Cherry KW 300 MX assessment: Mechanical but quiet keyboard

Worth When Reviewed

$149.99

Finest Costs Right this moment: Cherry KW 300 MX

$149.99

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—similar to on a laptop computer. This ensures the identical typing really feel on all gadgets.

Nevertheless, 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 alternate options for them on the Mac: take a look at our evaluations of the greatest 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 individuals of previous Mac keyboards such because the open-top Professional Keyboard.

Cherry has chosen a so-called 75% format and not using a quantity pad for this compact keyboard, which is presently in vogue. It’s about as huge as Apple’s Magic Keyboard and not using a quantity pad, however 3 times larger. This makes it best for small desks, and a mouse will also 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 a regular keyboard. There is no such thing as a palm relaxation, however no less than you’ll be able to 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. Nevertheless, the KW 300 MX is much less appropriate for cellular use, because it is just too heavy and thick at just below 750 grams.

A particular characteristic of the keyboard is a hanging rotary wheel on the facet, which additionally serves as an influence button and is backed by a bronze steel floor. You’ll be able to swap on the keyboard by urgent and holding the wheel, and later swap between two capabilities by merely urgent it.

It’s a nifty characteristic, however I’m somewhat disillusioned with the vary of capabilities. The rotary wheel can solely be used to regulate the brightness of the keyboard lighting in levels or to vary the quantity of the Mac. Each are helpful, however given the restricted vary of capabilities, the rotary wheel looks like a missed alternative to me.

The backlight is kind of brilliant and white, and pink LEDs additionally point out configuration choices. For instance, after switching on, you’ll be able to choose the 4 Bluetooth channels utilizing the F1 to F4 keys.

The built-in battery is charged by way of USB-C, however you can too join the keyboard on to a pc by way of USB-C. The battery ought to final for per 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 most likely 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. Nevertheless, there are additionally quiet mechanical switches such because the MX2A Silent Purple, which could 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 scale back the quantity. Nevertheless, this doesn’t make the keyboard silent by any means; a keyboard equivalent to

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

The keyboard can be obtainable in a model with totally different switches, the Cherry MX2A Brown. These are so-called tactile switches, which supply barely stronger suggestions than the linear MX2A Purple. Nevertheless, the MX2A Brown can be fairly quiet and are primarily really useful by Cherry for workplace customers or programmers, whereas the MX2A Purple are extra appropriate for avid gamers.

Regardless of the insulation, the typing really feel is great. Not like an Apple keyboard, the whole key journey is about 4 millimeters and you’ll really feel a definite strain level. Because of the insulation, that is softer than on different mechanical keyboards, however for my part it is a wonderful compromise. The sturdiness can be stated to be spectacular, with Cherry promising a lifespan of as much as 100 million keystrokes.

Mac compatibility

You’ll be able to really use virtually any Home windows keyboard on a Mac. Nevertheless, the Alt and Home windows keys are assigned in another 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’ll be able to 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, for those who use the keyboard on each a Mac and a Home windows pc.

The keyboard has one other particular characteristic to supply: it comes with three keyboard caps and a particular loop-shaped software that you should 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 relating to repairs. Sadly, the Keys software program for configuring the operate keys is just obtainable for Home windows computer systems; there isn’t a Mac model.

Worth

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

Must you purchase the Cherry KW 300 MX?

The brand new Cherry KW 300 MX affords an attention-grabbing various to Apple’s flat keyboards. It’s significantly geared 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. Nevertheless, it’s not 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.