Epomaker is making headway into gaming hardware and its HE108 keyboard sends a strong message about the company’s potential staying power.
The HE108 is a unique offering of day-to-day functionality with the features of a high-end gaming keyboard. That day-to-day functionality might not be as much a benefit for pro esports competitors, but the PC gamer at home will likely find it a strong and relatively affordable alternative to more established gaming peripheral manufacturers.
Epomaker HE108 keyboard price, features, and review
The Epomaker mixes and matches features of a functional day-to-day keyboard and a sleek gaming keyboard. That makes for a great everyday keyboard while still letting you up your game in first-person shooters.
Epomaker HE108 features
- Bluetooth and wired functionality – Many gaming keyboards forego wireless functionality entirely. Not so here.
- SOCD functionality – This keyboard does have SOCD or “snap tap” functionality, letting gamers strafe with greater precision in most major FPS titles.
- Adjustable actuation points – Lets players adjust when a keystroke actually registers, preventing accidental weapon switches or unintentional actions.
- Hall effect switches – Greater precision and durability.
- Comparatively low price – Listed at $95.99 on Epomaker’s official shop, which is a fair bit cheaper than top-end gaming keyboards from the likes of HyperX and Razer.
The Epomaker keyboard boasts almost all the features and components of a top-end gaming keyboard, but at a considerably lower price. While it lacks the extra bells and whistles associated with premium gaming keyboards, it makes up for that with its usability in day-to-day typing.
The good
The Epomaker H3108 stands apart from other gaming keyboards for its great feel and functionality when working. Typing feels smooth and satisfying, with good responsiveness. It also has a clean look compared to some gaudy gaming keyboards that might feel ostentatious to some.
Its work-friendliness doesn’t undermine its value when gaming. SOCD functionality is a great feature to have in a variety of different games, across a number of genres. It’s most impactful in first-person shooters to help with counter-strafing, and longtime Osu players and keyboard wizards in Fightcade will also be able to feel the difference.
And as mentioned, the H3108 carries with it a reasonable price tag that makes the full package feel that much more attractive.
The bad
As a full-size keyboard with Bluetooth wireless compatibility, it’s a fair bit larger than many alternatives which are either 60% or 70% keyboards. It’s also quite weighty for a keyboard, which makes it feel nice and sturdy when angrily typing up an email, but a little more difficult to travel.
While not an issue with the keyboard itself, the instruction manual is unhelpful. Though it is rich with features, figuring out how to actually enable them is another thing entirely. The instructions only describe what the function key can do. Figuring out how to alter the actuation point of keys, map macros, replace key caps, and enable SOCD is all done through a combination of Epomaker’s YouTube channel and a separate program found on the keyboard’s official website.
It’s easy enough to simply plug it in and start typing, but those that want to get the most out of the keyboard will need to do some digging first.
The Bottom Line: The Epomaker HE108 is a versatile keyboard that is especially great for gamers living the work-from-home life, though it takes some work to get full value from its list of features.
Score: 8.5/10
