Mistel Keyboard as a brand has been growing steadily since its inception, so much so that they are now offering products that are not even keyboards anymore. But this review is about a product that harks back to their start of sorts, with the MD650L Barocco being their second ever split keyboard and one that slots in between the other two keyboards we saw from them here in terms of form factor. The company refers to this as a 65% keyboard, and it is effectively easier to get used to than the older MD660 Barocco owing to the larger number of dedicated keys that provide a more familiar user experience. The dedicated Num Pad and Fn key row is still missing here, and perhaps their own MD870 SLEEKER will be of interest to you there, but this one is going to be of interest to those who want a split keyboard with fewer keys.

At $159, however, you really have to be interested to even consider purchasing one. Mistel does provide a few things to help justify the cost, not the least of which is the thick, machined two-piece aluminium case that comes in four different color options to choose from. This adds some customization to the keyboard, which otherwise has no backlighting support and only a single switch option. There are many to whom this specific combination will still sound good, especially when you realize that there is this and nothing else when it comes to an enthusiast-grade mechanical keyboard available globally with the Cherry ML switch. Mistel took a gamble here, and in some ways, it has paid off. For one, they get their low-profile keyboard out to the market well before the mainstream market has caught up with Cherry MX Low Profile switches or even one of the many Kailh low profile switches. Secondly, they must have received a good deal on these switches from Cherry, and that allows for a lower price than what the latest and greatest from Cherry can afford. The custom stabilizers, coupled with the form factor, mean there is no "stickyness" with this keyboard, and it is among the better low-profile switch offerings thus far. The stock keycaps are better than average, too, as listed above, although there is no compatibility with Cherry MX-style keycaps, so keep that in mind.

Onboard functionality is on the higher side as well with extensive layer and macro support built in. There is no backlighting of course, but the ability to use only the left side as a dedicated gamepad or a highly customized ~30% keyboard is something very few companies get to boast about. At $159, the MD650L Barocco gets competition from both sides of the split keyboard market—be it the more specialized ErgoDox designs, more mainstream Kinesis Edge, or Mistel's own MD660 Barocco—as well as 60%–68% keyboards that do not split, but come in at a much lower price point. It is a keyboard that tries to meet the very specific niche requirements of a very small market; if you are among them, you already know this is the keyboard for you. It just is not the keyboard for most others, and does not get a general recommendation across the board (pun intended). But for implementing a switch that no one else seemingly wants to even try anymore and doing more with it than just a direct implementation, I will give Mistel an innovation award for the MD650L Barocco.