Unfortunately you're showing your age here and by that I mean lack of it. The early Logitech wireless mice, back in the mid-nineties had a rotary switch to allow you to select the receiver it was paired with. This allowed you to have multiple receivers and use one mouse. It feels like I've been waiting 20 years for them to reintroduce this feature and now they finally have. As for quality, I have Logitech mice and keyboards going back 15 years that are still working fine.
Obviously, the corporate intent behind this amazing new device is to throw it in the garbage in 12 months and buy another one.
There are barely any good mice today, they are all engineered to crap out, how I miss the good old intellimouse optical - it lasted 12 years of abuse, and this was back when I was quake 3 twitch gaming, and in the end it was the cable that crapped out, it was still clicking fine. Since then I changed several premium mice, including 2 of logitech's top tier, and even thou they were all several times more expensive than the intellimouse, in terms of durability they were all GARBAGE in comparison.
Amusingly, the only mouse I ever had fail was an Intellimouse Optical; the left-click button just gave up on life. I've been all-Logitech since then, and haven't had to replace a mouse in over five years. My two Performance MXes at home and work stubbornly refuse to die, as does the M310 that takes a lot of abuse in travel. I finally replaced one of the MXes with a G502 just for the novelty factor, and I fully expect that it will also last longer than I want or need.
But anecdotes aren't data, and it would be interesting to see an actual reliability study done, to see how long (in years or millions of clicks) these things actually last, on average.
Logitech had warranty reduced from 3 to 2 and now to 1 year. That's not a sign of confidence.
Also it depends a lot on how you use it. Luck is also a factor. The biggest problem IMO is the puny switches they use, they are too frail. They are chosen for that reason thou, as the mice I've dissected upon failure have all revealed there is plenty of room on the PCB for larger and sturdier switches. The last logitech mouse I threw away was a G9, I was able to "fix" it several times by padding the plastic nib that presses the switch, but eventually got tired of it. Took out the old intellimouse, clipped the cable where it failed, then soldered the wires directly on the board, and it sill works flawlessly, 17 years old. Its only downside is it is too light, but gluing a big ass bolt nut on the top of the upper shell fixed that :D. After spending 500$ on garbage mice in 5 years I am back to the 15$ intellimouse, and it works great.
You can buy 10-20M omron switches from chinese sites, 10 for $5-7 free shipping. Those are the things people abuse specially with all the mobas based on tons of lef/right click actions. 5 years ago, those games were scarce.
The PCB will not survive more than one replacement. Naturally, it would be too much to expect that the switches are put in sockets for easy replacement. You are not supposed to fix it, you are supposed to buy a new mouse. They made sure you won't be able to replace the switches just as they made sure to use lousy switches in the first place. Actually, a more durable solution would be to open up the existing switch and deform the springie part slightly to have better action.
Yep, that's what I did to fix the double click issue on my two MX Revolution mice, fix the switch itself. It's been a couple years but I think this is the video I watched to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66Cd2Y4IPs
My Logitech MX Master is going strong after a year and a half. I still have my first optical wireless mouse that works great. Over ten years old. I've got another Logitech wireless laptop mouse that is two years old that I use for backup or when I have to charge my MX Master. I believe folks that say they have problems with their mice. I just haven't had that problem.
I agree I have $300 of bad Logitech mice in my closet with the dreaded Logitech double click disease. Meanwhile mice from the early 2000's are clicking away just fine.
I've gone through a lot of mice because my munchkins are pretty hard on them..well so am I sometimes too. :) But anyway, the ones that last the longest seem to be the sub-$15 ones I grab from Amazon. They usually last 2-3 years.
Gaming mice are usually a terrible value. I've had two die within 8 months of them getting pulled out of the packaging. AND gaming mice typically include really stupid, poorly written software that constantly runs in the background to control their LED lights or somehow add "moar macroz for betterer esports fragz lol roflcopter j00 noobz."
I've had good results with Razer Death Adder and Naga mice; having owned several of the former and one of the latter and gotten multiple years out of each without problems. OTOH needing the stupid software running to keep the lights off would've been a deal breaker for using one on my work PC if anyone else sold left handed egronomic mice at price/feature pairs that didn't make Razers buttony blingboxes look cheap.
I have 2 of the MX 5500 Revolution keyboard and mouse sets, one at home and one at work. I had the double-click issue on both but I was able to fix it both times by just opening up the switch itself and re-bending the little copper spring inside. I only had to do it 1 time for each mouse, and the one at home I had for at least 5-6 years. It's been a couple years since I did the fix for the one at work, but I think this is the video I used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66Cd2Y4IPs
I love the multi-device feature, I have an MX anywhere 2 mouse which can pair with three devices at once and has a switch on the bottom, awesome for working with multiple PC's....BUT why the stupid round keys on the keyboard? Is it too much to ask for normal style keyboard with the multi device feature? Like the k830 but with multi-device...
I don't want to silly stand for tablets on the back either!
Why would anyone prefer proprietary RF tech over Bluetooth? If one's PC doesn't have Bluetooth integrated you can just use one of those 1$ USB adapters.
My Apple "smart keyboard" for iPad Pro 2nd gen bit the dust. As an old iPad, I couldn't find a replacement keyboard- they don't make them anymore. Apple knows about the problem with the keyboard but hasn't acknowledged.
Pulled out a very nice Microsoft BT keyboard that I bought a while ago to see if it would work. Not an option as it doesn't have RF capability. As I messed with it, figured out the dongle had been lost. Barely ever used that keyboard! Research done & I discovered if you have the misfortune of losing your MS BT "dongle" (which I believe you were referring to), you are SOL. Our beloved Microsoft doesn't bother to sell replacements for that dongle if you lose or break it - saying each is independently programmed for it's own keyboard. Microsoft expects you to toss a perfectly good keyboard in the garbage and buy a new one - a sentiment shared by Apple, apparently.
So, a new Logitech keyboard was the solution.
I love it however use when surrounded by fur kids on the sofa leaving no room for mouse usage. I sure wish there was a trackpad on this wonderful keyboard.
Definitely love the stand for my phone and iPad. Very handy, eliminating for an iPad stand nearby.
Learned it works with LG smart TV as well! Pretty cool keyboard. Will be carrying back & forth to work, the weight is a little much but it wasn't cheap so no plans to buy another - unless I find one with a trackpad!
Thanks for the detailed review. When will we find both new models available at Amazon, etc?
I'd previously set up some family members with Logitech's MX Anywhere 2 mouse and K810 keyboard (plus K480 keyboard) as smaller accessories with multi-device pairings. Before that they'd also been using the M705 mouse and K350 keyboard as full-size desktop accessories with 3yr battery life.
Anyways I like this K780 keyboard having a numpad, multi-device, BT + Unifying receiver, and the wide and heavy phone/tablet stand. But here's my K780 wishlist:
- non-round keys - backlit keys that can be toggled on/off - 3yr max battery life (though the quoted 2yr is still good)
As far as this M720 mouse, how does it compare to the MX Anywhere 2 (which also has 3-device BT + Unifying RF)?
Is the M720 basically a bigger version (ergonomically speaking), can store the USB RF receiver, and uses removable AA (quoted 2yr battery life) vs the MX Anywhere 2's built-in Li-Po (quoted 2mo battery life)?
I have 3 laptops on my desk. Both a Mac and a Windows 10 laptop for my freelance work, and a Windows 8 laptop for my 9-5 job. I have had 3 keyboards and 3 mice on my desk for years. It's very cramped. I've tried various software solutions for sharing a keyboard and mouse, and none have worked for me for various reasons. Today, I'm at Staples and see this keyboard and the companion mouse M720. It says it will solve all my woes. Bring it home, and they both paired perfectly with my Windows machines, but I had to use the USB dongle for the Mac. The keyboard required Bluetooth 4.0, and my Mac is older and not supported. I now have 1 keyboard and 1 mouse for all 3 machines. So far I love it! It switches perfectly between all 3, and I love all the free space on my desk.
Can you also use this option as your phone. Eing your "computer" to cast to tv. Im trying to save on not buying another electronic for the house and im going to start school soon. I would hope i would have the option of being able to use my yv as the big screen. Anyone know.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
30 Comments
Back to Article
Daniel Egger - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Err, what about the K810 introduced in 2012 or so?ganeshts - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Didn't have the cradle at the top to accommodate multiple mobile devices :) but, yes, that was one of the first multi-device peripherals from LogitechPlastic Coder - Sunday, February 19, 2017 - link
Unfortunately you're showing your age here and by that I mean lack of it. The early Logitech wireless mice, back in the mid-nineties had a rotary switch to allow you to select the receiver it was paired with. This allowed you to have multiple receivers and use one mouse.It feels like I've been waiting 20 years for them to reintroduce this feature and now they finally have.
As for quality, I have Logitech mice and keyboards going back 15 years that are still working fine.
Scootcha - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Their warranty in now down to only one 1 year? Considering the double-click issues I have had in the past that does not inspire much confidence.ddriver - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Obviously, the corporate intent behind this amazing new device is to throw it in the garbage in 12 months and buy another one.There are barely any good mice today, they are all engineered to crap out, how I miss the good old intellimouse optical - it lasted 12 years of abuse, and this was back when I was quake 3 twitch gaming, and in the end it was the cable that crapped out, it was still clicking fine. Since then I changed several premium mice, including 2 of logitech's top tier, and even thou they were all several times more expensive than the intellimouse, in terms of durability they were all GARBAGE in comparison.
Black Obsidian - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Amusingly, the only mouse I ever had fail was an Intellimouse Optical; the left-click button just gave up on life. I've been all-Logitech since then, and haven't had to replace a mouse in over five years. My two Performance MXes at home and work stubbornly refuse to die, as does the M310 that takes a lot of abuse in travel. I finally replaced one of the MXes with a G502 just for the novelty factor, and I fully expect that it will also last longer than I want or need.But anecdotes aren't data, and it would be interesting to see an actual reliability study done, to see how long (in years or millions of clicks) these things actually last, on average.
ddriver - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Logitech had warranty reduced from 3 to 2 and now to 1 year. That's not a sign of confidence.Also it depends a lot on how you use it. Luck is also a factor. The biggest problem IMO is the puny switches they use, they are too frail. They are chosen for that reason thou, as the mice I've dissected upon failure have all revealed there is plenty of room on the PCB for larger and sturdier switches. The last logitech mouse I threw away was a G9, I was able to "fix" it several times by padding the plastic nib that presses the switch, but eventually got tired of it. Took out the old intellimouse, clipped the cable where it failed, then soldered the wires directly on the board, and it sill works flawlessly, 17 years old. Its only downside is it is too light, but gluing a big ass bolt nut on the top of the upper shell fixed that :D. After spending 500$ on garbage mice in 5 years I am back to the 15$ intellimouse, and it works great.
Lolimaster - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
You can buy 10-20M omron switches from chinese sites, 10 for $5-7 free shipping. Those are the things people abuse specially with all the mobas based on tons of lef/right click actions. 5 years ago, those games were scarce.ddriver - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
The PCB will not survive more than one replacement. Naturally, it would be too much to expect that the switches are put in sockets for easy replacement. You are not supposed to fix it, you are supposed to buy a new mouse. They made sure you won't be able to replace the switches just as they made sure to use lousy switches in the first place. Actually, a more durable solution would be to open up the existing switch and deform the springie part slightly to have better action.Lezmaka - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Yep, that's what I did to fix the double click issue on my two MX Revolution mice, fix the switch itself. It's been a couple years but I think this is the video I watched to do it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66Cd2Y4IPs
bigboxes - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
My Logitech MX Master is going strong after a year and a half. I still have my first optical wireless mouse that works great. Over ten years old. I've got another Logitech wireless laptop mouse that is two years old that I use for backup or when I have to charge my MX Master. I believe folks that say they have problems with their mice. I just haven't had that problem.Pneumothorax - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
I agree I have $300 of bad Logitech mice in my closet with the dreaded Logitech double click disease. Meanwhile mice from the early 2000's are clicking away just fine.Lolimaster - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
You couldve fix it yourself getting the omron switches from china, 10 for 6-7bucks, and have spares for 30 years.BrokenCrayons - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
I've gone through a lot of mice because my munchkins are pretty hard on them..well so am I sometimes too. :) But anyway, the ones that last the longest seem to be the sub-$15 ones I grab from Amazon. They usually last 2-3 years.Gaming mice are usually a terrible value. I've had two die within 8 months of them getting pulled out of the packaging. AND gaming mice typically include really stupid, poorly written software that constantly runs in the background to control their LED lights or somehow add "moar macroz for betterer esports fragz lol roflcopter j00 noobz."
Murloc - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
you don't really need that dumb software if you avoid buying feature-bloated ones.DanNeely - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
I've had good results with Razer Death Adder and Naga mice; having owned several of the former and one of the latter and gotten multiple years out of each without problems. OTOH needing the stupid software running to keep the lights off would've been a deal breaker for using one on my work PC if anyone else sold left handed egronomic mice at price/feature pairs that didn't make Razers buttony blingboxes look cheap.Murloc - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
been using a G5 for at least 6 years now, still working fine.I guess I'm lucky.
haukionkannel - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Thumbs upp to G5 here too!Sturdy work mouse indeed!
Lolimaster - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Actually MOBA's burn the switches way faster than fps/adventure/racing.Lezmaka - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
I have 2 of the MX 5500 Revolution keyboard and mouse sets, one at home and one at work. I had the double-click issue on both but I was able to fix it both times by just opening up the switch itself and re-bending the little copper spring inside. I only had to do it 1 time for each mouse, and the one at home I had for at least 5-6 years. It's been a couple years since I did the fix for the one at work, but I think this is the video I used:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66Cd2Y4IPs
pedjache - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
+1 for double-click but I still dont see any manufacturers coming close to them.ltcommanderdata - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
So is the Bluetooth 4.0 support in these devices backwards compatible with Bluetooth 2.x and 3.0 or are they Bluetooth LE only?ganeshts - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
Backward compatible with those devices.However, some of those old devices don't allow pairing / simultaneous connecting with multiple peripherals.
No difference from the Logitech peripheral's viewpoint, though.
jab701 - Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - link
I love the multi-device feature, I have an MX anywhere 2 mouse which can pair with three devices at once and has a switch on the bottom, awesome for working with multiple PC's....BUT why the stupid round keys on the keyboard? Is it too much to ask for normal style keyboard with the multi device feature? Like the k830 but with multi-device...I don't want to silly stand for tablets on the back either!
sheh - Friday, September 16, 2016 - link
Why would anyone prefer proprietary RF tech over Bluetooth? If one's PC doesn't have Bluetooth integrated you can just use one of those 1$ USB adapters.mi2cents - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
My Apple "smart keyboard" for iPad Pro 2nd gen bit the dust. As an old iPad, I couldn't find a replacement keyboard- they don't make them anymore. Apple knows about the problem with the keyboard but hasn't acknowledged.Pulled out a very nice Microsoft BT keyboard that I bought a while ago to see if it would work. Not an option as it doesn't have RF capability. As I messed with it, figured out the dongle had been lost. Barely ever used that keyboard! Research done & I discovered if you have the misfortune of losing your MS BT "dongle" (which I believe you were referring to), you are SOL. Our beloved Microsoft doesn't bother to sell replacements for that dongle if you lose or break it - saying each is independently programmed for it's own keyboard. Microsoft expects you to toss a perfectly good keyboard in the garbage and buy a new one - a sentiment shared by Apple, apparently.
So, a new Logitech keyboard was the solution.
I love it however use when surrounded by fur kids on the sofa leaving no room for mouse usage. I sure wish there was a trackpad on this wonderful keyboard.
Definitely love the stand for my phone and iPad. Very handy, eliminating for an iPad stand nearby.
Learned it works with LG smart TV as well! Pretty cool keyboard. Will be carrying back & forth to work, the weight is a little much but it wasn't cheap so no plans to buy another - unless I find one with a trackpad!
beq - Sunday, September 18, 2016 - link
Thanks for the detailed review. When will we find both new models available at Amazon, etc?I'd previously set up some family members with Logitech's MX Anywhere 2 mouse and K810 keyboard (plus K480 keyboard) as smaller accessories with multi-device pairings. Before that they'd also been using the M705 mouse and K350 keyboard as full-size desktop accessories with 3yr battery life.
Anyways I like this K780 keyboard having a numpad, multi-device, BT + Unifying receiver, and the wide and heavy phone/tablet stand. But here's my K780 wishlist:
- non-round keys
- backlit keys that can be toggled on/off
- 3yr max battery life (though the quoted 2yr is still good)
As far as this M720 mouse, how does it compare to the MX Anywhere 2 (which also has 3-device BT + Unifying RF)?
Is the M720 basically a bigger version (ergonomically speaking), can store the USB RF receiver, and uses removable AA (quoted 2yr battery life) vs the MX Anywhere 2's built-in Li-Po (quoted 2mo battery life)?
PatrickDHenderson - Monday, September 19, 2016 - link
I have 3 laptops on my desk. Both a Mac and a Windows 10 laptop for my freelance work, and a Windows 8 laptop for my 9-5 job. I have had 3 keyboards and 3 mice on my desk for years. It's very cramped. I've tried various software solutions for sharing a keyboard and mouse, and none have worked for me for various reasons. Today, I'm at Staples and see this keyboard and the companion mouse M720. It says it will solve all my woes. Bring it home, and they both paired perfectly with my Windows machines, but I had to use the USB dongle for the Mac. The keyboard required Bluetooth 4.0, and my Mac is older and not supported. I now have 1 keyboard and 1 mouse for all 3 machines. So far I love it! It switches perfectly between all 3, and I love all the free space on my desk.Wieckertdom - Monday, February 26, 2018 - link
Can you also use this option as your phone. Eing your "computer" to cast to tv. Im trying to save on not buying another electronic for the house and im going to start school soon. I would hope i would have the option of being able to use my yv as the big screen. Anyone know.mi2cents - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
Mine works with my iPhone! Yay!!!! Also when dongle is inserted in TV USB, it works with a new LG Smart TV.