Epomaker has been one of the go-to sources for mechanical keyboards for several years. Whether you’re buying direct or sourcing through Amazon, it is a key gateway for the global mechanical keyboard market and it’s no exaggeration to say that many of the brands it carries have outshined the biggest names from the U.S. for years. It has released a number of keyboards, but this time, it’s out to challenge the all-stars of the “budget” custom mechanical keyboard scene with the Tide65 and Tide75.
These keyboards are the same outside of their layout. They come with full aluminum cases anodized in four different colors, have doubleshot PBT keycaps, are VIA/QMK programmable, and come gasket-mounted and ready to deliver a custom-grade typing experience, switches and keycaps included so it’s ready to use out of the box. And for the most part, it succeeds, but you should plan on buying your own keycaps for the best experience.
Specifications
- Current Price:
- Number of Keys: 82 keys + 1 knob
- Anti-Ghosting: NKRO
- Case Material: 6063 Aluminum
- Aluminum Case Finishing: Electrophoretic (Blue), Anodized (Black, Purple, Pink)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz Wireless, Type-C Wired
- RGB: South-facing RGB LEDs
- Hotswappable: Yes
- Plate Material: FR4
- Stabilizer Type: Plate-mount
- Software Compatibility: VIA, QMK
- Battery: 4000mAh
- Keycap: OEM profile double-shot PBT keycaps
- Weight: 1.8 kg
- Dimensions: 330 x 146 x 21.5 mm
- Front Height: 21.5 mm
- Inside the box
- Keyboard
- Manual
- Keycap/Switch Puller
- 2.4G Dongle
- Type-C Cable
Epomaker Tide75 - Design and Highlights
It's no secret that the mechanical keyboard market has been changing and is far more accessible than ever before. You no longer have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a great, fully aluminum, pre-modded mechanical keyboard. In fact you don't even need to spend $100 anymore. With the introduction of the Rainy 75, and recent hits like the Chillkey ND75, there's no question that you get more for less than at any point in the mechanical keyboard hobby. And that applies whether you're a gamer or just an average typist.
The Tide65 and Tide75 are Epomaker's answer to these competitive keyboards. As their names imply, they are 65% and 75% layouts respectively, but are otherwise exactly the same. Both are made with anodized aluminum cases available in multiple colors: pink, black, purple (the Tide65 is not available in pink). You can also pick it up in blue, which is made using an electrophoretic coating process. Like they're competitors, they come fully built with double-shot PBT keycaps, pre-lubed linear switches, and include multiple layers of sound dampening and sound enhancing foam for pleasant acoustics. They are, in a nutshell, custom keyboards that you don't have to build yourself and will only set you back $120 or $130 depending on which you choose.
At this point, there is so much competition in this space that small details can really make the difference. Epomaker pays attention to small details like making sure the stabilizers are lubed straight out of the box and that the keys offer a small amount of flex with normal keystrokes so the typing experience is soft and not fatiguing. The coating was well done on my sample without any imperfections. Flipping it over, you'll find it even has a weight bearing the Epomaker name.
The internal structure also takes its cues from the custom keyboard scene. It uses an FR4 plate, which is a good mix of flex and acoustics for different kinds of switches, and its gasket mount structure provides a bit of movement that works in concert with the plate. The plate foam and case foam isolate the sound of switches and deaden any reverb or pinging noises that might exist while the IXPE switch foam adds a poppiness to the typing experience.
Interestingly, it only comes with one switch option, Epomaker Lemon switches. These are lightweight linear switches with a 40 gram actuation force. This makes them lighter than Cherry MX Reds, though not by much. There is a noticeable difference in how they feel, however, because of the pre-lubing process enhancing their smoothness and lack of any spring noise. If you'd rather try another switch, it's easy to do as the keyboard is hot-swappable and supports both three- and five-pin switches.
It also features a knob for media controls and comes pre-mapped with all of the functions you might need, whether you are using the Tide65 and its smaller layout or the Tide75. There are no dedicated pause or navigation buttons but these are maps to secondary keys.
Even if they weren't, it would be easy to add these on your own because it also supports VIA programmability. This is an easy to use web application you can access from anywhere and allows you to map anything from basic keys to shortcuts and macros simply by clicking the key you want to change and what you would prefer there instead. The changes apply automatically, so there is no need to flash or manually save anything to the keyboards on board memory. Even better, it writes these changes at the firmware level, so they will function identically no matter what system you're on, its operating system (as long as it supports whatever you have mapped), or whatever security protocols might be in place.
It's a powerful program with deeper mapping controls than you'll find even from big brand keyboards, like Logitech. All of your key maps can be saved across multiple layers, which are essentially virtual keyboards that can be accessed by holding or tapping a button of your choice. You can have layouts for individual games and apps or simply have secondary functions easily accessible for when you need them.
The keyboard supports tri-mode wireless connectivity. It can connect to up to three devices over Bluetooth as well as one device over 2.4 GHz wireless using the included USB dongle. For gaming, the dongle is the way to go as it offers a 1000 Hz polling rate. That gives it parity with most wired gaming keyboards. There is no perceptible difference between playing with it plugged in and playing with it using the dongle, so it’s worth trying even if you’re skeptical about wireless gaming keyboards like this.
The Tide75 sports a 4,000 mAh battery. With all of the lighting enabled, I found that it lasted about a week with four to six hours of use each day. Without lighting, you could expect it to last a month or more of regular use.
Finally, because it is a staple feature these days, we have RGB backlighting. It's fully customizable with more than a dozen lighting presets that can mostly be customized for hue, saturation, brightness, and speed. Unfortunately, creating your own static color scheme isn't possible in any easy way currently. VIA only supports the options described above, those should it expand in the future the tide series should theoretically be compatible.
The RGB LEDs are positioned at the bottom of the switch, which is opposite from the majority of gaming keyboards. This is to accommodate different keycap sets that might otherwise experience interference. It's a popular design choice in the enthusiast community where users enjoy customizing their keycaps but results in backlit legends not being as bright or consistent across the keyboard.
To address this, Epomaker has used side legends on the keycaps in completely blank faces. From the top down, the keyboard looks entirely blank. Viewed from the side, these legends line up well with the position of the LEDs and are visible from a normal typing position.
With all of that in mind, let's get into whether or not it actually competes with the market as it stands today.
Epomaker Tide75 - Performance
I was able to test both the Epomaker Tide65 and Tide75. The experience of using both was virtually identical, so it's safe to say you can choose the layout you would prefer without sacrificing performance or features. Though this is a review of the Tide75 all of my conclusions can also apply to the Tide65.
Beginning with build quality, I was impressed with the quality of the cases for both keyboards. They are on par with the competition. That's a plus, but carries the caveat that all of its competition also carries: while well done they are fairly simple overall. In the case of the Tide, that means few embellishments. You have the knob and a simple mirrored weight on the back and that's it. Given the price, I think that's fair though the keycaps do detract from the overall package in multiple ways. Since they match the color of the case, they make the keyboard visually less interesting. Viewed from the top down, it's pretty uniform even as RGB peeks out from around the edges.
The keycaps also do a disservice to the overall typing experience. The Tide65 and Tide75 have all of the ingredients to offer a high quality sound and feel. Having tested dozens and dozens of custom keyboards at this point, I can hear that potential right away. It's clear that the ingredients are there and they are working, but the keycaps are thin and lightweight. This robs the acoustics of body and deepness. Typing on it feels a little plasticky.
Change out the keycaps for thicker and more solid PBT or ABS and that disappears entirely. I swapped mine for an affordable PBT set and the sound and feel immediately jumped right alongside the Rainy 75 and ND75. The difference between the former and the Tides is very small and will really come down to personal preference. I found the Rainy to be a bit louder and more marbly but it almost feels like splitting hairs.
With proper keycaps, the typing experience is quite good and the aesthetics of the keyboard can also become much nicer. The combination of the gasket mount and the FR4 plate make for a typing experience with some give but enough stability to feel snappy under your fingers.
The switches weren't for me. I tend to prefer a heavier switch, so the 40 gram actuation force led to quite a few typos. If you're used to gaming on red switches or speed switches, you should feel right at home. I do like that they have a long pole design, as that hits on the meta in mechanical keyboards currently and helps to achieve the poppy sound that is in vogue right now. The pre-lubing job was also fairly consistent on my sample.
Gaming on the keyboard was fine, and if you take the time to program it through VIA, could even be great. There are no dedicated macro buttons or gaming features but the wireless performance is spot on and was consistently reliable and responsive anytime I used it for competitive or MMO gaming. it really comes into its own when you set it up for your own play style, So I encourage anyone that tries it to take the time to program your layers for different games and apps. I promise, if you are coming from a gaming keyboard, you'll find that the Tide75 feels more “your own” than any before.
Final Thoughts
So, is the Tide75 or Tide65 worth picking up over the competition? In most ways, it is very competitive. All three keyboards I've discussed here have more in common than they have different. That also includes pricing, as though the Rainy 75 and ND75 are a bit cheaper than the Epomaker's, both have shipping costs around $30 that need to be considered. The Tides are also readily available whereas both others are in pre-order status and are likely to ship in waves over the coming months (ND75 is set to ship first-wave pre-orders in July).
The decision to use these keycaps is the one area that’s genuinely puzzling and doesn’t line up with the enthusiast inspiration in most other parts of its design. While it’s hardly bad, if you’re looking for the best experience, you’ll need to add your own keycaps, which adds more onto the purchase.
In the end, these are good keyboards regardless. They can become great if you’re willing to pull the default keycaps off and add your own, but the rest of the design is very solid and makes for a very good foundation for your entry into the keyboard hobby.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
