The Epomaker TH80 is one of Epomaker’s best-selling mechanical keyboards and has been through multiple iterations of changes and improvements. The latest release, the TH80 V2 Pro, offers new switch choices, improved typing and gaming, VIA programmability, fast tri-mode wireless, and a stylish design that splits the difference between gaming and productivity. Coming in at only $100, it’s a great choice for anyone looking for an affordable but still great mechanical keyboard for gaming and typing.
Specifications
- Current Price: $99.99 (Epomaker, Amazon)
- Layout: 75%
- Mounting Style: Gasket
- Switches: Epomaker Mulan, Flamingo, Budgerigar, Sea Salt Silent
- Hot-swappable: Yes
- Keycaps: Doubleshot PBT
- Foams: Yes - Plate, switch (IXPE), case foam, and silicone
- Connectivity: Tri-mode wireless (Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz, USB)
- LEDs: South-facing
- Epomaker Mulan Switch Specs
- Switch Type: Linear
- Housing Material: PC upper housing, Nylon bottom housing
- Stem Material: POM
- Operation Force: 47gf±10gf
- End Force: 60gf±10gf
- Pre Travel: 2.0±0.4mm
- Total Travel: 3.8±0.2mm
Epomaker TH80 V2 Pro - Design and Highlights
The Epomaker TH80 V2 Pro is a compact mechanical keyboard that’s designed to over-deliver for the price and surprise you with its value. That might sound over-the-top — of course, it’s designed to do that… aren’t all products? — which, firstly, no, but secondly, has been a hallmark of the TH80 series. Every keyboard in the line so far has taken heavy inspiration from the custom mechanical keyboard hobby and incorporated many of their hallmark features, leveraging the economy of scale and some smart material swaps to keep the prices low.
Take, for example, the layout and case. It uses a 75% layout, which does away with the full navigation and editing cluster and number pad but keeps arrow keys, the function row, and a short column of nav keys along the right. From the top down, it looks like the case is metal: either anodized gray or e-coated warm white. But in reality, it’s a plastic case with a special finish that achieves the aesthetic without the additional cost premium.
Case material isn’t exactly meaningless since it has a direct impact on sound, but one of the biggest themes of mechanical keyboards over the last several years has been their looks. Paired with the matching pre-installed keycaps, it takes on the appearance of a genuine custom keyboard that could easily cost double or triple its actual price.
Pick it up and you’ll soon tell the difference, though Epomaker has gone to great lengths to ensure this keyboard delivers an impressive typing experience. Each of its four switch options (two linear, one tactile, and one silent linear, all hot-swappable) come pre-lubed from the factory and most feature a long pole design for a crisp, poppy sound signature. The stabilizers are also pre-lubricated and are free of any rattle or ticking sounds to make them stand out.
Beneath the switches and inside the case, you have multiple layers of sound-dampening foams and silicone, as well as a polycarbonate switch mounting plate to deepen the sound and soften the feeling of each keystroke. Altogether, it includes a layer of PORON foam beneath the plate and surrounding the switches, a layer of IXPE foam beneath the switches to enhance that poppy sound signature, a layer of PCB foam beneath the circuit board, and an angled silicone slab in the bottom of the case to remove any hollowness and add weight.
These additions create a keyboard with a very foamy, bubbly sound signature. While the biggest enthusiasts are now moving on from very “foamed out” keyboards, this sound signature is still very popular and you’ll need to do exactly no modding to get it there. Only a couple of years ago, you have to do much of this yourself with whatever materials you could find to achieve this sound signature but it’s all done for you here.
Now, if you’re not a fan of its highly filtered sound, you can still open it to remove some of these layers and tailor it to your tastes. It’s not exactly easy since the screws are completely hidden, but it’s doable if you’d like to dial it back.
The keyboard also uses a gasket mount that softens the typing experience substantially and adds a lof of flex to the board. It’s been designed with this in mind, clearly, because Epomaker has found room for all of these foams while still allowing such substantial flex, which isn’t the case even from bigger brands. Often, prebuilt, gasket mount, foam packed keyboards are soft under the fingers but don’t allow for much movement on the gaskets because there’s simply no room in the case. The TH80 V2 Pro is much closer to a custom keyboard in that regard also.
The keyboard supports tri-mode wireless connectivity, so you can unplug and keep a cleaner desktop. You can connect to up to three devices over Bluetooth 5.0 and a single 2.4GHz source using the included dongle. That dongle slots into the back of the keyboard when not in use, which is a nice touch and should save it getting lost in the future.
Battery life is middling, however. With only 3,000mAh, you’ll need to recharge at least once a week with moderate use and the RGB backlight enabled. Without RGB, it will last through several week of steady use, but the RGB looks great, so I left it one consistently.
Another neat feature that it offers is its programmable screen. You can use this to adjust settings, like Windows or Mac layouts, lighting, and more, though you can also map these to individual keys, which I found to be the faster option. You can also upload custom GIFs and artwork to it if you’d like to display a logo or animation while working. By default, it will display the time (which can be synced with your computer), battery status, OS, connection method, and your lock indicators.
The other big upgrade coming with this release is VIA programmability. While not as flashy as something like Corsair iCUE, VIA is a wonderful open-source programming tool for mechanical keyboards that provides a ton of options all from a web browser. You can remap keys, assign macros and shortcuts, and create multiple layers of keymaps for different games, applications, and functions. The best part is that these changes save to the keyboard’s firmware instantaneously, so you don’t have to save or download anything, and they’ll work with any keyboard you connect it to. This is another feature from the custom keyboard world.
Epomaker TH80 V2 Pro - Performance and Impressions
Like the prior TH80s, the TH80 V2 Pro has a lot to offer, especially if you want VIA programmability. It’s out of the box performance is excellent and you can count on a soft, poppy sound signature straight out of keyboard YouTube. It’s also very well built, with great (if tall) keycaps on my model and sturdy construction that looks as good as it feels to interact with.
For gaming, it’s top-notch. Connected over 2.4GHz, you can count on a fast 1ms polling rate so you won’t need to worry about missing keystrokes in the middle of a dungeon. VIA recently upgraded its macro functionality so that it works with a normal Record button like other gaming softwares, so it’s easy to record, edit, and map them across its layers.
VIA is fantastic in this regard and really makes the V2 Pro the TH80 to buy. Unlike many gaming keyboards, how you access your keymaps is entirely up to you. You can map any key to tap and hold, tap toggle, toggle for a single keypress and go back again, or to change layers when held and send its normal output when tapped (useful for mapping Caps Lock). You have the freedom to map skills, abilities, and weapon swaps directly under your fingers and in a way that works for your personal preferences. The end result is a keyboard that feels much more uniquely your own.
My samples came with Epomaker’s new Mulan switches. They’re great. Smooth, somewhat clacky (higher pitched), and very responsive while remaining lightweight. They work well with the foam layers to create an acoustic and tactile experience I found to be quiet fun to type on.
The keycaps on my sample were a taller profile, similar to SA. The white version comes with standard Cherry profile keycaps. Both are made of PBT plastic to ward of shining and the black version are doubleshot. The taller profile can take some getting used to if you’re not familiar with it, but once you are, they’re quite comfortable with the way they cradle your fingertips and guide them to the center of their scoops. They’re rather smooth, which does feel a bit unusual, but I’ve found that to be much more common with tall, spherical keycaps like these in many keyboards.
This is a keyboard where the economy of scale truly works to the consumer’s benefit. $100 is a steal for what it has to offer. Yet, we also live in a time when the price of mechanical keyboards just continues to get more and more affordable. Case and point, the Galaxy 80 features many of the same features in a fully aluminum case (minus the screen) for around the same price and is arguably even better.
Does any of this mean that you should instantly choose them over a real custom mechanical keyboard? I don’t think so. All of these pre-mades have the same limitation of not offering much variation when you order. You usually get a couple of color choices, maybe some switch options and that’s about it. Badges and accents are all very standard. Many custom keyboards give you a wide range of choices, and since you’re building it yourself most of the time, you can add or ignore layers as you see fit.
An affordable pre-made like this also necessitates that you’re going to get stock options internally. For example, the PC plate used here is great for sound and feel but locks you into a deeper sound signature. Rather than change it out, you just look to a different keyboard when you get tired of it. In the case of this keyboard in particular, it also makes it a huge pain to swap out switches since the plate pulls up with each switch.
And this is… well, fine. Most people don’t want to build their own keyboard. In this case, exactly none of it matters. The TH80 V2 Pro gives you a great typing experience out of the box and if there are any red flags in its sound and feel for you, there’s lots of other options to choose from instead. This one gives you that foamy sound and soft feel that typifies one type of custom keyboard. Except here, it includes switches, keycaps, and all of the mods and tweaks done for you. Not bad, if you ask me.
Final Thoughts
There’s a good amount of expectation that comes with the TH80. The series has been around since 2022 and the reviews nearly all laud it for its sound, feel, performance, and value. The Epomaker V2 Pro is the best version yet for this particular type of keyboard. If you like the idea of custom keyboards but don’t want to build one of your own or have a heavy, metal behemoth gracing your desk, this is a safe bet.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
