Introduction

Epomaker, short for "The Epoch of Makers," effectively is an entity comprised of several keyboard brands/makers. The Epomaker brand is among them, and to remove any confusion, this review shall cover Epomaker the brand from now on. The brand is based in China, but has been in the public eye across the globe recently by offering a lot of interesting keyboards, especially high quality pre-builds for very reasonable prices. Their latest offering went up on Kickstarter to a resounding success and is going retail in January 2021 to ring in the new year. As such, we want to make sure you are well aware of the GK96S before you decide on whether this is for you. Thanks to Epomaker for sending a review sample to TechPowerUp!


Perhaps the biggest feature of the Epomaker GK96S is the high degree of customization on offer. Indeed, my sample is a completely different board altogether, the GK96LS, where the "L" stands for the left-handed numpad. The standard version has the more familiar 96% form factor with shorter keys on the bottom row and dedicated arrow keys, while the GK96LS foregoes the latter for a more substantial numpad. The company outright states that this is more for those prioritizing ergonomics and number crunching, with the standard version still saving you quite a lot of space compared to a typical full-size keyboard. The other customization options here include a wide plethora of switches to choose from, with the optical switch versions using "SK" instead of "GK" in the name, as well as different keycap colors and composition, which results in an extremely high number of SKUs. This review based on one SKU will aim to discuss the GK96S family as a whole (including the SK96S) and the GK96LS in my specific configuration in detail, beginning with a look at the specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Epomaker has partnered with Skyloong, a local factory to them, for the production of the GK96S. As such, the first round of keyboards produced for sampling use the Skyloong name on the packaging (and then some). That said, retail units at launch will ship in a keyboard box with the Epomaker GK96S logo. Indeed, only the sticker on the side shows that a GK96S is inside, with the box out of fairly standard-duty cardboard with a double flap in the middle and two side flaps to keep the contents in place during transit.


Opening the box, we immediately have the keyboard in front of us inside a plastic wrap and surrounded by more cardboard on all sides for protection. The accessories are underneath and in another compartment to the top, which ensures no scratches or damage to the keyboard itself. These include a manual, again with the Skyloong logo, which is extremely useful but also lacking at the same time. It opens up offering English and Mandarin support on either side, with each page covering the different layouts under the GK96S family with photos of the different keycaps, as well as the L-series (my sample) with the different key configuration. As such, the extremely useful parts are left to 1.5 pages, which describe the special function keys and pre-programmed layer functions. There is also a reminder to use their software driver for further customization, but more on that later.

Update: Epomaker has uploaded an extended manual here, which addresses a lot of my concerns.


Epomaker includes a nice wire-style keycap and switch puller combination, which is indicative of the hot-swappable switch feature aboard the GK96S keyboards that is becoming a common trend with the smaller brands in 2021. To emphasize the switch-replacement feature, the company also includes several different singular switches of some of the very many switch options you can grab the GK96S in. They have gone with Gateron for the switches, and choices are far too many to list individually. Generally, you can choose between purely mechanical or optical mechanical versions of the Gateron switches, with linear, tactile, or clicky feedback and different force-travel characteristics. All are RGB switches, and the sampler kit includes some as seen above.

Following up, there are some Windows-specific replacement keycaps, which has me believe the keyboard will have some macOS keycaps out of the box. These are thick PBT keycaps without backlighting compatibility and thermally sublimed legends for good longevity. Lastly, we see the included cable, which is a nice braided cable that goes from male USB Type-A to male USB Type-C for the Type-C connectivity on the keyboard itself.