Review of Logitech Craft Keyboard and MX Vertical Mouse

Due to Covid-19 Crisis my family is spending more time in our home offices and got a kind of creativity booster. We subscribed to Adobe CreativeCloud, use Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere a lot, so I purchased a new Desktop PC. Keyboard was needed as well, so I talked to Logitech and received the recommendation to test their Craft Keyboard (Amazon.DE Affiliate) with dedicated Input Dial for Adobe Products but I am also using it control my Music/Spotify Volume and Office 365 Apps like Excel, Word or PowerPoint. The Crown spins either smoothly or incrementally, depending on what kind of menu or App you are using with it. You can also press it, or press, hold and turn it simultaneously. You can also switch between browser windows. The innovative Input Dial is not the only tool which supports Adobe and Office, Craft Keyboard also offers dedicated keys which are much more useful than F1 to F12.

Keyboard Typing Experience

It`s not my first Logitech Keyboard but by far the best I ever used. Low profile keys feel excellent, very accurate, have reduced noise and are backlit- helpful when you don`t want to have lights on in your room (to disturb others). I also use new feature buttons like Screenshot everyday which enable Snagit.

Technical Specifications

• Logitech Unifying 2.4GHz wireless technology, so I can connect it with 3 devices like my PC, laptop or Tablet
• Bluetooth Low Energy technology
• Logitech Options on Mac OS 10.11 and above and Windows 7 and above
• Enhanced input dial experience in: Microsoft Word^, PowerPoint, Excel 2010, 2013 and 2016 (Windows only), Adobe Photoshop CC, Lightroom Classic CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC 2017 and above – Windows and Mac. Adobe Reader DC, VLC Media Player (Windows) Preview, Quicktime and Safari (Mac)
  Spotify (Windows and Mac)
• CRAFT Software Developer Kit available
• 10m wireless range
• Wireless encryption
• On/Off power switch
• Rechargeable with USB type C

How useful is the Input Dial for Adobe Applications like Photoshop?

Using Photoshop I can control saturation, brightness, contrast, undo actions, change brush sizes or zoom in/out. Unfortunately new Lightning version is not supported yet, only classic CC.
With Premiere it`s easy to navigate and jog through the timeline of clips. The crown is very precise and this is the main value here: cut video scenes more precise.

Which value does Input Dial add to Microsoft Office?

my favourite use case is horizontal scrolling in Excel. I have a lot of spreadsheets which have dozens of columns and the Input Dial Crown makes it it much easier to scroll .

In Word you can change image sizes easier, adjust font sizes or modify design / templates

Is Craft Keyboard the perfect device?

I haven`t seen a better keyboard. Nevertheless battery life could be improved and Logitech heard the message. Latest keyboard announcement have improved battery. Using backlight on I can use my keyboard for 1 week, it should work around 3 months if backlight is disabled. Charging time is around 6 hours, here I obviously also see room for improvement. I was a bit dissapointed that only classic Lightroom is supported with Input Dial. Please let me know in the comment section if you have heard of forthcoming updates.

Logitech MX Vertical Mouse

I am using my Logitech Master MX3 Mouse since few months as my default mouse and reviewed it here. Now I got the opportunity thanks to Logitech to test MX Vertical Mouse as well (Amazon.DE Affiliate). MX Vertical is designed like a cresting wave with a convex curve on the palm side and a stronger curve around thumbs. It only took 15 minutes to get into a very comfortable feeling. My arm feels more relaxed, there is no tension anymore in my forearm with this natural handshake position. This innovative mouse can also be used with 3 devices like my PC, Laptop and Tablet or my Smartphone. It is managed with same software like the Craft Keyboard and charged with USB-C cable.

Connected via the included USB-C charging cable, Logitech Unifying Receiver, or Bluetooth. According to Logitech it can stay powered for up to four months on a full charge – and get three hours of use from a one-minute quick charge.

With Logitech Flow Technique you can share files between different devices like PC or MAC with one single connected mouse like MX Vertical. This can prevent multiple copying steps and save time. You can automatically switch between computers by moving your cursor to the edge of the screen.