Using the Cherry G80-3494 MX Silent Light Grey Corded Keyboard with red 45cN switches was anything but what I expected. Having tried many full-sized, USB, 88-key keyboards from all the well-known players, I really wasn’t expecting anything much different. To my pleasant surprise, the Cherry Keyboard is a clear cut above – easier to type accurately, more comfortable to use and the perfect tactile experience you want from a keyboard.
Most of what makes the keyboard so special is a blend of Germany engineering and specific components assembled to the highest standards in the Czech Republic. Did you ever stop to think about how a keyboard works? If you’re like most users, the answer is probably – No. But, therein lies the secret sauce – the ingredients that make it so much better and more dependable than a standard keyboard by anyone else.
Their MX switch utilizes uniquely shaped rubber pads, an integrated 2-component stem which reduces audible clicks at the top and bottom of each stroke, and Gold Crosspoint contact technology. With this combination, they guarantee over 50-million keystrokes of useful life.
The G80-3494 that I tested came with the “red” MX switches, which are standard. For those who prefer more resistant keys (if you like to hammer them while you type), they also make their keyboards available with a “black” switch – offering 33% more resistance.
I don’t feel that I type very hard, so I couldn’t notice a real perceivable difference in noise level compared to a Microsoft keyboard, but then noise was never an issue to me before either.
The difference that was apparent was the accuracy I seemed to enjoy while switching to the Cherry G80-3000 series of keyboards. Hard to put in words, but it just felt so much better. It was a real pleasure to use.
At similar price points to the major brands, I’d definitely recommend giving Cherry a try next time you decide to upgrade a keyboard at home or office.
Disclosure: We were provided with a sample in order to complete this review. Opinions however are strictly our own.