Epomaker EK68 review: 65% layout, 100% thock

Chinese keyboard manufacturer Epomaker has put out some of the best mechanical keyboards, and this rings true with the Epomaker EK68. This is a fantastic hot-swappable keyboard that’s lovely to type on and use for casual gaming, thanks to the responsive switches and double-shot PBT keycaps. South-facing RGB lights up the keyboard and is fully customizable via the user-friendly companion software. What’s more, it costs just $89 — and we’ve often seen it slashed down to half.

But is it perfect? No, sadly. Its flimsy construction leaves a lot to be desired, and that’s down to the bendy PCB and plasticky body that twists.

For all the details, read my full Epomaker EK68 review.

Epomaker EK68 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 65% wireless mechanical keyboard
• Who is it for? For typists and casual gamers on a budget
• How much does it cost? The Epomaker EK68 is available for $89 at Amazon U.S. / £69 at Amazon U.K.
• What do we like? It’s compact and portable, is great to type on and for casual gaming, sports a lovely design and comes with easy-to-use companion software
• What don’t we like? The construction is flimsy as the PCB bends and the keyboard twists

Epomaker EK68 review: Specs

Epomaker EK68 review: The ups

The Epomaker EK68 is a compact, portable keyboard with a cool design and it offers a lovely typing and casual gaming experience — it ticks a lot of boxes.

Compact and portable

The Epomaker EK68 is a 65% layout keyboard, which means it’s compact enough for casual gamers to place it anywhere they like on their desk. It also gives you more room to move your mouse freely, as it measures just 12.8 x 4.6 x 1.6 inches. This also means that it’s easier to transport if you want to game elsewhere. I could easily slip it into my backpack and it didn’t take up much space. It also weighs just 1.7lbs so I never felt weighed down by it.

There are other options available if you want an even lighter keyboard, such as the Cherry MX LP 2.1 (0.94lbs, $149), the Nuphy Air60 HE (1.18lbs, $139) or the Keychron K11 Max (1.14lbs, $94), but all of these cost more than the EK68 ($89).

Great design

The Epomaker EK68 looks fantastic. It’s available in three colorways: black purple, black silver and black gold. I tested the black purple variant, which sports a combination of black keycaps with purple lettering and purple keycaps with white lettering, and it looks lovely. All that changes in the other two colorways is the color of the purple keycaps. The keyboard also comes with south-facing RGB backlighting that isn’t very loud (and can be customized via the companion software). In the top right corner, you’ll find a metallic knob to adjust volume and mute media.

The keyboard looks very minimalistic. There are no secondary functions printed on any of the keycaps, and two tiny LED lights next to the arrow keys indicate the RGB and charging status. On the top edge, you’ll find a switch to swap between macOS and Windows layouts — very handy if you work across systems — and a compartment to slot the dongle into.

Overall, the keyboard looks fantastic and adds a pop of color to any setup without being too loud.

Strong casual gaming performance

The Epomaker EK68 is a gaming mechanical keyboard with a 1,000Hz polling rate over the 2.4GHz dongle and a wired connection. This polling rate means it’s well-suited for casual gaming, and combined with the double-shot PBT keycaps and responsive switches, it’s a delight. I tested the keyboard playing Counter-Strike 2, Hitman and Rise of the Tomb Raider to see if the keyboard held its own — and it does. I didn’t notice any latency issues while playing CS2, and I was able to make quick movements, like strafing and dodging, in the heat of battle as there weren’t any missed inputs.

This was also the case in Hitman where I could quickly use key combinations to swap between weapons and execute headshots. The compact 65% TKL layout also meant that I wasn’t restricted in my mouse movements and had more desk space to move it around freely.

The Budgerigar switches I tested have a total travel distance of 3.8mm, which is higher than what I prefer while gaming. I’d recommend swapping them out for switches with shorter distances if you’d prefer snappier, more responsive gaming. If you’re using the EK68 for casual gaming, you should be fine, but serious gamers may want to reconsider the switch choice.

Lovely typing experience

The Epomaker EK68 is fantastic to type on, even though it’s a gaming-first keyboard. There’s a plethora of switches to choose from when you’re first purchasing the keyboard: Gateron Pro, Budgerigar (tactile), Flamingo (linear), Wisteria (linear) and Bluebird (linear).

The EK68 is fully hot-swappable so you can change switches at a later stage without having to de- and re-solder them to the PCB. I tested the Budgerigar tactile switches that, in conjunction with the construction materials and double-shot PBT keycaps, produce a loud thock when pressed. This is a loud keyboard and one I wouldn’t necessarily use in the office lest I disturb my coworkers, but it fits in well in my home office.

It’s important to note that the Budgerigar switches are heavy though, and require 47g of force to register a press, and they have a travel distance of 3.8mm. The high force required to register a key press can result in wrist and hand fatigue, especially if you type or play video games for long periods of time. I’d recommend swapping them out for lighter linear switches instead, like the 38g Wisteria. I’ve had fun using the Budgerigar switches but if I keep this keyboard for longer, I’m going to opt for linear ones.

I took a typing test on 10fastfingers.com to see how the EK68 fared against other keyboards I’ve tested, and you can see the results above. I also appreciate the EK68’s double-shot PBT keycaps, which are more wear- and tear-resistant than ABS keycaps. I’ve seen pricier keyboards like the Corsair K65 Plus for Mac ($179) and the Razer Pro Type Ultra ($159) fitted with cheap ABS ones, so it’s nice to see Epomaker hasn’t compromised on quality while still being budget-friendly.

Intuitive companion software

Epomaker Driver, available on both Windows and macOS, is your one-stop shop for customizing most Epomaker keyboards, including the EK68. It’s very easy to use and looks clean. It’s easy and quick to customize RGB backlighting and effects, remap keys and record macros, and even program custom profiles to store on the keyboard.

Value for money

As budget mechanical keyboards go, the Epomaker EK68 is great value for money. It has a retail price of $89 at Amazon U.S. / £69 at Amazon U.K. and in return, you get a compact keyboard sporting a cool design, double-shot PBT keycaps and responsive switches offering a wonderful typing experience. We’ve also seen it drop to as low as $53 / £53 at Amazon, making it a steal.

Epomaker EK68 review: The downs

There isn’t a lot wrong with the Epomaker EK68, but it’s worth noting that its construction feels flimsy. Also, the 65%-layout may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Flimsy construction

While the Epomaker EK68 checks a lot of boxes for me, its poor construction leaves a lot to be desired. At first glance, it looks like it’s built really well. However, once you start looking closely, you can’t overlook the flimsy construction. It’s made entirely of hard ABS plastic, which isn’t a bad thing, of course, but there’s quite a bit of flex in the body. And if you try twisting it, it does. Another noteworthy flaw is the EK68’s bendy PCB.

Pressing any of the keys hard enough reveals the extent of this, as you can see and feel the keys dip deep into the ‘board. You won’t necessarily notice this while typing quickly, but once I realized it was happening an hour or so into testing, I couldn’t look past it. We’ve seen issues like that persist with very cheap keyboards, like the Lemokey X3 ($49), and I expected better for $89. Other similarly priced Epomaker keyboards I’ve tested haven’t had this problem, so this is disappointing and makes me question the keyboard’s durability and longevity.

Epomaker EK68 review: Verdict

If you’re on a budget and don’t want to spend over $100 on a mechanical keyboard, then the Epomaker EK68 is a great choice — especially if you want a keyboard that produces that lovely thock. While the EK68 is fully hot-swappable, it comes with superb stock switches that are responsive and fun to type on, and they’re fit for casual gaming in your downtime. The keyboard looks cool too, available in a few colorways.

But it’s worth noting that the EK68’s construction is flimsy. Its keys dip deep into the PCB while the plasticky body twists a fair bit, which may put some people off.

All in all, the EK68 is one of the better keyboards I’ve tested, even upstaging the likes of super-expensive ones from Razer and Corsair. As 65% keyboards go, this is a keeper.