The Willow Wombat Pro is a great keyboard without much compromise. It’s mechanical, with comfortable key switches to type on all day, but it’s not loud. It’s narrow, but it still has all 102 keys, with an unusual key layout. It’s thin, but it’s not flimsy: It’s sturdy and well-made.
The whimsical yellow color scheme will also add a flash of color and flair to your Mac setup. Buy it now on Amazon or keep reading below.
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Willow Wombat Pro keyboard review
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The Wombat’s color scheme and design is really striking. The keyboard’s gray metal base plate has an industrial, but playful look, especially the gray, white and yellow accent keys. It looks like it would fit in perfectly in a studio with a 3D printer, or maybe a Panic Playdate handheld games console.
The Wombat Pro has a surprisingly low profile. Studies repeatedly say thinner keyboards are more ergonomic and reduce strain, as they “promote more neutral hand and wrist postures.”
Despite its thinness, it’s still incredibly sturdy. I test keyboard sturdiness by grabbing both ends and flexing as hard as I can — I couldn’t see the slightest amount of flexing, nor did I hear any creaking. Other keyboards I’ve tested, including some of Apple’s own keyboards, haven’t fared as well. It’s a litmus test to see if you’re getting a high-quality product, and the Wombat Pro passes with flying colors.
Quiet mechanical key switches — and they’re backlit
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The mechanical keys are very quiet. They have a linear action to them, which means you push down the key until it bottoms out — there’s not a click. The keys also feel like they’re cushioned to feel soft and reduce noise. While it doesn’t have the standard mechanical keyboard feel, it’s quiet enough that I can use it while podcasting — and comfortable enough that I can write on it all day long.
It does have full RGB backlighting with a whole swath of different key effects. A lot of other mechanical keyboards with RGB backlighting don’t have white, so you have to pick between trying to type blind or blasting your eyes with obnoxious colors (or turning on a lamp). Thankfully, the Wombat Pro has a white option, so I immediately set it to that.
An interesting compact key layout
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The layout is very unique. I don’t usually like full keyboards with a number pad because the number pad increases the distance between the keyboard and the mouse or trackpad.
Most compact keyboards simply chop off the number pad. You have the alphanumeric keys on the left, and to the right, you have the arrow keys with the group of page up/page down/home/end set above them. The Willow Wombat Pro puts the number pad above the arrow keys. It has two rows of function keys above the letters, and that’s where you’ll find the page up/page down/home/end keys. So it’s narrow like a compact keyboard, but you don’t sacrifice the number pad.
The consequence, however, is that the page up/page down/home/end keys aren’t where you may expect them to be. I’m used to hitting them with my right hand, not my left. The keyboard is also a bit deeper, or longer, than a standard keyboard due to the extra row. Bear that in mind if you have a shallow desk.
Highly versatile and practical
The Willow Wombat Pro has three different modes of connecting — wired with USB-C, wireless via a USB-A receiver, or you can connect over Bluetooth. So if you keep multiple different machines on your desk, you can quickly switch between them.
It also has one of the neatest feet I’ve seen of any keyboard. Instead of the standard flip-down piece of plastic, they’re detachable little magnetic pieces. They’re nestled into the keyboard itself, so you pull them out from the bottom, flip them around and stick them back on so they protrude. It’s a really cool detail.
★★★★☆
✅ Comfortable mechanical key switches
✅ Low-profile, colorful design
✅ Backlit keys
