Overall, a wonderful feeling keyboard with some minor quirks.
I got this keyboard mainly because the keyboard on my lenovo laptop was extremely shallow (felt reasonably ok, but I'm a guy that bangs on his keys, I need at least 2mm of travel) and because of that, I was making constant errors--my backspace key was starting to feel spongy after only about a year's worth of usage. I've always had a fondness for thinkpads mainly because of their keyboards and their trackpoint, and thus, even though this bad boy was a bit on the pricey side, I bit the bullet and bought this. It's the price you pay if you want a trackpoint.
Yes, at this price you could buy a good used mechanical keyboard, but if you're like me and love trackpoints and find that they speed up your workflow, well you don't have much choice--but even then, this is no compromise. Let me start with my complaints about the keyboard:
1) default drivers are more or less useless: I can't fine tune the sensitivity of the trackpoint (its a bit on the high effort side for me, more than I'm used to on an old thinkpad keyboard I had).
2) can't get the middle mouse button to work normally. This one I can't figure out. Normally (on thinkpads) you press the middle mouse button, and it will either scroll lock or open a link in a new tab. If you hold the mouse button, it will allow you to scroll with the trackpoint. I can't get it to function like this. I can only get the middle mouse button to do scroll lock and open in new tab.I have to be doing something wrong.
3) Layout is a bit odd --I guess if you're familiar with the new thinkpad keyboard layout, its more than acceptable, but for those of us not, it can be odd. On old thinkpad keyboards, right next to the arrow keys, there were previous page and next page buttons. They have been replaced with PgUp and PgDn keys. I would prefer if they were the prev/next page buttons. Not a deal breaker, but annoying for me.
4) mouse buttons are bit mushy feeling; not horrible, but could be better. Oh well.
5) could use a palm rest. Not a deal breaker, easily fixed, but I would like a real palmrest.
Now the good: The good far outweighs the bad for me:
1) the feel: why I bought this thing in the first place. The best way I can describe it is very Thinkpad-like. Very authoritative. When you press on a key, it feels like you are pressing on something larger than a key. Every keystroke feels like you're launching a nuke. It feels important, you feel in charge. There is this "in charge" feeling I get with this keyboard and in every thinkpad keyboard. When you press on a key, it is extremely tactile. You feel a strong bump, and this bump can be felt throughout the key's fairly long (at least by today's standards) key travel. Effort feels linearlike, without being linear. Difficult to describe properly. It just feels "right". This might sound like it'd make for tiring typing but not at all: It is extremely comfortable and actuation force is light. You can hammer on keys nonstop and it feels comfortable. Keys are light enough to make typing easy, but not so light that you accidentally hit the wrong keys.
2) pleasant experience typing on it: I find that compared to my lenovo's keyboard, this thinkpad keyboard lets me type at least 15 wpm faster. I am also more accurate typer because I can feel every keystroke because there is just such good feedback. The keys are super comfortable. Nicely spaced out, and concave. Very easy to type on. I make very few errors now because the keys are just so good. Keys are also quiet, very silent despite their long key travel. This is good if you work in an office type environment. But the sound isn't too bad, sounds better than most scissor switch keyboards.
3) looks nice; feels reasonably well built. It does flex in certain locations, but only if you press really hard. I can't notice it flexing when I'm typing, and I bang hard on my keys. keys feel durable, like they will withstand years of abuse.
Overall, very happy with my new keyboard. Highly recommend despite the high price. But if you don't like trackpoints, then maybe look for a different, cheaper keyboard. But if you like the trackpoint, then this keyboard is worth every dollar.
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This item: Lenovo Group Limited Lenovo ThinkPad Compact USB Keyboard with TrackPoint - US English,Black
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This Item  Lenovo Group Limited Lenovo ThinkPad Compact USB Keyboard with TrackPoint - US English,Black | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -25% $44.99 List: $59.99 | $39.99 | $49.99 | $37.00 | -40% $14.89 List: $24.99 | -26% $11.89 List: $15.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Oct 4 | Get it as soon as Friday, Oct 4 | Get it Oct 15 - 16 | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Oct 4 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Prestige Milano | Amazon.com | Premium Product Technologies | TechSecure Global | Amazon.com |
| connectivity tech | USB | USB-A, USB | Mini USB, USB | — | USB-A, Wired USB | USB |
| number of keys | 87 | 104 | 78 | 3 | 104 | 104 |
| hardware interface | usb | usb | usb | — | usb2.0 | usb |
| compatible devices | PC/server | Laptop | PC | — | 00XH688 , 41A5289 , 89P8530 , 00XH689 , 00XH690 , 00XH691 , 00XH700 , 00XH726 , 73p5220 , 4X30M86879, ThinkPad , ThinkCentre , External USB Wired KYBRD, Docking Station usb keyboard, Keyboard standard full size, lenovo Thinkpad , lenovo thinkCentre , lenovo docking station , ThinkCentre M715 Tiny，M700，M900，M800 , Think Pad E450，E455，E460，E465，E550，E555，E560，E565, Think Pad T450，T460，T450s，T460s，T440p，T460p，T550，T560，T560p，Yoga 12，Yoga 14，Yoga 15，Yoga 260，Yoga 460 ,Think Pad P50，P50S，P70，Think Pad Helix , ThinkPad X250，X260，X1 Carbon，X1 Yoga，, Think Pad 10， Think Pad 13 , 40aj0135us, 40as0090us , 40ah0135us , 40af0135us , 40an0135us , 40ac0135us , 40a20090us , 40a90090us , 40a40090us | Laptop |
| keyboard description | Ergonomic | Ergonomic | Scissor Keys | — | Ergonomic | A USB keyboard with an intuitive and comfortable island key design, 2 5 zone layout including separate number pad |
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A great keyboard if...
This keyboard works well. It is not a perfect replacement of the builtin keyboards of the Thinkpad laptops, but is close enough for me. The trackpoint does have a minor issue when trying to scroll down, but I simply use the down arrow or page down key to make up for that.As other have noted, the cord connection is questionable and I wish that it had been designed better. I found a suggestion somewhere online, I don't remember where, but find a usb micro angle cord to use instead of what comes in the package. It is less likely to get bumped or jostled. I went a step further and made the cable semi-permanently attached as you can see in the pictures. I don't mind having it constantly attached if it will extend the life of the keyboard.I opened up the housing (just snaps together, no screws) to analyze what there is and determined that I could use short wire (paperclips) to secure the cord to the keyboard. To further reduce the movement of the connector, I added a small block to fill the gap that existed and prevent some possible movement. I have had this setup for around 5 months and it has worked well so far. I have even started to carry it with me to school and back in a custom travel bag, but be careful when you do carry it. Try to have the keys facing a large solid surface that will not bend or catch on the keys and you should be fine if you do not jostle the cord.
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
ThinkPad experience for and machine!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2024
Cliente Amazon
Perfecto si te gusta el trackpoint
Reviewed in Spain on August 21, 2017
