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Review by Samuel Huang, Editor-in-Chief, G Style Magazine
Wombat is a sub-brand of KSI International which has been making keyboards since the early 80s under the Wombat name. Most of their products have been centered around the professional market with specialized keyboards, especially those in the financial sector and the healthcare market. However, they also now have a full line of consumer-friendly products and are one of the few making keyboards explicitly designed for Macs. Keyboards such as the Wombat Coleus, an 84-key, slim-design mechanical keyboard with multi-connection options and RGB lighting.
DESIGN
The Wombat Coleus is not like any other mechanical keyboard out there. Its shape is very different and breaks from what you would traditionally assume a mechanical keyboard would look like. It does away with the bulky design and instead, you are presented with something more slim and compact. The base of the keyboard is made of plastic, but it does have an aluminum face that gives the keyboard a more premium look.
You immediately notice this with the slim design key caps and body. Looking at this, you wouldn’t even think this was a mechanical keyboard, but it is. Pulling out any of the keycaps reveals mechanical switches that have also been reduced in size. Both the slim key caps and smaller switches give the Wombat Coleus a low-profile design with a shorter travel distance for each key press, giving it great response time.
The keyboard also features customizable RGB lighting that can be changed on the fly with a simple shortcut on the keyboard. I should also mention that this is one of the few keyboards out there with dedicated Mac keys and shortcut buttons for commonly used tasks and apps.
Lastly, you’ll notice that the Wombat Coleus has a rotating dial at the top right. This can be used to adjust the volume on your device and if you press the dial, mute your audio.
EXPERIENCE
Wombat Coleus
I was actually quite surprised by the performance of the Wombat Coleus. I normally don’t like slim profile keyboards because they usually aren’t mechanical and they always feel kind of squishy when in use. However, this one feels really good and responsive. I love audio feedback from a mechanical keyboard and the linear switches here keep each keystroke feeling smooth.
You’ll also really appreciate the triple-mode connection types where you can connect the keyboard via USB-C, Bluetooth, or RF via an included dongle. This gives you versatility in the way you can connect which is great if you don’t always have a free USB-C port, or if you don’t have a cable on you.
Lastly, I really love all the Apple-specific hotkeys and shortcuts. These aren’t even present on Apple’s own keyboards so it is pretty neat having them here. I’d definitely say to skip Apple’s Magic Keyboards and just go for the Wombat Coleus if you want something slim, but not too slim, with more functionality.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m actually quite impressed with the Wombat Coleus mechanical keyboard. It functions just like any other mechanical keyboard, just slimmer. The keys are responsive and they sound great when tapped on and the RGB lighting on it really gives this keyboard that extra amount of oomph in the looks department. The keyboard also has a good amount of heft to it, even though it’s so thin, and really makes the keyboard feel solid and sturdy.
While this keyboard would be primarily used on an Apple device, like a Mac or iPad, you can also use it on a Windows machine just fine. The only difference would be that some of the Mac-specific shortcuts bring up completely different items on a Windows PC. Not only that, the placement of some of the keys get some getting used to if you try using it on a PC. I would stick to using this on a Mac
With that said, the Wombat Coleus is a sold mechanical keyboard worth a look. This will appeal most to those who want something low-profile and responsive but also built well with quality parts and materials. I will note that the Wombat Coleus does come with a color-matched cable, all the hardware you need, and a handy carrying/storage case you can use if you plan on transporting the keyboard. d mechanical keyboard worth a look. This will appeal most to those who want something low-profile and responsive but also built well with quality parts and materials.
Read the review here: https://gstylemag.com/2023/04/10/wombat-coleus-mechanical-keyboard-macs-review/