sessions. The K800 is by far and away the best keyboard I've ever used, far exceeding most mechanical keyboards costing three times the price! The keys first of all make very little sound, so much so that I can type at full speed at 3am and still not wake up my family members sleeping either side of my bedroom walls. The shape of the keys is also perfect for touch-typing because they never get in your way.

17.7.2012

I have had a number of different brands of keyboard and bought this together with the Logitech MX Performance Mouse to replace an aging and worn Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 set.I must confess to feeling a bit underwhelmed as I opened the box of this expensive, premium keyboard - it looks neat and well finished but it isn't opulent at all. In fact, until it lights up, I could see a lot of people saying "it looks like many other keyboards" and it is actually quite compact. However, it is when you feel the keys work and they light up with a high level of contrast that you realise this keyboard is something special.

19.4.2014

Has a really nice weighty feel, the key legends are etched, so won't wear off. Has function keys for launching apps, shutting down the PC and setting the brightness of the keyboard glow (obviously the brighter you set it, the shorter the batteries will last). The unit comes with rechargeable batteries, and they charge on-board, via a MicroUSB connector on the back of the keyboard. Battery life is very vague in the documentation, reading either 10 days or 15 hours (???) Not sure if that is constant use, or what. I will update this review with more real world testing of battery life once I have it.The Wireless range is very good, but it does rely on being sensible about the location of the USB receiver.

25.12.2010

I've been a user of Logitech keyboards for over 10 years now, and having long held the belief that spending all money on the main box of the computer, and skimleping on the bits you actually use - the monitor and keyboard/mouse - instead just using the standard devices, is a false economy.They keyboard and mouse are your main interaction devices; they're how you actually work with the computer and spending money on good-quality equipment can improve the experience far more than extra memory, or a better CPU, can.I bought the original diNovo Media Desktop keyboard when they first came out in 2003. A flat-style wireless keyboard with bluetooth functionality, it was, and still is,

25.7.2013

Bought this to use with my new digital recording / composing desktop (along with a Logitech MX Anywhere mouse) as I wanted a keyboard that allowed me to move around my studio without it being restricted by a cable... but as I often work until the sun goes down, needed to have illuminated keys as well. This one seemed to fit the bill on paper (I couldn't find a store with one in stock that I could see and try) so decided to take the plunge.Well... I have to say, on first impressions, I'm really impressed. It's a neat looking design and it's quite light. Although it's key layout is laptop-style 'flat', the keys are nicely spaced and have a fairly long but silent travel and - while I'm no touch typist - it really didn't take me long to get used to the feel.

6.12.2011

I use a laptop, but when at home, I always use a separate keyboard and monitor. Over the years I have used several different keybaords, both at home and at work.The main features that I look for are: wireless, good battery life, illuminated keys (backlit), comfortable key action.My actual favourite in terms of use was the Microsoft " Wireless Entertainment Keyboard 8000" now discontinued I think, but the characters/surface of the keys wore away after only a few months use.I have been using this Logitech keyboard now for 3 months and I have to say that I am VERY impressed with it.- the backlighting is clear,.- the keys have a positive action without being too "clattery"- it is rechargeable from a USB port .

22.1.2014

It's everything I hoped for and more.Keys are soft to touch (midway between a laptop keyboard and a PC). Its quiet to touch but there is firm feedback for each key press. The keys are spaced nicely apart and the Ins, Home, Del and End keys are where they are supposed to be - unlike a lot of modern keyboards.The backlit keys are outstanding. The fade in and out is smooth and its not too bright even when set to 100%. The keyboard looks fantastic in a completely dark room.I have to admit the image on Amazon site and likewise the one on Logitech's site does not do the keyboard justice. Its a thing of beauty.My only gripe (and it's minor) is the booklet suggests the keyboard can be stood up vertically (if you need the deskspace for example).

19.1.2014

i was bit reluctant to fork out so much money on a keyboard. i used springy wireless logitech keyboard for about 4 years and it served its purpose well. until keys started to stick and no amount of cleaning could revert it to new.I looked around and found this. the price put me off but i justified it by the fact that i work in it, I spend a lot of my time on my pc and that springy keyboards would sometimes stick keys together so i would be forever backspacing and correcting my spelling.i dont need the illuminating keys feature so i've turned that off, with the logitech software.Every three weeks or so i do a full charge and that seems to last me a while. The keyboard itself is a joy.

27.8.2012

I've had this keyboard for about a week now and it's absolutely perfect. The key presses are all smooth, the backlighting is clear and easy to read, I've not yet had to charge it, the range is such that I can type on it from outside the house if I care to, and the keyboard layout is standard; none of that messing around with the insert and delete key positions I've seen on some other models.The only down side I've found is with Setpoint, the optional software you can download from the Logitech website. It allows you to configure various function buttons to do other things, lets you know when the batteries are low by an on-screen message,

16.7.2016

This is certainly the best keyboard I've ever used for typing which, let's face it, is what's most important. The build quality is great, the battery lasts a nice long time. I particularly like that the additional buttons and the options on the F Keys are very much optional, each key acts as it should unless you program it otherwise.I only have two niggles: firstly, the backlight or rather the keyboard's determination to reset the brightness back to the lowest (practically off) setting after a few hours on inactivity. I really can't see the point in this and there appears to be no way of preventing it. Ideally the keyboard would default the backlight brightness relative to the current ambient light levels (like a smartphone screen does)

30.4.2015

I bought this keyboard on 26th Jan, from John Lewis (£80). Mainly for business emails, Facebook, surfing and in addition to Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers for PC gaming.It has had daily and nightly (medium) use.Today, I had an on-screen notification telling me that the battery life on the keyboard is critical (that is over 13 weeks of battery life).Ok, eventually in however many years, the battery will be useless, by which time you may have already upgraded anyway. But until then, you have a stylish, nice to type on, efficient keyboard.It also has user-adjustable one-button shortcuts on the F keys (set to Gmail, Facebook, Youtube etc) plus media buttons that actually work.The keyboard I had before this was a gaming keyboard that cost me £150.

Logitech Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 - Reviews

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