Kensington Slim Type Wired Keyboard (K72357USA),Black

I have been searching for a few weeks for a keyboard with the following traits: -Quiet -Good layout -Media keys (player launch, play/pause, stop, forward, next) -A sleep button -A calculator button -Sleek/attractive -wireless I went to several brick n mortar stores to try out keyboards. I was looking at the Logitech K520, K750, and K800. The K520 was just too loud for me--I was getting rid of my old MS keyboard due to the clatter it was making, after all. The K800 was very quiet, but expensive and looked like it would be a hassle recharging every week or so. I didn't NEED the wireless feature so I figured I might as well consider a wired option instead of deal with that. I bought and returned a K750, on account of the Sleep key being in close proximity to the backspace key. That got old VERY quickly, though I gave it a week to get used to. I just couldn't adjust to the spacing of those keys (I guess they were trying to emulate trendy Macjunk?). To better explain, I wanted standalone media keys, and you have to run Logitech's Setpoint software to make their F-keys behave as media keys without the use of the Function button (You can toggle to reverse what they all do when the FN key is held down). In order to stop the problem I was having with the Sleep button, I would have to either give up the setting for standalone media controls, or disable the sleep button. Again, if I was going to give those up, I might as well look at a less expensive wired alternative. That's what brought me to the Kensington K72357. The keys are EXTREMELY quiet (as quiet or quieter than the K800's)...I am still really pleasantly surprised at how quiet they are. Like a laptop, they have a short throw. I would say their resistance/spring is higher than average. I actually prefer the "tall" layout of the Delete+Home/End/Page keys, so I think the layout is nice. The sleep button is way out in right field, and is still actually set recessed/concave to differentiate it from the convex volume buttons and prevent accidentally bumping it (a thoughtful touch...preventing touch, har har). The keyboard has good heft to it...definitely not Fischer Price. The key caps are a smooth plastic and seem like they will hold up quite well. The keyboard looks great, and the indicator LEDs for the lock buttons are a nice blue that happen to match the LEDs on my monitors as well as my PC chassis. Unfortunately the media keys are not standalone and I wish the player launch key was F1 rather than F6, but that is not quite enough to knock it down to 4 stars, given the price is a fraction of the competition's. So far I am very happy with it. This is a case where I feel like I blew that you-get-what-you-pay-for adage out of the water. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a laptop-style keyboard or a quiet keyboard that has media capabilities.

I have been using this keyboard for 8 years (purchased in 2018). The backlight on the number lock function is only barely visible due to it being on so much time, but still functional. I would consider it an excellent choice for those who prefer silent keyboards. Given its price, probably one of the best keyboards available for purchase, and I am considering purchasing another one in case my current one gives out.

One of the reasons why I love laptops so much is the fact that they have flat, slim keys. When comparing my typing on a notebook keyboard and a PC keyboard with raised keys, my accuracy and speed was higher (possibly due to my familiarity with the key locations on a flatter keyboard, since most of the computers I've owned throughout my life had been laptops). On keyboards with raised keys, I not only type a bit slower, but my fingers start to hurt after extended periods of use due to how heavily I'm hitting the bigger keys. I have no doubts that hitting these bigger keys harder also adds to some of the pain in my neck. With a flatter keyboard, my fingers glide faster from key-to-key, and I don't hit them as hard. One of my biggest frustrations with a keyboard with raised keys is the spacebar, for multiple reasons. On a flat keyboard like this one, the spacebar is nice and low, just like the rest of the keys, and doesn't create extra unwanted spaces, nor does it have that "stuck" feeling. The keys are nice and quiet, and the clicking sound when using them is kind of satisfying. It's a more more pleasant ambience than the "clunk-clunk-clunk" of my other keyboard. Not only do the keys feel really excellent, but this keyboard comes with features that my previous one didn't, such as a volume button AND a mute button. Never did I think I would miss keys like that, but you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I don't know why there are so many keyboards out there that don't include this. It's a simple thing, and yet so incredibly useful when you need to quickly mute your speakers for whatever reason. It is wired, but I prefer that my keyboards be that way. I'm not a fan of wireless keyboards. All-in-all, this keyboard looks amazing, feels amazing, and works amazingly well, especially if you plan to work on long-term projects that require a lot of typing. It's not as harsh on your fingers, and they keys just simply feel really good, whether typing or playing games. If something ever happens to this keyboard (which I hope is far off), I won't hesitate to buy another one just like this.

Not a bad keyboard at all. It's pretty quiet. All keys have a kind flat surface on top of them, slightly smaller that the keys themselves. It's like a flat bevelled top, and I think it's nice as it helps detecting key positions, and kinda replace gaps in between keys. The layout is very good, particulary the Home/End/Delete group with a big Delete key. Home and End are logically placed (left, and right respectively) and the same goes for Page Up/Down. Typing on keys is smooth. It doesn't click like on laptops. It's much softer. But you know when a key is pressed: you cannot half press a key. You feel when the key is down without problem. The multimedia keys are fine too. I like the Calculator hotkey as it's really practical. The sound up/down keys do not require to hold FN: they are full keys themselves. As is the sleep key, but, this one is not raised to prevent you from pressing it by error. Very smart. Also the keyboard is quite light. Beware also, that the little feet are not coated with rubber or anything. So combine this with light weight + a glass or smooth desktop = slippy keyboard that will move around. I had to collapse the feet and I'm lying it flat on my desktop now for maximum friction. Now it doesn't move. And if you are wondering the layout is US English. Nothing crazy here (not UK or US International). The only thing missing would be a back-light stuff as I like this kinda useless bling. Hence my 4 stars :)

Kensington presents an unassuming, compact unit keyboard in the K72357USA. The quality stands out among today's joyless glut of flimsy scissor switch-based keyboards. I give the keyboard five stars despite its flaws, as I see them, which I'll just list up front. I used an earlier generation of this keyboard that featured the same abbreviated layout. Repetitive coding tasks involving the home, end, and delete keys were always an annoyance. I dislike FN key's placement especially as its presence is completely wasted on me. I barely even use dedicated keys which this keyboard limits to mute, vol-, vol+ and sleep. Those buttons are smartly placed such that accidental button presses are easily avoided. The updated design of the keyboard is quite welcome. I read one review wherein the keyboard gets ugly over time. I would advise anyone concerned with the keyboard's aesthetics to be grateful they're spared a circa 2008 generation model. It featured a plastic chrome strip surrounding the keyboard that wore away to reveal bandage beige plastic. It was a genuine eyesore that I can't imagine being topped by the current iteration which seems no nonsense. The keys feel buttery while providing adequate tactile feedback. This keyboard series—or at very least this wired model—seems to be one of few that don't feature "chiclet" or "island" keys. It feels similar to high end laptops of the early to mid- 2000s. It's noticeably more quiet than what is ostensibly a similar keyboard, the i-rocks K23W Fun Building Block Keyboard. The Kensington keys travel twice as far than those on the i-rocks, or even on my Lenovo T440 laptop. That long-gone model, despite its repulsive looks, stood up to years of typing and might be around today with proper care. I hope this keyboard is similar in quality.

I'm a software developer, and I really enjoy typing on laptop-style "chiclet" keyboards for their low-profile keys and swift travel from one key to the next while typing. When searching for chiclet style external keyboards for my desktop computer, I came across this this model which seemed promising, and figured I'd give it a try. I first purchased one of these Kensington keyboards about seven months ago for use at home when working on personal projects. I used it often, and I liked it so much that I later bought a second one for use exclusively at the office. The slim profile is great, and the keyboard looks very sleek - but most importantly, it's a pleasure to type on. Each keypress resists just enough to feel firm and require a deliberate press, but not so much that it becomes a burden over time. The keys are thin and travel is quick, which makes typing on this keyboard very easy and fast for me. I easily get around 100 wpm or more on this model, which is about 10 wpm more than I normally get when typing on my Logitech G15 gaming keyboard. Additionally, the keyboard generally feels to be of good quality, especially given the price point. The keys do not feel too plasticy, and they barely wobble when pressed. One con that I will mention about this keyboard is that the layout feels a bit off on first use, and took a little getting used to for me. It seems as though the keys from the center to the right of the keyboard are slightly shifted from where I would expect them to be based on my usage of other keyboards, and the function ("Fn") key on the lower left is a bit wider than on most other keyboards that have one. Fortunately, I was able to get used to this rather quickly, and it ended up not being an issue for me in day-to-day use. I also feel that the keyboard is not quite as ergonomic as I would prefer, and I think it would have benefited from the inclusion of a palm rest - this is of course subjective. Overall, I think this is a fantastic keyboard, especially for those who do a lot of typing throughout the day. For the price, there's not much to lose in giving it a try.

I'll never order Amazon Basics or $12 Logitech keyboards again, for myself nor my office. This Kensington keyboard is *super* quiet! I am a quiet keyboard aficionado - I tear down keyboards and lubricate them with ultra-expensive DuPont lubricants just to experiment with noise reduction. I roll my eyes at what the novice user deems to be "quiet." Believe me - when it comes to something straight out of the box, this keyboard is as close to dead silent as I've found. It's slim, sleek, and the keys have a low profile. It is noticeably heavier than the above-mentioned economy keyboards, but I attribute that to higher quality construction materials. Be aware of the added Function key (Fn) between the CTRL and ALT keys, next to the windows key. If you're not accustomed to this type of keyboard layout and do a lot of copy/pasting, then you may find yourself WIN+C instead of CTRL+C as a product of muscle memory, or vice versa. You should also know that there is no good way to take apart this keyboard for cleaning. You can remove the rubber stoppers on the back and behind the legs to remove the back half of the frame, but the front piece is firmly affixed to the metal frame. This means cleaning has to take place from the front, which is both a PIA and somewhat risky due to the delicate nature of the chiclet keys. For those who do want to try their hand at disassembly, know that there is no screw behind the foil sticker on back center. My advice for cleaning is pick up the OXO Good Grips Electronics Cleaning Brush as a less-than-$5 add-on item and do the following in this order: 1) With your system off or keyboard unplugged, use the crevice tool end to clean debris off the keycaps' stepped edge. 2) Hold 3 or 4 keys down with one hand and use the brush end of the tool to loosen debris under the edge of the keys above. Example: hold down ASDF to very gently brush away debris under the lower end of QWER. 3) Flip the keyboard upside down and tap the back a few times. Don't lay the keyboard down on its keys - keep it raised off of your typing surface. 4) Turn the keyboard back over and blow out all loose debris with canned air. Do this every week or so instead of waiting until they keyboard gets gummed up and it will work well for years. ** Update May 2017 ** My first keyboard failed shortly after I got it and was replaced at no cost under Kensington's warranty. It was a dud; it happens sometimes. But the replacement keyboard has been running strong for nearly 3 years now. This is my office keyboard and I work in IT, so I code and type emails on this thing for ~8 hours every weekday. I wish Kensington made a TKL (ten keyless) and/or wireless version.

I have had the keyboard for less than one month, and it is already falling apart. The alt key to the left of the spacebar is detached, despite only light use.

Honestly, I'm surprised at how heavy the keyboard is. The board doesn't bend, which leads me to believe there's an steel or aluminum back plate somewhere inside. I'm typing up this review with it now, and it has a nice laptop crisp feel to the presses. The keys are shallow, allowing fast typing, and they are nicely laid out so you can feel your way to the "delete" button and num pads. There are dedicated keys for volume control and putting the computer to sleep. I really appreciate how there is a function key to control media playback like pause/play/skip/previous. Love it!

Pense num teclado macio e preciso com rápida ativação de cada tecla, sem esforço! É pesado e mostra nisso robustez. Firme na mesa. Tem borrachas até nos pezinhos de elevação. Vale cada centavo!

Exellent membrain keyboard, silent, tactile low profile keys which are silky feeling. The only keys which seem to make a distinct tapping are the space bar and back space, though not irritatingly loud. Other positives are having an Fn key and the windows key isn't right next to the control key. When your in game it's a pain and a real annoyance inadvertently hitting the windows key because it takes you instantly out of your game and on to your desktop screen. For those who say just lock the windows key. I don't have to with this keyboard because the placement of that key is already in the better position away from the contol key. This board is well made, sturdy, barely any flex. All the keys are well marked. The F keys with blue icons are easily recognised. Highly recommend for build, simplicity and functionality. (If you need flashing lights don't look here, go to a disco!)

GOOD KEYBOARD

Silencioso y elegante, la profundidad de las teclas es igual a las laptops por lo que es bastante comodo escribir.