Logitech G512 Carbon + Hyper X Alloy Elite

Treat your desk and fingers to something special.

PRICE $ 179.95 Logitech.com

This

lovely lump of keyboard is as classy as heck, looking quite different to the usual overstyled designs we see. It’s an evolution of Logitech’s wonderful ‘austere slab’ (my term) design it introduced last year, but with a sheet of brushed aluminium across its surface.

And that’s half of what it has going for it. The other half is Logitech’s Romer-G switches which I’ve really grown to like. In a world of almost nothing but Cherry switches, and some Razers, these offer a genuine premium alternative. There’s Linear, which are Cherry Brownlike with a smooth unimpeded throw and medium rebound, or Tactile which are Cherry Redalikes with a slight actuation point you can feel mid-press. Frankly I like the Romer-G’s better than Cherrys. They are quieter and less clattery and just feel more premium.

Speaking of premium, the 512 Carbon reeks of it, it really is impressive to behold and use and it’s got some weight to it, too. The aluminium’s edge is quite sharp and you could almost cut yourself on it. It’s actually a little annoying at first if you tend to rest fingers on the edge, but I got over it. The dark grey anodized colour looks super slick, especially with the key lighting set to blue.

For $50 less you can grab the virtually identical Logitech G413 if the sexy aluminium doesn’t impress you. BEN MANSILL