Logitech MX Mechanical

Great to see mechanical keys in the MX range, but it doesn’t deliver the quality the price demands

- BARRY COLLINS

Logitech’s MX Keys (see issue 303, p75) and MX Keys Mini (see issue 327, p72) are terrific keyboards, so when Logitech announced it was making mechanical versions of both, I was intrigued. The most obvious change is the swapping of chiclet keys to mechanical ones, but these aren’t as big or clacky as you may expect.

In the UK, Logitech is selling the keyboard with Tactile Quiet (Brown) key switches. It claims these deliver the company’s “quietest mechanical keyboard ever”. The noise from the MX Mechanical is pretty muted, but at the expense of the deep travel and reassuring clack that many people want from a mechanical keyboard.

The switches or keycaps aren’t replaceable so, even if a switch fails, you’re looking at a new keyboard. As Logitech is aiming for green points by using recycled plastics and aluminium, it’s disappointing that one duff switch could ruin an entire keyboard.

The keycaps are a disappointment. They have a lightweight, cheap feel to them, and a horrible habit of picking up smudges. I don’t eat in the office and wash my hands after tucking into greasy snacks, but after a few days’ use these keycaps looked like they’d spent a year in a kebab shop.