The story of how I lost sleep thinking only about keyboards and spent all my time reading note articles

Before going to sleep, I was reading keyboard articles on my smartphone again.

I have lost count of how many I have read.
Ever since I read the article about the Keychron Orca Echo, I have been curious about new keyboards, and before I knew it, I was jumping back and forth between review articles on note.

It is not that I have any complaints about the keyboard I am currently using.

In fact, I like it quite a lot.
It is a keyboard I feel I could use as is for several years.

Even so, I could not get the thought of a new keyboard out of my head.

I love Keychron and have used many of their products

I love the manufacturer Keychron.

The keyboard and mouse I am currently using are all Keychron products.
As for keyboards, I have used the Keychron K2 Max, Keychron C3 Pro, and Keychron Q1 HE.

I chose the Keychron K2 Max initially because I wanted to try out the US layout.

However, I was used to switching IME with the conversion/non-conversion keys on Windows, and switching between English/Kana on Mac.
I tried to manage it with key mapping, but the space bar was too long, so I gave up on the US layout.

The Keychron C3 Pro I chose after that has a JIS layout.

I did not have any major complaints about how it felt to use.
But I ended up needing an environment where I could use two computers with one keyboard.

I do not like Bluetooth connections.

Something that supports wired and 2.4GHz connections and can be used with a JIS layout.
That is what I thought about when I chose the Keychron Q1 HE.

Since my child wanted to play FPS games on the computer, I chose magnetic switches. Honestly, I have no particular preference for switches.

Even so, I like the Q1 HE quite a lot.

So, normally, my search for a keyboard should have ended here.

I'm curious about the Orca Echo

In the midst of all this, I came across talk of the Keychron Orca Echo.

A split keyboard.
With a trackball.
Keychron.

At this point, I'm quite interested.

I've used a Kensington trackball before.
What I felt back then was that the size of the trackball is important.

So, even though I'm curious about the Orca Echo,
I can't help but feel anxious, wondering, "Is this easy to use?"

Even though the Orca Echo allows for key mapping, I was also concerned about the lack of a large Enter key.

It looks convenient. The design is also nice.
But it might not suit me.

I kept going back and forth between those thoughts.

After worrying for several days,
I ultimately decided against buying the Orca Echo.

Interest in low-profile and split space bars

Even though I passed on the Orca Echo, my keyboard fever didn't settle down.

Rather, as I read various articles, other interests emerged.

I want to try a low-profile keyboard.
I want to try a keyboard with a split space bar.

This is where it got long.

If I were to choose a split space bar from Keychron, I would have to choose a product with an Alice layout.
However, looking at the JIS layout Alice keyboards, many have macro buttons placed on the left side, which gives the impression that they might be a bit in the way.

I definitely want the bottom left of the keyboard to be the Ctrl key.

This is a very important condition for me.
Because it's something I use every day, there are several points I want to be particular about.

I kept reading reviews without ever being able to touch the actual devices.

When I looked for options other than Keychron, the NuPhy Node75 and Lofree Flow Lite remained as candidates that were low-profile and supported split spacebars.

From there, I agonized over it for several more days.

There are no stores nearby where I can try out the actual devices.
There are many things about a keyboard that you just can't know until you touch it.

The typing feel.
The height.
The shape of the keycaps.
Any discomfort when placing your hands on it.

Even so, since I couldn't touch them, I just read reviews intently.
I looked at photos, watched videos, and went back to the reviews again.

While doing that, even at night, my mind would still be thinking about keyboards. Even when I told myself I'd decide tomorrow, I would end up searching again.

It feels a bit strange to be on the verge of sleep deprivation over just one keyboard.
But that's how much I was interested in it.

Purchased the Lofree Flow Lite by process of elimination

Thinking that I couldn't go on like this, I took the plunge and bought the Lofree Flow Lite.

The final deciding factor was the look.

The NuPhy Node75 has a design with the letters written in the center of the keycaps.
Judging by the images, I couldn't bring myself to like that design.

Since it's something I look at every day, I couldn't compromise on this.

If I had chosen based solely on functionality, maybe either one would have been fine.
But I want the things I use every day to have a design that gets me excited.

Thinking that, I decided on the Lofree Flow Lite.
By deciding to purchase it, the keyboard conference in my head came to an end for the time being.

Finally, I feel like I can sleep soundly

I have no complaints about my current keyboard, the Keychron Q1 HE.

I intend to keep using it in the future.
Even so, the desire to try out the Lofree Flow Lite didn't disappear.

Perhaps it wasn't so much that I was looking for the perfect keyboard, but rather that I wanted to think through the things that caught my interest until I reached a point of personal satisfaction.

My keyboard search, which began with the Orca Echo, has reached a milestone. I look forward to the arrival of the Lofree Flow Lite, and I think I'll be able to sleep soundly tonight.