I have never tried a low profile keyboard.
For me there’s never been an appeal.
The lack of board, color, and switch choices meant it was much harder to fine tune a build,
and a portable keyboard was never something I needed anyway.
But I was sent over the L75 by Chosfox, and now have a chance to really get to know the
ins and outs of one.
So we can answer the question: who are low profile keyboards really for?
Low profile keyboards, in essence, work exactly the same way.
But everything is slightly differently designed.
We have the same kinds of parts, with specialized switches and keycaps, which are included with
this board for an extra $10 on top of the base price of $130.
Included is also a coiled aviator cable, which was pretty surprising to me, since I thought
the whole theme was to be more low key.
We of course have documentation, and a battery for the wireless functionality.
Here’s stabilizers, various small bits, and a north facing hotswap PCB.
finally the board itself, which is wrapped in this microfiber cloth.
Let’s get this board built.
In here are the included stabilizers, which I’ve lubed a bit with 205g0.
I struggled a bit with these initially, as there was literally no info online on how
to work with low profile stabilizers, but I eventually figured it out.
These switches I’m putting in are Kailh Choc Browns.
These don’t work very well with switch pullers, and I found the best way to get them out if
I needed to was to push them out from the bottom with tweezers.
Since this keyboard is wireless, I’m going to stick in the battery
And add this thin sheet of included foam on top.
Since the plate for this keyboard is the top case, we simply connect the top case and bottom
case and screw it closed.
To top it off, we’ll be using these included Chosfox keycaps.
Talking about acoustics with this board is a little ridiculous.
I mean, you could probably tape mod it, but there’s really no room to play around simply
because of the lack of case space.
Not like anyone is going to buy a keyboard like this for acoustics anyway.
The switches are scratchy, and there’s not really a way to lube them.
And ultimately, this build comes out plasticky and quiet sounding.
Overall, the goal was never to appeal from a sound and feel standpoint
The goal is… well… lets see.
Ergonomics, and portability.
so, let’s go in depth.
Point 1.
“Since you don’t have to raise your hands up as much to type on a low-profile keyboard,
they can be far more comfortable.
Unlike with normal keyboards where people often need a wrist rest for comfort, the short
height results in less strain on your wrists, allowing for longer typing or gaming sessions.”
This one might depend on you.
After testing this keyboard against regular mechanical keyboards of varying heights for
a while, I found my typing stance really doesn’t change.
Usually, I rest my forearms on the table and let my wrists hover.
That way they can move quickly and I’m not putting that extra effort in lifting my fingers
around.
But I found that with the low profile keyboard, it was the same thing.
I’m still not resting my wrists, and it actually feels more comfortable this way because
if I do rest my wrists, I still have to angle them up to reach the keys.
Resting wrists only really works if you’re typing on a really low profile keyboard, like
a laptop keyboard where the height is almost level with your wrists.
So personally, I’m not really getting any ergonomic gain from a low profile keyboard,
which honestly really surprised me.
Okay, now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about point two.
“The shorter height and slimmer body makes it easy to put low-profile keyboards in your
bag and to take with you anywhere.
Those who need to carry their keyboard around often can definitely benefit from low-profile
keyboards as they take up less space and weigh less.”
It’s pretty hard to argue with this.
Obviously, a low profile keyboard would be much easier to pack and transport.
The board is wireless, like most all low profile boards, making it especially useful for travel.
But the thing is, how often are you really going to need an external keyboard anyway?
Chances are you bring a laptop, which already has a keyboard.
Granted it’s not mechanical, but in my opinion, even as a mechanical keyboard enthusiast,
I can’t justify bringing a whole separate keyboard.
Where this really comes into play is if you’re frequently traveling and using something,
say a tablet, that only has a kickstand of some sort.
Now we’re talking.
This is actually practical now, and this is 100% a justification to buy a low profile
keyboard.
Some other things I can think of are the naturally quieter sound profile makes it more suited
for productivity environments, and that the low profile ergonomics makes the feel similar
to laptop keyboards, possibly making it more comfortable for those who use laptop keyboards
frequently.
It may also be an aesthetic thing, as I’ve heard many comment on the more sleek and minimal
look low profile keyboards have in a desk setup, and as always, personal preference
trumps everything else when it comes to keyboards.
I’ve also heard good things about the shorter switch travel distance, claiming that it makes
gamers faster, or whatever.
I type at around 130 wpm and I didn’t notice any positive change in this after using this
keyboard for a week or so, so you can also make of that what you will.
Now a little more about the board itself.
I’m not sure how I feel about the forced split spacebar.
Split spacebar has always been a bit off putting to me, and I know it isn’t necessary because
the same style of stabilizers are being sold for full size spacebars.
Of course, this is pretty preferential, but I’m not entirely sure the intended buyers
will have experience with split spacebar in the first place.
There’s an indicator light on the left side that shows connection status and low battery,
and overall the design is very simple and industrial.
There’s only one switch on the back, toggling between wired and wireless mode, and you can
connect up to 3 devices, which is a fair amount.
Unfortunately, the machining and finishing quality isn’t the best, with a slightly
different sheen being visible around the logo on the bottom.
But this is a standard I hold expensive custom keyboards to, and doesn’t really apply too
well in this price range.
The fact that the board is aluminum is probably enough, considering most of the competition
isn’t.
We do have fully customizable RGB, which I prefer to keep on the more minimal side.
But there are definitely plenty of options to choose from, which can be selected through
key combinations.
The included keycaps aren’t perfect.
Some of the legends are off centered, but adding keycaps and switches onto the base
board is only 10 bucks more, so honestly not a huge dealbreaker.
The battery says it’s 3000 miliamp hours, which is double the Keychron K3’s 1550.
All in all, I think the audience for low profile keyboards is justly low.
But ultimately, the L75 is good at what it’s made to be: a sturdy and portable keyboard
that gets the job done.
Being $130, the board presents pretty fair in terms of the rest of the low profile mechanical
keyboard market, considering its build quality.
As a custom keyboard enthusiast, this is not something I would personally purchase to use
on the go.
I really don’t see anything wrong with using a laptop keyboard on the go, certainly not
enough to add extra weight to a tech filled bag.
But if you’re someone who sees the value in having a portable compact mechanical keyboard
with the essence of custom builds, the chosfox L75 is a great choice.