$2,638,064 raised out of $156,728
Overview
Platform
Indiegogo
Backers
1
Start date
May 24, 2024
Close date
Jun 09, 2024
Concept

Ultra Thin with Carbon Fiber & Mg Alloy | Kailh POM Switch 2.0 |PCB-Gasket Mount|Customizable Keymap

Story

The success of Lofree Flow has validated our hypothesis of “short stroke, great feedback, and increased comfort” for desktop typing and office settings. We see a potentially massive need for low-profile mechanical keyboards on the market. This leads us to ponder further: Can we create an even lighter, thinner keyboard with a superior typing experience? What keyboard can we create beyond the extremes of lightness and thinness?
EDGE was born to meet the challenge of serving users who seek the pinnacle of lightweight design. It strikes the perfect balance between weight, size, texture, aesthetics, and typing feel, redefining an unbelievable combo of remarkable lightness and extreme thinness.

EDGE isn’t just lighter; it’s also stronger in every single aspect. Weighing just 485g (1.07 lbs), it achieves unprecedented portability as a mechanical keyboard, thanks to meticulous engineering and cutting-edge materials.

Carbon fiber is an infallible lightweight material known for its representative durability. EDGE’s upper case boasts a sophisticated 3K twill weave carbon fiber where 3,000 filaments are bundled tightly for unmatched strength and lightness. This high-performance material, prized for its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, imparts a luxurious aesthetic while ensuring remarkable structural integrity. With a low coefficient of friction, it also brings a high-end metallic feel to your palm.

EDGE metallic bottom is crafted from magnesium alloy, prized for its impressive strength and heat resistance while maintaining an incredibly light footprint. However, the casting process poses a challenge to how we put things together. Conventional die casting, while simple, produces castings prone to air pockets and compromised structural integrity.

Semi-solid casting, despite its higher cost and additional procedures, ensures an optimal internal structure and mechanical properties by eliminating air pockets through a controlled solidification process, leading to absolute stability on both uniform density and toughness.

From content creation to office work, EDGE offers a professionally looking and corrosion-resistant bottom case that levels up your desk setup.

To achieve 5.4mm for the thinnest edge of a mechanical keyboard, what have we done?

To make the thinnest mechanical keyboard, we refuse to settle with either membrane or scissor-switch keyboards, which are not even mechanical. While reducing switch height might seem like a simple solution for a thinner keyboard, it often diminishes key feel and typing experience. Recognizing this challenge, we aim to create a slimmer keyboard without sacrificing tactility.

Back to our switch solutions? Developed in deep collaboration with Kailh, the finalized total travel distance of Kailh POM Switch 2.0 hits 2.4mm after rigorous testing and refinements ranged from 2.8mm to 1.0mm.

The above question is frequently asked, especially from mechanical keyboard lovers. This is our rationale: we make the conscious decision to remove hot-swapping in the pursuit of extreme thinness. Thus, the linear feel, 2.4mm-travel keystrokes, and the fact of an ultra-thin mechanical keyboard make it the one-of-a-kind “EDGE” typing experience.

The ultra-low-profile design of EDGE minimizes finger curvature, reducing strain on your joints and tendons during extended typing marathons. Its ergonomic design, coupled with the exceptionally short key travel distance, ensures satisfying tactility while maintaining a remarkably fast response rate.

Using the EDGE keyboard is akin to indulging in a gentle physiotherapy session, gradually revealing its addictive charm as you seamlessly glide through your work.

We faced unimaginable space constraints in the attempt to achieve a slim, lightweight design while maintaining excellent typing feedback. However, we overcame it: the EDGE keyboard features an innovative PCB-Gasket structure. This eliminates the need for traditional positioning plates and hot-swappable sockets, using solder-mounted switches and strategically placed gaskets integrated directly into the PCB.

In our pursuit of a truly library-friendly keyboard, we ditched heavier silicone and selected a lightweight, specially shaped foam material for EDGE’s internal filling. This carefully chosen material, combined with the customized design of the shell’s inner cavity, achieves a remarkable level of sound dampening.

We explore every avenue to shed unnecessary grams by relocating the battery to the “chin” to streamline the overall profile.

Also, the EDGE keyboard boasts a visually striking wedge design accentuating its slim profile, creating an illusion of even greater thinness.

EDGE is also thoughtfully designed for a tailored typing experience. We hope you can take full advantage of EDGE by exploring its deeper configuration options through the all-new Lofree Configurator: powerful software that unlocks intuitive key remapping as well as powerful macro creation at your fingertips.

What’s more, EDGE is packaged with a 1000Hz polling rate in wired mode, making the latency hardly noticeable, even in competitive games.

An Easter egg? Yes, this is when EDGE was born, along with another great surprise for you — our unwillingness to compromise on quality with leftover materials. To achieve that, we repurpose the carbon fiber boards into an additional panel mount called “Zero.” It isn’t just an add-on but also a captivating 3D puzzle experience. The assembly process adds a playful touch, allowing you to be part of the creation process.

The quality of PBT keycaps is determined by the percentage of content. To ensure the utmost quality, Lofree has meticulously crafted keycaps with a PBT content of 85% and higher in our own factory, specifically for the Lofree EDGE keyboard.

Our PBT material also provides a more comfortable matte texture and a delicate feel on the touch, 100% grease-resistant.

While everyone is getting used to Cherry profile keycaps on high-profile mechanical keyboards, EDGE keycaps are innovatively designed as a much thinner version of Cherry profile keycaps.

EDGE retains the signature curvature of Cherry keycaps, providing a familiar and more comfortable typing experience.

In addition, EDGE offers you three alternative keycaps — Lune, Meteorite, and Ether — for ultimate personalization to your tastes and creativity.

These keycaps utilize an advanced dye sublimation process, which surpasses ordinary double-shot techniques. This promises vibrant and highly detailed patterns imprinted on top, ensuring a visually appealing yet durable keyboard.

Many conventional ultra-thin mechanical keyboards lack charging capacity. Although they may be slim, they require a wired connection for extended use.

The solution for a more liberated on-the-go experience is an independent power workstation, coupled with external Bluetooth connectivity, which guarantees a clean and clutter-free keyboard experience. And we make it happen.

EDGE delivers a full charge in 3 hours with all lights. With maximum backlight brightness, it offers up to 10 hours of battery life, and an impressive 130-hour battery life with lights off, making it the perfect mechanical keyboard for laptop users who value portability above all else.

Lofree EDGE adaptable kickstands ensure flexibility, control, and security without mentioning a word. You can choose between two angles – 3° and 6° – for an ergonomically friendly typing experience.

What’s more, you can unlock a hassle-free travel experience with EDGE Sleeve as a fundamental add-on. Discover the perfect storage and protection solution tailored just for you.

LOFREE · My 2m²

LOFREE is a lifestyle brand created by a group of brainy designers. Our founder and designer, Tim Chu has 20+ years of experience designing more than 150 electronic products in the keyboard and related consumer electronics businesses. We clearly understand the group of people who value their own loved space. LOFREE develops interesting and professional products to inspire like-minded people to build their styled 2m² space at their fingertips, chasing away the boring life. After the great success of the most popular Flow, the low-profile mechanical keyboard of DOT typewriter, TOUCH PBT, and 1% Transparent, EDGE will hit another place in your lifestyle workspace.

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