The Review of the Logitech Craft Wireless Keyboard

The Logitech Craft wireless keyboard arrived at our place with a slight delay, but the manufacturer still values it very highly. The Craft wireless keyboard is a relevant and even expensive computer peripheral that has already won over many users. Moreover, the Craft wireless keyboard is one of the rare gadgets that is hardly intended for gamers at all. You can play a game or two, but primarily the Craft wireless keyboard is designed for those who spend their daily routine with Adobe Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, and similar programs. Windows users will find it easier to work with Microsoft PowerPoint, and even Microsoft Excel will be more convenient to use. Not to forget Spotify, and even the popular VLC media player is included in the list of supported applications.

Contents

Appearance and Build Logi Options Application Creative Input Dial Typing Experience Conclusion

Otherwise, it should be noted that this is a full-size wireless keyboard; it doesn’t even have mechanical keys. However, the Logitech Craft wireless keyboard offers a whole range of tricks that you won’t find in other keyboards.

The price of the Logitech Craft keyboard is US$169.99 which doesn’t put it in a very favorable position. Yes, there are mechanical keyboards with a similar price tag, but usually, they can only adjust the sound. In the case of the Logitech Craft keyboard, this dial has a much wider range of applications.

Appearance and Build

Logitech’s Craft wireless keyboard certainly follows the Apple-favored track, as it boasts a minimalist design without the option to customize its appearance. The manufacturer has gone so far as to omit any adjustable feet on the Craft wireless keyboard, preventing users from altering its tilt towards them. This is undoubtedly a matter of habit, and it’s often emphasized that the keyboard should not be raised at an angle towards oneself to avoid placing additional strain on the hands.

Much like the Logitech MX computer mouse, the Logitech Craft keyboard is crafted from matte black plastic and aluminum to make it lighter and ensure stability during use. Unfortunately, aluminum is only present in the furthermost section of the keyboard, where the battery is located. The keys themselves are made of plastic, which doesn’t enhance the typing and overall user experience.

The Craft keyboard features subtle backlighting that automatically adjusts brightness depending on the intensity of the room’s lighting. Additionally, the Craft keyboard will turn off the backlighting when the user is not at the computer.

The Craft keyboard can be connected to a computer using Bluetooth, Logitech Unifying Receiver, or with a USB-C cable (a USB-A to USB-C cable is included in the package). The option to use a cable not only for charging but also for connecting to the computer is a somewhat unique feature; many other Logitech accessories do not offer this capability at all.

Logi Options Application

The Logitech Craft is compatible with the Logi Options application, and its installation is offered as soon as you connect the wireless USB dongle to the computer. The Logi Options application allows you to update the keyboard’s firmware and connect it to other devices via Bluetooth. Additionally, you’ll find options to customize the keyboard’s backlighting, but the Logi Options application is not strictly necessary; the keyboard will function without it. However, if you want to make use of the Logitech Craft’s additional dial feature, the application is essential.

It’s worth noting that Logitech Options is not the same as Logitech Options+, which serves devices with a Unifying USB receiver. Logi Options supports the Logitech Craft keyboard, and it also recognizes the previously mentioned Logitech MX Vertical mouse, but for now, Options+ does not support it. The MX Vertical mouse requires the older Logitech Options application to be installed. Unfortunately, such software discrepancies from Logitech have been seen from time to time, and this is currently no exception.

Logitech also uses different USB dongles for wireless data transmission – the Logitech Craft keyboard uses a Unifying dongle, the Logitech MX Vertical mouse also uses a Unifying dongle, while gaming-oriented Logitech wireless peripheral devices have the Lightspeed USB dongle, and there’s also the Bolt dongle. These USB dongles are not mutually compatible (you cannot connect a Unifying device to a Bolt dongle), which can cause some confusion, as all of these are wireless devices from the same manufacturer.

Creative Input Dial

The Craft keyboard’s creative input dial (Logitech themselves refer to it as a dial, not a wheel) is a large, gray button located in the upper left corner. It’s akin to a smaller Surface dial and unlike the Craft keyboard, it requires a Surface device. Logitech has built compatibility into the keyboard for seven programs – Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, and InDesign, as well as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (compatibility with Office programs is only possible with Windows devices). There are a couple of general functions, such as volume control or page navigation forward and backward.

The keyboard operates quite ingeniously – the surface of the input dial is touch-sensitive, so simply touching it will display the corresponding option available for a specific program or tool within the program. For example, if the brush tool is selected, touching the top part of the dial will reveal various options – brush size, thickness, and other settings. Once the relevant option is selected, simply turning the input dial will adjust it.

It’s important to note that this dial/wheel/scroll wheel is not a simple plastic wheel, which makes it comfortably usable in everyday tasks, as the range of possibilities emerges almost intuitively. Once you start to remember that such a dial is available, many tasks can be accomplished with just the mouse and the dial.

Typing Experience

I’ll admit that I’m not much of a mechanical keyboard enthusiast; I rarely use them. On occasion, I’ll jot something down on a laptop keyboard, but I’m not particularly thrilled about it. The Craft keyboard is a bit of a different story. It’s perfectly suited for long hours of writing, though I am a bit concerned about the keyboard’s slim profile. I’m not accustomed to keyboards like this. The Craft keyboard is so thin that it’s even lower than a laptop keyboard. This should be taken into consideration if you prefer to use a palm rest.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the Craft keyboard is a full-size keyboard, which can take up quite a bit of space on the desk, which isn’t always ideal. The slightly reduced size of the F-row keys doesn’t compensate for the fact that the Craft keyboard’s dial adds a substantial depth dimension. At least on my desk, this means that the Craft keyboard is pushed quite far towards the user, and my hands no longer comfortably rest on the desk.

If you tend to brush against things, the combined Windows and Mac keys don’t really help for everyday use; they can be distracting. I’m also not used to the keyboard layout where there’s another key with [~|] symbols next to the left Shift; I often hit it accidentally.

Conclusion

The Logitech Craft wireless keyboard could be a powerful tool for individuals who use supported Adobe and Microsoft applications on a daily basis; in that regard, the Craft wireless keyboard can truly demonstrate its strength. If you only intend to adjust the volume with the dial, any other keyboard with a similar dial could do the job, but without software support. With all of this, I want to emphasize that the power of the Craft wireless keyboard lies directly in the software, which the manufacturer has improved over the years.

For my daily needs, the Craft wireless keyboard is a bit large in size, and I couldn’t find a full application for the dial. The relatively high price of the Craft wireless keyboard would also give me pause; theoretically, it should have been around 170…180 euros, which is still quite a lot for a keyboard.