Introduction

The Cherry brand as we know it is basically synonymous with mechanical switches and keyboards because of how popular Cherry MX switches are today. With an ever increasing number of keyboards and brands using their switches, it might be a surprise to many of you to hear that Cherry has two business units. One, Cherry MX, pertains to their mechanical switches and is a recent offshoot from the other, original Cherry business unit that today tackles everything else. Cherry Original, if you will, handles complete keyboards in its portfolio, including the previous Cherry-branded keyboards we took a look at before. While most of these keyboards end up being mechanical in nature, Cherry also works with clients in various industries where membrane switch keyboards still have a place. Today, we take a look at one such specialized keyboard for the healthcare industry in the form of the KC 1068, and thanks again to Cherry for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp.


It is not often that a quote from the product page is handy, but this is one of those rare occasions:

CHERRY KC 1068 meets the requirements of protection class IP68 and is protected against the ingress of dust, dirt, and liquids. It offers CHERRY quality in design, reliability, and functionality for all hygiene-critical areas.

To put it simply, the keyboard has a shell around it with an opening to let the cable through. Even said opening has a seal to maintain IP68 dust and spill resistance. This is the crux of the KC 1068 really, and I was immediately intrigued to see how it performs in practice. So here we are with the review, and let us begin with a look at the specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Packaging is on the simpler side with a white wrap on a cardboard box that has black lettering on it. On the front is the Cherry logo along with the product name and a note about this being a corded keyboard that offers IP68 protection. On the back is the exact same in the same locations as well, along with the URL of the Cherry website and Cherry's contact information on the bottom. This continues on the sides as well to where it seems fairly obvious that the one marketing thing the KC 1068 keyboard has is its IP68 rating.


There is a double flap in the middle to help keep the contents in place, and opening the packaging immediately reveals the keyboard with some more cardboard pieces alongside to help protect the keyboard cable. There is not a whole lot going on in terms of protection against shipping and handling mishaps, although in a way, the keyboard's IP68 rating does mean that it does not need special dust protection or similar. A multi-language operating manual is included and can be found underneath the keyboard.