Closer Examination

I am not sure why this keyboard is called Shadow-X, is it perhaps for the darker colors used that may resemble a shadow? Either way, what matters more is the layout and form factor of the keyboard and there's a lot to talk about. Notice how it's based off a US ANSI TKL form factor but omits the entire top row, except for Escape instead of Tilde. Everything else is placed as you expect it, although then we see a rotary knob instead of Pg Up and of course the Fn key replacing the R. Win key as usual these days. Epomaker is trying something new here to try and get people to get used to smaller form factor keyboards and I do think this is an excellent alternative given it is less wide than usual to give you more space above or below the keyboard on a cramped desk. The top and bottom bezels could admittedly be smaller but they are there for a reason as we will soon see. Then we see the OLED display with a protective sticker placed above the right arrow key to further make use of empty space and this feels like a really nice keyboard already! The black and gray color scheme will also appeal to most people with no branding visible in use either. The keycaps are also quite clean with large legends in a non-gamery font and secondary legends placed above the primary ones. These are opaque so Epomaker has chosen to place all the legends in the middle too. Note also the indicator LEDs placed between the alphanumeric keys and the Ins-Pg Dn cluster to further seal the deal.


Turning the keyboard around provides a closer look at the ABS plastic case which seems to be assembled with screws on the bottom. There's the usual certification sticker here and four rubber pads on the corners help prevent the keyboard from sliding around on your desk. We also get two sets of keyboard feet at the top for a total of three elevation options and these feet also have rubber pads at the bottom.


There may not be a dedicated on/off switch visible here but Epomaker has actually built it into the rotary knob which isn't actually a smooth turning volume knob as you may have expected. This was a surprise to me given the trend of such knobs in keyboards and instead it is a multi-position knob you rotate in discrete steps one way and back the same way to choose between the pre-programmed functions, including connection mode. Bluetooth is self-explanatory in not needing any additional accessory for connection and we see 2.4 GHz connectivity via a low profile pre-paired USB dongle that is placed in a cutout in the case on the side facing away from the user. Above it is where you will find the Type-C port for wired connection. The provided cable fits in easily and there is enough room for aftermarket cables too if you wanted to add some flair. The stock cable is sleeved well, the usual 6' in length, and goes to an available USB Type-A port where USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data.


A look from the side shows the built-in elevation of the keyboard, which I would classify as medium profile by itself and can benefit from a palm rest here. The provided keycap puller helps remove some of the keycaps for a closer examination, without scratching their sides as with the plastic ring-style cheaper keycap pullers I usually see in the price range of this keyboard. Now we find out that Epomaker is using the commonly found OEM keycap profile here with the five rows contoured accordingly, thus ensuring people won't have a hard time adjusting to this keyboard from most other keyboards they may have used before. The keycaps are made of thick PBT plastic (average wall thickness 1.35 mm) with doubleshot-injected legends on the top for durability and longevity alike. These are opaque and thus the LEDs present on the keyboard will be for accent lighting only.


There are four different switch options available for the Epomaker Shadow-X in the form of the Epomaker Flamingo (linear), Bluebird (linear), Budgerigar (tactile), and Gateron Pro Yellow (linear). I have the Epomaker Budgerigar switches on my sample which are placed in a south-facing PCB with the LEDs located at the bottom to help avoid compatibility issues with lower profile keycaps (Cherry profile, for example). Note also the polycarbonate plate used here. The larger keycaps go with factory lubed plate-mounted stabilizers that feel nicer than I expected going in—the lubing has a lot to do with this as does the part where they are quite securely installed.


The switch remover tool is handy to remove the hot-swappable switches off the PCB where we see the use of 5-pin hot-swap sockets allowing you to customize the switches on a per-key basis as needed while also providing increased compatibility with all such Cherry MX-style mechanical switches. Note the thin IXPE switch pad as well as a separate foam sheet placed between the plate and the PCB itself to help further dampen keystrokes. Removing a switch also gives a closer look at the Epomaker Budgerigar switch by itself, which is a tactile 5-pin switch that has an opaque off-white nylon housing with a cutout to aid with RGB lighting and a pale green-blue opaque POM cross-point stem that also has columns around it for added dust and spill resistance.


Here is a look at the Shadow-X with all the provided yellow replacement keycaps installed. These make for yellow accents on an otherwise black/gray color scheme, so you can choose how much extra color you wish to add to the keyboard, if at all.