Logitech G512

The transition from analog switches to mechanical switches isn’t ideal either. When a regular switch is connected and the “Scan” button is pressed to reset the board, the multi-input function remains half-Functional. In my testing, where I set a half-press of WASD to be the regular character, and a full-press to be (Shift + WASD), pressing any of these keys and the second key immediately after will merge the next input with the Shift input, resulting in random uppercase words! The weirdest thing about it is that the G-Hub app knows when a mechanical switch is connected, and gives you a heads-up that multi-input won’t work with a standard switch, but it doesn’t set standard input to the switch by default to avoid problems.

The tedium of swapping keys, scanning, and changing keymaps every time you start a game isn’t ideal. I found myself groaning at the prospect, and only using mechanical switches for gaming. Much like glasses with transition lenses, a BMW i8, or a McRib, this keyboard creates a hybrid version of two things, and across the board it’s worse than its individual parts.

One nice touch is that the removable angled feet on the underside of this keyboard also double as keycaps and key pullers. If you travel with this keyboard, you will always have these tools with you. But it also means, if you no Like using an 8 degree keyboard, you’ll have an oddly designed key and keycap pullers sitting on your desk. The moderate additional convenience of part-time storage is nowhere near as practical as the standard folding feet and separate keycap/switch that most keyboards include today. It’s also not as practical SteelSeries silicone cover To hide the keycap puller.

Internal assembly

Photo: Henry Robbins

If you’re expecting a keyboard of this caliber to have a complex internal assembly, you’re right on the money. Taking it apart involves removing the bottom bases and the back sticker, removing some screws, removing the back panel, unscrewing a dozen more screws, then disconnecting the front and middle parts, and then you’re left with four main components: the top casing, the main PCB and board assembly, the middle casing (which houses the LED strip, along with the sub-plate that houses the rear buttons for the USB-C port), and the bottom casing. Although the disassembly is rather lengthy, I actually quite like the assembly. Besides the sticky feet, everything feels incredibly solid and well designed inside. The only real improvement is replacing the plastic screw posts with heat-riveted metal threads.