Lowfree Flow Mechanical Keyboard
★★★★☆ - Great!
Slim, quiet, and delightful to type on, if a little pricey and low-featured.
Pros
Slick and stylish
Mechanical keys feel great
Much quieter than most mechanical keyboards
About as small as a full size keyboard can get
Works both wired and bluetooth
Backlit keys are great for night typing
Colored under lighting is a nice touch
Cons
Fairly expensive ($169 / $179 for 84 / 100 keys at time of writing)
Auto sleep mode can be mildly annoying
Not as customizable as many high-end mechanical keyboards
Upward tilted angle is poor ergonomics, necessitates a wrist rest
Special features require reading the manual
Review
If you’ve never used a mechanical keyboard, you’re in for a treat. Most low-end and laptop keyboards use “membrane” keyboards which use a rubber or silicone membrane to provide the springiness. These work find, but there’s a certain satisfying feel to using physical, mechanical switches that can’t be matched. It’s definitely a luxury and not at all required, but for me if I have the option I far prefer the feel (and sound) of a mechanical keyboard. Either way, getting an external keyboard of some sort is necessary to really have an ergonomically-sound setup so that you can raise your laptop to eye level.
I backed the Lowfree Flow on Kickstarter in 2023, and I’m thrilled with the result (to the point that I actually later backed their Edge keyboard, which hasn’t been completed yet). I got the dark grey version, which has “tactile” switches. This means that you feel a slight click when you type, which I find delightful. Yet they managed to keep the switches rather quiet, so it’s great for working around other people.
I have the 84 key version, which is a normal keyboard without the number pad on the right (which is generally what laptops have anyway). I prefer this for portability over their full-size 100 key model, and I can use my separate USB number pad if necessary.
A few quick negatives to mention. First, the keyboard goes into sleep mode after about 5 minutes and takes a few seconds to wake up, which can be a little annoying and can’t be disabled. Second, some of the customization (like adjusting colors of the under lights or switching between Mac and PC modes) use obscure, unmarked key combinations that require looking up.
(Note that experienced mechanical keyboarders will likely feel like the Flow is missing a few power-user features, like custom macros and layouts. You also have to pick from just a couple of their own switches, and oddly the color is tied to the switch style. Though if you really want you can swap out the caps and switches at your own cost and effort.)
Conclusion
A pleasurable and portable typing experience, one of the best options if you’re willing to spend a bit more for a mechanical keyboard. Doesn’t have some power-user features, but the vast majority of coffice heroes will be quite happy with it.
