Lofree 1% keyboard review (Kailh Jellyfish switches)

[@lucidmoses]

back in the 70s the futuristic film makers would have been drooling of this keyboard.

[@twistednemo]

The retro sci-fi appeal of this keyboard is strong. It's the keycaps that provide that aesthetic, actually. I would love to have that set of keycaps.

[@godofdefeat]

That "HIDEOUS" scream succinctly summed up my thoughts about the visuals of the keyboard.

[@farpon3489]

I love it when you do reviews on modern contemporary boards. If you go onto any other channel that does keyboards they would be singing high praises on the looks or sound but would not even blink an eye at the price tag. The modern keyboard markey is just so overvalued and people dont realise it, they think its just normal and burn their money.

[@leonardermel]

It truly is. I somehow deep-dived into the custom mechanical keyboard world earlier this year and all these videos and discord discussions almost brainwash you into wanting the latest shit, no matter the price or specific use case. I'm really glad that I took a break from it when there was other stuff going on in my life. Now I look at the hobby from my own perspective and think about the things that I personally enjoy; Building and modding keebs instead of collecting keyboards or keyboard parts, for example. People unironically joke about the amount of keyboards they own and the amount of money they spend but after all it's a hobby that should give you joy and maybe even teach you some new things.

[@just-shaquille]

@@leonardermel It isn't very overvalued when you think of the quality that comes with it. I particularly enjoy my perfectly chiseled block of CNC aluminum, because I love how it sounds, feels, and looks. I do agree that some people do not appreciate that it costs so much, but to a lot of people who are deeply rooted into the hobby, it's a small price to pay for salvation.

[@50shadesofbeige88]

The 2000s are back baby!

[@JacobGunner]

Me at the start of the video: "Honestly this is very visually pleasing to me I might get it for the novelty..." Me when I hear the price tag: "AW HELL NO"

[@iaina3251]

This seems like a keyboard that you'll only ever see on KZbin. It sounds nice, and I do like uniprofile keycaps a lot. But I've got a Gamakay board that is same size as this, also does wired, 2.4G and bluetooth with prelubed lubed linear switches and Double shot PBT keycaps and it was £€60 (It's a damn good board for that price too) €200+ for any board and (for me) it has to be something very special and (now at least) something in a keyboard that I don't have in any of my others.

[@tangsan3127]

Actually it sells less then 100 euro in China

[@farpon3489]

@TangSan Source?

[@thegroi]

drop a 200 euros at this and you prove to the world you love getting scammed!

[@GigaLem]

that soda colored one looks less like a soda bottle and more like a keyboard that's been out in the sun for way too long. Black text is what the soda bottle one should've use because yes I agree, it does look hideous

[@volvo09]

2:37 the themed keycaps are simply the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Even if you don't need to look at the labels, it's just odd....

[@narconyx]

I like them, it's a cool look to me personally. Not enough to make me switch from my current project board though. I actually think the regular legends on the clear one look worse

[@da7_but_notnoob]

very big letters

[@TIB1243S]

I was thinking that you'd be interested in Haimu Whisper switches, they're silent switches without any silicon dampeners but use compressible legs as part of the stem mould as a silencing mechanism It's rather ingenious and doesn't have any stickiness that comes inherent with using silicon

[@volvo09]

Cool, I will have to look at those. I like the feel of a good keyboard, but super clicky switches (or just the ticking of plastic when the key hits or returns to a physical stop) are not great at all hours if someone is around.

[@TIB1243S]

@@volvo09 I've disliked using silent switches purely from how sticky the silicon dampeners will get, apart from topre (which comes inherently with some mushiness from the rubber domes) These still feel cushion-y when you press them as the legs cushion the impact, but it's much more pleasant than an equivalent silent switch The Kailh Night Pros are also different in terms of construction but it also uses silicon dampeners still

[@bsadewitz]

IBM (and Unicomp, too, I presume) rubber domes are underrated, IMHO.

[@bsadewitz]

I have no idea what's different about them, but the tactile feedback is vastly superior to any other rubber dome keyboard I've tried. Other keyboard enthusiasts often recoil at the suggestion that any rubber dome keyboard could possibly be better than mediocre, but I refuse to be a "keyswitch partisan". 😂

[@TIB1243S]

@@bsadewitz I always found rubber domes to be rather decent but I also don't really want my silent switches to feel like rubber domes, that's why the mechanical alternatives are always more intriguing in this prospect

[@oscarcharliezulu]

I must be deranged - I like the way they look. Love the review!

[@wkgmathguy218]

This seems like a board that wants to be as cool as Apple claims to be but a bit too 'look at me! look at me!' try too hard. Great to see you as always Tom..... my repro model f finally came in; it's terrific!

[@zaks7]

I didn't want to click on this video as I'm usually not one for keyboard reviews, but my god you are hilarious hahahah had to stay for the entire video

[@fluffdrgn]

I thought the cut-off % thing was a print error on the keycaps but nah they really just went with that

[@VEN0M415]

Should have said at the end "I believe I've made myself clear" then fade away lol

[@1fareast14]

Funny timing on this review, I just built an acrylic alice kit with akko clear keycaps, and even with opaque switches, I like the RGB effect on mine better. I like the idea of a lowered diffuser to enable better south facing performance, but you'd really need frosted plastic to take full advantage.

[@monchiabbad]

If the transparent keys are actually water tight what about filling them up with different uv-reactive liquids and shining uv light on them. You work at a lab after all.

[@MrHack4never]

Won't clear keycaps also show any amount of human gunk much better?

[@xXDarthBagginsXx]

GeekHack's wonderous voice reviewer. . part of me likes their version of clear caps (not the "Soda" caps I agree those are horrid), also going to have to give those switches a try. - Darthbaggins (GH)

[@hjalfi]

It actually looks like it'd be a decent keyboard if you put normal keycaps on it, spraypainted the chassis, and sold it for a third the price. I _do_ like the sound. But as someone who is expecting the detritus in my Unicomp Classic to develop sentience and start writing software for me any day now... the last thing I want is a transparent keyboard, let alone one that costs this much.

[@MoraFermi]

I actually like the keycaps, though I would prefer *not* having that ugly logo on the space bar. Beyond that.. yeah, it's just a cheap, generic uninteresting keyboard.

[@hjalfi]

@@MoraFermi I do find myself what you'd get if you drilled small holes in the keycap and poured in resin with the same refractive index as polycarbonate. The ugly structure inside should vanish and you _should_ end up with something that looks like a clear chunk of crystal.

[@bsadewitz]

Oh, you needn't worry about consciousness emerging from the detritus itself. It's the airborne fungal spores which feast on the detritus as they colonize the intramembrane spaces on the PCB which are most likely to evolve consciousness.

[@bsadewitz]

You won't notice anything at first. The initial sign is usually occasional loss of one or two keys of rollover, followed by intermittent ghosting. Then, there's an asymptomatic latency period. This is when the spores are integrating themselves into the circuit board traces. Then, one day ...

[@koltinn]

€220?!?! what the actual fuck!

[@TheDiveO]

That would be the perfect keyboard for a manager I happen to know: he has an orange "white" board with only black and dark blue pens to go with. At least every visitor already can see the competence of this person.

[@squidoo.]

Oh my God your voice is amazing

[@joshuagarcia9918]

Looks like a sheet of bubble wrap

[@jesuszamora6949]

If it made that kinda sound, I might consider one...

[@misterspock1]

I was intrigued until I heard the price... $5 is the sweet spot for this keyboard!

[@myselph1761]

What's this? Thomas missing RGB? Never thought I'd see the day...

[@jesuszamora6949]

Well, see-thru keycaps kinda beg for the light show.

[@Lemon_Inspector]

For that price, I'd expect the keycaps to be made of glass at least.

[@BaronTrance]

To be the 1%... More like to be the 1% among all keyboard users that actually use this keyboard

[@CommodoreFan64]

More like .001% of keyboard users who would use thing, unless it was sold at a Dollar store for $10 - $20 with rubber domes, fake RGB rainbow puke, and some e-sports, or twitch gamer attached to it.

[@censoredterminalautism4073]

Sound is pretty nice. Also, it reminds me of the transparent age of electronics (right before the silver age), when everything was transparent. Well, a lot of things were, at least.

[@dm319-j5y]

Maybe it's targeting motorcyclists, who are known as one percenters? I get that it's expensive, but it does have quite a unique appearance, if you're into that.

[@paulosullivan3472]

I would be interested in how polycarbonate keycaps hold up over time. Could you try using this board for say a year and then let us know how they held up?

[@NescaffeOne]

They’ll hold up fine..

[@glorkbork776]

PC is harder and more brittle than ABS, but less so than PBT, it also yellows and smooths over time like ABS, though most PC caps are smooth to begin with. The only real advantage over ABS or PBT is the transparency.

[@karellen00]

Perfect keyboard for people that need to see the keyboard while typing and use PC at night with no lights. Or someone who really likes its design so much that justifies the price. Either way for a small niche!

[@jesuszamora6949]

Not sure I would even agree about the low light thing, as the light bleed over the legends must be atrocious. Better to get pudding keycaps like the Glorious Aura caps on a normal RGB board.

[@givemeanacct]

The most interesting thing in this review is the actual 1% keyboard shown at around the 0:55 mark. What is that anyway? I'd be interested in building/buying that.

[@Chyrosran22]

I reviewed it in April. It's a telegraph machine :p .

[@jesuszamora6949]

It's kinda sad we don't use telegram anymore. I imagine a tiny telegram board with a single switch and keycap being great for that purpose.

[@B_dev]

if somebody figures out how to open the keycaps they should fill all of them with beans

[@minimal5369]

Hi keyboard jesus, I would just like to thank for being one of my primary inspiration for my hobby, I've recently built up a magic force 68 lubed it up clipped it and made it nice put a nice keycap set on top, and ive got an rk 61 on the way wonder what you think

[@ducciboi]

That white model looks pretty sick.

[@BokBarber]

If it were $50-70, I could see it being a decent choice for some people who are into the aesthetic. But I agree that $220 (and I can say that because coincidentally the US dollar and euro are almost 1:1 today) is way too steep.

[@jrknsOFF]

I don't like many keyboard reviews. This one was fucking brilliant.

[@idylledoll]

I feel they really missed the mark especially at this price point by not making the gasket surface a mirror chrome finish, CoolKiller did it with theirs and it looks amazing peaking through the keys. I love true white LED backlit, just a shame with so many limitations as its not even hot swappable or moddable.

[@TheCasualSubculturist]

Can you do Corsair K100 Air keyboard? It's that thin mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile Tactile switches... whatever that means.

[@jesuszamora6949]

I can't imagine he would be very kind to it. $280 for a scissor switch keyboard is obscene.

[@angry_goldfish]

i bought the orange version of this keyboard and i did think the font was kinda ugly- lol but the sound was okay. ur review is pretty accurate XD

[@gmp2474]

That HIDEOUS really got me.

[@middle_pickup]

You could drill a hole into the back of the keycaps, and fill them with silicon to add some medium for the light to travel. Or don't. Probly not worth it tbh.

[@FrontSideBus]

What triggers me is when the return key is labeled enter...

[@JessicaFEREM]

HyperX has made a keyboard very similar, but instead of this, the top of the cap is black or white, and the surround is clear instead

[@hermittranslator]

You mean their pudding keycaps?

[@JessicaFEREM]

@@hermittranslator no that's different, putting has a transluscent later, not transparent. the actual thing is "crystal crown" I also should say that it was gskill lol

[@Verchiel_]

I just today received my keychron k8 which i'm already enjoying over my old mech from sharkoon. And while looking around for keyboards i really got intrigued by the idea of translucent or opaque keycaps. Makes it ironic to see a video like this.

[@RegebroRepairs]

"We are going to make a transparent keyboard!" "Why? Who would want that? You would see all the dust that gets in it!" "Shut up here it is!" "It's not transparent!" "Shut up and we will call it The 1% keyboard!" "So your market is billionaires?" "Shut up also we made it as ugly as possible!" "Again, WHY?" "Shut up!" "OK". ".... Hey, why won't anyone buy it?" "Yeah, it's a mystery."

[@j.t.5178]

So Samuel Morse was the inventor of the 1% keyboard. Good to know!

[@Tr6sher]

May I ask what games you enjoy playing? Long time viewer btw love the content!

[@sntxrrr]

I thought the 'to be the 1%' was meant aspirational, as in wanting to become one of the top 1% rich mf-ers with nothing useful to do but to spend money on useless bling to show off.

[@bltzcstrnx]

Full custom keyboard at thousands of dollars are more appropriate for that.

[@ElliotZealGaming]

It sounds really really good

[@bakasaAzure]

i really like this keyboard, i dont care about the price, great vid

[@screwtewb]

I'm a full size retro beige kind of keyboarder (this message is being written on a Unicomp Classic 101), so these keyboards are totally opposite of what I prefer, but there is something oddly appealing about these. Maybe it's because they look like they're made out of Jolly Ranchers.

[@chemergency]

That thing's gonna get nasty as fuck under the keycaps over time. Apple keyboards with that see-through design had the same problem.

[@pleaserespond3984]

I would actually love to have a set of these keycaps, they'll probably sound quite good on my keyboard.

[@drrrrzz9145]

it looks very cheap and cheerful. i... don't think i'm the target demographic for this.

[@depthklocke9009]

i like the big legends. they should make it just black with grey transparent keycaps. i dont see why it has to be small.

[@jesuszamora6949]

It's bot for practical use. It's for the "keyboard community."

[@johnjoyce]

The silver body Matias Quiet Pro keyboards for Macs have dark Smokey polycarbonate keycaps with nice mild texture. The problem with pc is the same as with ABS that they go smooth surfaced under regular use much faster than PBT but otherwise are great

[@strgn1360]

"Orange-Teal" More like "Urine in pool"

[@CaveyMoth]

I prefer a Cheap68 keyboard with Aqua King switches and Lelelab Crystal SuperX keycaps.

[@thehorsefromhorsinabout]

the fake chrome is what kills it for me, it just looks like autozone decided to make a keyboard

[@petermuller608]

I really don't get manufacturing not using RGBW LEDs instead of RGB. Most colors will look _much_ better, especially white but also pastels

[@evanjrowley]

The light switches and glossy keycaps are features I like in a keyboard. If only they made caps like that for ortholinear keyboards!

[@canadagoof]

Wonder if the 1percenters made a review about this kb as well?

[@bismuth7730]

I thought the name was like the "top 1%" of rich people

[@rogue3398]

it looks like a CD jewel case or a lighted display for cosmetics

[@MnemonicCarrier]

With non-transparent keycaps, I might be interested.

[@Arton_White]

I mean, regardless of your opinions, seeing them in video makes me really want to buy them! I think they are absolutely gorgeous and the summer themed letters on the orange and teal keyboard (which you may think are hideous and I guess some may see it that way), well, I think they are quite charming. I just wanted to point out that I am really grateful for letting me know about this keyboard(regardless of your intent, I guess).

[@AceOmegaRO]

It almost seems like they spent a lot of money on a research and development for these key And did not want to sell something at a low price, And they knew they would not be able to sell the key For an extremely high value so they just stuck them with some generic small form factor key could raise the price high enough to try to be profitable and recover some sunk costs. They should just sell the keycap set and maybe the switches and they would probably perform phenomenally even if the key kept themselves cost 10 to $50 more than the other They're really cool material and look really neat and I'm sure that they would fly off the virtual shelves

[@SeraphimKnight]

Keyboard sounds good and look interesting but the price point is unacceptable. I looked at their product catalog and unfortunately that seems to be their whole schtick though.

[@daveg7878]

Not for me but gotta admit it doesn't sound too bad.

[@1337Shockwav3]

Can you drop an F77 on top of it?

[@cube.in.]

I would love to see those keycaps on a rgb board.

[@revolver265]

Honestly I think they'd sell more if they made blank caps, the biggest thing against it is that horrible and illegible font. Blank transparent with white backlight is not that bad.

[@Gunni1972]

If that is not predestined for a Unicorn fart modifacation, i don't know,what is.

[@desmond-hawkins]

I can't wrap my head around the reviews from satisfied buyers on this keyboard's product page, when I think it's one of the worst-looking keyboards I've ever seen. Quotes: "essential divine device", "the physical appearance level is super high", "super satisfied with keyboard especially key-sound", and of course "it is also OK to play PC games".

[@CommodoreFan64]

Those sound like generic fake reviews on Amazon from someone who does not fully understand the English language, and only knows "BUZZ" words. 😂

[@wasvreta]

didn't corsair already make a 1% keyboard

[@greyareaRK1]

If they make the LEDs bright and full spectrum, they could sell it as the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Therapy Keyboard.

[@JessicaFEREM]

Light up keyboards should be RGBW so they can have a pure white.

[@Daijyobanai]

Ideal for a showroom where they sell Chinese electric cars. Xpeng et al, take note.

[@oatmilk9918]

$220 for this is just.... dumb. thats well into high-end prebuilt scene and even there's plenty of modern customs at this price too. this just feels like another gimmicky aliexpress board worth no more than $120, if that tbh. also, hearing heavy metal chonkers slam on the desk never gets old

[@anasevi9456]

3:30 It would have been brilliant if they had done the clearly surface print on the inside of the keycap, so it would never wear off.. But I think that is waaaay to much customer consideration for a manufacturer who specialises in selling 60% and other forms of ergonomic crap to morons.

[@McNibbler]

Saw this keyboard in-person at a mall in Shanghai. I thought it looked pretty cool, and the price in China wasn't nearly as hard to swallow as the 200+ euros you mentioned, but I still didn't feel like I could justify buying it lol.

[@1carusGG]

In my opinion, the price point would've been justified if we got a TKL or a 75% variant.

[@baccarah7010]

This seems like something you leave at your work desk so everyone gets how unique and quirky you are

[@Ohlawdi]

these keyboards are fucking horrific i feel legit sorry for anyone who purchased this

[@그냥사람-e9f]

Honestly the typing spund is only thing good about this keybiard, and it isn't even that hard to make other keyboards sound like this Just put couple thousand layers of dampening foam and stick on SA profile caps, than it'll sound exactly like this for about 170$ cheaper

[@snickers2210]

im honestly just impressed by how ugly this thing looks

[@jonathanbuzzard1376]

Given the price, it could be seen to pertaining to the 1% of the population who could notionally afford it. Not a very good marketing scheme IMHO though.

[@khoinguyenphamtrong4637]

I mean, for the MX department, 200EUR gonna give you an actual solid board. Not to mention the vintage Alps boards and other switches. Whoever buying this product (and the whole line of Lofree products) needs to have a proper adblock addon

[@insanecamo]

As weird as the keyboard is, I kinda like it Granted I don't reckon I'd use it all that often and definitely wouldn't pay the money for it lmao

[@OkieDokieSmokie]

For the price, it’s actually worth solely producing this keyboard to be mocked on your channel and sold to fans who like it’s still usable terribleness. Well played Lofree.

[@noplainjanie]

I am probably in the minority in that I like the keyboard's aesthetics. I do agree, however, that it would be difficult to read the keys. I also think the price is a bit too high.

[@NigelMontezuma]

7:26 nice jab at overpriced silver status symbols

[@jesuszamora6949]

Indeed. Fitting, too, since their website screams "Apple fanboys.". Little do they know we already have a status symbol keyboard, the Realforce. 🤣

[@loz9324]

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[@Surtak]

Man that typing sounds was horrific to me. You can keep it :P

[@nathanmiddleton1478]

Anymore if a keyboard has "mechanical" switches it immediately is over $150 it seems. I agree that north of $200 for something that you can't see and probably will blind you in a dark room isn't worth it.

[@jesuszamora6949]

Not really. Walmart has a pretty OK clicky keyboard for around $45, and there's some good $80-100 options from companies like RK and Keychron. Then there's ebay, where glorious offers open-box keyboards and barebones kits for steep discounts.

[@Uno_Floydd]

When he said hideous rip headphone users

[@Carighan]

Honestly, if these were rather cheap (70-100€) and full-size for that price, I'd say it's a neat idea. At the given price point and being these tiny children's toys, yeah no, tyvm.

[@nitrosophelin]

to be the 19€

[@lettuce7378]

what the actual is this keyboard