Cherry KW 9100 Slim

True to type

KEYBOARD | From £61 from Amazon www.snipca.com/45324

Cherry is well known for its mechanical keyboard switches, which can be found in its own keyboards and those made by other companies. This wireless model looks like one you’d find on a laptop rather than a chunky traditional keyboard, though, with square edges, square keys and a plain black finish.

It’s a solid piece of equipment, and Cherry claims each key has a lifespan of 10 million presses. The key action uses Cherry’s SX scissor switch, which is shallow but satisfying. We prefer the action of Logitech’s MX Keys model (£100 from www.snipca.com/45326), but the

SPECIFICATIONS

Scissor switches • Bluetooth 4.2 or 2.4GHZ USB connection • AES-128 encryption • 10 millionactuation switch life • 15x440x130mm (HXWXD) • 675g • Two-year warranty www.snipca.com/45324

KW 9100 Slim is a fraction quieter.

There’s no fancy backlighting, but it does have indicator lights on the Num, Scroll and ‘Caps lock’ keys. The upside to this lack of illumination is battery life – the keyboard can last up to two months between charges depending on usage. Topping up the battery is easy, with a USB-C port at the rear, next to a switch that allows you to switch between Bluetooth and the nano USB receiver supplied in the box.

Unlike Logitech’s wireless models it lacks the ability to switch between paired Bluetooth devices at the push of a button, and the only extra features it has are shortcuts to your default web browser, the Windows calculator and volume controls. However, it’s reliable, quiet, is pleasant to type on, and should last for years.

VERDICT A no-nonsense keyboard that’s comfortable to type on, but lacks extra features

★★★★★

ALTERNATIVE Logitech MX Keys £100 Offers more handy options, such as hot-swapping between three Bluetooth devices