Logitech Craft Keyboard Unboxing and Hands On

I am a keyboard junkie.

This is what it looks like on just one of the shelves underneath my podcasting computer's desk:

Keyboard Junkie Storage

I am honestly quite brutal with keyboards and most of the lightweight offerings simply do not survive much longer than about six months at my fingertips. Over the years I have moved to using mechanical keyboards because I find most of them to be very robust and tolerant to my usage habits. No, just in case you are wondering, I am not a particularly heavy typer but standard keyboards simply do not last for me for the amount of mileage I put on them - never have in fact.

That is why I am excited to try out the Logitech Craft keyboard. This is a new wireless keyboard that offers a dial similar to Microsoft's Surface Dial, Logitech calls it the Crown, and it provides you additional methods to interact with your computer and some of the installed software. It is integrated into the keyboard so it is literally at your fingertips as you type.

The Craft weighs in at two pounds so when it sits on your desk it is not going to move around while you type. I like this feature because one of the things that I like about mechanical keyboards are their weight and how solid they sit on my desk. The Craft accomplishes this despite not being a mechanical keyboard because of its weight plus it isn't intended to be a portable keyboard anyway so weight is a non-issue.

The Logitech Craft connects to your computer via Bluetooth LE or you an use one of Logitech's Unifying Wireless Dongle. Once you have it installed on your setup then you can install the Logitech Options software to gain more functionality for the Craft dial that is part of the keyboard.

If you choose to not install the software, the dial will control your system volume by default. By adding the Options software you can install profiles for programs such as Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. In addition the Crown can help control various aspects of Adobe products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro CC 2017.

A couple of additional features that help the Craft keyboard stand apart from others is that it can be used with a Windows or Mac computer and it can be paired with a total of three different devices.

Windows and Mac Control Keys

Logitech Craft Pairing Keys

Calculator, Screenshot, Context Menu, Lock Device Buttons

All of the typing keys are concaved, see the above images for an idea of what I mean, to help you sense the keys and your finger/hand placement while typing. One thing that is missing though with the Logitech Craft keyboard is an option to change the keyboards angle. Many keyboards have this option as a set of small legs that can be extended on the underneath of the keyboard along the top. The Craft uses the top bar of the keyboard to contain its battery so that option is out for users.

The wireless range of the keyboard is approximately 10 meters and all communications between the keyboard and your device is encrypted for security.

For those of you who are fans of USB Type-C peripherals you will like hearing that the keyboard is charged with the included USB Type-C cable however, this cable can not be used to connect the keyboard to your computer.

The Logitech Craft keyboard will retail for $199.99 and is available for pre-order right now with an expected retail availability in October.

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