Logitech G710 Plus Mechanical USB Gaming Keyboard

Pros: I've been using Logitech Gaming Keyboards since they invented the genre with the original G15, and the G710 Blue continues this solid pedigree. Here's a rundown of the key highlights of this keyboard

+The blue switches feel amazing. Anyone who remembers those old IBM "clicky" keys will appreciate these..except for maybe anyone else who lives with you, more on this later.

+The key caps are well made, sturdy, feel great with a slight matte finish to them. Contrast for WASD and arrow keys, you can also control the level of illumination for these key groups as well. I've had issues in the past with some Logitech keyboards including the original G15 where the keycaps would get loose over time, no such issue on these. The space bar is the only key that is not as tight and responsive as I would like.

+The media keys and volume wheel are really handy features.

+G-keys are a little more understated with only 6, so if you are a heavy G-key user you may need the G510 or G910 instead.

+Amazingly heavy, well built. They must have a slab of lead in this thing because it is HEAVY. Really nice though because it prevents the keyboard from sliding around even when I am pounding out 100+wpm like I am now or 150+apm when heavy gaming.

Cons: Nothing to take off, but some annoyances nonetheless

-It is LOUD. Know this before you buy this. If you live with others that are noise sensitive, or share a space while gaming, you may want to consider the G710+ with the dampened MX Browns. Personally, the G710+ didn't feel much better than domed rubber cap keyboard, and while my wife always jokes about the loudness of this keyboard, she hasn't demanded that I get rid of it, yet either.

-The cord is really thick, and kinda ugly. They got away with 1 USB header in the past, not sure why they needed 2 here.

-Only USB2.0 for onboard port, and since it uses 2xUSB ports, its not really giving you an extra header.

-Keyboard does not remember lighting settings between reboots.

-Keyboard cannot wake system from S3 sleep. This is apparently a known issue and imo, a hardware/firmware problem. Logitech's suggestion is to disable any "Allow Windows to power off" USB devices/hubs/controllers in Devmgr but I did this for about 20 entries and this did nothing. Again, I think this is a firmware issue, but not a deal-breaker since I can just wake with mouse click.

-Palm rest is serviceable, but something more textured/padded would've been even nicer.

Overall Review: I got this on sale during the holiday run up for $90, and I'm pleased with it for this price. Keys are solid, sure, responsive.

Pros: In terms of comfort and the response to key presses, this IS one of the more comfortable keyboards I've used in the many years I've been using computer keyboards. The adjustable lighting is nice, and game mode that disables the Windows key is a nice, useful feature as well.

Cons: As comfortable as it is, these keyboards are absolute garbage when it comes to quality. I have purchased THREE of these, and all three have had problems within a few months. I initially ordered two, one for myself and one for the female spousal unit. Out of the box, her keyboard's F through apostrophe row of keys would not light up (she didn't want the lit keys anyway, so we didn't bother returning it). Reading the other reviews, I see that this is not a unique occurrence. Mine worked fine.

About three months after purchase, my first key broke off. The plastic connector on the bottom of the key splintered and part of it snapped off, making the key wobbly, and unable to stay connected to the keyboard. A couple months later, another key did the same thing (right CTRL first, then 'J' - former was heavily used, the latter was not). I ignored the CTRL key and let it sit there wobbly, and just stopped using it regularly. When J broke, I demoted it to the spare keyboard for the closet and household servers.

Since the female unit's keyboard was fine with regard to keys, I figured maybe I had an old/bad one. Because I really DO like typing with it, and find it comfortable, I decided to give it another chance, and ordered the third. Some months later, I have now come back to write this review because keyboard #3 because just got its first broken key.

Overall Review: I'm not really hard on keyboards, and have actually become less hard on keyboards over the years (less 'enthusiastic' gaming). No dropping, shaking, hitting, nor anything that I would expect to damage a non-gaming keyboard, let alone one meant for gaming. I have NEVER had a keyboard (expensive gaming or a cheap OEM) break keys like this (nor have a backlit keyboard come broken out of the box).

If you want to buy replacement keycaps, or have Cherry MX keycaps just laying around, you'll probably enjoy using this keyboard. If you want a keyboard with keys that aren't cheap pieces of garbage, look somewhere else. Logitech QA and quality when it comes to this keyboard is seriously lacking.