I am one of the tribe whoneedsamechanical keyboardto feel motivated to save .
The click - clack interlaced with the beats of the medicine in the background helps me go into the veneratedstate of “ flow . ” To guarantee aloftytyping experience , I have never peculiarly savor — and , therefore , strayed clear of — crushed - visibility keyboard . I have undoubtedly been connive by intermediates such as low-spirited - profile mechanically skillful keyboards like theLogitech MX Mechanicalfrom 2022 , but only to find that the temptingness was the attraction of freshness in camouflage .
Then , I took a chance on a relatively less popular keyboard — the Lofree Flow . It ’s promptly become my top choice and all upended my assumption about keyboards of this type .
Low profile to aid typing
Lofree is a fascinating brand . Recently , the caller has been make a hustle with some unusual products , includingmice with replaceable PBT keycapsandanalog calculators with mechanical switch . originally this twelvemonth , Lofree announced the “ Flow ” — a low-down - visibility 75 % mechanically skillful keyboard with Kailh ’s red-hot - swappable Full - POM electrical switch , aluminum chassis , and a gasket - mount layout .
The Lofree Flow comes with the option between linear and tactile switches . But , or else of the regular red and blue switches , it use linear Kailh “ Ghost ” and tactile Kailh “ Phantom ” small - profile switches that are part of Kailh ’s Shadow seriesannounced in May 2023 in partnership with Lofree . These switches , as mentioned in the beginning , are raging - swappable , but due to the low visibility and the smaller - than - usual aloofness between the terminal , they can only be replace by another switch in the Shadow grasp .
While purchasing the keyboard , Lofree lets you bribe additional sets of 90 switches for an extra $ 59 and offers a third selection for clicky “ Wizard ” switches as MBD - ons , although the option to pick out them from the beginning is not usable . It commit me the disastrous keyboard discrepancy with running switches pre - installed and a curing of tactile switches to compare . It also place a set of its off - livid , gray-headed , and orangish “ Retro ” keycaps .
The Lofree Flow shift are bland to type on and pop the question excellent mobility and flying response . Keystrokes fervor with a modest travel — 1.2 millimeter on the linear and 1.6 mm on the tactile switches — without needing to be driven all the way . Both kinds of substitution sense extremely ergonomic , especially the tactile type , which postulate only 45 gm - force ( gf ) for actuation — comparable to Cherry Speed or Kailh Choc low-pitched - profile electric switch .
Meanwhile , the linear and clicky switches actuate at 50gf . amazingly , this goes against the common trend of analog switches require less force to spark off than haptic or clicky ones .
The modest travel ( 2.8 mm of total traveling on both switching ) sure has a erudition curve , specially if you have been using a regular - sized mechanical keyboard for some time . I still terminate up fathom out and hit the plate when I ’m typewrite , even without typing furiously . The low profile also takes some metre to form brawn retentivity before you may bar hitting the keys adjacent to the I you specify to .
But even with their initial challenges , the key fruit feel very cushiony to typewrite on . Over clock time , my typing speed has only increase with the Lofree Flow , and it also feels faster than my other go - to Keychron K2V2 plug-in with Cherry ’s brown tactile switches . Besides typing , the low profile may also assist press key quicker while gaming , but again , there is some getting used to .
Smooth ‘self-lubricating’ switches
The keyboard ’s low profile is only part of the typing experience ; another expression that enriches it is the Full POM switches . POM , short forpolyoxymethylene , is a synthetic polymerused for making gears and glob bearings and for body implants such as hokey bones , joints , pith valves , or contrived articulatio coxae or knee replacements . Its properties , such as high-pitched rigidity , modest rubbing , and the ability to hold out high-pitched heat , make it a superior option to plastics and metal .
POM’shigh lubricity — the physical belongings that makes it minimally susceptible to abrasion despite continuous touch — has improve its significance for create mechanical keyboard permutation . For this reason , POM also gets marked as “ self - lubricating , ” which is n’t accurate but mean that the lubricating substance , if any , used with POM willnot degrade with frictionover time .
go away the science behind and derive to mechanically skillful replacement , POM ismost ordinarily used to make the steminside them , while the housing is made of more traditional material like nylon , polythene , or other thermoplastics . However , the Kailh Shadow switches used here are made alone of POM , countenance a smoother movement of the stem along the torso .
Sticking to marketing movement , Lofree labels these switches as “ self - lubricating ” and claims they get smoother over time . I probed inside one of the tactile switches and find it pre - lubed . However , over the two calendar month I have used the keyboard , I have not found any pregnant changes to the typewriting experience- or at least can not objectively say whether the changes were gradual and pernicious or never take place .
If you are experience with lubing switch , take the dip would probably make much sentience . However , since these switches are unequaled and can be trickier to dismantle , be trusted only to wrest them with full preparation .
Even with just factory lubrication , these switch can be easily described as “ creamy , ” which means these permutation not only sense smoother to typecast on but also sound far less irritable than other run - of - the - mill switches , including Kailh ’s regular blue - visibility reddish switch on theLogitech MX Mechanical . This is especially true for the additive switches gliding effortlessly and without resistance .
The tactile shift , on the other hand , have a tenuous discernable blow that is felt halfway through the keypress . I care my keyboard with a slim tactile bump and have , thus , leaned toward tactile switches alternatively of linear one on the Lofree Flow .
That may not be lawful for everyone , particularly for those who favor quieter mechanical keyboards or use them in more formal setting such as offices . But as I say in the outset , the clacky audio is vital for my motivation , so I stick to the tactile transposition . Even when you type rapidly , there is barely audible ping come from the electric switch , giving you the notion of type on a high - close or well - modded keyboard .
Since phone is so cardinal to anyone liking or disliking a particular mechanically skillful keyboard , here ’s what you may wait from the Lofree Flow .
It sounds heavenly
Both models with tactile or linear switch have a muted , abstruse , and non - shrill sound . While the smooth switches are indispensable in producing this speech sound , other feature article of the Lofree Flow append to it . Firstly , a gasket line the edge of the plastic mounting scale , slightly cushion the impact of keystrokes . Despite gaskets , the keyboard does not have a lot of room to flex while typing due to the thin profile . But if you urgently seek flex in the keyboard , you’re able to feel it while replacing switches .
Lofree also bring home the bacon a stratum of silicone polymer pad and flip-flop foam sandwiched between the mounting plate and the PCB . Perhaps a silicone polymer pad above the shell would have resulted in a damper sound , but I would n’t complain since I opt slightly noisy keyboards over entirely mum unity . A layer of Poron foam also seat under the PCB and above the base Al plate to prevent impingement from the keystrokes from transferring to the chassis .
Even when you lean to bottom out while type , the sound aligns with the typewriting experience — it ’s smooth , non - clanky , and overall very slow and roundish . As a outcome , you would n’t have other people in a divided workings space quetch about angry typing noises . Most importantly , the wash , “ thocky ” auditory sensation commit the impression of a much more expensive , custom keyboard .
Besides the keys , the stabilizers are also lubricated , resulting in a deep , low - pitched phone when hit larger keys , include the spacebar .
Another factor leading to thethockysound are the keycaps themselves , which are thicker than common PBT keycaps . This is particularly true for replacement keycaps such as the Retro set , sell one by one for the Lofree Flow .
My wrists thank me
The Lofree keyboard is n’t perfect and has cover many gripes in me ; the first one I had was regarding the lack of kickstand on the bottom . or else of adjustable sales booth , the aluminum foundation has metal fitments on either side that raise the board to a fixed acme and an angle of only 3.9 degrees .
During my early day with the keyboard , I constantly battled this low height and miss my frugal yet treasured memory foam wrist rest . However , as mean solar day go on , my wrists comfort into a more commodious and relaxed typing position that terminate up influencing my cosmopolitan opinion on keyboard ergonomics .
I am particularly bewitch by the ease of typewrite on the Lofree keyboard , which prevents my carpus from being more tense up , especially while working at a standing desk .
This welfare is not limited to the Lofree Flow but blesses all low-toned - profile mechanical keyboards nigh equally . But in junction with the previous features I have complimented about this keyboard , typing feel extremely gratifying at this height .
I ’m not entirely opposed to typing on eminent keyboards . But go back to a regular - sized keyboard , for instance , my Keychron K2V2 require much more patience and mental energy than returning to the Lofree Flow .
Sleek and portable
A major aspect that makes Lofree Flow extremely desirable for many hoi polloi is its lightweight and sleek design . The housing is only 10 millimetre ( about 0.4 inches ) stocky , and the entire keyboard is only about as thick as a folded laptop computer . This makes it promiscuous to stash in the laptop compartment of yourbackpackor place inside a sleeve along with your laptop .
The keyboard ’s weight of less than 600 grams ( about 1.3 pounds ) , admit keycaps , complements its tenuous profile and makes it easy to carry . While the Lofree Flow stand both Windows and Mac ( and roving operating systems ) , it especially makes signified for Mac users looking to enhance their productivity with a mechanically skillful keyboard without adding bulk to their setup . Admittedly , this assumption could also be influence by own diagonal for Mac and neat setups .
With some stark adjustments , the keyboard pose almost perfectly over a MacBook ’s keyboard , making it just the idealistic replacement — whether you are avictim of Apple ’s nefarious Butterfly keyboardsor just looking to spice up your typing experience beyond the shallow chiclet design . I sure as shooting encounter it easier to type this fashion , especially while traveling , without compromising the wash room of my MacBook ’s trackpad .
These issues may be unforgivable
As I write above , the Lofree Flow is n’t without its lot of annoyances , some of which may dissuade veteran mechanically skillful keyboard enthusiasts . While the typewriting experience can win over some of those issues , some can be sheer dealbreakers — free-base on your preference .
Here are the negatives to observe before spend money on this keyboard .
Unimpressive backlight
The Lofree Flow has a blanched backlight that glow under the abject - profile Kailh Shadow switches . There is no RGB backlighting , but that ’s not where the problem lies . Along with this backlight , Lofree use dye - sub PBT keycaps fundamentally plan for no shine - through . Therefore , the backlighting is a mere annulus shimmering through the crack between the key — unless you substitute them with another circle of keycaps .
But even as they are designed for no shine - through , the keycaps are not in full opaque . Light from the tiny LEDs awkwardly ooze through the upper part of the keycap and can be improbably perturb if you have the black color variant , urging you to either replace the keycaps with something more desirable or turn off the backlight alone .
I choose to keep it off , but if you plan to replace keycaps , knowing there are four intensiveness stratum to the brightness level may be reasonably pacifying .
While skip out RGB on the backlighting , the Lofree Flow has two LED cartoon strip at the bottom along its left and right edges . These lights can glow in up to eight colors — either constantly or pulse . These may be interesting for people who like keyboard housings with underglow , but the limited options for lighting effects and colour and the broken saturation lead to a sense of tackiness .
Underwhelming battery life
Another scene that hold back the Lofree Flow back is the unimpressive performance of its inbuilt 2,000mAh stamp battery . With the backlight and the sidelight turned at 100 % intensity , a full armorial bearing lasts only about 24 60 minutes of accumulative utilisation over a Bluetooth joining . If you keep the lights off constantly , the battery lasts roughly three time longer .
That is n’t precisely as unsound as with lights on , but the want to charge once every week can sometimes find taxing . The lack of immobile charging can add to your woe as the keyboard can take up to three to four hours to charge fully at a maximum supported rate of 5 watts ( 5 volts/1 ampere ) through the USB - C port .
Of course , none of that matters if you prefer a pumped connexion . However , if you work remotely or actively switch between multiple machine , the shelling is something you will call for to call back , especially when go aside from a stable power supplying .
No keymapping support
The Lofree Flow lacks support for configuration through tools such as QMK . This impoverish it of the customizability many users look for with mechanically skillful keyboards . This mean you may not use any custom layout or shortcuts with the Lofree Flow beyond changing the modifier key on Windows or Mac or setting up canonic hotkeys or macros .
This complements my early argument about the Lofree Flow being better suited for Mac users who are less probable to seek customization than those who gravitate towards Windows .
Why Lofree Flow is still worth a chance
The Lofree Flow feel trenchant from a regular humble - profile keyboard , primarily due to its exceptional typing experience . The keys are very cushiony and go incredibly magical , which is laborious to come by for its price of roughly $ 150 . Whether you typically lean towardsthockykeyboards or have been hunger to strain one without dampen the camber , the Lofree Flow is a desirable alternative . In add-on to the audio , the ergonomics of the keyboard and its easiness of use and carrying make it a compelling choice over the likes of MX Mechanical .
But at the same metre , the$170 pricing on Amazon(slashed to$139 on Lofree ’s prescribed websitetill January 10 ) can feel unjust if you trust more than a pleasant typewriting experience . The Lofree Flow ’s poor battery can dissuade those who need a keyboard while juggle multiple devices . On top of that , the deficiency of software package - base customization make it fairly impractical for exploiter who cherish customizing their keyboard to the hilt . Not only that , your choice are also limited if you are face to replace the switches or keycaps .
I believe the Lofree Flow makes an splendid addition to your arsenal of mechanically skillful keyboards . It may not be ideal as your only mechanical keyboard that you are looking to mod . But if you want a glorious typing experience without the customizability of mechanical keyboards , the Lofree Flow can fare well even as your sole keyboard .
