It's hard to treat the Epomaker AK84S as a single keyboard since it is an entire collection of several permutations and combinations of pre-built keyboard kits. In fact, one of the pledges on Kickstarter is for the keyboard case as a kit without any switches or keycaps should you want to use your own switches and keycaps. I have been a fan of the Skyloong kits that Epomaker sells, including the GK96LS and GK68XS we saw before. So when I found out about an 80%, 84-key offering coming out, I was intrigued. Then Epomaker upped the ante by throwing in not one, but two new things beyond the already extensive list of options with the three case types, hot-swappable switches, ABS and PBT keycaps of different colors and designs, and the excellent wired/wireless connectivity from the GK96LS.

The first of the two new things is the option of Epomaker's own first-party Chocolate switches. Available as optical or mechanical switches, these are based on the popular Cherry MX Red, Brown, Blue, and Speed (Silver), but go beyond the usual clones in being pre-lubricated for smooth travel, as well as having tighter tolerances to actuation and travel. The second novelty comes in the form of silicone keycaps, and yes, you read that right. Provided as a free gift to all Kickstarter backers, Epomaker is throwing in a random set (out of three color options) of high-profile GK2 silicone keycaps that is customized to fit the AK84S, along with some extra keycaps. These are no doubt a way to gauge customer feedback on the use of silicone for keycaps, which make use of a fixed plastic base with a slip-on silicone cover that can be modified for different keycap profiles. I am not sold on the GK2 profile for daily use, but the SA profile was not my go-to either, though I do like typing on them, especially for the sound they make when typed upon. Epomaker, make some full keyboard silicone keycap sets in different colors and preferably the OEM or GK1 profile please, as I think you have a winner here.

Okay, I kinda lied. There's a third new addition: the dedicated power button to turn the keyboard on or off. You have no idea how much I want this to be a standard across wireless keyboards. It does get lost amid the other fancier things here though, and based on some photos and videos I have seen, even the base keyboard gets a nice hybrid plastic and aluminium chassis that looks quite sharp in the white color option. There is a lot going on here, and no doubt some combination will appeal to just about anyone willing to look past the unfamiliarity of the brand (to the mainstream audience, anyway) and the mediocre software experience, which unfortunately carried over from the other Epomaker/Skyloong keyboards. It is lucky then that there are plenty of onboard controls, and key mapping at least works just fine. I have not been impressed by such a feature set and value proposition in a long time, so much so that this is going on a work desk with a new keycap set real soon. If you are in the same boat, definitely check out the Kickstarter campaign to benefit from the potential savings currently on offer.