So, I got my hands on some lofree switches recently. Wasn’t really planning on it, you know? My old keyboard was getting a bit sticky on some keys, the usual stuff after hammering on it for ages. I was just browsing around, looking at keyboard parts, not really serious, and then I saw these lofree ones. They looked kinda different, caught my eye.
Getting Started
Decided, what the heck, let’s give them a try. Ordered a set. They arrived pretty quick, just a small box, nothing fancy. Pulled them out. First impression? They felt… interesting. Different from the Cherry MX reds I was used to. A bit lighter maybe? Hard to tell just holding them.
The real test was putting them into my hot-swap board. Got my tools out – the keycap puller, the switch puller. Started yanking out the old switches one by one. Some came out easy, others needed a bit more wiggle. Standard procedure, really. Nothing too dramatic.
The Swap Process
Lining up the lofree switches was simple enough. Just had to make sure the little pins were straight. Bent a couple accidentally, happens all the time. Carefully bent them back with my fingers. Pushed the first one in. Click. Nice and solid. Did the rest, row by row. Took maybe half an hour, taking my time, making sure each one seated properly.
- Pulled out all the old switches.
- Checked the pins on the new lofree ones.
- Carefully pushed them into the sockets.
- Made sure each one clicked into place.
Once they were all in, I put the keycaps back on. The moment of truth, right?
Typing On Them
Started typing. Wow. Okay, yeah, definitely different. The feel was… softer? Less sharp than the reds I had. It felt kinda cushioned at the bottom. Took a little getting used to. The sound was quieter too, which was actually kinda nice. Less clack clack clack, more of a gentle thock thock. Hard to explain sounds, you know?
First few hours: My fingers felt a bit weird. Like they had to learn a new dance. Made a few more typos than usual. But it wasn’t bad, just… new.
Been using them for a couple of weeks now. The initial weirdness is gone. Typing feels smooth. Pretty comfortable for long sessions, I gotta say. Haven’t had any issues with missed keystrokes or anything like that. They just work.
Are they the best switches ever? Who knows. There are so many out there. But for me, right now? Yeah, they’re doing the job. Made my keyboard feel fresh again. It was a simple swap, nothing earth-shattering, but a good little project. Happy I tried them out. Just a straightforward experience, really. Got some switches, swapped them in, liked the result. That’s pretty much the whole story.