Logitech MK345 Wireless Combo – Full-sized Keyboard with Palm Rest and Comfortable Right-Handed Mouse

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Logitech Wireless Combo MK345 I consider this a BASIC or starter wireless keyboard and mouse, and I am reviewing it IN THAT CONTEXT (even though there are a couple of Logitech wireless combos that are below this one). In that regard, it is quite good. Right from the outset I was very impressed with its no-hassle plug and play aspect. I literally removed it from the box (batteries came already installed), plugged the tiny nano-receiver into a USB port on the old laptop that I happened to have handy at the time (a 7 year old machine running Windows Vista) and both the keyboard and mouse were recognized and responsive in under 30 seconds. From box to working in a minute or two. That is probably record time for any computer accessory that Ive ever installed. ➤TIP: While this is plug-and-play and works perfectly without installing any drivers or software, you can get some added functionality if you install Logitechs Setpoint software. I have provided the link for it on the bottom of this review. ➤IMPORTANT NOTE: Many people comment that the mouse is small. This is partially an ILLUSION due to the SHAPE of the mouse, which is a bit different from others. If you see my comparison photos, you will see that it is not much smaller than other mice. I used two standard size mice and one very small travel mouse for comparison. Some people have also commented on the light weight of the mouse. This is actually true as it is in fact relatively light: Here are my weight comparisons (without/with batteries): Included Mouse (M275)-63g/86g VX Revolution (M-RBU126)- 83g/110g Marathon (M705)-87g/135g VX Nano (M-RC134)-73/95g FIRST IMPRESSION (Overall): Both the keyboard and the mouse are fairly light. There is protective plastic on the keyboard which once removed reveals an attractive glossy surface around the key portion of it. The palm rest has a flat rather than glossy finish and has small indentations which give it some very subtle texture. The mouse has a very narrow wraparound glossy collar (also covered with protective plastic). The sides (indentation for thumb and opposite side) have the same flat sheen and textured design as on the keyboards palm-rest. The result is a sort of two-toned black on black look. Aesthetically, the mouse and keyboard co-ordinate very well. MOUSE: This is quite obviously a right-handed mouse. Some might consider the mouse to be on the SMALLER side. This is really a MATTER OF PREFERENCE and as I already noted, this is largely an illusion. I have used both larger and smaller mice and sometimes it is just a matter of what you are accustomed to. I usually prefer the smaller mice because they seem easier to maneuver around with subtle finger movements. It has an overall ergonomic shape that feels pretty comfortable and natural in my own medium-sized hand. I can understand those with bigger hands preferring something a little more substantial. This is a great mouse to use with a laptop (or as a dual-use travel/stationary mouse), especially since it works with the nano receiver and has the small look. This is a no-frills mouse. It has the basic left and right click button and wheel. It does not have any extra buttons that you find on some other mice that are usually programmed to move forwards or backwards through web pages, zoom, etc. The wheel does have a push button. When depressed, it puts the mouse into a 4-way scroll mode, that is you can scroll in four directions around a page by moving the mouse as you would normally move the cursor. Depress again to return to cursor control. It is made of a rubber-like material which gives it a nice feel. The mouse seems responsive and I have not had any issues with losing connectivity so far. KEYBOARD: Normal full-sized keyboard. There is an on/off switch and an LED Caps Lock indicator. The "Function" and "Control" keys might be a little larger than on other keyboards (especially the Function key) and it seems like the space bar was made a little smaller to accommodate this. I have not found it to be a problem for me, but felt I should note it any way. There are the typical flip-out feet to set the keyboard on an angle. The palm-rest is angled nicely and feels a comfortable size, not too obtrusive nor too diminutive. The keys feel soft when pressed and are fairly quiet. Logitech claims this to be a spill-resistant design. I have not tested this out yet, but if you knew me, youd know that I will be able to report on this feature fairly soon. There is a full range of function keys across the top with default shortcut/media keys displayed as icons (Home, Mail, Search, Calculator, Media Player, Previous, Play/Pause, Next, Mute, Decrease Volume, Increase Volume). You need to download the Setpoint software from Logitechs website for these to work properly and the way that you want them to. BATTERY LIFE: Logitech claims that this combo has "Advanced energy-efficient design" which should yield a very generous battery life of 3 years for the keyboard and 18 months for the mouse. Of course there is no way to prove or disprove this just yet. IN CONCLUSION: I will say again that this is good basic or starter combo. If you are in the market for such for yourself or someone else, I dont think that you can go wrong with this. The main point should be making sure that the user will be comfortable with a smaller rather than more substantial mouse (at the risk of sounding sexist I will go out on a limb and say that this mouse is probably perfectly suited for many female users). If it is for someone who is not a gamer/cutting edge/latest gadget type of a person who just needs the best of the basics without a lot of extras, than this might just be perfect. It is also a good choice if you need something fairly portable or for occasional use with a laptop. Link to Download Setpoint Software from Logitech to customize the keyboard: (Amazon does not enable direct links, so you need to copy and paste) http://support.logitech.com/en_us/product/wireless-combo-mk345#download Questions/Comments welcome.

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This is meant for a low-use office computer and has served its purpose quite well thus far. Ive read the negative comments and I think I can help clear your mind. Yes, the mouse is relatively small - not a dealbreaker if youve got: smaller hands, normal sized hands, or use the computer in question infrequently. Know what else is small? The USB dongle associated with this! Which makes it a breeze to swap between computers, like in my case a desktop/latptop. Paired instantly, keyboard/mouse had a good response rate off the bat on both my Macbook and PC desktop. This is a simple middle of the road wireless combo set. I would recommend for casual users. Obviously not for gamers or hardcore office desk warriors. If youre in the sweet spot, do yourself a favor spend up a little bit and get a reliable setup like this from a reliable company like logitech.

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I very nearly gave this wireless keyboard/mouse a one star rating and a lousy review. For the first few hours, I battled with unpredictable periods of truly awful keyboard lag. Like waiting 30 seconds for it to wake up and accept my keystrokes. It was very very frustrating. I was on the verge of boxing it up and sending it back when I tried positioning the PC so the USB dongle was in line of sight of the keyboard and mouse. Aha! They both worked flawlessly. - This was not a practical solution though as I didnt want to use up one of my front USB ports, so I added a USB extension cable to the rear USB port I was using; plugged the dongle into that and then positioned the dongle in line of sight of the keyboard and mouse but in an unobtrusive location. So, if you are on the verge of tossing yours, try this solution. Its working like a champ now. No delays.

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In spite of trying everything recommended on the Logitech and other websites, this keyboard continues to stall, sometimes between words. There doesnt seem to be anything to do except wait (sometimes for several minutes) until it decides to work again. When Im using QuickBooks, it will stall between transactions. Ive tried different USB ports, downloading driver, etc. I dont even want to donate it to Goodwill--no one should go through this frustration.

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Update: After a few months of use, I have to drop a star. The tiny mouse has become a major problem, very uncomfortable to use for long periods of time. Ive gone back to using a wired mouse, which defeats the purpose of having a wireless combo. In addition, theres an odd quirk with the keyboard as well. When typing quickly, the "Enter" key is sometimes registered slower than the other keys I press. Doesnt happen all the time, but often enough that I can notice it. --- Minimal extraneous packing materials, Duracell alkaline batteries preinstalled in both devices. Plug in the USB wireless receiver, pull the plastic insulator tabs, and youre good to go. Clearly the smart folks at Logitech have put some thought into the unboxing experience. I didnt have particularly high expectation for this product, but once I started using it, some things start to stand out. Heres my shortlist: [Good] • "Invisible" optic sensor in mouse. Its increasingly difficult to get computer hardware peripherals with good features (i.e. for enthusiasts) that arent covered in colored LEDs. So while light for mouse sensor is a functional component, its nice Logitech went with an implementation that is not visible. • 3-button design. If you dont use the extra, non-standard buttons you find on many third party mice, youll like this. Extra buttons are minimally unnecessary, and in the worst case, make you do things you didnt want to do by accident. • No wires. Certainly helps keep the desk tidy, and the setup is really as seamless as plugging in the wired counterparts. However, its a bit unnerving to depend on encryption to secure the keyboard input and the hassle of battery maintenance is yet to be known. • Cap-lock indicator. Im just putting this in there because there seems to be confusion: the keyboard does have an indicator light for caps lock, located above the numeric keypad. [Bad] • Mouse is tiny! Im used to the size and shape of my previous favorite mouse, Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 . When that finally broke, I replaced it with a similarly shaped Gigabyte M6800 . Unfortunately, that piece of junk didnt take long to break too, prompting my search for a new mouse. Others have mentioned this mouse is small; I feel like I need to clutch the mouse with just my fingertips since resting my hand on it would hide the entire thing in my palm. Be warned, large handed or long fingered humans! Im including a photo of the mouse with the M6800 and and Lenovo OEM mouse for comparison. • No unifying receiver. I dont own other Logitech wireless products, but I can see the appeal of having a universal receiver that you can match up with other peripherals as you get or replace parts in the future. [Ugly] • Fn-key row. UGH! What industrial designer thought it was a good idea to remove function key group spaces. I use those keys very often, and as a touch typist, I rely on the spacing find the right key to press. Worse yet, key positions and widths are changed as well as a result of this design, so you cant even blindly peck where the key normally should be. Oddly enough, Logitech has keyboards which are like this and others which maintain the standard, 4-group Fn keys. You can see the wonky key placements in the comparison image to a standard IBM keyboard. In conclusion, it works so I cant complain too much. If you are particular about the tactile feel of the buttons or have specific ergonomic needs, you wont be satisfied with this. However, its a nice upgrade for most OEM keyboard/mice for the wireless and a steal at $20.

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I really like this keyboard, even though I wasnt sure I would when I first took it out of the packaging. PROS: - Looks great and feels great to type on. The keys are maybe half-height (not full, like my old keyboard, not flat like the "chiclet" style) but are still concave (I dont like the "smooth" convex ones). - Standard keyboard layout - I dont like when the arrows or the insert/home/delete, etc. keys are not in the right place - The F keys are actually F keys, and the "extra" functions are "extra" - Sturdy/quality build - Feels great after you get used to it (not a knock on this, just was used to my old one) CONS (which are all pretty minor): - No "Sleep" button, either directly or through FN keys (UPDATE: Was able to use Logitechs SetPoint software to re-map one of the FN keys to envoke the sleep function) - No Num Lock or Scroll Lock lights (they dont get used as much, but its helpful to know when they are, since they usually shouldnt be) (UPDATE: Was able to use Logitechs SetPoint software to enable the display of on-screen notifications when any of the Lock keys are pressed) - The "On" button - I get why its there, but Ill probably never turn it off, so I wish it wasnt. Would rather have the other Lock lights here. - Theres no "right-click" menu button. I didnt ever use it a lot, but it was nice to have sometimes (UPDATE: its a FN option on the right CTRL key) - The mouse takes AA, the keyboard takes AAA. Why? OTHER: - I needed to add a USB hub and extender so the USB dongle would be up on the desktop, otherwise the keyboard and mouse connections were spotty. Been perfect since I did that. - Would be nice if there were some dedicated keys for the multi-media part of the "extra" keys (primarily for volume/mute), but access via the FN key is suitable - The space key is loud - and its the only one that is. Kind of odd. - The mouse was smaller than my old on, so that took a bit to get used to, but its fine now.

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I was skeptical about trying out this keyboard, mostly because it has 1000 less reviews than most other keyboards in the same price range. My personal reasons for picking this up (other than the reasonably low price) was the need for a wireless keyboard with a "full keyboard" feel. The keys are quite large and although theres not much feedback it feels closer to a real keyboard than others I have tried. My biggest knock is the way the F keys are laid out. Im so used to having a space between every 4 F keys but I was aware of this at the time of purchase (to the point where it was almost a dealbreaker for me) and took a chance on it anyways. The mouse is rather small and this might put some people off. But the mouse itself is a high quality mouse, so that makes up for the size in my book. A lot of online reviews show the bottom of the keyboard as blue, mine came in black (and so did the mouse). One other thing that stood out is the leg stands for height adjustment, they were quite higher than Im used to and there is no in between. Ive had keyboards in the past that have two different tabs for different height measurements but this only had one size. At first it seemed to wobble a bit, and it felt quite high, but after use for a few minutes it felt just right. Again, my biggest knock on this keyboard is the setup of the F keys and the fact that there is no space in between them, so you either have to know where the key is or take a second to look and see what key youre pressing. I would have liked perhaps a small marking (like the ones on the F and J keys) to indicate every fourth F key, that way I can identify the key just by touching it and kind of get my bearings without having to look down. This gets especially difficult in the dark as the keyboard is not lit at all. On a final note, the num lock key not having a lighting indicator isnt much of a problem for me but it is a thing, but its a minor inconvenience for me, so I dont really see it as a major flaw or a problem.

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This Model 345 (~$26) fail after two months while still on warranty. You choose to replace it with a lesser Model 320 (~$22). Why not go to the next higher model if the 345 was no longer being sold? The 320 has an inferior mouse and keyboard with no palm rest. Why go cheap when your product fails. Less than stellar customer service to remedy the problem took almost three weeks to figure out how to return/replace the product. Finally, the serial number was located behind the battery access cover . Logitech MK345 Wireless Combo - Full-sized Keyboard with Palm Rest and Comfortable Right-Handed Mouse

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After reading the reviews I was pretty nervous about purchasing this keyboard but Im so glad I did! For full disclosure I can only compare this to MAC laptop keyboards and I must say the difference is night and day. The keys produce a very satisfying clickity clack and while the mouse is smaller than average it really makes up for it by being fully programmable! When you download the logitech options software you can program gestures into it! What I Mean is that if I hold down the center scroll and swipe up I get mac launch pad, swipe left or right I get horizontal scrolling, and swipe down I get my desktop! This was new to me and I love it! It works great with MAC! Other Tips: For mac users looking trying to figure out how to use the FN Keys such as the Volume up and Down just hold the FN key! Download Logitech options software to program gestures or increase scroll or cursor speed. Windows keys are mapped to MAC CMD keys Caps lock does have a light indicator. 7 degree lift. Major upgrade from standard Mac Keyboard

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The keyboard and mouse both seem substantial, and work well. Im using them on a laptop, as I like the convenience and portability of laptops but hate-hate-hate touchpads, and need a ten-key pad that my laptop lacks. Im on Windows 7 if that matters to anyone, and the needed software installed itself in about two minutes with no problems. Its a nice touch that both the keyboard and mouse came with batteries included and pre-installed. My only complaint is about the multi-language pamphlet that came with the devices; to save paper theyve printed it in a ridiculously small font -- Id estimate its 4-point sans serif, impossible for an old-timer like me to read without a magnifying glass, and I suspect even a young whippersnapper with 20/20 vision would have to squint. How much money is Logitech saving by printing this pamphlet so tiny? Its gotta be next-to-nothing -- in a font that people could read, 10-point or even 12-point, the whole pamphlet would still fit on one 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. Also, Amazon is asking me to rate this products "sleep mode." Ive left that rating blank, as I dont know what the "sleep mode" might be. Presumably its a function that saves battery power by turning off the keyboard and mouse when they havent been used for a few hours, but theres no mention of a sleep mode on the packaging. Amazon asking me to rate the sleep mode made me curious enough to whip out my spectacles and magnifying glass and read the pamphlet, but theres no mention of a "sleep mode" in the pamphlets astoundingly small print, either.

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