When you buy one of the best mechanical keyboards, you expect it to meet certain criteria: an ergonomic design and that sweet “thock” sound you like, decent build quality, and a battery that doesn’t die after just a couple of days. You may also want to be able to customize it, and that’s where the Epomaker TH80 Pro comes in, especially if you don’t want to spend more.
The TH80 Pro is compact enough to free up space on a desk and has a sturdy grip so you won’t accidentally move it while typing. With a retro finish, a red rotary control knob, and fun customizable RGB backlighting, it looks the part too. If you buy it from the Epomaker website, it will cost you $99, which is excellent value for a keyboard of this caliber.
However, there are some downsides worth considering before clicking “add to cart,” such as the keyboard taking a while to reconnect upon waking up and there being no secondary functions printed on the keys.
For the full breakdown, read our full review of the Epomaker TH80 Pro.
Epomaker TH80 Pro Review: Cheat Sheet
- What is it? A 75% hot-swappable mechanical keyboard, good for both gaming and typing, with beautiful RGB effects that you can modify to your liking.
- For whom? For people who want a compact, retro-looking, customizable keyboard but don’t want to spend too much money.
- How much does it cost? The Epomaker TH80 Pro is available for $99 / £103.
- What is typing like? Great, and it sounds lovely, but you’ll need a wrist rest for many hours.
- Something is missing? Better Bluetooth connectivity and secondary functions printed on the keys would be nice.
Epomaker TH80 Pro Review: The Pros
The advantages of the Epomaker TH80 Pro definitely outweigh the disadvantages. From a sturdy build and impressive battery life to hot-swappable switches for customization, this mechanical keyboard offers excellent value for money.
Design and construction quality
The Epomaker TH80 Pro is a robust machine. When I first took it out of the box, I was immediately impressed by its sleek, retro aesthetic. The base of the keyboard is made of white plastic and I couldn’t see any signs of poor construction.
As a 75% keyboard without ten keys, it has no numeric keypad (sorry, numeric keypad fans) and has a total of 80 keys. It also comes in two designs, ANSI and ISO. Oh, and it also has a rotary knob, located in the top right corner of the keyboard, which makes me feel like a DJ when I change the volume.
Measuring 12.9 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches and weighing 35.2 ounces, it’s compact and light enough to fit in my backpack, but heavy enough to stay on my desk. At the bottom, you’ll find four retractable rubber feet to hold the keyboard at two different angles. I was pleased with how well the keyboard held up when I tried to drag it across the table, but this varied depending on the feet I used. With the smaller feet, the keyboard did not hold up as much as it did with the larger feet. That’s good because I personally like more height.
typing experience
The big question: how is typing going? I loved. I tried the Budgerigar Switch (touch) and it sounded beautiful. The low-profile, spherical MDA keycaps are made of dyed PBT materials and have excellent performance. What the hell!
The MDA keys also make you less likely to make a mistake when typing, and my typing test confirmed this with a score of 67 words per minute with 91.08% accuracy. That makes it ideal for office use. Plus, the keys are oil-resistant, don’t look shiny, and stay true to color, so you don’t have to worry about them looking worse over time.
Hot swappable switches
If you’re not a big fan of the Epomaker TH80 Pro’s pre-lubricated switches, the fact that they are hot-swappable switches means you don’t have to stick with them. This allows for greater customization by allowing the user to change the switches with a switch puller (rather than having to desolder and re-solder the switches to the PCB).
The Epomaker TH80 Pro can accommodate 3-pin and 5-pin switches, and comes with a switch puller in the box, so all you need to do is take out the switches and replace them with the ones you want, it’s that simple.
Complementary software
The driver software for macOS and Windows, which is free to download from the Epomaker website, is fairly simple to use and offers plenty of customization options. I used the software to change not only the light patterns (there are many options to choose from, by the way), but also to remap certain keys and the time it takes to enter sleep mode.
Definitely a big plus for when you’re still getting used to the different key combinations to change RGB patterns. Remember: you must connect the Epomaker TH80 Pro to your laptop with the cable.
Battery duration
Equipped with a 4000 mAh battery, the Epomaker TH80 Pro boasts enormous battery life. After testing it for 5 days (about 40 hours) and at 100% when I started, the battery ended up at 70%.
I had the RGB effects on almost the entire time, so it probably would have lasted even longer without them. It’s easy to check the battery on the keyboard using Fn+B, which causes the numbers 1 to 0 to light up. For example, if 1 to 5 lights up, it means it is at 50%. A similarly priced keyboard like the Corsair K57 RGB It reportedly lasts 35 hours under standard lighting, so the Epomaker TH80 Pro performs very well in this regard.
Epomaker TH80 Pro Review: The Cons
Unfortunately, nothing is perfect. I admit, it was love at first sight when I saw the Epomaker TH80 Pro, but the more I used it, the more I realized that it was not without its flaws.
Slow Bluetooth connectivity
When I was testing the TH80 Pro, I tested all three connectivity methods to see how long it took for the keyboard to respond after it had been in sleep mode. There was no lag when using the USB-C wired setup, and even with the 2.4GHz dongle connected, I couldn’t feel any noticeable lag. The Bluetooth connectivity, however, disappointed me because it is the one I prefer to use.
When the Epomaker TH80 Pro goes to sleep after being idle for 25 minutes (this can be changed using the downloadable driver software), it takes a while to reconnect to your laptop. You have to press a key to activate it, wait for it to connect (indicated by the green light under one of the numbers), and start typing. When I tested it, it took me just under 5 seconds, which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but when you’re playing online, every second counts.
No secondary functions on the keys
Any new keyboard takes a while to get used to, and even after using the Epomaker TH80 Pro for about a week, I had to keep referring to the manual because I couldn’t remember the secondary functions. This continued to disrupt my flow and directly affected my productivity. Epomaker could have made it much easier for their users by simply printing them on the keys. Instead, I’m sitting here racking my brain, wondering which key takes me to the next track while listening to music.
wrist pain
When you’re typing for 8 hours at a desk, you want to be comfortable. A wrist rest, either placed on the bottom of the keyboard or purchased separately, can be very useful.
Typing on the Epomaker TH80 Pro for hours on end strained my wrists as I needed to constantly tilt them. The heights and adjustment levels were not the best for me. A wrist rest would have solved this problem, but you will have to purchase one separately. I will definitely invest in one to continue writing.
Epomaker TH80 Pro Review: Verdict
For a sub-$100 mechanical keyboard, the Epomaker TH80 Pro holds its own. The hot-swap capability is a big selling point, and for $99, it could be great for you if you’re just starting to get into keyboard modding.
Compared to a keyboard in the same price range, such as the Logitech G413SE, you get many more features and more reliability. The Epomaker TH80 Pro’s impressive battery life even with RGB effects enabled, versatile connectivity modes, and typing accuracy make it worth the money.
From the way it sounds and feels on my fingertips, I’m sure I’ll be using the Epomaker TH80 Pro for a long time. The lack of secondary functions printed on the keys and slow wake-up connectivity are a small price to pay when a keyboard looks and sounds. this good.
