Customer Reviews

Logitech Illuminated Ultrathin Keyboard with Backlighting

5 star:		(602)
4 star:		(134)
3 star:		(50)
2 star:		(39)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard (LIK) is the latest premium keyboard offered by the long-time peripheral maker. Logitech touts cutting-edge design with first-class comfort and control. The primary feature of course is provided in the name of the keyboard. Laser-etched illuminated keys set this keyboard apart from the standard keyboards of today.

PROS:
- 3-levels of illumination
- Extremely thin
- Stylish looks
- Reasonably comfortable
- Uncluttered key layout
- Quality construction
- 3 year warranty

CONS:
- Small palm rest
- Some keys not fully lit
- F keys not lit at all

UNBOXING
The first thing I noticed when I received the shipping box was how thin and light the Logitech packaging was to the LIK. Upon opening the outside box and sliding the inner box out, I immediately noticed the deep black cardboard boxing. Nearly all keyboards I have ever unboxed, have either had a white or brown OEM-type box. The black cardboard box reminded me a little of how iPods and other premium accessories are being packaged these days.

INSTALLATION
Installing the LIK was a breeze. I just plugged it into a free USB port directly to my PC. Within a couple of minutes, my PC recognized the new peripheral and the keyboard lit up brightly. I went to the Logitech website and installed the latest SetPoint software (4.60), which incidentally was the version in the included CD-ROM.

LAYOUT
The key layout is pretty much what Logitech has been using for their keyboards of late. The DELETE key is oversized and takes up vertically what normally is the DELETE and INSERT keys. The INSERT key is now located above the DELETE key, in the F1-F12 row, where usually the PRINT SCRN key normally lies. This takes a little getting used to but it's not a big deal, for me anyways. It should be noted that in order to make this keyboard as thin as it is, 9.3mm, Logitech used keys like that of a laptop. If you find typing on laptop keyboards uncomfortable, you may not like this keyboard. The feedback is about as good as the best laptop keyboards I've used, including Dell Inspiron and IBM Thinkpads. They are quiet too, as most laptop keyboards tend to be. All the keys are flat, except the space bar row. The space bar row of keys, including the CTRL, Window key, ALT, and FN keys are rounded at the top. I guess this may make the keys feel larger so that they are easier to press. I found using the CTRL key to be a bit slippery and somewhat easy to miss without looking down. But if I did have to look down, it would be very easy for me to find the keys, even in the dark.

ILLUMINATION
The main selling point of this keyboard for me was the illumination. There are several options for people looking for illuminated keyboards, but most are gaming keyboards with lots of features and macros that the average user does not need. The only actual extra keys on the LIK are above the keypad - Mute, Volume Down/Up, and the backlight control. The F1-F12 row also double as shortcut keys with the use of the FN key located between the ALT and CTRL keys on the right side of the space bar. It is nice to have the minimalistic layout and still have the option to have shortcuts with the press of one additional key. Still, I do miss the one press calculator button. Most of the keyboard is lit white while the F1-F12 row's shortcut icons are lit orange. The F1-F12 characters are not actually lit however. I'm not sure why it would have been difficult to have them lit as well, but since they are laid out in 3 groups of 4, I know which F-keys are which. Many illuminated keyboards have a problem with the keys not actually being lit up very well. Compared to those I've seen, the LIK is very good. Remember that just the characters are lit, not the keys themselves. A very faint light also surrounds each key so you recognize the borders of each key. I did notice however that the ENTER key, left SHIFT key and the CAPS LOCK keys are not lit solid like most of the rest of the keyboard. A dim bulb or improper placement? I'm not sure, but you can still see those keys just fine. The characters etched into the keys are GINORMOUS. They are many times the size of other normal keyboards, which make them even easier to see with the backlighting. The backlight control key allows you to switch between 3 different levels of lighting or to turn the backlighting off altogether.

KEYBLOCKING
I want to mention also that I have not had any issues with the phantom key blocking that a reviewer mentioned and demonstrated by video. Which is not to say that the key blocking does not exist. But from what I understand, nearly all modern keyboards use phantom key blocking as a feature to prevent phantom input. And yes, there is a drawback when certain key combinations are pressed, you must lift one of the depressed keys in order for the next key to register. I type between 70-85WPM on average. Maybe I'm not a fast enough typist but I tried typing the problem combinations as fast as I possibly could and did not once register a problem. I read a few professional reviews online and did not see a mention at all of key blocking being different on this keyboard compared to others. I used keyscan and can verify that the blocking combinations that the other reviewer found do exist but they did not cause any errors for me. I can't see this being an issue for a majority of users personally. I wrote this entire review with it and I intend to keep it.

COMFORT
It is also not an ergonomic keyboard so Amazon should de-list it from that category. The palm rest is nice and soft, but not in the least cushy. I'm used to the soft cushioned, leatherette-type palm rest on the Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000. Also, the palm rest on the LIK is not nearly large enough to allow my entire palm to rest on it. My hands are small so I can imagine someone with larger hands finding the palm rest useless.

SUMMARY
The LIK was a very expensive for a non-gaming, corded keyboard. It's now a fantastic bargain. If you're looking for an illuminated keyboard, don't mind the laptop-style keys or even prefer them, and find a simple design without the clutter of extra keys appealing, this might just be the keyboard for you. The palm rest and lack of backlighting on F keys, plus the few keys which were not fully lit, kept me from giving the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard 5 stars. I do consider it a solid 4.5 though and is my new desktop keyboard of choice.

** UPDATE 01/13/2010 **
The keyboard is still going strong with no problems. No stuck or failed keys. The illumination still shines brightly. I often browse new peripherals to see if something better has come along but I have not been tempted in the least to look at other keyboards since I received the LIK. I did find an instance of keyblocking that finally started to annoy me. "Mine" I play Warcraft III (yes, still) on occasion and whenever I type "mine" to a teammate, I just get "min." Other than that, it's still my favorite keyboard.

** UPDATE 11/27/2010 **
I am still loving the LIK. No problems. Also, there have been some fantastic deals on Amazon of late and I've been tempted to pick up a spare. There have been a few other illuminated keyboards released of late to compete with the LIK, including Logitech's own wireless version. I still feel the LIK is the best however. Logitech's Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 has those funky incurve keys that I personally dislike.

I needed a new keyboard for my laptop computer docking station when the old one died. I use an HP laptop, and I really don't like mushy laptop keys, even though they are "full size". I used to often buy OEM style large keyboards. However, the quality of the simplest keyboards (no gadgets) has decreased in recent years. To get quality, you have to buy the more expensive keyboards. But having issues with my laptop keyboard, I was very skeptical about buying a keyboard advertised as being like a laptop. However, when I looked at top of the line keyboards at BestBuy, a few things struck me.

First, many keyboards are wireless today. I have owned wireless keyboards for my other PC's, and I never find them as responsive as I would like. Wireless mice are fine and quite an improvement, but what's the point of a wireless keyboard? It's supposed to sit on your desk and not move. A mouse moves, so no wire is good. For the keyboard, I found wireless models tend to lose keys in my RF interference heavy office environment.

Second, the best keyboards (best key action) are tricked out gaming keyboards or multimedia keyboards. Gaming keyboards have so many special keys that I have no use for, and also have LCD displays to show you your hitpoints. These would be cool if I could customize the LCD with stock quotes or the weather, but no such thing exists. Multimedia keyboards give me hotkeys for e-mail, volume control, etc. You have to install all these new drivers, get everything working, and I never end up using them. I want a simple keyboard like a $10 OEM, but I want the key action of an expensive gaming keyboard.

Third, many top keyboards are just odd "ergonomic" shapes. I just want a normal keyboard, designed for the pure joy of typing.

Fourth, illuminated sounded intriguing, but the ones I saw before were uneven, were weird colors, and mostly were gaming keyboards (see above).

Logitech got it 100% right with this keyboard.

Why do I like it?
1) Keys are literally a joy to push. They are not big chunky keys like old style keyboards, but are also not mushy like my laptop. I find they have a perfect travel and really satisfying click to make me type really fast, but still be able to tell the difference between keys with touch. I can't exactly explain it, but you will be able to tell as soon as you sit down and start to type. I've never felt like a keyboard manufacturer got it quite so right until I tried this keyboard.

2) Wrist pad is perfect. Not one of those big cushions that gets gross with wrist sweat and is too soft. This is what I've been wanting---soft surface (not hard plastic), but not "stuffed".

3) It's wired! Thank you for making a high end keyboard that is not wireless!

4) It looks cool on my desk.....

5) Illuminated was not a requirement, but I have noticed that the letters have worn off my old keyboards, and since I have had an illuminated keyboard, I have appreciated it for quickly finding my bearings (although I do touch type). My only nitpick is that the illumination is not 100% smooth (and the F keys are not illuminated). However, it's the best illuminated keyboard I have seen. Plus, it's white, which is exactly what I wanted.

All in all, I'd say it's worth every penny if you spend any appreciable amount of time at your computer. I type faster, more comfortably, and more accurately. What else could I want from a keyboard? Amazing that with the dozens of keyboards available, this is the only one I've found that finally got it right.

Length:: 9:47 Mins

First, let me just say that this keyboard is awesome. It has a sleek design and great illumination settings. Also, it's the first in its class to offer the "white" lighting as opposed (in my opinion) to the obnoxious blue and red lighting of some of the other light-up keyboards. Another appeal is the laptop-style keys. If you're a fan of the laptop-style keys, and like the "bling" of the lighting effect, this keyboard is a dream come true.

Unfortunately, the hardware designers over at Logitech have built a critical design flaw into this keyboard - one which will render it almost useless for fast types. Logitech has ended up creating "phantom key blocking" on a few series' of commonly used keys. In short, "phantom key blocking" is a hardware control where if 3 keys are pressed at the same time, in some cases the 3rd key will get dropped. Most manufacturers put up this "key blocking" on infrequently used sequences of keys, like "dgf." So, most of the "key blocking" will never be experienced by the user. Logitech, however, has put up "key blocking" on these sequences of keys: "n't" and "ine" -- this means that when fast typers type words like: don't, won't, can't, etc, the "t" will get dropped from the output, because the "n" and apostrophe will "block" the letter "t." Also if you type words like: fine, dine, wine, etc, the "e" will get dropped. Please see my video review for a lengthy explanation of this phenomenon, and just how it is impossible for fast typers to type certain words with the Logitech illuminated keyboard.

So, I can't recommend this keyboard to anyone who's a fast typer, because I consider it highly frustrating to go and retype common words just because the hardware behind the keyboard was poorly desinged. Hopefully Logitech will correct this issue, but do note that "key blocking" is hardware related, and cannot be resolved through a driver update.

I hope this review has been helpful. If you still are pressed on getting this keyboard, make sure you have an easy means to return it in the event that you experience the key blocking. Also, I did test 6 keyboards, all from various sources, and they all contained the key blocking. You can also get some cool programs, like "keyscan" to actually test the hardware - all of which are used in the video.

Firstly, let me say that i agree with alot of the other reviews that rate this product highly. IMO, Logitech devices are leading the pack, way ahead of Microsoft. I use their products extensive, and only really had problems with this product - The Illuminated Keyboard. It is built well and looks great, with only one design flaw. But one that i cannot overlook. Perhaps it is my personal style of typing,and many others will not experience this problem but i decided to share my concern with this keyboard nonetheless.

I bought this keyboard a few months ago, and was really happy with it. It felt good to use and looked great. In a market area with very few truly innovative and refreshing designs, the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard stands out.

But i soon started to noticed something awry when i was typing rapidly while constructing longer emails or writing documents. Some spaces werent showing up. The spacebar was not responding all the time even when fully depressed. This occurs when you dont hit near the middle of the space bar. If you fully depress the space at either end, with the distinctive muffled click.... it does not recognize the keystroke. To me this is a major failure of the primary design objective of this device - to collect input from a human user via keystrokes.

I wrote to customer support, this is the response i got:
"Thank you for contacting Logitech Customer Care Team. My name is Paul, and I will be assisting you with reference number 100531-002933.

I do apologize for the inconvenience that you experienced with our product, and as I understand both ends of the space bar is non responsive and you need top hit near the middle to make it work.
Don't worry I'll be happy to assist you with this concern.

Unfortunately, it is common for the space bar for the Illuminated keyboard to act this way. You really need to hit near the center of the space bar key to make it respond.

Should you require any information about this, please do not hesitate to email us back. You could also visit our website at [...]. We are looking forward to your next response.

Thank you for choosing Logitech.

Best regards,

Paul
Logitech Customer Care Team
Website: [...]t"

I was dumbfounded.... "I do apologize for the inconvenience .... Don't worry I'll be happy to assist you with your concern .... Unfortunately its common for the space bar of the Illuminated keyboard to act this way ... You really need to hit near the middle... "

I've used many many keyboards before and never had this problem. That such a fundamental problem is now occurring in such a high end device surprises me greatly. Oh and dont get me starting on gaming with this keyboard. Its frustrating as hell.

Unless of course you change the way you type.

Keyboard. Fail.
Canned Customer Support Email. Fail.
Company ideology that thinks users need to change they work to use their product. Fail.

Here is my story:
*** Okay...I have wasted so much money in my quest to find even just a 'good' illuminated keyboard. Usually you cannot find an illuminated keyboard that contains the normal keyboard setup...you get a scrunched version where the delete key is combined with the number pad....or in some wild location elsewhere....home, page up, page down, end.....gone.

*** I resolved myself to the fact that I would have to settle for an illuminated keyboard that just would not have the normal keyboard layout. Okay...I accept it. Now...let's start looking. Seven keyboards and 4 years later, I decide to give it one more shot. I have been so disgusted by the performance of the only decent illuminated keyboards...sticky keys...loud, obnoxious keys...poor etching in the keys so that they letters and numbers are so poorly illuminated that it makes it worse than if they were just black.

I have tried them all. I have read reviews, bought them first-hand, second hand, well-known brands, obscure brands. Gaming keyboards to professional boards created for IT. None made it past a low-level of mediocrity.

NOW, FINALLY! HERE IT IS!

This is by far, hands-down, thumbs-up, smile-not-a-frown....ABSOLUTE BEST illuminated keyboard out there.

* The keys are fantastic! They are silent, well-padded, and the KEYBOARD LAYOUT IS STANDARD! WHOOOOOOOOOPEEEEEEEE!
* The illumination is by far the clearest and best on the market. The laser-etched letters on the keys glow well at every angle. Whether you type directly over the keys...whether you lean back and type...whether you have the keyboard set low or elevated...the illumination is PERFECT!


This is everything you want in an illuminated keyboard. If you are a game-freak, then maybe you will be less than perfectly satisfied because it utilizes a standard layout...but it does have the new bells and whistles of the 'system' hotkeys. Audio control, illumination control, Email and Home page shortcut keys, etc etc.

Look no further if you want a fantastic illuminated keyboard. Look no further if you are looking for a slim, lightweight, fits-in-your-backpack laptop-style keyboard for your laptop.

Four years I have looked. Many keyboards sold on Ebay or handed to friends or family because they just did not cut it.

This is it, folks. You won't get any better than this. This is the Alpha and the Omega of the illuminated keyboards. Forget your 'Fangs.' Nevermind your 'Saiteks I, II, or III.' Toss them all.

This one puts em all to SHAME...Shame I tell you.

Get one.

This is a great keyboard. Great style and key response. The killer is that it will extend your boot time by adding another 2+ minutes. From reading the Dell and Logitech forums, this seems to only happen with newer PCs/Laptops. From my experience, my old Windows XP box works great with this keyboard. However, when I plug it into my wife's brand new Asus laptop running Windows 7, the BIOS boot process seems to temporarily hang at the hardware detection stage. Once booted, the keyboard works just fine.

This is not just a Dell issue. It's a universal problem if you have a newer computer with new BIOS chips. Buyer beware!

The work-around from Dell and Logitech is to unplug the keyboard at boot and replug it back in once booted. This in my opinion is unacceptable. It's a just a keyboard got goodness-sake. It's too bad Logitech has decided to handle this the way they have.

In summary, this a a five star product reduced to two stars for the inept support provided by the manufacturer, Logitech.

I can't rave enough about this keyboard. From the moment I took it out of the package, this keyboard screamed "quality." The keyboard I replaced was the Logitech G15. I originally bought that keyboard for WoW, but since I don't play that anymore, I wanted something smaller and not so LOUD. I HATE loud, noisy keyboards. When I first bought the G15 it wasn't like that, but after years of use, it got really bad. The sound just irked me beyond belief. So, when I went looking for a new keyboard, I decided to get a keyboard with laptop-style keys. Not only can I type faster on those, but they are super quiet.

The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is very stylish. There is a clear plastic trim that goes around the sides and top of the keyboard to give it a classy look. The font used on the keys is very clean and the white light makes it look modern. The keys have a very smooth stroke and make typing fun. The thickness is insanely thin and if laid flat, is sort of weird to type on at first. There are two riser feet on the bottom of the keyboard to elevate it at an angle instead of laying it flat. I have not installed the Logitech software yet, and I'm not sure I will.

Overall, I am EXTREMELY satisfied with this keyboard. It would have been nice if the price was a little less, but I can see why it costs as much as it does. Highly recommended for people who want a quiet, high-quality, laptop-style keyboard.

So this keyboard has great reviews and looks fantastic. I use a Kensington thin notebook style keyboard and when I saw this one that was illuminated and looked better than my current keyboard I didnt hesitate. I own a G5 Mouse (3 years) from Logitech and have been really happy with it. Figured this thing would be amazing esp. with all the positive reviews.

And yes, it does look great though the key action isnt as quite as nice as my Kensington it was still pretty good. I saw the review about the ghosting but figured Im not fast enough of a typer to be affected by it. Well there are other side effects from Logitech cutting corners.

NAMELY you cant play First Person Shooters! . (W + SHIFT + SPACE) Now dont get me wrong Im not a hardcore gamer or anything just a casual one, but I do like to play some CoD and BF2 every once in awhile. Well you cant or you can but in a crippled manner. You simply cant jump while running! Every keyboard, even the garbage $5 one from frys lets me do this but this keyboard doesnt.

Also the kicker is that once upon a time when the keyboard was new, this combo actually worked. In the referenced link below, there are several users who bought this keyboard when it first came out and this worked perfectly. So this was actually some sort of money saving effort and they downgraded the matrix in its construction so they can offer it at much lower prices. I can understand this but the real kicker is their logic behind it which is in the thread also. They claim since this is not a gaming keyboard this excuses them from having this functionality in the keyboard. WTF?! This should be something a consumer shouldnt have to even bother thinking about or researching! especially from what I considered a top notch peripheral company. Guess I was wrong in assuming...

Needless to say this sucker is being returned to Amazon, gotta love their return policy its esp. handy for garbage products like this one.

If you arent a FPS Gamer this keyboard is great, if you like playing those types of games stay away... this thing should have a warning on the box so as to not waste people's time.

[...]

I often work in the middle of the night in the dark with only the monitors lighting the room. My keyboard is on a pullout shelf/drawer that leaves the keys in the dark. Despite knowing how to touch type, often I still need to find certain keys visually--like the hyphen, numbers and shift/number keys ($, &, @, etc).

I wanted a keyboard that was:
1. quiet
2. backlit
3. comfortable

The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard fills that bill nicely, and more.

As it looks and feels like a laptop keyboard, it is very low profile. The tops of the keys are 1/2" above the surface it's sitting on. It does not require a 1" thick external wrist rest because you do not have to raise you hands to reach the keys.

It's very comfortable to use. I don't usually care for laptop keyboards because I have a hard time finding certain keys. But this is different because it has the number keypad and the navigation keys like a full sized keyboard.

Best feature is, of course, the backlighting. Every key has a white LED behind it and large, nicely readable letters. The upper right key controls the three levels of brightness and "off."

Setpoint Software:

The top row of F-keys (which I formerly rarely used) has a backlit orange icon on each key. The icons correspond to user programmable commands available in the included Logitech Setpoint software. I am glad I installed the software.

With Setpoint, I was able to re-program the F1 key to become "CTRL/shift/+" which enlarges a Firefox page; F2 to "CTRL/shift/-" to reduce a Firefox page; and F3 to "CTRL/0" which sizes a Firefox page to normal. I use these commands on almost every pageview.

The only problem now is that to use the alternate F-key icons, you need to hold down the orange "FN" function key. Who wants to use both hands to do a quick function while holding onto the mouse in the right hand? But there's a fix.

The Setpoint software allows you to click a checkbox that reverses the Function key so that the orange programmable icons are the default F-keys and the actual F-keys are accessed by holding down the FN key. This is great. Now I can size Firefox pages or control Windows Media player directly from the top row with my left hand without letting go of the mouse.

I realize all this could have been avoided by having another set of keys above the normal F-keys like so many "multi-media" giganto keyboards, but this way the keyboard remains compact and the keys I want are closer. Rather clever engineering, I say.

The feel of the keyboard is great. Almost silent, smooth, short key travel with each press and a satisfying but "almost not there" tactile feedback. Not a click, really. Just a bump that says you pressed the key far enough. Very nice.

Again, the best thing about this is the illuminated keys. All keyboards should be like this, especially on laptops which are used in living rooms while watching TV or on the road in various lighting situations. My next laptop will have an illuminated keyboard and this keyboard will travel with me to my next desktop computer for sure.

Worth the bucks? I say yes. For all the money I've wasted trying to find a keyboard like this, it's worth it. I suppose it would be nice to have it wireless, but with all those LEDs to keep lit at full brightness, it'd go dead pretty fast, so I'll put up with the wire.

I also agree with the reviewer who said it has a quality look and feel. Certainly not a five dollar OEM keyboard.

Another small thing I like is the retractable legs that hold it up at a slight angle. Other keyboard legs tended to collapse as my hands naturally pushed the keyboard away from me. Not this one. The little legs fold out left and right, not fore and aft. They are naturally resistant to "auto-foldup." Again, small but excellent engineering.

I really like this keyboard.

Being a medical transcriptionist, I'm always looking for the "ultimate keyboard," (with, at last count, 37 keyboards stacked up in my office) and this does come close. I've had it now for just over one month and have typed approximately 9 million keystrokes.
Pros:
Very nice touch to the keys.
Definitely like the wrist pad.
Best backlit keyboard I've used.
Always like the large DEL key
It looks good.
Cons:
The price.
The F keys and enter key could light up better.
I personally would like the back legs to be a bit more substantial and a bit higher (Logitech "ergonomic" keyboard has two choices 4 or 8 degree legs.

All in all, though, I still give it a 5. I really do like
it.

Ed in Summerville, SC