The Wombat Willow Professional gives a full mechanical keyboard with a shorter width than ordinary and even has low-profile switches. It is an attention-grabbing selection when you’re ready to be taught a really uncommon structure.
Energy customers are sometimes fairly choosy concerning the keyboards they use. This will embody whether or not it takes the type of a chicklet-style keyboard, a membrane one, or a mechanical keyboard, for instance.
With selection, there may be additionally a have to commerce off one characteristic in favor of one other. Certainly one of this stuff could be the scale, as having a smaller keyboard can imply a discount within the variety of precise keys you may press.
Whilst you might attempt to dwell with a smaller keyboard with fewer keys, the Wombat Willow Professional goes in a unique course. It gives you with all of the keys you can need however with out the width of a full-size keyboard.
Wombat Willow Professional overview – Design and structure
The obvious factor concerning the Wombat Willow Professional is its dimension and structure. The entire idea of the keyboard is essential density, which suggests jamming a full set of keys into as small a bundle as potential.
In a standard full-size structure, you’d have the primary letter key block on the left, with arrow keys and a few utility keys simply off to the suitable, and the numpad off to the suitable. This usually creates a reasonably extensive keyboard, a lot wider than the present development of keyboards that depart off issues just like the numpad to create a smaller bundle.
In Willow Professional’s case, it tries to have its cake and eat it. To a degree, it does handle to tug off Schrodinger’s Patisserie pretty properly.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: The structure is uncommon, however you continue to have the entire keys you want.
A full keyboard has 104 keys in an ANSI structure and 105 in ISO. For the Willow Professional, it squeezes in 102 keys, together with a bigger ISO structure Enter key.
The structure performs two methods to attenuate its width, and so they each depend on extending the footprint on the opposite axis.
The operate keys, the utility keys, and a few of the numpad mathematical operate keys are squeezed into two rows on the prime, as a doubling-up of the operate row. The remaining numeric keys are shifted up above the arrow keys.
You find yourself with a structure that, to non-power customers, is a bit intimidating because of the sheer key density and positioning. The numpad’s raised place appears unwieldy, however in utilization, it is truly fairly usable for infrequent utilization.
The tip result’s a keyboard that is 14.5 inches extensive and 6.33 inches deep. At 1.73 inches thick, it is also a fairly slim mechanical keyboard in comparison with others in the marketplace, although its 2.2-pound weight brings it again into line with the remainder of the market.
The keyboard consists of an aluminum prime housing that tries arduous to mix in with Apple’s aesthetic and does that properly. The black plastic base is much less enticing, but it surely’s a component you will not be spending a lot time taking a look at.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: The adjustable ft and a part of the ruler markings.
The beneath has two fastened rubber strips to the entrance and two adjustable ft to the rear. These rear ft are uncommon as you pull them off, flip them the wrong way up to disclose a raised foot, and place them again magnetically if you wish to increase the typing angle.
That is fairly a neat design concept, and the magnets are definitely robust sufficient to carry onto the legs properly past the occasional desk shove.
Curiously, there is a 30-centimeter ruler marked into the bottom. It is an odd selection to put such a marking on the keyboard’s base, however not less than it is out there if it is advisable measure one thing.
To the right-hand facet is a cut-out for an included wi-fi dongle, which, once more, holds in place with a magnet.
On the again is a USB-C connector for charging and bodily connecting to a Mac. There are additionally two switches for altering between Home windows and Mac layouts and to show the keyboard on and off.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: The USB-C is properly positioned, however the change labels are arduous to learn.
The labels for the switches are fairly arduous to see since they’ve black ink on a black background. However when you’re not going to maneuver the keyboard between desktops that always, it isn’t a serious downside.
Wombat Willow Professional overview – Options
For a begin, the Willow Professional is a keyboard that may connect with your Mac or PC in a number of methods. There’s the apparent, utilizing the USB-C port, which may additionally recharge the 1,000mAh battery embedded within the peripheral.
You may as well use the included dongle, which works over 2.4GHz, to attach by way of a USB-A port in your host gadget.
Lastly, you can too join the keyboard to your Mac or iPad utilizing Bluetooth 5.0. Since you may outline as much as three Bluetooth connections and change between them utilizing the operate keys, you may concurrently join the Willow Professional to as much as 5 host units.
Because the keyboard is made for energy customers, it additionally consists of help for macros. You may create as much as 12 macros with the keyboard, which additionally hints at this functionality with some keys marked M1 by means of M8.
You do have a operate key, which permits quite a few keys to deal with a number of duties. For instance, the F-keys present numerous Mac performance parts and media controls, and you can too change between the utility keys and the M-number macros.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: A few of the M-keys, and a few notably small indicator LEDs.
The left facet of the numpad can also be used with the Operate key to decide on which Bluetooth gadget or wi-fi dongle you are related to at a time, as properly. Lastly, you may handle the RGB parts of the keyboard utilizing the arrow keys.
These RGB lights beneath the keys are pretty normal, providing you with a choice of totally different animations and brightnesses relying on the way you need your computing setting to look.
If you need extra management over the keyboard’s features, there’s the WB Pouch app for macOS. It helps you to configure what every macro does, the backlighting, and a few extra superior performance.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: There’s a number of customization within the Pouch app.
The app is kind of utilitarian in its building, as you may see a number of tough edges within the interface. However, the app works properly sufficient for many who know how one can use it.
Wombat Willow Professional overview – Switches and keycaps
Typing with the Willow Professional is barely totally different from different mechanical keyboards, as a result of Wombat went for a low-profile method.
Typical mechanical keyboards depend on switches about an inch in peak, with a keycap about the identical peak once more. Mixed with a often thick enclosure, this may end up in a really excessive key.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: The Gateron LP Linear Purple switches.
Wombat as a substitute went with Gateron LP Linear Purple switches, a low-profile change about half the peak, contacts excluded. They’re paired with low profile DSA PBT keycaps for a decrease general typing peak.
The low profile switches additionally imply a a lot shorter actuation distance than ordinary. There is a journey distance of about 3 millimeters for these switches, a bit of shorter than ordinary.
The actuation power of fifty grams is within the ballpark of conventional switches, with the linear facet that means you do not truly really feel an actuation level.
They’re additionally hot-swappable, so you may take away them and exchange all of them with totally different switches. If it’s a must to exchange one, or need to exchange all of them, you are able to do that with the included keycap puller.
The result’s a keyboard that feels good to kind, with much less stretching required to maintain the wrists and fingertips excessive. When typing, it sounds a bit of high-pitched, and far of that’s all the way down to the keycaps themselves.
You can exchange the keycaps for your self, but it surely’s solely actually wanted if you’d like a quieter setup, as a result of in any other case the keys themselves are fairly serviceable.
Full fats, skinny physique
The Wombat Willow Professional is definitely an uncommon mechanical keyboard. One which does so in many various methods.
Its structure is extremely unconventional, but it surely nonetheless manages to suit every part in a really small area. One which is not completely going to maintain your typical Mac consumer comfy.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: We’re considerably mystified by the included ‘Ruler’
The peak adjustment is a pleasant addition, albeit one which goes down the route of reversible ft with magnets. The flexibility to customise parts utilizing their app is useful, however the app might do with some refinement.
The connectivity choice is nice, as is the low key peak. It isn’t fairly notebook-like, however utilizing a mechanical keyboard with no wrist relaxation is refreshing.
It is even bought a good aluminum-topped enclosure that will not look misplaced subsequent to a Mac mini on a desk. The plastic decrease factor is not nice, however most individuals will not have a look at it typically.
There are definitely some execution errors. The indicator LEDs are small and unlabeled, whereas the change labeling may very well be a lot clearer.
Typing works properly, however the high-pitched noise makes it sound a bit of bit low-cost. That’s, until you modify the keycaps for one thing else.
Wombat Willow Professional overview: The keys are comfy and low profile however pretty noisy.
The Wombat Willow Professional, at $145, in all fairness priced for a mechanical keyboard and appears proper for this specific providing.
The structure is probably not for everybody. However for the ability consumer who really wants each key, Wombat’s providing one thing that might work in the suitable palms.
Wombat Willow Professional overview – execs
- Blends in with Mac desktops
- Low profile switches and keys
- Connectivity choices
- Distinctive key structure
Wombat Willow Professional overview – cons
- Excessive-pitched typing
- Indicator lights are small and unlabeled
- Toggle change labels are black on black
- Tough-and-ready configuration app
Score: 3.5 out of 5
The place to purchase the Wombat Willow Professional –
The Wombat Willow Professional is obtainable straight from Wombat, priced at $144.99. It’s also out there from Amazon for $129.99.
