I'd been using a scissor tiny keyboard (an apple magic clone with Ali - zienstar) for a while, but I'd always hoped to upgrade. I switched to the snazzy Microsoft Designer Compact scissors at first, but after realizing that the shifted row of numbers and the blind printing approach meant that I was constantly missing charactersโand that I print a lotโI switched back to Chinese. When this clave finally hit the market, I wasn't sure if I should buy it or not. The mechanical pressing, the finger falling too deep, and the loudness all put me off. But I went ahead and bought it to check it out. Using scissors was a novel concept at first. But that's not a deal breaker; the shorter stroke means printing doesn't hurt your fingers, and if anything, the pressing here is cooler and more legible than the scissor method. It's not silent, but it's not obnoxiously loud either (although, as I understand it, they are brown switches, not like slow membranes, but not like blue ones - a typewriter). Other than that, it serves its intended purpose in typical Claudia fashion: without seeming or feeling cheap. If you shake your finger back and forth, the keys won't come loose; the fastening is solid. Although I myself don't make use of the backlight, it does have a number of various settings for those who might be interested. The height of the rise is appropriate; I used the kit's taller legs. I used it for about a month without backlighting and a five-day slave week of thick printing, and I charged it about three or four times before I finally put it down.