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Lofree Block 98 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (TTC Linear Switch) US$140.40 (~A$216.70) Shipped @ LOFREE Official AliExpress

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Lofree Block 98 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (TTC Linear Switch) US$140.40 (~A$216.70) Shipped @ LOFREE Official AliExpressAffiliate
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Clear on 03/04/2024 - 19:52 aliexpress.com (4041 clicks)
Last edited 03/04/2024 - 20:28
04CD08YDOGCKYVWYJJ
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Good price on this wireless mechanical keyboard from Lofree that's rarely on sale and has a nice classic retro design that gets its inspiration from the IBM Model M. While this is certainly more expensive than other retro keyboards I think the more premium retro design is worth it. Plus if you have AliExpress coins you can get it for as low as US$133 (~A$205.28).

Featuring 98 keys, connectivity via USB-C, 2.4GHz reciever and Bluetooth 5.0, full POM (self lubricating) TTC "Block" linear hot swappable switches, PBT keycaps, 2000mAh battery, two orange knobs for volume control and mode switching, OLED display for battery level/mode, white LED backlight with 14 effects and quadruple sound dampening.

I personally own this keyboard myself and love it. While I'm more of a fan of tactile/clicky switches myself these still sound really good and the spacebar is very 'blocky'.

  • Add "Color: BLOCK Keyboard" to the cart
  • Apply the coupons 04CD08 and YDOGCKYVWYJJ at checkout

AU$ based on current Mastercasrd rate, GST inclusive and stacks with cashback.

Original Coupon Deal

Computing Computer Peripheral Keyboard Mechanical Keyboard Wireless Keyboard

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closed Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 03/04/2024 - 20:03
    +4

    Kinda cute

  • rjams23 on 03/04/2024 - 20:12
    +3

    can't beat the old retro honeywell … indestructible …

  • magnitude on 03/04/2024 - 20:13
    -2

    it's nice but I don't go bigger than tkl

  • anonym on 03/04/2024 - 20:13
    +4

    Hoo boy.

    No, I shouldn't spend any more money on another keyboard. There's no point in getting multiples of the same thing. It's a complete waste of money. Some of them are just gonna end up sitting in a corner somwhere gathering dust. I have more than I'll ever need already. At this rate I'll have enough stock to start a bloody keyboards retail store…

    • Clear on 03/04/2024 - 20:19
      +1

      I'm so much worse. I will buy a mechanical keyboard and replace it with new switches and keycaps.

      • anonym on 03/04/2024 - 20:25
        +1

        We need an AA community for hoarders 🤣

        And no, don't you dare suggest OzBargain…

        • Clear on 03/04/2024 - 20:27

          The OzBargain knock off called TopBargains? They suffer from extreme jealously.

          • anonym on 03/04/2024 - 20:54
            +1

            @Clear: Huh. Wasn't aware of knockoff websites like this.

            Speaking of staying dry… I happen to be looking for a portable keyboard with no batteries, no wireless dongle nor bluetooth nor tiny built-in legs nor mechanical switches or any of that extraneous fluff. Just a simple, compact keyboard with a single female USB C port so I can carry it around without worrying about built-in cables dangling about or getting caught on stuff.

            Do you happen to have anything on that list of yours that fits the bill?

            • Clear on 03/04/2024 - 21:22

              @anonym: Nothing in my list for that. Probably exists somewhere.

              • anonym on 03/04/2024 - 22:15

                @Clear: Thanks for checking 😁👍

            • P.Sherman on 04/04/2024 - 19:17

              @anonym: I’ve been eyeing off the GMMK TKL keyboard. Modular, compact, wired. Has RGB if you into that sort of thing. Personally it’s what is making me not make the jump.

      • rumblytangara on 03/04/2024 - 21:06
        +1

        I thought that was… totally normal :)

      • raybies on 03/04/2024 - 23:13

        Isn't that the norm?
        What's the point of hot-swappable if you don't swap… I'm worse; I get the desoldering/soldering iron out.
        At least keyboards are cheaper than photography, RC, motorsport, tube swapping.
        Now that I think of it, it's probably one of the cheapest hobbies.

        • rumblytangara on 04/04/2024 - 09:06

          I get the desoldering/soldering iron out.

          Have you found an optimal way to do this- solder sucker or braid? I've only done two keyboards this way and will never do it again. Solder sucker seems to be more effective, but it took a while to figure out how to best use it.

        • Radiskull on 04/04/2024 - 12:29

          I feel so validated

    • raybies on 03/04/2024 - 23:10
      -1

      But do you have SA profile chrome side shine through keycaps?
      What about a Freya w/ OLED + Slider + Copper keycaps?

      Maybe u just have enough beige bs.

    • Chazzozz on 04/04/2024 - 10:55

      Do you keep telling yourself that as you're typing in your CC details into the order form? :D

  • minijumbuk on 03/04/2024 - 20:20
    +6

    Bought. Had me at self lubricating.

  • pouffle on 03/04/2024 - 20:39

    So cute and was about to check out but neither of the coupons are working 😭 - said someone else claimed it

    • Clear on 03/04/2024 - 20:41

      That's unusual. You can try "collecting" the coupons manually. Under the price there is a "Coupon & Discount" section that will allow you to "Collect" the coupon YDOGCKYVWYJJ and for the other one you can click on the coupons on this page for them to be attached to your account.

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 03/04/2024 - 20:46

    kinda plasticky and cheap looking from some photos for over $200 https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/64f09e…

    it probably doesnt show as clearly in their marketing but yea look up alternate photos. even for plastic it looks kinda budget 3d printed and bad.

    I dont mind plastic btw. but I like the plastic to have a hard a durable look. the plastic finish I linked above has that 3d printed then chemically smoothened look. maybe they chose this finish over the usual bright hard plastic because it looks softer and more retro?? but for the price they could have even had just the cover for the top piece and knobs be thin aluminum. I dunno why they chose ABS plastic.

    might as well stick with buying retro 8bitdo keyboard locally and return if anything goes wrong. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/839422

    • Clear on 03/04/2024 - 21:46
      +3

      Compared to the 8bitdo (I have both) this one is far better in terms of durability and strength. To me this doesn't look anywhere near as cheap as the 8bitdo. Plus this has a numpad.

      Having a metal frame just wouldn't be anything like the plastic of the model M.

      • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 03/04/2024 - 22:11

        tbh being as nice as possible in my comment above. but just suggesting people have a closer look at what they are getting for $216. that’s almost Keychron Q5 money and that’s a much more premium keyboard. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/keychron-q5
        and I know the lofree comes with a mouse but still..
        Model M looks like this btw https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/ZDmfP7qT/ibm-model-m/de…

        its got wide bezel all the way round and that curved indent which is the look it’s known for. not sure what the block 98 is meant to be with those two knobs at the top.

        • Clear on 03/04/2024 - 22:24

          Find one comparable to this. Otherwise nothing else linked so far is similar.

          The Block 98 design is inspired by the Model M. No where does it say it is a replica.

          • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 03/04/2024 - 22:43
            +1

            @Clear: not sure how much more similar I can get than the 96% Q5 with the same layout. all Keychron boards have a knob as optional so you can get one knob in the top right corner if needed.

            if you mean wireless or retro colour.
            V5 Max is a plastic case wireless 96% with fully assembled with knob option for $159 direct from Keychron right now. only in black but you could remove the top case and spray paint it beige quite easily. https://keychron.com.au/products/keychron-v5-max-qmk-via-wir…

            Q5 Pro is extra $$ but all aluminium wireless 96% fully assembled with knob option in Shell white or Silver grey for $299 from Keychron direct atm. https://keychron.com.au/products/keychron-q5-pro-qmk-via-wir…

            not trying to kill your excitement for the Lofree btw if you love the look and seeing it everyday it sounds right for you. Just trying to give some alternatives with possibly higher grade materials and customizablilty without a massive difference in price.

            • Clear on 03/04/2024 - 22:48

              @n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm: The Q5 Pro is more what I was thinking. It has the right sort of colour scheme. Throw in the two big buttons from the 8bitdo and it's a much cleaner version.

              • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 03/04/2024 - 22:56
                +1

                @Clear: yeah I would say the Q5 Pro’s difference in price can be covered by the weight of aluminium and VIA support (can fully customise knob too, with push down on knob to switch layers->change knob function) but some might disagree and say one of these retro boards looks better. I have the Q6 and admit Keychron design looks very “safe” and a bit normie.

                if you wait around a retailer that stocks the Q5 Pro could lower the price below $299.

                sometimes retailers keep limited stock of variations though so it’s harder to find exactly what you want in the rush of a sale (if you want shell white, knob, fully assembled).
                so if you can afford it buying from Keychron on sale usually has more options.

              • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 03/04/2024 - 23:12

                @Clear: also for anyone else reading.
                Silver grey colour Keychron are slightly metallic dark silver, like imagine space grey color from apple. When it looks like flat more retro type grey in website photos.

                I got my Q6 in Silver grey and wish I got Retro grey which used to be an option but can’t see find it anymore anywhere except on the Q60 HHKB https://keychron.com.au/products/keychron-q60-qmk-custom-mec…. Maybe it was unpopular so they stopped that colour.
                Shell white is a better choice than Silver grey imo because the white will be a flat colour and under warm lights will appear more beige.

                • Clear on 04/04/2024 - 11:19

                  @n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm: Have you ever used anything from FL·ESPORTS? This retro one is super tempting. It reminds me of the old Compaq desktops with big ass CRT monitors growing up.

                  • rumblytangara on 04/04/2024 - 15:13

                    @Clear: With all this talk of retro keyboards, I wonder why people don't just use Model Ms- possibly the noise. Or perhaps Realforce- the older ones are very 1980s in styling, and have the advantage of not being Topre rather than MX.

                  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 04/04/2024 - 16:35
                    +2

                    @Clear: nope. I actually joined the r/MK community just before covid hit and experienced the huge popularity hit to the community and things got really good e.g. more cheaper diy kit options and keychron's success in the "budget" segment.
                    like many others though I could not afford to pay $100's in advance and wait a year to get my product (these were called Group buys) so I did do a lot of my shopping on aliexpress for kits, switches and keycaps so some of those memories are coming back.

                    just an important PSA first. DO NOT order from any keyboard vendors you are not familiar with and have background knowledge on. after the initial covid boom for the community, enthusiasts dried up quickly after a year because thats just how things are people lose interest quickly. but now, the community is literally imploding (im in one of the vendor discord servers so I can literally see it happening). there is a long list of vendors which are collapsing and basically exit scheming and the list keeps on growing (they keep taking orders and money but dont fulfill anything and there is no response from them or their owner), easier to chargeback if you can but a lot of people who joined "preorders/group buys" are getting burned because its gone past the chargeback period. in any case if you buy from one of these vendors they dont even fulfill in stock items so the entire thing will be a waste of time anyway. AFAIK none of the australian vendors are on the list so you can support them and they should ship in stock items (and you should be able to get your money back if anything does go wrong). in the communities current state, stick with products from retail stores and aliexpress. they will at least fulfill your order.

                    anyway back to keyboards. back then I could name off around 10 keyboards which were $70 to $120 decent buys from aliexpress. they were all wired though and supported QMK/VIA. some were even innovative and unique because they had a really good pcb layout design and one in particular I remember managed to offer heaps of layout options with hotswap sockets.
                    other than that there was a tonne of cheap options that didnt support VIA, but offered 2.4ghz dongle and only cost $40 to $70 for a diy kit (no switches/keycaps). there were the ones I remember as brands like Feker, Nexttime some boards were simply known by their model name because it was sold unbranded or under multiple brands. most of these keyboards were generic copies of each other with generic pcb's and just different brand names printed on them. they could be hit or miss some reporting pcb's just dying out of nowhere after a year and most would not bother to chase it up because they were so cheap (community probably encouraged them to upgrade instead as well). one other very popular one I remember was called the Tester68/CIY68 only a small 68% diy kit board but it was so popular because it cost only $35 to $40 and also supported 2.4ghz, bluetooth and ran on easily replaceable AAA's. its pcb quality was questionable as well though but nobody cared for $35 delivered. I remember another one called GAS67 replaced it for around the same price which was the same thing but gasket mount.
                    this was all over 2 years ago now I think. so most likely the popular decent quality aliexpress boards have changed and so have the successful brands. FLEsports was a newcomer when I left the community. all I remember is they were selling the MK870 which was another nonVIA board also sold by another brand and seemed to me like FLEsports was adding some unique case design to these generic pcb boards (other brands didnt bother they were all the same coloured transparent cases). I dont know about now though.

                    anyway typed a bunch because I just happened to remember a few things and get it all out. regarding retro. I recall this budget DIY kit being very popular among the retro crowd. the NCR80. ABS case but wired only and TKL layout though which might be a deal breaker for you, but it's based and very close to the Cherry G81-3000 design with the chamfered edge at the bottom. even has the retro looking indicator lights at the top right. I just found a few on aliexpress but wow the price has really jumped up. I remember it being only $100 for the hotswap diy kit (for its size it had a premium due to being retro reproduction) and a bit less if you stacked aliexpress sale codes.

                    also remember this wacky looking thing being posted as a "prototype coming soon" I think back then it was called "War machine" 😂. looks like its out now as an in stock keyboard but I think its mostly plastic except for that handle at least thats what I remember being claimed. https://nuphy.com.au/products/field75-wireless-mechanical-ga…

                    • mechkeys wasnt around back then, but looks like its a global storefront for chinese sellers so you might be ok there. but probably find the same item on aliexpress for cheaper with the same shipping times.
                    • Clear on 04/04/2024 - 19:59

                      @n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm:

                      just an important PSA first. DO NOT order from any keyboard vendors you are not familiar with and have background knowledge on

                      This is the part where I say I'm associated with an online store lol.

                      Thanks for your insights and background - it's certainly an interesting read. I'm really interested in all the new brands and models in the mechanical keyboard space and the strange ones like the Nuphy Field75 I love. One even more wacky is the KeysMe Lunar 01 with the magnetic fidget spinner and RGB soundbar.

                      Another notable one is the Ajazz AKP815 that's replaced the numpad with an LCD screen and customisable shortcuts much like a Stream Deck. If it were low profile keys and switches I'd be all over it. Ajazz already have a knock off Stream Deck.

                      • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 04/04/2024 - 20:50

                        @Clear: oh yeah just remembered I was going to mention but forgot.
                        if you are currently into peripherals and stuff have a look at the XP-Pen AC19. its a wireless macropad with nice sized rotating dial but the best part about it is the software apparently. can program it to switch customized profiles based on the software you have open (not sure if all but I would expect mostly major softwares).
                        works on windows and mac. https://www.xp-pen.com/au-store/buy/ac19-shortcut-remote.htm…

                        here is the video I watched that shows demos of what you could do together when programming software keyboard shortcuts. it was recommended to me recently. https://youtu.be/g2AEaSRu6QQ
                        apparently because of the great software with auto switching profiles it makes it so much more capable than the usual macro/steamdeck type ones and without a huge price too. also it runs on AAA's and is wireless which is awesome.

                        there is a ACK05 model that replaces it but that one has a built in rechargeable battery which is a negative imo.

                        I like low profile keyboards too btw. back at r/MK if you mentioned low profile or anything else you would get response like “ewwww 🤢🤮” but yea I liked trying all types. within low profile ones though I ended up liking chiclet switch ones the best. found a HP full size wireless with proper chiclet switches (if they have scissor mechanism you can hit the corner of a key and it still goes up and down straight) and I still rotate to it sometimes.

                      • rumblytangara on 05/04/2024 - 15:25

                        @Clear:

                        Another notable one is the Ajazz AKP815(aliexpress.com) that's replaced the numpad with an LCD screen and customisable shortcuts much like a Stream Deck. If it were low profile keys and switches I'd be all over it. Ajazz already have a knock off Stream Deck.

                        I'm not 100% sure on this, but I've always wondered if Ajazz was renamed from this company after realising that it wasn't the ideal naming for an international market. I stumbled across these keyboards around a decade ago.

                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhaZmFwEyw4&t=1s

    • PlaunsJanus on 03/04/2024 - 23:23

      Nicely worded opinion based on pictures and as much information you can gather rather than actually use

  • AAAB on 03/04/2024 - 21:30

    I hate how most 1800 keyboards run the 1u 0 on the numpad. most people who actually use the numbpad (and therefore actually look for 1800 layout) likely aren't used to this so doesn't make much sense to me.

  • NigelTufnel on 03/04/2024 - 22:59

    Been wanting to give mech keyboards a go. More than I planned to pay, but looks good and fits my needs (other than the small zero numpad). I'm sure I'll get used to it.

  • raybies on 04/04/2024 - 00:21
    -1

    N. LED = no sale
    No Via = no sale

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 04/04/2024 - 17:11
      +1

      N. LED = no sale

      from description:
      white LED backlight with 14 effects

      • this does not refer to the backlight for the OLED screen. each pixel on OLED in an actual LED and it does not require a backlight.
      • raybies on 04/04/2024 - 18:03

        N. LED means North Facing Light Emitting Diode.
        This means that when you buy keycaps they need to have the shine through part on the top part, so you can't use Side shine through keycaps. There is also some interference with some keycaps… like some Cherry profile.

        S. LED = South facing, so you can have side shine through.

        :)

        This might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx2mX_RjdsQ

        • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 04/04/2024 - 19:29

          my bad you typed No with a capital right below it so I thought you were saying "No LED"

          yea I know the difference between north and south facing. normally yea south facing is better to avoid interference personally I never used side shine through keycaps.

          when I was exiting the hobby a lot of switches were coming out though with "no interference" design for north facing. but yea for those who just want to forget about it and never have the issue like me I just always got south facing pcb. (interference is actually more of a audible issue than it is a functional one).

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