Logitech's MX Mechanical keyboard, Master 3S mouse Logitech has rounded out its Master series with the MX Mechanical keyboard and MX Master 3S mouse. Both cost serious money, but are they worth it? Logitech MX Mechanical keyboard and MX Master 3S mouse Logitech MX Mechanical keyboard and MX Master 3S mouse We've previously looked at Logitech's MX Keys Mini for Mac and came …
I have the previous model of MX Master mouse (the 2S) and love it. It's weighty and high quality, and the wheel is different in a good way from any other I've used. I'll definitely be getting the updated model at some point when my current mouse wears out - although that may not be for some time given its quality.
It's good to see a move towards high quality peripherals for office users rather than gamers. We spend just as long at our machines, but too often we're expected to use cheap mushy keyboards and naff plasticky mice. Meanwhile, the higher quality stuff all too often looks like it was designed by a committee of 13-year-old boys with their curtains drawn.
An awful lot of keyboards nowadays don't have the number pad (which I can't live without) so this one will definitely be an option for me in the near future.
My home keyboard is the Logitech G15 and I love it. Keys are backlit, the clicky is subdued and tactile is simply marvellous.
The one issue I have is that Logitech retired its original keyboard management software, and the replacement is not aware of the 6 additional function keys nor the three profiles that I used to be able to use. Oh well.
https://support.logi.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360025298053-Logitech-Gaming-Software is the Logitech support site, and offers a download of a Windows 10 and 11 compatible version of their 'old' software (last updated six days ago).
Sadly my new mouse doesn't work with that software so my other PC has to suffer their new less capable offering, but this one continues to fully support my G15 on this PC.
I picked up 3 older Logitech wireless keyboards, similar to the MK850, with the 3 UNR profiles for about $5CDN.
Handy if I want to switch machines but means I need more than one mouse on the desk if I want to use them as a KVM. Also somewhat handy if doing a hardware replacement\install on a customer site & I want a better keyboard for setup tasks.
I have an original MX Master 3 that's about a year old and used daily. It's a lovely mouse. Seems to hold it's charge for a couple of weeks too, even after a year. (This is with many hours use daily).
Also, if anyone's buying one, I have the PC version, it works fine with the mac/ipad too. (They sell a mac version, not 100% sure of the difference).
Regarding the handedness, does that still matter? I'm left handed and have always used a mouse on the right as that's just what everyone else does. (Execpt weirdly for the IT teacher at school many years ago, he was right handed, used his mouse on the left so he could use his dominant hand on the keyboard).
Mind you, I use a knife and fork the right handed way and taught myself guitar that way round too, so maybe I'm not strongly left handed?? (I do things like hold a pool cue or a bat the left handed way though).
Initially it lasted about 3 months, but it did drop off quite quickly after the 3rd or 4th charge.
It seems to have leveled out at 2 weeks though. Which considering I use it for work, and then probably a few hours more a day I'm actually not that bothered.
Especially as unlike certain mice the charging port is in a sensible place sso you can use it whilst charging.
It is an excellent mouse. (It even survived a glass of water being poured over it once I took it to bits and cleaned it out).
My father was a lefty & I'm kind of weird on the whole handed issue.
I'm right handed & have always used a mouse on the left', I'm not sure how I use a knife & fork with regard to anyone else, I think I'm ambidextrous to a point & this may go away to partly explaining my poor sports\games performance at school with regard to catching.
Not too impressed by all the hype and expense of the multitude of mechanical keyboards out there. Best 2 keyboards I've come across so far are the Thinkpad X1 carbon (4th gen) and surprisingly the Dell KB216 quiet key - both being extremely accurate to type on even on your off days when fingers and brain don't quite link up. All in all it's down to personal preference and what you (or someone else !) Wants to extract from your wallet.
> "lack of space separating the various parts"
I noticed that almost immediately on seeing the photo accompanying the MX Mechanical under review. That alone is an instant deal-killer for me.
Despite its standard layout, my current keyboard (a Cherry MX Board 3.0) has minimal spacing between the keygroups and is much slower to navigate by feel in low light the way my old Cherry G80-3000 was. I kind of regret choosing it now. (*)
Ironically, I chose that model despite misgivings *because* it was one of the few with MX Red switches that wasn't aimed at gamers with tacky backlighting I hadn't thought I needed (*because* it hadn't been needed with my old, better-spaced-out G80-3000! (**))
I know the compact size of such keyboards is probably perceived as a plus point by the manufacturers, but given this is aimed at "serious" users paying quite a bit more for a better-quality typing experience, I'm not convinced they haven't pushed the trade off too far in both cases.
(*) I'd had my G80-3000 for 15 years and was perfectly happy with it *except* I'd always felt the MX Black switches just a *bit* too stiff for my taste. (MX Red was unavailable then, and even now the 'Red' G80-3000 is almost impossible to get and not sold with a UK/Euro-shape Return key).
(**) Maybe its old-school beigeness helped visibility in minimal light, but I'm still sure the spacing is what made the main difference.
I recently bought the full sized Mx Keys keyboard for my old Mac workstation when its original bluetooth keyboard finally died. The Mx Keys is an AWESOME keyboard, I love it. Is a decent size and has nice modern low profile laptop-style keys with a responsive and accurate feel to them.
Can't comment on the Mx Mouse, I use a Logitec G203 gaming mouse - the only bit of RGB bling I own.
Am rather annoyed with Logitec over its software though. I can't use any of the utilities for the Mx hardware, they've deprecated OSX 10.14 which I'm stuck on due to my older workstation.
Why would a mouse need software?
even one festooned in accidentally pressable sticks and buttons?
surely that should be industry standard by now negating the need for added unreliable drivers and crap with it?
like , for instance , a USB mass storage device
I use the Logiops github.com/PixlOne/logiops software to customise the MX Master 3 mouse buttons. I've got the horizontal scroll wheel set up to zoom the current window, and the bottton thumb button combined with left and right to ctrl+tab or shift+ctrl+tab, up alternates between the vertical scroll wheel normal and super scroll modes, and down cycles around 3 different dpi sensitivity settings.
You'll rip my £10 Dell SK3205 from my cold dead hands.
Seriously - *hundred*-something quid for a keyboard, and one that doesn't even have proper full-travel half-inch deep keycaps? I was provided with a laptop at work, and immediately plugged a proper keyboard into it so I could - y'know - actually use it.
Indeed; I'm running on a Logitech K540, which was IIRC the cheapest unified receiver keeb that I could find at the time.
If I were to drop a serious amount of money on a wired keyboard, it'd be something like a Drop CTRL and a seperate number pad, if only because I pound on the keyboard for upwards of 12 hours a day between work and personal use. (the work computer runs into a port on my KVM.)
I got the MX Mini keyboard (TKL type) and the 3S mouse last week. They are brilliant to use BUT I was under the impression Logi Bolt would be like the Unify transceiver, in that you only need one to connect multiple devices.
Ouch: you need one transceiver per device if you want to use Logi Bolt for your connection. This would have been a deal breaker if I'd known before buying.
Caveat emptor.
"Some users prefer the short key-travel of a modern laptop-style keyboard while others would only allow their ancient IBM Model M keyboards to be prised from their cold, dead hands – regardless of the deafening clattering of keys being struck."
WHAT'S THAT? CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF MY KEYBOARD!
This is being typed on one of those ancient IBM Model M's, which is still working perfectly after thirty something years and eight? different computers since the 8086? it came with.
I'm not in the market for a new mechanical keyboard, but I can't help but notice that people in the comments above mention owning more than one above; which presumably is because they either died or were crap enough to warrant replacing with something else.
Would you give up a working model M in those circumstances?
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