NocFree Lite – Review


NocFree Lite
NocFree Lite

NocFree Lite

| Split Mechanical Keyboard | 60% | TWS | Hot-Swappable | Wireless/Wired | QMK |


NocFree Lite, the very first split mechanical keyboard by NocFree.

The NocFree Lite was launched as a crowdfunding campaign that was successfully pledged by over 200 backers and exceeding their campaign goal with $50K raised.





NocFree might not be a mainstream legendary keyboard manufacturer but it has introduced a well put-together and innovative mechanical keyboard that might fit keyboard enthusiasts that do not want to go through the hassle of building their own split keyboard.

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NocFree Lite Review

Tests & Scores


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NocFree Lite Scores

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A

ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING
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You can buy the NocFree Lite as a keyboard alone or you can get the full kit as we have.

If you buy the full combo, you will also get with the keyboard:

• Walnut palm rest
• Palm rest risers
• Neoprene carrying pouch
• Keycap/switch puller
• Extra keycaps
• USB-C cable
• Mini USB cable


D

DESIGN

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The NocFree Lite is a 60% keyboard with 65 keys but, unlike anything that you have seen before, this one can be split into 2 sections.

By doing this, you can separate the right and left parts of the keyboard as 2 independent pieces and place them as you wish to fit the best your preference and ergonomics style.

On top of that, you could place them wide enough to place a monitor, mobile device or any other object sitting in between each section of the keyboard.



Without doubt, the NocFree Lite offers a new level of customization and versatility that even can cover gaming needs by using only the left half of the keyboard as a dedicated gaming keypad like a sort of Razer Tartarus.

In addition to the split design, the NocFree Lite provides another layer of ergonomic-adaptability with one adjustable feet per section that tilts each part from the center by 7 degrees; instead of raising the keyboard from the back as a standard keyboard.

This was a design decision by the brand to boost the natural angle and positioning of the hands – if you attracted by this feature, do consider that you will need to buy their custom palm rest that aligns perfectly with the unconventional tilting design.

With the NocFree Lite the brand is covering an area that is not well-fulfilled on the mechanical keyboard world; by offering a fully pre-assembled split keyboard without any DIY steps nor needing advanced assembly knowledge with barebone kits or DIY custom-made kits.

You can upgrade your keyboard by getting it with custom-crafted accessories like the real Walnut wood palm rest. Being made of wood, this is a rigid palm rest without any padding; we tend to prefer softer palm rests but the all-wood build is something that is seen on many premium keyboard accessories for up-tier models or even premium keyboard units that we have reviewed like the Akko MU01 Mountain Seclusion.

The NocFree Lite is only available in white color but you can choose 3 different color of keycap sets:

• NocFree Lite white
• NocFree Lite green
• NocFree Lite grey


CB

CONSTRUCTION & BUILD
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The case of the NocFree Lite is made of ABS plastic and despite not being a metal keyboard, this one feels fairly more rugged than some other plastic keyboards that we have reviewed.

Inside, the keyboard includes a north-facing, hot-swappable board that allows the replacement of switches with compatible mechanical ones without the need of soldering.

Furthermore, the NocFree sports a polycarbonate plate and sound dampening layers such as a Poron foam.

The Walnut palm rest comes with several silicone strips/feet that keep it slippery-free and also include a magnetic riser that perfectly matches the sideways lifting angle of the keyboard when the adjustable feet are open.

What most users might not know is that the NocFree Lite is a QMK keyboard, thus meaning that can be take advantage of QMK open-source programming software like Vial.


KC

KEYCAPS

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The NocFree Lite comes with quality PBT keycaps with Cherry profile.

The PBT build material provides fade-free and oil-resistance qualities without fearing that the fonts will erase through time.

The keycaps have a distinct grippy finish with a textured feel that feel nice to the touch without being overly sandy.

Unlike most other PBT keycaps on the market, these are shine-through; thus, allow the backlight from the keyboard’s board to shine through the keycaps and fully lit up the fonts – something that the LoFree FLOW attempted but failed to deliver.

When choosing the color of your keycaps set you will also have the chance to select a side-printed or top-printed design (only white color) – the specific variant that we are reviewing has the top-printed white keycaps.


SW

SWITCHES

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From factory you can choose 5 different pre-assembled mechanical switches for your NocFree Lite, this includes 2 linear, 2 tactile and one silent style.

Besides, the Kailh Speed Copper (speed switches) and Gateron G Pro 2.0 White (linear switches), the brand does not specifies the brand and model of the other 3 switches (but it lists the full specs of all 5 switches). Nonetheless, as our variant of the NocFree Lite has the silent switches, we can inform you that these are from OUTEMU.

Type: Silent Linear
Operating Force: 40gf
Pre Travel: 2.0mm
Total Travel: 3.3mm

Do consider though, that if you combine the most expensive model and elements for your NocFree Lite, the price can get as high as $249 for the keyboard alone without the addon accessories.

 

 


CON

CONNECTIVITY
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The NocFree Lite is a bi-mode keyboard that can be used wired and wirelessly. Wired, you can use the detachable USB-C connection while wirelessly, the keyboard uses 2.4G tech with a dongle – the dongle has a dedicated slot compartment on the bottom of the keyboard.

In case that you were wondering, the split keyboards can be used together by either connecting them to each other with a Mini-USB cable or make use of its TWS (true wireless) system that connects to each other without the need of any cords (much like TWS earphones do)

To be honest, we feared that the TWS connection would be cumbersome and problematic but it worked automatically, right out of the box without any complicated nor failed pairing process.

Unfortunately, this keyboard does not include Bluetooth connectivity, which will limit the potential of being used as an on-the-go keyboard for mobile/tablet users.


 

P&E

PERFORMANCE & USE

TYPING
4.5/5

The unique design and capability of being split and placed in any position, allowed the NocFree Lite to be finely customized in the ergonomics department (angle tilting also), making it a refreshingly less fatiguing experience to use for long hours.

Placing a smartphone or a numpad between the split halves of the keyboard was a fun and practical additional use of this design.

On the other hand, we wished that the right part of the keyboard included a duplicated B key (like most Alice keyboards) as by muscle memory you might try to press the B key with your right hand and, also, that the layout would have had a separation space between the right Shift key and the arrow keys as we tended to mis-press the up arrow when looking for the right Shift key.

GAMING
4.5/5

With the special ability to transform from a classic 60% keyboard into a dedicated gaming keypad by using only the left half of the keyboard, the NocFree becomes a superior gaming option for serious gamers wanting to maximize their desk-space and optimizing their keyboard-mouse distance.

On top of that, the keyboard can be chosen with speed linear switches already preassembled from factory (though these are tactile)

Notice, though, that the brand does not inform the polling rate and N-key rollover is not enabled by default, you need to enable it through Vial.

PRODUCTIVITY
4/5

From a productivity and office work point of view, the NocFree Lite offers some specs and features that can make it a smart choice, like:
• Split design
• Compact
• Light weighted
• Wired/wireless
• Ergonomic
Despite this, the lack of the F number row and extra keys that come in other layouts like a 75%, TKL or full-sized keyboard, will limit the usability for office and productivity tasks.
On the other hand, if you really want to you could create custom layers to use one half as a dedicated macro pad or express keys for photo/video editing.

TABLET/MOBILE


As this is not a Bluetooth keyboard, there is not much that you will be able to do if you have a mobile setup, which is a pity as the compact and unique design, plus the remarkably light weight of the unit would had turned the NocFree Lite in a superb keyboard for mobile users.

NocFree Lite
NocFree Lite

L

LIGHTING
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The keyboard includes a RGB north-facing LED board that fully backlit the keycaps with a brightness level that seemed stronger than some other RGB keyboards.

Users will have the chance to choose among plenty of lighting presets predesigned which look very nice thanks to the backlit keycaps and white top layer of the keyboard’s case – custom per-key lighting cannot be done.

A big drawback of the NocFree Lite is that (probably to save battery) the brand has decided to force disable the RGB lights of the keyboard when using it wirelessly; throughout all the tests we did not find any way to bypass this and turn on the LED lights – even Vial disabled the lighting tab when used wirelessly and did not respond to any programmed layer function that would turn on the RGB lights.


S

SOUND

Since our unit came assembled with OUTEMU silent switches, we cannot rate the Sound section of this review.

Nonetheless, we can highlight that the silent nature of the switches were truly silent as intended and combined well with the pre-lubed stabilizers that never showed rattling characteristics nor any undesired noises (besides a bit of extra lube needed on the backspace, enter and spacebars)


SW

SOFTWARE
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The keyboard uses Vial (not VIA, not a typo, they are not the same) which can be used to access all customizations and programming of the keyboard (macros, layers, reprogramming, deep settings, lighting, etc.).

Vial is accessible through a web browser going to vial.rocks; the web app is more or less what you get with VIA but with some extra features and without the need of any additional JSON file for the keyboard.

On the other hand, the web app was slow to startup and laggy to navigate and register keys inputs.

Despite this, Vial is also available as an installable software, which was snappy, responsive and fully functional – you need to install it on your PC or use the portable version.


B

BATTERY
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Inside, the NocFree Lite includes 2 rechargeable batteries with a capacity of 1800mAh (one per side) that the brand rates to last 6 months per charge.


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NocFree Lite

8.6

SCORE

8.6/10