Mechanical keyboard fans think that Cherry MX key switches are the best of the best. They offer a rainbow of different types of tactile and audible feedback and are made to last through millions of presses, so they have a fanatical following. Logitech knows this, so after making its own Romer-G key switches for its high-end gaming keyboards, it has now released a pair of keyboards with Cherry MX key switches. The Logitech G610 Orion Red ($79.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and Orion Brown ($119.99) keyboards are well made, have few features, and are priced reasonably. They don’t have the same level of design as the Das Keyboard (at Amazon), and they don’t have built-in USB hubs or audio pass-throughs, but they work well and will satisfy Cherry MX fans on a budget.
1. Design
The G610 ($79.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) isn’t designed to look like it was made for gaming. This keyboard is made to look simple and functional. It has a rectangular shape and doesn’t have many extra buttons or features. It doesn’t even have a USB hub. This doesn’t mean that the keyboard doesn’t have any extras; they’re just out of sight. All of the keys are lit from behind by white LEDs that can be turned on and off. When they are off, the keys look normal. Playback controls and buttons for Game, Light, and Mute are in the upper-right corner of the keyboard. These buttons are flat and round, and they don’t stand out (but are also backlit). Just above the playback controls is a wide volume wheel that makes it easy to change the volume with a flick of the thumb. The wheel is so simple and easy to use that I wish it could be set up to do other things as well. For example, I would have liked a toggle switch that would have made it work like a mouse scroll wheel.
2. Lighting and the ability to set it up
The keyboards don’t have any kind of wrist rest, but you can change the height in three different ways. On the back of each G610 is a set of two pairs of flip-out feet that can raise it four or eight degrees, depending on your taste. Even though the G610’s lights are white instead of multicolored, you can still change them in fun ways with Logitech’s software, just like you can with the G910 ($179.99 at Logitech)(Opens in a new window). Even though you can’t change the colors, you can choose between different lighting effects like a slow wave of light across the keys, random star-like twinkling, and lighting individual keys and zones. You can also sync the lighting patterns with other Logitech G-series devices, like mice and headsets.
All of these programmable functions can be accessed through the free control panel of the Logitech Gaming Software, which is available for both Windows and Mac. It has a straight-forward, easy-to-use interface that lets you do all the usual things you need to do with a programmable keyboard, like assigning macros to function keys and setting profiles to make different games act differently. Logitech’s gaming headsets and mice both use the same software, so if you only use Logitech gaming products, you can control them all from the same place.
3. The Cherry MX
Logitech didn’t use its own Romer-G key switches in the G610. Instead, it used the Cherry MX mechanical key switches that keyboard fans have loved for decades. The high-end, multicolor-backlit G810 and G910 keyboards from Logitech both still have Romer-G key switches. The use of Cherry MX switches seems to be more of a concession to those enthusiasts than anything else, and the option is welcome. The G610 Orion Brown has Cherry MX Brown key switches, and the G610 Orion Red has Cherry MX Red key switches.
There is not much difference between the two switches. Both of them don’t click, so you won’t sound like you’re beating a typewriter to death when you type. The actuation is the key difference. Cherry MX Red switches are linear, which means they move down and back up without any physical feedback (besides the switches reaching the limit of their range of motion). Cherry MX Brown switches have tactile feedback. At the end of each switch’s range of motion, there are small bumps that give you a slight but clear feeling when you press a key. If you want a keyboard that clicks loudly every time you press a key, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Cherry MX Brown or Red switches don’t make that kind of noise.
4. Performance
I tried out both of the G610’s versions. Aside from the Brown version’s slight tactile feedback, the keyboards felt the same. They both had the same 45-gram actuation force and 2mm actuation distance, which makes them work well with a light touch. Both felt strong enough to withstand the angry bangs and slaps I give myself when I make the same mistake over and over again. Cherry MX keys are made to last for tens of millions of keystrokes. When combined with the blocky design of the keyboard body, I had no problems no matter how hard or fast my fingers worked. But the G610 doesn’t feel quite as solid as the Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate. Das Keyboard keyboards feel just a bit heavier and more solid than the G610. Logitech’s build quality is fine, and the Cherry MX key switches are great (Das Keyboard uses Cherry MX Brown and clicky Cherry MX Blue switches), but Das Keyboard has a bit of an edge in that you can use it as a truncheon feeling that makes mechanical keyboards so nice to use.
All View
Logitech’s G610 Orion Red and Orion Brown keyboards are good attempts to appeal to keyboard purists who only use Cherry MX key switches and don’t want the multicolored lighting of the Romer G–using G810 and G910 keyboards. Both versions of the G610 have dimmable, programmable white lighting and a few convenience features, but they were designed to be much simpler and less flashy than their more expensive siblings. Their price tags of $120 might seem high to people who don’t know much about keyboards, but fans of mechanical keyboards will think the price is very fair. The Das Keyboard 4 Professional is still our Editors’ Choice because it feels even more solid, has a Cherry MX Blue option that makes clicking sounds, and has a two-port USB 3.0 hub built in. But if you don’t want to spend $170 on your mechanical keyboard, Logitech’s G610s are very nice and much cheaper options.
