EPOMAKER SKYLOONG SK61 61 Keys Hot Swappable Mechanical Keyboard with RGB Backlit, NKRO, water-resistant, Type-C Cable for Win/Mac/Gaming (Gateron Optical Black, Grey)
EPOMAKER SK61 MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Hotswappable mechanical keyboard
3 layers fully programmable (Fn1+Fn2+Fn3)
Mainboard water-resistant design, dustproof
PBT dye-sublimation keycaps
16.8million RGB backlights, compatible with Mac&Win
With hot-swappable Gateron Optical Switches, make every press feel exactly the way you want it!
The SK61/61S is now hot-swappable! A rare feature among mechanical keyboards, this means you can easily change out your mechanical switches for a different type, without any soldering or effort. Want a different typing feel or sound? Simply change out the switches, and you can have a completely different tactile experience! This also extends the lifespan of the keyboard as you can easily switch out the components without throwing out the entire keyboard.
Fully Programmable&16.8 million RGB Backlight
You can reprogram any key on the SK61 to make custom macros and add layers for extra function. To further personalize your typing experience, you can expand up to three FN function keys. Your macros and layout mapping will forever revolutionize how you interact with your program softwares and games.
The SK61/61S features RGB lighting with 16.8 million LED colors, rhythm, and sound lighting combinations, with additional key-programming and macro-creation for three definable layers. With 16.8 million colors in RGB lights, you can download additional lighting effects to the library and easily use them through the lighting effects driver. Simply connect the keyboard using the USB cable to access effects and software updates. Our database is constantly updating with different lighting effects. Enjoy a more immersive and colorful typing and gaming experience.
Gateron Optical Switch-Custom As You Wish!
About SKYLOONG
With the motto of “Personalized Customizationâ€, Skyloong has always focused on research and development for the production of better mechanical keyboards that meet the personalized typing experiences of customers. Being the manufacturer for many of the world’s most famous and reputable mechanical keyboard brands, Skyloong has been praised around the world for its excellence in hardware and software development. Epomaker has teamed up with Skyloong to put together the best portable mechanical keyboard, and we could not be more thrilled to have Skyloong’s time-tested skills and expertise for this project. Skyloong will continue to aim to become the greatest international manufacturer of mechanical keyboards and to deliver the best personalized typing experience.
About EPOMAKLER
Composed of a team of young gamers, software engineers, and product designers who love tech gadgets, we set out to develop the best products that encapsulate personality, functionality, and affordability. Unsatisfied with the keyboards currently out there, we have created our own ultimate portable, wireless and fully-customizable mechanical keyboard to meet all of your daily needs. Our promise is to deliver a keyboard that meets all of your workflow needs, with a fashionable style, and a budget-friendly value.
Gateron switches are popular around the world for their durability and distinct tactile and sonic characteristics. We offer the Gateron Optical switches, which have a much smoother press than traditional Gateron switches, and have a longer lifespan of 100 million keystrokes.
Specs
- Switch: Gateron Optical Switch (Blue/Brown/Red /Black Switch)
- Connection: USB Type-C
- Material: PBT + ABS
- Cable: 1.5m USB Cable
- Size: 295 * 105 * 45mm
- Weight: 768g
- Note: The hotswap feature only apply to Gateron optical switches
More Details Are To Be Found!
| | | |
|---|---|---|
IPX6 Dustproof&Water-resistantThe keyboard stands out also because of its IPX6 dustproof and water-resistant mainboard design. It’s practical and unusual. No worries about unexpected water spill on the keyboard. | Dye-Sublimation PBT KeycapsWe chose to go with a top-grade PBT thermal sublimation keycaps. PBT keycaps are often considered the top choice for keycap materials, even over ABS keycaps, as PBT is much more durable, oil-resistant (won’t get shiny over time like ABS), and stays true to color longer. Our keycaps are also abrasion-resistant, water-resistant, and dust resistant to keep your keyboard lasting longer – even for the daily on-the-go lifestyle. | USB-C to USB 3.0 PortThe SK61/61S is fully compatible with every operating system (OS) from Mac/iOS to Android and Windows, and you can easily switch between the different OS with just the flip of a switch. |
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| RGB | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Switch | Gateron Optical Switch | Gateron Optical Switch | Gateron Optical Switch | Gateron Optical Switch | Gateron Optical Switch | Gateron Optical Switch |
| Hotswappable | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keys | 61 keys | 61 keys | 64 keys | 64 keys | 66 keys | 66 keys |
| Weight: | 600 g |
| Dimensions: | 30 x 10.8 x 4 cm; 600 Grams |
| Brand: | EPOMAKER |
| Colour: | Grey |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | EPOMAKER |
| Colour: | Grey |
| Reference: | Epomaker SK61 |
Perfect keyboard switches are a bit bad but for the price that was expected the stabilisers were alright but for the price could have been a little better but would recommend
It is very easy to use. Minor tweaks can be done. Can be reprogrammed and remapped. Very fun to use
I am always in the market for a mac-compatible mechanical keyboard, so I was excited when I saw this one. I got the clicky blue (I personally love the sound AND the feedback). I also love the plastic of these keys (it does not feel cheap, if that makes sense?) and that they don’t have alot of chatter to them. Each keystroke delivers a very satisfying click, while also feeling very solid/sturdy. I think the build quality seems great overall, and the RGB colors are bright and saturated. The F keys have the function shortcuts printed on them – so handy! I
love just about everything about this keyboard… I just wish it came in a version with a numpad available. While epomaker does make a version with a numpad, they keys are more condensed (with some of them having up to 4 characters assigned to one key) and in that case, the amount of condensing and up hindering the practical usability.
With that said, if you don’t make frequent use of a numpad, I HIGHLY recommend this keyboard for a truly satisfying typing experience. I hope epomaker keeps on innovating and offering new designs because I can’t wait to see what else they can do!
Very nice keyboard for starters as not too expensive but gives room to those who want to experiment with keyboard styles and changing switches etc I really like how compact it is and looks very smart on the desk. Keys feel nice, maybe a tad wobbly but you don’t notice unless you are looking for it and it honestly does the job perfectly fine. Would recommend!!
Bought as a birthday present for grandson. He is quite happy with it.
Bought as a birthday present for grandson. He is quite happy with it.
its the best keyboard i ever reviewed and i review a ton so its top quality.and i recommend putting brown switches and putting foam under it makes it sound so nice
its the best keyboard i ever reviewed and i review a ton so its top quality.and i recommend putting brown switches and putting foam under it makes it sound so nice
The board is really good for gaming and typing. The red switches are really light and easy to press. I did not experience any fatigue while typing for hours and it has been a good purchase so far. The case is a hard plastic with an aluminum plate which makes it really sturdy and flex-proof. RGB is vibrant, but lacking in variation patterns and only can be fixed with their terrible downloadable software. Since RGB doesn’t matter to me, its fine.
The only problem I have with the board is the stabilizers. They’re obviously cheap and rattly because of the board’s price, but its something I would like to point out if you’re looking to buy this either stock or planning to mod it. So spend extra bucks for another set of stabs and lube/dielectric grease.
Overall, I like this board for which I bought it at on sale/discount, you will have a solid budget keyboard for gaming and typing in the 60% layout.
i will say the keyboard is great for the price, be aware it comes with optical switches which are not 3 pin or 5 pin, the program is bit of a hassle to get working at the start but after that its all good
Very nice keyboard with a basic design (which is something I like)
The keyboard is made with a hard plastic, very hard material, which is nice and give me an expectation about the durability.
In the box, I receive a keys disassembly kit, and keys for MAC.
The cons, which make me take a star is:
Manual: is not very good written, could be hard for people who’s experienced in computes in general
Keys retro light: the keys dont let the light from the keyboard pass throw it. And this is worst than don’t have lights. Once in dark rooms you will not able to see the keys.
I truly recommend for programmers and people experience in computer. I plan to buy the version with arrow keys and blue tooth for the same mark.
Love this keyboard, I use it for work and gaming. They keyboard layout I have to use the refrence sheet now and then to use the fn key combination it took a while to get used to. The software I updated from the Web site it to takes a bit to get used to but it works well macros and light presets easy to implement it have 4 layers or profile settings I can switch between.
gb isnt the best still really good also all keycaps are same level so takes a little getting used to but over really good, nice and quite and feels really good to type with and game
gb isnt the best still really good also all keycaps are same level so takes a little getting used to but over really good, nice and quite and feels really good to type with and game
gb isnt the best still really good also all keycaps are same level so takes a little getting used to but over really good, nice and quite and feels really good to type with and game
The keyboard itself is great, amazing build quality, very solid and good quality,
shame the keyboard is hotswappable yet is an optical board as there isn’t a great variaty of switches, software is pretty complicated but isn’t too hard to get your head around, switches are great and sound amazing
gb isnt the best still really good also all keycaps are same level so takes a little getting used to but over really good, nice and quite and feels really good to type with and game
The keyboard itself is great, amazing build quality, very solid and good quality,
shame the keyboard is hotswappable yet is an optical board as there isn’t a great variaty of switches, software is pretty complicated but isn’t too hard to get your head around, switches are great and sound amazing
Got mine with reds and overall, I am pretty satisfied for what I paid. Its got some nice double shot pbt keycaps which feel great to type on. I plan on lubing it and foam modding it but straight out the box stock it doesn’t sound too bad at all. Only complaint which is why I knock a star off is the rgb has this weird red under glow which I presume might be from the optical switches but I don’t know. I’m not really one for Rgb though so I don’t mind but to those who do care look at the picture above. It’s only really noticeable when on a solid color. Otherwise this is a great board and I definitely recommend to those looking for a great budget option!
This keyboard is perfect for new mechanical users looking for a top range 60% keyboard. It takes a while getting used too, but personally, i find it perfect to use!
This keyboard is perfect for new mechanical users looking for a top range 60% keyboard. It takes a while getting used too, but personally, i find it perfect to use!
BUDGET GET THIS BOARD!
Recommendedations: Apply your own lube for stabs. Lube the Yellows. Foam the inside to some it sounds tinny or empty, there’s definitely a echo and lastly, For the stabilizers for my preference I would get Gateron Reds that are heavier actuation to counter miss clicking and just a better feel for the stabs they feel too light for Shift and Space bar to me i would like a little give.
Really nice color goes well with my desk (gray and white) black switches feel buttery smooth (probably cause its optical) If you need a new keyboard and want something nice get this, for games and typers.
The RGB is amazing and the quality of the build is great and sturdy.
The RGB is amazing and the quality of the build is great and sturdy.
Great size key board looks expensive and it works amazingly! Great buyer super fast dispatch and communicatio
keyboard sounds and feels great but the driver software is kind of hard to use.
keyboard sounds and feels great but the driver software is kind of hard to use.
So i got the keyboard with the black switches and some keys like the spacebar were prelubed which felt nice, and the keycaps feel amazing and the wear in undetectable but, the issues are the drivers are hard to find and download, the LED lights aren’t the brightest and I do not know if this happened to anyone else but the stabilizers in the spacebar are very bad it really annoyed me at first because it gets hard to type etc. When you press the spacebar slightly on one side of the keyboard it lifts up on the other side and if you do it a couple times you have to press it on the other side so it goes down again, so if you know how to work with a keyboard like change switches, stabilizers, foam mod. band-aid mod it I highly recommend this keyboard because everything else about this keyboard is immaculate!
i ordered this keyboard for a replacement for my old one.
when i got i was realy happy the feeling is great and in my opinion the keycaps look amazing.
i give this a 4.9 star rating 0.1 was cause the stabilizers were over lobbed, the space bar sounded bit wired and my finial reason is the echo form the case but is really quie
i ordered this keyboard for a replacement for my old one.
when i got i was realy happy the feeling is great and in my opinion the keycaps look amazing.
i give this a 4.9 star rating 0.1 was cause the stabilizers were over lobbed, the space bar sounded bit wired and my finial reason is the echo form the case but is really quie
the only downside in my keyboard was the stabilizer of the space bar, i think it was almost faulty, you could push very easy the space bar and very noisy. Also the rest of the stabilisers were very noisy but better in the feeling when pushing it.
The first easy and cheaper upgrade you can make in the keyboard is place some tape/paper to the stabilisers to move less
the second easier is to buy some Orings and lower the noise of the key stroke.
The third easier and cheaper upgrade is to buy some third party stabilisers to replace the original.
At the moment, i have placed some foam under the pcb, new stabilisers, o rings and lubed the switches with overall price less than 100 and sounds and feels awesome.
If you want to experiment on a 60% keyboard and try to upgrade it by yourself, i think, in my personal opinion, this is the suitable keyboard to do it on it.
If the space bar wasn’t faulty i would rate it with 5 stars
From the get go, this is a very good board.
Even though the entire body (besides pcb and plate of course) is plastic, this board feels high-quality. It’s heavier than you would think, and somewhat durable too.
One caveat is its use of Gateron Opto-Mechanical switches. Because they use an infrared laser instead of a typical leaf, these are extremely smooth especially with lube and are quicker than regular switches. What that does mean, though, is that the “hotswap” feature only works with Gateron Opto-Mechanical switches; there is no room for pins whatsoever, so only buy this if you plan to keep the stock switches.
The only real reason you would buy this board over another gk61 is for the included keycaps. That’s why I bought it, considering you need at least $30 for somewhat okay keycaps. These keycaps are super cute PBT which isn’t very bad at all, actually thicker than most keycaps you’ll come across on any other prebuilt GKxx keyboard.
My recommendation for anyone just looking for another gaming/ typing keyboard and nothing more is definitely leaning towards this buy. It has everything you’ll need right out of the box, and you don’t need to lube the switches to have them impressively smooth.
If you’re looking for an entry-level keyboard for your new hobby, I’ll stop you here. You can find other GK61 boards with full hotswap, maybe even kailh hotswap (I know the RK68 from Royal Kludge has them for $54, which also uses Gateron switches), so definitely go for one of those instead and spend an extra $5-10 on keycaps. Trust me, you will appreciate it in the future when you want to try out other switches. But one more fair warning before I finish: Outemu hotswap is similar in that only Outemu switches fit. Using any other brand of switches, you’ll need to clip/sand one of the pins on each switch to fit into the hotswap sockets. Otherwise, I strongly recommend that you look for a GK61/68/whatever with kailh hotswap, if possible. This board isn’t bad by any means, in fact it’s a real bang for your buck. I just think it’s more worth it in the long run for you to invest in a board with full hotswap and some other keycaps.
I wanted to experience using a 60% Keyboard at a reasonable price. This fill that want perfectly. It seems to be quite sturdy. I got black switches, “upgrading” from the blue, clicky ones I’d had before. Thought the black switches have taken a little bit of getting use to, I quite enjoy them and their significantly more quiet. The RBG has more range to it than I expected it to with the software. The texture of the keys is nice. I was unaware that the keys themselves aren’t shine-through, which has ended up working out in my favor as I have put shine-through keycaps on the keys I use the most, however had I not had other keycaps, it would have been a bummer as I use this keyboard in a dark environment.
TIPS: 1) I had the keyboard plugged in before downloading the software. The software didn’t recognize the keyboard. I unplugged/replugged the keyboard and the software picked it up immediately.
2) The software isn’t the most intuitive, however a quick search for a keyboard/software tutorial yielded quite a few results that worked out wonderfully.
Time will tell its longevity, but for now its great and I love it.
The keyboard is great for its price, it has Bluetooth, amazing rbg configuration, great switch choice. For gaming it’s amazing, no input delay and I’m really happy it has USB c connection. I wish they included a better key cap puller becuase the small plastic one broke one of the switches but it still works. It’s a great entry level gaming keyboard. It’s good for hot swapping switches but you can only hot swap it for other gateron switches. I really recommend the gateron yellow switches for smoothness. I also recommend adding some foam underneath the pcb to reduce some of the pinging and also modifying the space bar to reduce the rattle and pinging. But overall the keyboard is great.
The keyboard is great for its price, it has Bluetooth, amazing rbg configuration, great switch choice. For gaming it’s amazing, no input delay and I’m really happy it has USB c connection. I wish they included a better key cap puller becuase the small plastic one broke one of the switches but it still works. It’s a great entry level gaming keyboard. It’s good for hot swapping switches but you can only hot swap it for other gateron switches. I really recommend the gateron yellow switches for smoothness. I also recommend adding some foam underneath the pcb to reduce some of the pinging and also modifying the space bar to reduce the rattle and pinging. But overall the keyboard is great.
I like the optical red switches they r so light that if u basically tap it the switch activates as it has 2mm actuation point and they switch itself is pre lubed and silent until the keycaps bottoms out. rgb is quite easy to control once u understand it. shouldn’t be worth 70 should be around 60 but for me i think i got every pennies worth. haven’t had any problems for a month of usage, recommended buy for all gamers/ typists
Really good keyboard for the price arrived a day earlier then should of , for 74 with yellow switches is really good sounds amazing is pre lubed but will mod it soon lovely design for keycaps and colour scene
My son is really pleased with this keyboard it’s great for gaming
I’m happy with item it’s my first 60% keyboard, I have not been able to connect it via Bluetooth yet but that wasn’t the primary interest as of yet. There is a USB provided hence I’m using that to start off with the perhaps dig deeper on using Bluetooth
Great keyboard but was given wrong switches asked for reds and got browns let it down.
Great keyboard but was given wrong switches asked for reds and got browns let it down.
Awesome, i had a branded expensive which was top quality and this is actually on top
Of it great quality. Optical yellow triple AAA quality
Awesome, i had a branded expensive which was top quality and this is actually on top
Of it great quality. Optical yellow triple AAA quality
The keyboard is very good! The stabilizer are very nice stock and very impressed with keyboard the lighting and software work good and I love to play my game! The yellow switches sound very nice and feel good. I recommend to you. Thank!
One of the gift for my partner and he loves it. Thanks x
Nunca haba comprado un teclado mecnico por Amazon, normalmente se ven de marcas latam econmicas o marcas reconocidas a precios altos as que verlo fue una sorpresa para mi, es muy buen teclado, responde bien y tiene un optimo ruido.
Lightweight keys. keys have wobble. small compact is not quiet. For the price love i
Lightweight keys. keys have wobble. small compact is not quiet. For the price love i
This is a great 60% keyboard for a budget price. Though I dislike the price, it does it’s job perfectly.
This is a great 60% keyboard for a budget price. Though I dislike the price, it does it’s job perfectly.
This is a great 60% keyboard for a budget price. Though I dislike the price, it does it’s job perfectly.
How wrong I was! This keyboard is amazing. Just a few minutes typing on the mechanical switches and you suddenly understand the joy of typing on something that gives a good bit of old school resistance. The clacketty sounds the keys make brought me right back to the days when I used to type on an old typewriter. But..this is a gaming keyboard and according to my son, is a dream to use as he strafes and shoots his opponents hitting the keys in quick repetition.
This was amazing keyabord just doesn’t have three pin PCB so be careful but great keyboard 🙂
I was hesitant at first due to the low price, but after purchasing im surprised at the quality and functionality, the lighting effects are OK if your into that sort of thing but the build quality is high and the materials used are of the same quality
I was hesitant at first due to the low price, but after purchasing im surprised at the quality and functionality, the lighting effects are OK if your into that sort of thing but the build quality is high and the materials used are of the same quality
Switches feel good, I prefer a heavier switch so I went with blacks.
it’s worth noting that it is only hotswappable with other Gateron Optical switches.
Stabilizers are decent, but probably this keyboard’s biggest downside. But that’s okay, they can be replaced later if you choose to do so.
Overall it presents itself as a good platform for someone looking to get into mechanical keyboards. The software is a bit finicky, and could use some work, but the on board lighting profiles can be swapped out for a bunch of other presets so you only really have to mess with it once, and that’s it you choose to. You could definitely get away with just the built in profiles.
Keep the manual on hand, it’s great if you need to remember how to access shortcuts for a bunch of important keys and other controls.
Only thing is, the space bar is very very sensitive. But that’s something for me to get used to because of my previous keyboard I guess.
En su caja cuenta con 3 keys adicionales para el uso en Mac y dos herramientas para reteirar la tecla o su ltima herramienta que funciona para retirar sus switch e intercambiarlos por otros OPTICOS, el keyboard slo funciona con switch opticos.
Ac mi resea, ah! Una cosa ms el keyboard cmo es de 60% funciona con funciones o fn(son muy fcil recordarlos). Y es USA el teclado, por lo tanto faltar la “” y el uso de tildes, pero Windows lo captar cmo el teclado que tendrs por defecto. Ahora s, ac mi reporte.
Its Pretty Good, great for gaming , could be 10$ cheaper, overall good.
Very good for the price
I would recommend silvers not yellows as i press them by accident alo
Very good for the price
I would recommend silvers not yellows as i press them by accident alo
Very good for the price
I would recommend silvers not yellows as i press them by accident alo
Me encanta la respuesta de los switches negros pticos, se siente suave y rpida, adems no es muy sonora.
La calidad del cable es buena.
La retro iluminacin es buena tambin.
El perfil de las teclas no me gust, por lo que se las cambi por las de otro teclado.
No tiene bluetooth, como ilustra la imagen.
El software para configurarlo no es muy intuitivo, pero logra su cometido, cambiar la disposicin de teclas y tambin la iluminacin.
For colouring, the baseplate is whiter than the keys – which are more of a creamy white.
Where do I start? This keyboard feels amazing with its 85% thick PBT caps. The quality doesn’t feel cheap and the keyboard is made from strong plastic. If I’m sure the stabilizers and switches come factory lubed which is a great thing. Overall I wish there were more color variations of this keyboard. I think this is way better than GK61. However, if you need arrow keys you should go for the SK64. This is a very smooth board and is pretty good for gaming.
Muy confiable, el seguimiento de la transaccin fue muy meticulosa y clara, el producto es lo que esperaba, los tiempos son los que te dicen que son y un servicio muy cordial.
All I wanna say is the shipping was very quick! And would recommend this keyboard to a lot of ppl it’s put together very well and feels stronger than most of those cheap ones you can get for $40 plus the switches feel really good I got the red’s (keep in mind if you’re new to mechanical keyboards these switches will feel kinda like a regular keyboard but way smoother and clean when clicking. Great keyboard overall
pros:
great feel
easy to use
nice sound
good backlight
good value
cons:
rgb software is not very intuitive
rgb shortcuts could use some work
pros:
great feel
easy to use
nice sound
good backlight
good value
cons:
rgb software is not very intuitive
rgb shortcuts could use some work
Pros:
– Gateron optical reds feel super smooth and are probably the best switches for gaming
– Minimal, looks great, solid build
– Beautiful rgb colors
Cons:
– White isn’t pure white more blue-ish tone
– Software works but a bit complicated
– Spacebar doesn’t sound great (needs lube)
Overall this keyboard is great and offers the best bang for the buck. Easily my fav board for gaming!
I’ve been wanting a Vortex Pok3r for a while now, but I wasn’t sure how I’d like the 60% layout. Being in Canada, a Pok3r will cost at least $200 CAD to get it shipped (conversion, shipping, import fees), so I decided to buy this keyboard as a “test”.
Newsflash: It’s awesome! The build quality is great. Keycaps are thick PBT and domed, so they feel nice on the fingertips. The Gateron brown switches types and sounds great, but after being lubed, they type and sound *even better*. Since the board is hot-swappable, it makes lubing switches a breeze.
The SK61 also has software that allows you to create key layers/configs, custom LED, and macros. Haven’t played with it too much yet as I’m pretty satisfied with the current layout, but it seems somewhat easy to use.
My only gripe is with the stabs, especially the spacebar. They definitely have a high pitched rattle/pinging, even after being clipped/lubed (oh, and the stabs come pre-lubed, which is nice). The ping is pre-travel, which I can’t seem to fix.
I might not even go for the Pok3r after this keyboard. The quality you get for this price ($87) is unbeatable.
This is a Christmas gift, so our grandson hasn’t used it yet. It appears to look the same as the photo though. It isn’t very big.
The keyboard is very comfortable. I also like the software alot, it took a long time to get used to but it is very fun to make new profiles. I hope that they add more options for lights, like each frame can have different color lights, This keyboard is great. It would be absolutely perfect if the software had more customization options
Purchased with brown switches. Easy to remove optical switches to replace, lubricate, or add TX film. The tool for keycap and switch removal is included along with a USB-A to USB-C braided cable. Case fits tightly with little flex creating a compact package. Other reviews have said this keyboard has hollow sound due to the plastic case, but adding O-rings helped. A heavy metal case would help, but that would add to the cost. The sound of the keyboard is normal for a mechanical keyboard, especially when sitting on cloth or a mouse pad. Includes three extra keys for Mac layout. I also like that I can turn the backlight to lowest level for night use. Did that by selecting blue or green LEDs always on with FN+ and then selecting the brightness with FN+P. FN+E switches to Mac keyboard layout, essentially swapping Alt and Win keys for Command and Option respectively. The Mac layer also enables the four arrow keys available on the layer using FN+R-Alt, FN+R-CNTL, FN+Menu, FN+?. Pressing FN+E toggles back to the standard layer. I use Karabiner Elements with my MacBook and the the standard layer works well with this app. Not using the keyboard for gaming, but I am using it for typing. For that use case, the keyboard is an excellent value. My keyboard came with keycaps that were not sculpted or tall, they were low profile.
The F and J keys have homing “bumps.” I was going to put on different (taller) keycaps, but ended up liking these. It seems the lower profile with the swappable switches reduces the wobble of taller keycaps. Not long ago mechanical keyboards with hot swappable optical switches were hard to find. At this price, you you have a keyboard with removable optical switches for $65, less when on sale. You could spend a lot more and get less than you do with this keyboard. If you are interested in swappable optical switches, but don’t want to spend too much on your mechanical keyboard hobby, this is a great value.
They are hot swappable but I’m pretty cool with the red switches. Mine is not the Bluetooth version, i have not tested it with a Mac. But if it works literally like plug and play, it would work on a Mac.
The manual is very useful if you’ve never used a 60% keyboard. It has different rgb mode, there is this one particular mode that takes in the sound and displays the amount of rgb lights it’ll display (according to sound). I didn’t know this feature, it would be a no no feature since i am not looking for a keyboard that can spy on me.
However, it’s a good keyboard. Been using in nonstop . I tried my cheaper blue switches keyboard and I hate it.
The switches are flat like how’d you see on a laptop or magic keyboard. But it’s all good because it’s amazing to use.
Really happy with with epomaker SK61. Excellent value for money, I love it that much I fully customised it within the same week I bought it. It has a nice weight to it, feels very premium, works really well, haven’t had any problems at all. I definitely recommend buying one
I have extremely strong opinions on this keyboard. All of which are downright positive.
I firmly believe that if you’re looking for a custom feeling keyboard without having to build one or spend hundreds of dollars, this is it.
It has hotswap optical switches, amazing PBT keycaps, a high profile layout, and custom rgb settings. (Unfortunately this specific model is limited to only other optical switches.)
To me, it has all of the features of a Gk61 build, but miles cheaper, and starts you off with an amazing keycap set. It already looks like custom build, for half the price.
It’s been my daily drive for almost 4 months now and I couldn’t ask for more. The stabilizers, save for the space bar are lubed well from the factory, but with a bit of tweaking and relubing, they feel buttery smooth.
I chose optical blacks for a change, since reds are much to light for me and I don’t personally like the feel of browns. They’re
perfect for typing and gaming. Not too heavy and not too light. They check all of the boxes for every day use and aren’t overly obnoxious. The inner ping can be easily remedied by laying some thin foam within the interior of the case. It removes some of the echo and feels solid to type on
Now for the RGB, it’s extremely bright, and looks good against the stock white caps. There are some great preset options to choose from but I used the software to pick out what went with my setup. The case is a hard plastic with some texture and a good looking layout. There is no flip out feet, but I feel that the incline on the board is plenty comfortable to type on.
I will admit, the software itself is not perfect and could use some polishing. Some of the included light effects would not work on my keyboard, and the layer configurations was a bit tedious to work around. Most of the time, I don’t use the RGB on they board anyway, so this was no problem.
In conclusion, it’s my favorite budget board to date and I find myself using it over some of my custom builds. Price to performance wise, you won’t find much like it. Especially when there’s lighting deals or coupons included.
First impressions were that this board (despite being fitted with Gateron reds) is loud! Some attribute this to the board sounding hollow, but it’s a sound I love. Typing on this thing is super satisfactory.
A potential downside is that the caps are not shine through, so you miss out on some of the RGB potential – but I just replaced the keycaps it came with with some doubleshot PBTs and it looks great (non standard size meant that I had to keep a couple of the stock keycaps but I don’t mind that). The legend on the original keycaps is not very attractive in my opinion, but I do very much like the colour scheme.
This is my first board with optical switches, and they work just as well as any other switches I’ve used. Quiet switches but with a lovely ‘thunk’ from the board.
Overall a really nice board for the price. If you want a super quiet board, go for something like a Kemove 61, but if you like a nice thunky board, this is a great pickup.
I really like this keyboard, especially for the price. For what is important to me it really nails it. The keycaps are nice and thick and add to the overall reassuring feel that the keyboard has. I was worried about the lack of arrow keys with this being a 60% layout keyboard but I found that I can change the layout to “Onboard mode1” and the ALT, MENU, CTRL, and ‘?’ become the arrow keys and if I need to use any of those keys (which I rarely do) then I can access them with the function key again. I found this way of doing things (using the FN key to access another layer) to be pretty nice and within my first day of use already more convenient than having to move my wrist and find keys on a standard layout or even a tenkeyless. As for the Gateron blacks that I ordered this in I really find them nice to type on compared to my blue-style keyboards and my Gateron red keyboard (I found that I didn’t like how light the keys felt). I really prefer these Gateron blacks over what I’ve used previously and I’ve not found them to be fatiguing like other people find switches that require more force to type on. The bottom housing, or shell of the keyboard is also nice with it being so thick and whatever plastic it’s made out of seems really solid to me. As for programmability I can’t comment on but for me it isn’t a feature that I need considering I have it working the way I want it to. In the picture I have the light set all the way up but for me I usually have it set way darker. I also personally like how the plastic is raised a bit on the sides as it makes it easier to use the keys on the edges and also lets me rest the sides of my hand on the board which is something my previous keyboards didn’t have.
Also note; this isn’t the Bluetooth version, look for the SKU with “S” at the end for that feature.
Optical red switches are really smooth and light, but just a bit too light for me.
Software is very difficult to use. It’s not like Razer or Logitech, you need to know what you are doing to navigate it. I had to watch some YouTube videos to figure it out, but once you do it’s pretty feature rich.
I ended up returning it for the Bluetooth version with arrow keys, but if you don’t care about that stuff this is a great buy and cheaper too.
This is an awesome keyboard for the price feels solid and buttons are just the way i like them quality is only se to 4 stars due to the keys being a bit cheaply made but still good
Came from blue switches and i though switching to linear was going to be a bad change but the black switches felt and sounded great had it for 2 weeks now and its still holding up.
Came from blue switches and i though switching to linear was going to be a bad change but the black switches felt and sounded great had it for 2 weeks now and its still holding up.
Came from blue switches and i though switching to linear was going to be a bad change but the black switches felt and sounded great had it for 2 weeks now and its still holding up.
I was unable to get any drivers to work with this board. But that’s not too much of an issue. I don’t have any complaints with this board.
[Update 1]
I’m a pretty heavy keyboard user, after a few days I can generally tell if a board is good or not, this board is unbelievable, after a few weeks the wear is undetectable, which is unusual for me (because of my university work I can spend up to 8 hours a day on a keyboard). But the real game changer for this board is the sound for me, this board is so satisfying to type on, I’m not sure if it’s the switches or the backplate or a combination of the two, but this board sounds unreal
[Update 2]
No complaints with the board, infact to this date by far the best board I have ever used. Better than things 2-3x the price. However when you buy from smaller brands like this the driver’s aren’t always the greatest andt his board is no exception. The driver SUCKS it’s a modified GK61 driver but never have I ever been so frustrated with a driver. I still reccomend this board, but expect to have an argument with the drivers
[Update 3] Still going strong after nearly a year – stabalisers are beginning to rattle a bit which is totally normal – definitely gonna have to lube it – still fantastic to type o
I just received my keyboard yesterday. This is replacing my old “LeaningTech” 60% keyboard, which I loved.
I’m not the type who purchased for the RGB, I have it turned off and really could care less about the lighting.
I went with the Gateron Brown optical switches, which feel amazing so far. The keyboard has a nice subtle “thock” to it when you bottom out. The keys are a bit odd being similar to the XDA profile; the rows are all about level with each other, similar to a laptop but not like a standard keyboard. That did not matter to me as I ordered a separate OEM profile keycap set anyway.
The keyboard is very very rigid which is great but mine has just a touch of wobble as it sits on my desk; a business card eliminates the wobble for now but hopefully I can find a better fix.
The braided USB cable is nice, although it’s not coiled and I may be ordering a coiled unit to help keep my cables a tad cleaner. Definitely not a deal breaker by any means.
Something I will need to get used to though is the FN layer. The old LeaningTech keyboard (which appears to be no longer available) used FN-Backspace for Delete, which made a lot of sense. Out of the box, this keyboard uses that combination to turn the backlight off; Delete is FN-M. This is not marked on the side of the keys, which is fine for me; the unit comes with a legend that shows you the combinations.
Overall this keyboard is pretty awesome. No nonsense, straight to business. No logos on the sides of the case. Very “plain” looking aside from the different key colors you can get out of the box, which I like very much as most inexpensive mechanical keyboards seem to be aimed at “gamers” and can be too flashy for my tastes.
Overall I would definitely recommend this keyboard to anyone considering it.
*KEYCAPS – “STANDARD” swappable keycaps, (MAC caps included to swap-out defaults) and the default keycaps feel nice to type on so you won’t cringe until replacements arrive, or if you decide to stick with the defaults.
*SWITCHES -The switches in this keyboard are Optical Gateron switches. I received the model with RED switches and I have to say they feel great. Smooth and just the right resistances. MODDER’S NOTE: You can only swap-in other Gateron Optical switches, so be sure as this may affect your modding decisions. If you DO decide to mod this board, the included keycap and switch pullers worked just fine and with little difficulty.
*STABILIZERS – Not too much to say here. They are nice, and work perfectly.
*CASE/HOUSING – Solid and sturdy with good weight for a 60% keyboard. The gradient/tilt is fixed, so there are no flimsy flip-out feet to get gunky or fail over time. The board is stable and stays put on the wood, vinyl, slate, and glass surfaces that I tested typing on. NOTE: Weight being a double-edge sword here, great for giving a solid and stable workspace, but adds to travel weight, so consider if you plan to use for LAN events.
*USB – The USB is removable, and the included braided USB-A to C cable was nice quality for this price point. Note, it IS a little stiff, so expect to have kinks held for a time if you are OCD about that kind of thing… The port feels solid and doesn’t give the impression that it will fail with reasonable care when plugging/unplugging if this will be a travel board. Only improvement I wished for was strain reliefs for each end’s plug.
*RGB – Amazing the levels of individual customization you can get for these prices nowadays! No complaints, with brightness levels, available color pallet, animation speeds, ability to program, and custom profiles available. NOTE: The software that you use for this keyboard is the same as you’d use for just about any GK-series board, so chances are you may already have controller software if modding is your thing. If not, there are multiple references for “GK driver” or “GK controller” software that you can find easily. (Amazon doesn’t like links, or I’d include one)
Yes, your settings are saved in the keyboard’s memory and will carry-over to another computer which is nice.
This is my first mechanical keyboard with a plastic case – my daily mechanical keyboard has a 3lb aluminum case, so I decided to purchase this for travel purposes. The switches themselves were slightly wobbly but very smooth, typical of Gateron switches, and the PBT keycaps felt nice to type on. The only small nitpick I have is the ringing from plastic cases – I ended up removing all the keycaps to add some dampening, since the bottom-out noise on plastic cases is more unpleasant than the ring of a metal case. Keys are relatively straightforward to replace.
The keyboard also came with a nice selection of accessories. I appreciated the inclusion of both metal and plastic keycap removers, as well as the OS X modifier keys; I do wish that there were enough to replace both left and right side modifier keys should someone wish to. In my case, I rarely use the right-side modifiers or look at them, so it was not a big deal.
I haven’t tested the IP6X rating – will update this review when tested. Overall, this keyboard does nothing wrong, and at $65 is a decent starter option for those who might balk at the price of $100 mechanical keyboards, or would like to try out the mechanical keyboard experience. I will be using it for travel, as well as to test drive new switches for a substantial period of time.
To make the fewest mistakes, to type the quickest, to get the feedback that you need from your fingers pressing down back to your brain saying “you did that right” or “you slipped up and need to do *this* to correct it”.
If it’s so much as slightly confused, as to what your mistake was exactly, or that you’re unsure if you pressed the key properly, that makes you take inadvertent breaks that make you way less proficient with whatever you’re doing.
When typing for work, talking to friends, gaming competitively, etc. — Any incoherency will slow you down, mess up your fluency and pattern of doing things, making you feel less in touch with the game you play.
It’s only human to need something that is tailored to work on the same mental frequency as you physically handle it, it’s like knowing the feel of your basketball better than any other. You bring it to the court with the same pressure you prefer and you don’t want to admit that it gives you an advantage, that you understand how it’s going to operate when you use it.
That is exactly how it feels with these Gateron Brown switches.
Within the past few years alone, I’ve been through a couple different boards with different advantages. I started with the typical “clicky and tactile” mechanical keys. They were a neat introduction into what a better keyboard had to offer. The sound made the use of a keyboard seem “enhanced” while offering a tactile feel with transparent feedback.
When it came the time to retire the clicky mechanical board, I made a move in the opposite direction.
I ended up getting a “silent”, linear switch mechanical keyboard without the “tactile” bump. Now this was an improvement for me when it came to playing certain games where strafing was involved, but the activation point was so short, that I found myself hitting wrong keys accidentally WAY too much for my liking.
That’s when I got this Epomaker keyboard with the Gateron browns.
First off, I LOVE this keyboard. In my experience within mechanicals, no keyboard switch is truly “silent”, but these are very quiet and present a very warm, low tonality that is easy on the ears and provides the auditory feedback I need to be confident when I type.
I had myself worried at first “how will I ever get used to a keyboard where I can’t use the arrow keys to do simple text edits”? Boy, I was wrong. This board allows you to use arrow keys with function + the surrounding keys. Matter of fact, it has all the key functionalities that a “tenkeyless” keyboard has, and there isn’t a big learning curve either.
The space I have for competitive gaming is amazing, I use a very low sensitivity and this makes me feel much more open to control my character with the movement room it frees up. That combined with all the keyboard functionalities I’m used to makes this keyboard a no-brainer.
I mentioned before that you really need a “feel” for your keyboard. Switches that make you feel in touch, to maximize the proficiency that you’re capable of. Why should your keyboard be the limit to how you type rather than your own physical limitations?
I find these brown Gaterons give me the feedback I need in every way to type confidently with minimum mistakes, and at the maximum potential of my own limitations. None of those excessive mistakes like I’ve gotten with my previous linear switches.
Now, I’m usually not very impressed by keyboard lighting, it’s usually just a convenience for seeing the keyboard layout or backlighting the key text on some keyboards. The backlighting, pattern and speed options in this keyboard are great! The coloring is solid and fills very well, it looks clean and presents a nice aesthetic. At the same time, I find the light doesn’t leak out where it adds visual “noise” to my surroundings. It is very focused on the board and pleasant to look at.
I honestly could not recommend this keyboard more. For the price it delivers above it’s weight and supersedes the value of other more expensive keyboards I’ve owned and used.
If I have one complaint, it’s that at night the dark color scheme of this keyboard makes it harder to see the key markings. This is mostly my fault though, as I don’t have any light in my background other than my monitor. I would definitely suggest a lighter version of this board (the second darkest or the white) to anybody in a similar situation. Other than that, the keys are generally easy to see.
All in all, I can’t say there’s a better keyboard on the market for this price point, and even more-so, I didn’t expect this to impress me more than most of the “flagship” keyboards from other reputable companies. When I am in the market for another/different board, I will certainly be looking for another Epomaker!
I’ve always scrimped out on keyboards, over the last couple years I’ve had maybe 4 or 5 low end budget mechanical keyboards. They all break, keys go non responsive and the quality is generally mediocre. I spent a little bit more on this occasion and I can honestly say its worth the 70 price tag. It’s very sleek, the key caps are good quality, rgb is great. I did also disassemble the entire keyboard, and it’s very well built, good components, I added some foam to the bottom for dampening and also lubed all 60 switches, which had made it even better. Totally exceeded my expectation, no complaints. Also worth mentioning the gateron black linears I went with were really good before lubing and awesome after lubing.
Negatives – I haven’t found any so far really – the only minor thing I would suggest is that the instruction manual can be improved upon for understanding shortcuts. Nonetheless, this is a 60% keyboard worth mentioning for sure!
Negatives – I haven’t found any so far really – the only minor thing I would suggest is that the instruction manual can be improved upon for understanding shortcuts. Nonetheless, this is a 60% keyboard worth mentioning for sure!
Negatives – I haven’t found any so far really – the only minor thing I would suggest is that the instruction manual can be improved upon for understanding shortcuts. Nonetheless, this is a 60% keyboard worth mentioning for sure!
Negatives – I haven’t found any so far really – the only minor thing I would suggest is that the instruction manual can be improved upon for understanding shortcuts. Nonetheless, this is a 60% keyboard worth mentioning for sure!
The keyboard comes in regular box that says SKYLONG accross in silver letters with no hints of expressing quality. The board comes with a few accessories including a key cap puller, a switch puller, a good quality braided USB C cable and 3 extra key caps (control, options, command). An additional pouch or dust cover would have been nice to have but considering the price I am not complaining.
The build quality of the keyboard is OK. The housing is made of plastic and feel rather cheap with barely any dampening material. Also the back plate feels of subpar quality could benefit from dampening material. The switches I chose were Gateron Black and these switches are very smooth and have 60 grams of actuation force which for gaming and typing I prefer over the Gateron Reds or Brown so no complains about the switches.
Build quality of the keycaps included remind me of those keycap sets that are YMDK branded. They are low profile and feel hollow. Some of the keycaps showed unfinished rough edges but I was only able to confirm that by pulling them out and inspecting them closely. I will add that I tried using a Matt3o keycap set on this and it improved the overall typing experience.
The stabilizers don’t feel premium but also don’t feel cheap. The spacebar barely has any rattle (from my experience the other Magiforce keyboards had far worse stabs)
LEDs are not bright at all and at full brightness they even seem dimmed but this could be a good sitaution for people who don’t want bright RGB lights spewing out of their keyboard. There are 5 LED modes but none of them are appealing to me so I just left the stock settings and ignored playing around with the other modes.
The FN keys are all listed on the manual and it has the typical FN key options you may find in most compact sized keyboards
In conclusion to me the selling point of this board is the hot swappable switches. I think this board is perfect for gamers or students who are on a budget and are curious to find the perfect switch for gaming. We are finally in the era where hot swappable keyboards can be very affordable
cz stabilizatorw jest zamontowana odwrotnie przez co nie da si ich wyjc bez rozdzialania PCB od pyty