I tried to keep this review short, but if you want more technical info please visit Lofree's Indiegogo
The Good:
The Bluetooth on this keyboard is amazing! It can change between 3 devices extremely easy. The range is about 20-30 feet in open space. It works through a thin wall up to around 15 feet.
Battery life is amazing, it hasn't died since I got it(over a month ago)
The build quality is solid, using a matt black plastic body.
The Gateron Blue switches are pleasant to type on, and smoother than Cherry MX.
The aesthetics are very subjective. I have found that people see it as a child's toy or a cool looking modern typewriter.
Meh:
The keycaps are not too bad, they look to be around 1mm thick with a painted on black coating. Similar to many keycaps that come from razer and corsair, but slightly thicker. cylindrical with a deep dish, This is to keep your fingers and guide them to the middle of the the keycap. Due to the sunken switches, almost no keycaps will fit on this keyboard. LP caps with longer stems may fit, but have fun getting the layout correct.
It has 4 rubber feet that keep this keyboard grounded to your desk. Unfortunately this keyboard is fixed at a 6 degree angle.
The Good:
The Bluetooth on this keyboard is amazing! It can change between 3 devices extremely easy. The range is about 20-30 feet in open space. It works through a thin wall up to around 15 feet.
Battery life is amazing, it hasn't died since I got it(over a month ago)
The build quality is solid, using a matt black plastic body.
The Gateron Blue switches are pleasant to type on, and smoother than Cherry MX.
The aesthetics are very subjective. I have found that people see it as a child's toy or a cool looking modern typewriter.
Meh:
The keycaps are not too bad, they look to be around 1mm thick with a painted on black coating. Similar to many keycaps that come from razer and corsair, but slightly thicker. cylindrical with a deep dish, This is to keep your fingers and guide them to the middle of the the keycap. Due to the sunken switches, almost no keycaps will fit on this keyboard. LP caps with longer stems may fit, but have fun getting the layout correct.
It has 4 rubber feet that keep this keyboard grounded to your desk. Unfortunately this keyboard is fixed at a 6 degree angle.
The Bad:
The layout is very very odd. I would not recommend this keyboard for those wanting a good gaming experience, here's why:
The Stabilizers are terrible. The space bar is stabilized well, but is very mushy. The enter key and the right shift use dual switches for stabilization. This means that these keys are almost twice the weight of the rest of the keys. Not very pleasant, especially if you use shift a lot.
The layout is very very odd. I would not recommend this keyboard for those wanting a good gaming experience, here's why:
- The number row is moved one row the right
- Due to off switch spacing, the W on the Wasd cluster is off set the left farther than normal.
- Stiff left shift is hard to get used
The Stabilizers are terrible. The space bar is stabilized well, but is very mushy. The enter key and the right shift use dual switches for stabilization. This means that these keys are almost twice the weight of the rest of the keys. Not very pleasant, especially if you use shift a lot.
How is the typing experience?
I used this keyboard to type the review, not the most pleasant typing experience, but it got the job done. It is definitely as hard keyboard to get used to. Think of it like getting used to ortho linear keyboards. I find myself hitting keys of center a lot, which translates to a lot of accidental keypresses. It does a great job of replicating the typing experience of a real typewriter. This is in terms of the layout, keycaps, switches(sound)
What do I use the Lofree Dot for? I find it hard to use as a daily driver due to the problems mentioned before, but their are sceneries when this keyboard definitely excels. I use the Lofree as roam around the house, switching between my multiple devices. I like to use it for night time youtube/shopping sessions in bed :). The clicky Gateron switches are a but loud for this task though.
Addressing the hate from r/mk: Many r/mk users immediately threw the dot out the window because of it’s odd layout, weird caps, and pos enter and right shift. I think that people just don't get what this keyboard is. Since it is replicating a typewriter. It's supposed to have the odd layout, it's supposed to have odd keycaps. I don't think we should bash them for those design choices. But whether you personally like that or not it's up to you.
Verdict:
Lofree made a keyboard that replicated a modern typewriter. But unfortunately typewriters have some distinct features that don’t stack up against the current keyboards.
Even with all the problems and dislikes I have mentioned, I still think it is a keyboard worth buying. Especially if you belong to a certain group. That group is the large number of mac users who are used to the compact Apple keyboards in their laptops and desktops. Due to the similarity of the layout, I can see these people adapting to the Lofree Dot very easily. At under $100, I can easily dismiss many of the negatives. I highly recommend this keyboard for users looking for an inexpensive and stylish keyboard for their setup.
I used this keyboard to type the review, not the most pleasant typing experience, but it got the job done. It is definitely as hard keyboard to get used to. Think of it like getting used to ortho linear keyboards. I find myself hitting keys of center a lot, which translates to a lot of accidental keypresses. It does a great job of replicating the typing experience of a real typewriter. This is in terms of the layout, keycaps, switches(sound)
What do I use the Lofree Dot for? I find it hard to use as a daily driver due to the problems mentioned before, but their are sceneries when this keyboard definitely excels. I use the Lofree as roam around the house, switching between my multiple devices. I like to use it for night time youtube/shopping sessions in bed :). The clicky Gateron switches are a but loud for this task though.
Addressing the hate from r/mk: Many r/mk users immediately threw the dot out the window because of it’s odd layout, weird caps, and pos enter and right shift. I think that people just don't get what this keyboard is. Since it is replicating a typewriter. It's supposed to have the odd layout, it's supposed to have odd keycaps. I don't think we should bash them for those design choices. But whether you personally like that or not it's up to you.
Verdict:
Lofree made a keyboard that replicated a modern typewriter. But unfortunately typewriters have some distinct features that don’t stack up against the current keyboards.
Even with all the problems and dislikes I have mentioned, I still think it is a keyboard worth buying. Especially if you belong to a certain group. That group is the large number of mac users who are used to the compact Apple keyboards in their laptops and desktops. Due to the similarity of the layout, I can see these people adapting to the Lofree Dot very easily. At under $100, I can easily dismiss many of the negatives. I highly recommend this keyboard for users looking for an inexpensive and stylish keyboard for their setup.