Logitech K800 Illuminated Wireless Keyboard, AZERTY French Layout

Ok, so 80 quid is a lot for a generic keyboard, so what do you get for you money? Essentially, think of a laptop-style keyboard (complete with scissor springs-dontcha just love them...) in a desktop style casing. Which lights up when your paws get near the keys (Oooooh). Reservation over the first of these relates to the joys of trying to re-attach the button plates to said scissor springs when your eyesight is not great and spud-like fingers lack dexterity.Build quality on many Logitech products has been slipping of late, unless you confine your choices to their higher ended offerings, which I guess this is. Longevity is really my only (minimal) concern with this. So, that's the simple response from someone who's been using one for all of 24 hours.And, despite this, in that 24 hours I've fallen in love. I'm no touch-typist, more a steriophonic potato-fingered neanderthal key stabber, but I love typing on this. With practice, I really think I could reach two words a minute... nothing wrong with ambition. The action is light and crisp, with just enough weight to the action to convey a sense of quality. Think of the action on a decent laptop, like the Mac Books of a few years ago. They were the the best and this really is that good. Read the other reviews here on how nice this is to use. They are absolutely spot on. I popped into the office this afternoon to grab some files too large to download and the standard keyboard on the machine I normally use suddenly seemed so pedestrian.Overall, this is a really nice piece of design. There is a thin plinth which makes up the main casing, with the usual pair of retractable feet giving some adjustment to the angle of attack. Second minor gripe is that the battery cover on the back is secured with a small Phillips screw. Why? That aside, the photos really do a poor job in representing this keyboard. Styling is clean, slimline, minimalist and rather elegant. Well, for a keyboard. Logitech have obviously spent some time thinking about the aesthetics on this one. The K800 is a really nice piece of design that wouldn't look out of place anywhere. It both looks and feels expensive. Again, 80 quid is a lot for a keyboard, but quality is never cheap. In terms of value however, I certainly don't feel short-changed by this. It has a surprising heft to it as well, which adds to the impression of quality. Three rubber strips beneath the leading edge of the casing ensure it stays in place on slippery surfaces. With the retractable feet, erm, retracted, each has a another rubber button. There are none on the leading edges of them when extended, but would be unneccessary as the weight of your hands would rest on the front portion of the casing. I only mention this as further evidence that they've really thought about the design of the K800.I wrote off the illumination as little more than a gimmick, but have come to appreciate it now. I sit behind three monitors, 30", 27" and 22", all LED, so there's a fair bit of illumination on offer. I normally have a table lamp on during evening sessions but my beloved chrome Anglepoise has become redundant (besides its all-round lovelyness). The keys illumination spring to life as soon as your fingers approach the keyboard. Even in full daylight, it's a nice touch. As the light fades, it really comes into its own. Another nice touch is that when your hands move away from the keyboard, after a second or so, the back-lighting slowly dimms away. I find this a rather pleasing effect and, again, shows they've put some effort into the design.Remaining gripes? the keyboard seems to be less than the full size you normally expect from desktop keyboards. It's definitely smaller than the layout on my beloved LX710 which died after more than 5 years of abuse. This has led to severe miss-typing, though it's getting better as I slowly adapt to this layout. I have rather large hands (please...) which doesn't help.I really do miss the media hotkeys from my old keyboard. There are the usual options accessable from the Function overrides to the F keys, most of which have limited customisation choices available. You CAN change the function of the calculator hotkey however, which can be set via the only hotkey tab in the setpoint options. Again, the choices are limited, but they are there if you feel so inclined.In conclusion, this is a pricy bit of kit. I do think it represents good value for money though. It looks good, is well made and is a delight to use, which is the prime concern for me. As other reviewers have correctly asserted, this is a quality item in an age of diposable mediocrity. Yes, at the end of the day, a keyboard is a keyboard is a keyboard. This, however, is a nice one that is a delight to use, is wonderfully tactile and looks fantastic. If you're in the market for a decent bit of kit and aren't phased by the price, this makes a good buy and, minor gripes aside, would recommend it to you in good faith without reservation.

I bought this as a treat for myself – despite the cost being so much more than most other keyboards, some of them perfectly good.The advantages of it are:-It is wireless.It shares a single 'unifying’ receiver with the Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mouse that I already hadThe two items can also share a single charging cable (although, as with the receiver, each comes with its own).The keyboard is illuminated, with variable light intensity and a very responsive on/off mechanism depending on whether you are actually using the keyboard.It is solidly built, with a very full set of keys, all of a good size.The function keys access a large set of functions that are actually useful.And, hopefully, the 'etched’ keys will resist wear for a good long time, such that they remain both legible and attractive in appearance. It looks as if they might.Each of these is only a small advantage, but together they add up to quite a lot.Previously, I had a Logitech keyboard that was similar but wired. I don’t know how old it was/is; I was given it second-hand. Its keys are worn, but otherwise it is OK (and I am keeping it as a spare). However, this one is more solid, and it certainly looks as if the keys are more robust.Setting it up was easy – essentially just a matter of plug-and-play, although I did have to re-boot my computer to get it to find it. That was with Windows 7; I have yet to upgrade to Windows 10.The batteries are a pair of rechargeable Ni-mh AAs, so user replaceable at modest cost if and when the need arises. Meanwhile, (bearing in mind the illuminated keys) it is remarkable how much use they support before needing a re-charge. That being said, the battery condition indicator falls short of ideal. Most of the time it says 'fully-charged', but then the 'must re-charge' crisis situation arises suddenly. It may be in the nature of the Ni-mh batteries to fall-off very rapidly. If so, the positive side is that they give maximum power for a good long time before finally tailing-off very steeply.One other downside: the 'feet' at the rear for giving the keyboard forward tilt disengage themselves whenever the keyboard is pushed away from you. One of the advantages of a wireless keyboard is that you can move it around more than a wired keyboard, but this (presumably unintended) feature discourages that. Even without the feet in use, though, the keyboard has a built-in tilt that is likely to be good enough most of the time for most users - including me.In view of the steep battery fade and feet that disengage themselves, I hovered over 4 stars, not 5. But then I put my wired Logitech keyboard back into use temporarily whilst charging the batteries on this one (strictly speaking, not necessary; you can type whilst charging) and (worse yet!) visited a couple of high street banks (yes two, HSBC and Halifax) and saw the keyboards the poor souls there were labouring on. I was even handed the HSBC rattletrap to enter my e-mail address. (Both the bank keyboards were simply bog-standard wired keyboards that would have come with the computers a few years back.) No, this wireless Logitech keyboard is another world, especially by comparison. I won't be going back.*The warranty is for three years.* A couple of further random thoughts.1) A decent 'wired' keyboard has to still be possible. I also use an HP G62 laptop - 5 years old now and still good - with integral keyboard (of course) and that, frankly, is just as nice to use as the Logitech wireless, with no significant wear on the keys. There are shiny patches on the most-used keys, but no loss of legibility of the letters.2) How similar HSBC and Halifax are once you get upstairs to see an 'advisor'! Similar interview cubicles, similar desks and chairs, similar computers, the same choice of drinks from apparently identical machines......

A fantastic piece of kit. This is the second one of these keyboards I've owned following an unfortunate accident involving the last. Nice keys, feels very good to use. Perfect amount of force required for me. Quick and reliable.The only niggle I had with the last one is the fragility of the key mechanisms. But as long as you don't overdo the pressing force they are fine. I haven't had any issues with this one though. On my previous one I replaced a couple of keys after a year or so (eBay). I'd say the keys do seem nicer and a little more substantial on this newer one so maybe they're better now.Also, the plastic covering seems different now too. It used to be smooth and pick up scratches easily but now it's matter and textured lightly so it's far better.The battery life is good, the backlight is fab, it's very comfortable, very responsive and very useful. Has a very good range and I've used this for gaming, work and university and have had no issues yet.