Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard Review (2024)

Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

The new Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard sports an attractive design. Although the form factor and size are reminiscent of the many (read: seemingly countless) 80% keyboards hitting the market, the taller shape makes room for two rows of function and system keys, with the Numpad sitting above the arrow keys. It's one of those striking designs that will excite some of you to find out how it would feel to use it as a daily driver and what else it has in store.

From Wombat, a sub-brand of KSI Keyboards, the new Willow Pro draws on decades of design experience creating keyboards for the professional, consumer, and enthusiast space. Outside of the funky and unique design, the Willow Pro is a low-profile mechanical keyboard primarily designed for Mac and Apple users, with support from Windows and Android systems. Well, it works with everything (always lovely to see), with shortcuts and keys smartly tapping into platform features. With wired, wireless, Bluetooth, and the ability to switch between multiple devices - there's versatility here and then some.

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Low-profile keyboards are growing in popularity, at least in some circles. It's a style that's not for everyone because it traditionally replicates the feel of what you'd find with a laptop. Where keys sit relatively close to the PCB, and height-wise, keycaps are half the size or so of what you'd find on a traditional keyboard. The Willow Pro is still every bit a mechanical keyboard, and with Gateron switches, PBT keycaps with dye-sublimated legends, and pre-lubed stabilizers, it's got some chops.

That said, there's just something about the overall type-feel that isn't quite as impressive or satisfying as we've found in other recent low-profile efforts from ASUS and NuPhy. This is disappointing because the build quality is great, it looks fantastic, and the software support is decent for such a versatile unit. Let's dig in.

Specifications & Close Up

• Product Name: Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard
• Product Type: Wireless Mechanical Keyboard for Mac/PC
• Size: 102-key US layout
• Switch: Gateron Low Profile (Linear Red)
• Actuation Point/Force: 1.7±0.4mm / Total travel: 3.0mm / 50gf
• Interface: Bluetooth 5.0, RF 2.4GHz and USB 2.0 (
• Polling Rate: 1000 Hz
• Compatibility: Windows 8/10/11, macOS 11/12/13, Linux, Android, iOS
• Lighting: RGB-LED
• Dimensions: 36.7 x 16.1 x 2.98 cm
• Weight: 1000 grams (keyboard)
• What's in the Box: Wombat Willow Pro Keyboard, USB Type-C cable, USB Type-C cable, Type-A RF dongle, Type-A - C adaptor, Type-C - A adaptor, User manual, Keycap/Switch puller, Replacement keys

Kosta's Test System

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Founders Edition
• Display: MSI MAG 321UPX QD-OLED 4K 240 Hz
• Cooler: ASUS ROG RYUO III 360 ARGB
• RAM: 64GB (4x16GB) Corsair DOMINATOR TITANIUM RGB DDR5 DRAM 6000MT/s
• SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 4TB, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Plus M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 8TB
• Power Supply: ASUS TUF Gaming 1000W Gold
• Case: Corsair 5000D AIRFLOW Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX PC Case
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

Design & Software

Design

Those who mainly use a keyboard for productivity and open up a Google Sheets or Excel Spreadsheet as part of their daily or weekly routine are fans of the Numpad, the old-school calculator layout found on a full-sized keyboard. However, with the rise of 60, 75, and 80% keyboards in recent years, we've quietly begun to realize how massive full-sized keyboards can be and how much unnecessary space they can take up on a desk.

The physical design and layout of the Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard is a winner, but it's not for everybody. By making the keyboard taller, Wombat/KSI Keyboards fit all the functions and system keys above the main QWERTY layout while leaving enough room for the Numpad to sit above the arrow keys. The immediate productivity benefit is that the Numpad now sits close to the Enter key, so number crunchers can thumb it while efficiently typing in various numbers.

The layout does take some getting used to, thanks mainly to how it places keys like Del, End, and others in unusual places. But overall, it works great.

Built for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, the Wombat Willow Pro adds impressive secondary functionality to streamline OS usage. From media controls to quick access to screenshot tools, microphone recording/dictation, locking your PC/Mac, search, web browsing, and dedicated Macro keys for further customization, the Wombat Willow Pro is stacked.

So then, how does it feel to type with? First, the low-profile keycaps have a great feel, as does the overall shell and base of the unit - sturdy and weighty enough to sit comfortably on a desk without rattling. That said, when it comes to the Gateron switches, although accurate, smooth, and mechanical in how they feel - there's some wobble and inconsistency between keys. It's weird because the spacebar and Enter keys feel great, while most other keys don't live up to the promise of the underlying switches.

The Wombat Willow Pro is fully customizable for those who want to tinker, with hot-swappable switches and replaceable keycaps - so that's a plus. Also, one minor feature that impressed me was the reversible magnetic feet, which allowed me to adjust the height of the keyboard between the default flat profile and one that is slightly raised.

Software

For the Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard, the two rows of Function and System keys double as the programmable Macro keys, where you can assign secondary functions and small custom scripts. You can do this and record and store Macro sequences via the WB Pouch or Wombat Pouch software, available on both Mac and Windows. WB Pouch also offers automatic firmware updates for the Willow Pro, which is always handy when bugs are fixed before launch - as was the case here.

WB Pouch is locked to a small resolution size and scale, so the layout is pretty small if you're running a 4K display. There are options to save settings to a file (or open them), with all changes being software-side until you download them onto the keyboard. The software is relatively easy to follow in that you've got three main sections: Macro, Backlit (for the RGB lighting), and Coding (a powerful but slow tool to program individual per-key RGB lighting and effects).

Macro recording is a little clunky but works fine, with Wombat providing a quick online guide on using the tool. You have several intuitive pre-programmed options, including media and operating system calls, and you can assign Macros to all the keys on the top two rows. Overall, WB Pouch is a decent and welcome tool for those wanting to add app-specific functionality as Macros, as the overall keyboard design here leans more toward productivity than gaming.

Gaming Performance and Productivity

Gaming Performance

Although the keyboard sound isn't quite as satisfying as some, and there is some wobble, the linear Gateron switches and responsiveness with the Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard is perfectly fine for gaming on a Mac or PC. The Willow Pro features what Wombat calls REX 2.0 or 0 'RF EXtremely fast,' a low-latency wireless designed to mimic or match the low-latency performance you get from a wired USB connection. Regarding gaming, the REX 2.0 proved impressive as there wasn't any discernable difference between wired or wireless when playing Diablo 4, DOOM Eternal, and Apex Legends.

Although we'd call the Willow Pro a compact keyboard, there's more than enough spacing between the keys for it not to feel cramped - and the total travel distance for the low-profile switches is more full-sized than a laptop. Minimal adjustment was required when moving from a standard keyboard to the low-profile Willow Pro for gaming. And you can chalk that up to the great-feeling keycaps and the high-performance Gateron switches.

Productivity

Productivity is where the Willow Pro shines; in addition to full Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android support, you can switch between multiple devices connected via Bluetooth (up to three), wireless, and wired. Battery life fares much better with the RGB lighting turned off (the Willow Pro has a 1000 mAh LiPO rechargeable battery), but it's enough to last multiple days of general usage, so it's not a big issue. Wombat provides easy device switching via secondary functionality on the Numpad, with a light indicator, making the whole process nice and smooth.

Numpad lovers will love the overall Willow Pro layout and the quick access to common system tasks and tools via secondary functions and clearly labeled Macro keys. There's a lot of functionality here that you won't find with a modern, minimal TKL keyboard designed primarily for PC gaming. Having three slots for Bluetooth devices is a nice touch, especially if you've got a tablet, laptop, and desktop rig - as is the seamless support for Android and iOS on top of Mac and Windows. Having out-of-the-box Apple support and an Apple-friendly layout definitely makes this a viable option for Mac users looking for a low-profile keyboard with the build, quality, and feel of a full-sized mechanical keyboard.

Keyboard Click Sound Level

To test a keyboard's overall sound level, we use the Ozito Digital Sound Level Meter, capturing the sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" multiple times and recording the maximum dB level. This indicates how "loud" the switches used are for everyday usage. The following chart showcases where the Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard sits.

Final Thoughts

It's easy to get used to having a Numpad for all numerical input, especially when it's as conveniently located as it is here. However, in 2024, most people don't need access to a Numpad, so most keyboards these days omit it to save space and create more compact desks and travel-friendly designs. The unique Numpad and secondary-function and Marco-friendly physical design of the Wombat Willow Pro Wireless Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard is what drew me to it - that and the dual Mac and Windows design, and use of Gateron switches and low-profile PBT keycaps.

Ultimately, there's a lot to like about Wombat's design, especially for those who love their Numpads and easy access to Macro keys for programming app-specific tasks to improve productivity. However, even with the ability to connect and switch between four different devices (three connected via Bluetooth and one connected via the low-latency RF wireless dongle), the overall type-feel isn't up there with recent low-profile mechanical keyboards we've tested - which, in turn, makes the $144.99 USD asking price feel a tad high.