Epomaker is known for its specialized, custom mechanical gaming keyboards, which are tuned to offer a great typing experience and sound profile. We got a chance to review the Epomaker x Aula F75, a wireless 75% mechanical keyboard, and here are our thoughts about it.
While we have reviewed several gaming keyboards from other major manufacturers, there are dedicated keyboard brands, that offer customized gaming keyboards, and are in a class of their own. The Epomaker x Aula F75 keyboard is a budget wireless mechanical keyboard with a 75% keyboard layout. The product dimensions are 322.7 x 143.2 x 43.1, and the keyboard weighs approximately 1023g (including the cable and receiver).
Light Blue, Sea Salt Blue, Green, and Black are the color options that you get when going for the Epomaker x Aula F75. And we received the latter color option for review. Despite the black chassis, keycaps such as Enter, spacebar, ESC, and the directional buttons are in yellow. Then there are the keys such as Tab, Capslock, Shift, Alt, and Windows that come with a black keycap. The rest of the keycaps are colored in a very dark blue.
We should also mention that the F75 uses Cherry-profile double-shot PBT keycaps, which should be familiar to most users. The keycaps are designed to be resilient against wear while maintaining a sleek appearance. While the keyboard supports RGB backlighting, the keycaps on the F75 do not illuminate the letters, as you would find on other expensive keyboards. That being said, the backlighting system offers support for 16.8 million colors and 16 default RGB modes. There is also a metallic control dial with silver rims on the top right side of the device, used for several functionalities, including volume control and mute.
The F75 is a wireless keyboard, designed to work with 2.4G connections and Bluetooth. The device also comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable, and the USB-C port is located on the front side. And next to the USB-C port is the switch for selecting the type of connection, and storage space for the 2.4G USB dongle.
There isn’t much going on on the bottom panel, except for the dual-step kickstand and the AULA metallic sticker in the middle. The main bottom plate is also in black.
The dual-step kickstand can be easily set up, depending on the user’s preferences. I honestly choose to keep the kickstand closed, but this is subjective for different users.
Even with its compact 75% layout, the F75 comes with a total of 80 keys. The Epomaker x Aula F75 features a 5-layer padding construction that helps reduce unpleasant noise while typing and produces a pleasant “thocky” sound profile. The 5-layer padding includes a Bottom Silicone Pad, Poron Bottom Foam, a PET Sound Enhancement Pad, an IXPE Switch Pad, and another Poron Foam. To enhance the typing experience, the keyboard houses a flex-cut polycarbonate (PC) plate, a 12mm PCB, and a leaf-spring Gasket Structure.
Epomaker offers the F75 with three different linear switches: The LEOBOG Reaper switch, the LEOBOG Icevein switch, and the TTC Crescent Switch. Each of these switch types, such as the type of stem used, the switch housing, the actuation force, and total travel. The Epomaker x Aula F75 black color we got for review, came with the TTC Crescent Switch. We also received the LEOBOG Reaper switch set to try on the F75.
We first tried the TTC Crescent Switch, which comes as a default with the black-themed Epomaker x Aula F75 keyboard. While the typing experience is satisfying, it’s the sound profile that enhances usage. And this is something we don’t usually get on our regular CherryMX keyboards. Take a look at the video below on how the Epomaker x Aula F75 keyboard sounds with the TTC Crescent Switches. And, oh boy, we are impressed.
From what I experienced, the TTC Crescent switches produced a satisfying “thock” sound, while typing or gaming. It’s not that loud either, which could annoy anyone nearby. We then replaced the TTC Crescent with the LEOBOG Reaper switches. From our experience, the Reaper switches sounded “Less Clacky”, while still giving a satisfying sound profile and typing experience. The video below showcases how the Epomaker x Aula F75 keyboard sounds with the LEOBOG Reaper Switches.
While the keyboard features wireless connectivity, swappable switches, and great sound profiles, the inbuilt 4000 mAh battery wasn’t so impressive. From our usage, the keyboard was only able to last a day of use. And we expected to run a bit longer. We should also mention that we tried on both 2.4G connection and Bluetooth connectivity, with RGB lights turned on. That said, the keyboard comes with a manual, an extra pair of TTC Crescent switches, and a multi-purpose puller tool for removing both keycaps and switches.
Verdict
For those looking for a great custom gaming keyboard with an excellent sound profile, we recommend the Epomaker X Aula F75. The keyboard features a 75% keyboard layout, along with a total of 80 keys. The keyboard is based on a 5-layer padding construction to help decrease the noise, and our keyboard came with the TTC Crescent switches that produce a pleasant “thocky” sound profile. This multi-layer padding includes Bottom Silicone Pad, Poron Bottom Foam, a PET Sound Enhancement Pad, an IXPE Switch Pad, and another Poron Foam.
Additionally, it’s the flex-cut polycarbonate (PC) plate, the 12mm PCB, and the leaf-spring Gasket structure that help enhance the typing experience and sound profile. The keyboard comes with a USB-C port, along with wireless options such as 2.4G and Bluetooth. There is also a slot to place the 2.4G dongle. The keyboard also features a circular metallic dial on the top right side for media control and other functions, and the keyboard uses Cherry-profile double-shot PBT keycaps. The RGB lighting system has support for 16.8 million colors and 16 default RGB modes. The keyboard also houses a 4000 mAh battery.
