Customer Reviews

Kensington 64370A Keyboard for Life, Standard, USB/PS2

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I ordered this keyboard because it was cheap, USB, and looked nice. Upon receiving it, I'm pleased with it. Installation is a breeze, there are no drivers with it, XP recognizes it and installs it with no work on my part. It has an extremely slim profile with the legs down, and the feel and response of the keys is very nice.

Two things keep me from giving this 5 stars.
1. The space bar squeeks sometimes when it is pressed. I haven't been using the keyboard for very long, so we'll see if it goes away or gets worse.
2. The backspace key is smaller than my previous keyboard's was. Because of that I end up hitting '\' quite often instead of backspace. Odds are I'll get used to it though.

Outside of those two things, Kensington makes a decent keyboard, which will hopefully last for quite a while. All in all, it's a nice keyboard with a great feel to it.

We were looking to replace our current keyboard with something that would do the basic things we needed it to. This keyboard is the most basic, but you would expect that with the price that it is. When we got it home and hooked it up, we discovered that the keyboard did not have "legs" on the back to angle it upward (our previous one had done that and it made typing more comfortable). It lays perfectly flat, unless you prop up the back some other way. Otherwise, it works fine for what we need it to do, and it has served our purposes. In the future, we wouldn't buy this one, however, because it does make typing less comfortable.

I just bought a second one of these but it is NOT the same design as the last one. The model number now has an "A" suffix: K64370A instead of K64370. It is a new "slim profile" design without the metal backplate but is actually sturdier, especially if the rear legs are opened, due to its use of molded plastic "spines" instead of the "tacked on" metal backplate of the previous model. It is not as heavy but seems even more solid. The main keys are the same full size but are quieter (less "clacky" and not as wobbly) and slimmer. The "F" keys are now smaller and the key cluster above the arrow keys is now only 6 keys instead of 9. Yes, those pesky "power" keys are gone. It still has the "limited lifetime warranty" and sealed membrane to resist spills. I actually like this design a bit better so I am going to keep it. Amazon does need to update their listing though with a new description and photo. It is however beginning to look like the end of the road for those that really want a real, old-style full-size keyboard.

If you do a lot of typing this keyboard's layout can become frustrating. The backspace key is really small, and the insert/delete / home/end / etc. cluster is one row lower than usual.

Also, the spacebar does squeak slightly as the other reviewer mentioned. But if you don't mind the layout and aren't going to be typing 8 hours a day, then you'll probably have no complaints.

I bought this for the spill-proof bit after ruining a few kbs. Ironically since then - a year - no spill has tested it LOL.

But for a cheap unit it has a nice approximation of the clicky-ness of an IBM Model 5 (still the best). I've used a lot of cheap units and the extra metal spine on this gives a slightly more solid feel. I don't mind the extra keys above Home etc, no prob, but I must admit htign\\\\itting the backspace key accurately has been a problem. And I'm not even a touch typist.

Other than that, well worth the bucks.

This basic keyboard is good at being a basic keyboard. If you need a button to launch each application and dice tomatoes look elsewhere.

update: Backspace needs to be wider.

The keys on the one I received do not have a consistent feel across the keyboard. Several don't respond to the same level of pressure as the other keys. This makes the keyboard useless for someone who really types fast.
This keyboard also mushy, in the sense that your keystrokes decelerate more quickly at the end of the stroke into a mush rather than a solid tap.
In contrast, good keyboards for fast typing give increasing resistance up to a point and then less resistance down to solid contact at the bottom. You get a feel for where that resistance breaks (and the letter types), and you can type without hitting the bottom hard on most strokes. On a mushy keyboard like this one, you're never sure if your keystroke has registered, so after typing several sentences missing half the letters, you hit the keys harder to compensate.
The spillproof design is interesting though. Not sure why more keyboards don't feature this.

Not the best keyboard in the world, but for it's price it is an excellent keyboard.

a few notes: it has Wake Up, Sleep, and Power buttons where the prnt scrn, Scroll Lock, and Pause/Break keys are usually found. the prnt scrn, Scroll Loc, and Pause/Break keys are moved down tyo make space, and therefore the block above the cursor keys is 3x3, larger than usual. it's fine, but takes a little getting used to.

additionally, it has the large Enter key, where the enter key has a block that ext4ends in to the row above. the backslash/pipe (\ and |) key is between the + / = and Back Space key, and therefore the Back Space key is smaller than usual. once again, it takes a bit of getting used to for those that are used to the large Back Space key, with the backslash/pipe key above the Enter key.

Hopefully those last two paragraphs made sense...

If you're thinking of getting a new keyboard, spend a few extra dollars and get one that's actually worth using. The layout is tricky, with the enter key bigger than any other key (does anyone have trouble hitting the enter key?) and the backspace key is a tiny little thing that I can never hit the first time without first hitting the \ a million times. The insert/home/delete/end cluster is squished into the print screen/scroll lock/pause keys, which makes quick navigation difficult without looking at the keys. The rest of the keys are functional but feel very flimsy. I haven't had a problem with "squeaky" keys, but am very frustrated by the backspace being so small and hard to reach. If you're a fan of shortcut buttons, there are the wake up, sleep, and power buttons, but no others for volume, internet, etc. If you're looking for a cheap, basic model and don't care about retraining yourself to type then this one's for you. Otherwise, spend a few extra dollars and get a keyboard that doesn't feel like you bought it from the dollar shop.

The keyboard is inexpensive and probably fine unless you are a touch typist. Then it has a few quite annoying quirks, such as backspace key is too small, and the set of Insert/Delete/Home/End/PageUp/PageDown has an extra row of keys on a top. Somehow it gets quite annoying when you type fast and type a lot. So, after using this keyboard for about a week, I'll be returning it back. I'll be getting Dell USB keyboard instead.