Adesso MKB-125B

Manufacturer: Adesso
Model: MKB-125B (Compact Mechanical Keyboard)
MSRP: $79.00
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The MKB-125B is Adesso’s compact version of a mechanical keyboard. At first sight, the keyboard is laid out in a non-traditional way, the arrow keys spreading into the number pad and the bottom row of keys, it just looks cramped.

It’s odd that the manufacturer decided to leave an empty row above the top number line. It seems that if they were cramped for space at the bottom, they should have utilized that empty space.

Then again, I have never built or designed a keyboard, so I presume these considerations were made when they built it. The over-sized Enter key and the tiny Backspace key is something that will take getting used to when coming from a traditional full-sized keyboard.

This keyboard is designed in a 16″ wide rack mount compact size, and has 104 keys. Under the hood, the keys are powered by Cherry MX Blue key-switches which makes for a tactile and audible click, which we love. The keys are tested for up to 20 million keystrokes, and the keyboard supports up to 6-key rollover.

It comes with a 6 foot cord, and supports USB + PS/2. So we have to ask who this keyboard is designed for. Adesso states that it’s to be used in “various industries, rack mount systems, point of sales, kiosks, retailers, hospitals, warehouses, and more.” The keyboard uses great Cherry MX switches, is compact, but the layout keeps us scratching our heads. Now, if you are in the intended usage areas, this would be a great keyboard to put into your rack-mount setup for you to administer your servers, or to fit under a cash register in a kiosk.

For computer enthusiasts, gamers, touch typists, and the rest, we have to recommend the MKB-125B‘s bigger brother, the MKB-135B. There is no need to make sacrifices to a comfortable layout when you don’t have to. The caveat being, if you are cramped for space, and would love a Cherry MX Blue keyboard for a killer price, look no further.