MISTEL Barocco – Review

Conclusion

I have put a number of miles on the MISTEL Barocco and I have to admit the split design has really grown on me over the time I have had it.

I was initially a bit sceptical about it helping to improve my typing but having the two halves a good distance apart it really reduced the amount of time my hands were moving over the keyboard.

The solid build quality and the use of nice thick PBT key caps makes for a very comfortable typing experience.

I do want to say, as with everything, that the MISTEL Barocco is not without some minor flaws so take what you want from these next notes.

When the keyboard is split over a greater distance, there is a bit of lateral force on the micro cables used to connect the two halves. It feels as though damage may arise over the course of use if moving the keyboard often. This could be resolved by using a similarly styled cable with right angle connectors.

The coiled cable is also quite short, while it does obviously stretch, it returns to its original length quite quickly and because the halves of the MISTEL are quite light it tends to pulls them together. The way I had it setup was with the largest gap I could reasonably get without the cable being forcibly pulled straight.

You can of course angle the keyboard outwards to give a greater reach but that brings me onto the next minor issue.

This lightness of the halves means that both halves rock a bit when using keys near the top middle edges of each part.

As per a request from reddit I tried to see if the legs could be set to allow for a more ergonomic slanted style like the Ergodox. If you watch the video on page two you can see that it is not possible. Adding an extra leg closer to the space bar on each half should make this possible and may make it feel even better.

It may seem harsh but these little issues make it hard for me to give it the top award but I am happy to award it a Silver Award!

People in the UK will be happy to know that the MISTEL Barocco should be available mid to late September with a White or Black case. With 5 switches expected to be available (Brown, Black, Blue, Red, and Clear) with an MSRP of around £130. The RGB Version should be hitting shelves later this year.

Thanks to the UK supplier for letting me take a look at this interesting keyboard!