Keyboard Review: Epomaker Galaxy68
Hello everyone, my name is Alan, and welcome to my UK Tech Blog.
Today I'm going to be talking about the next keyboard in my journey through the hobby -- the Epomaker Galaxy68. It's my first full-aluminium keyboard, and it's also still one of my favourites because of the colourway it has (more on that later).
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| Epomaker Galaxy68 |
Going into this post, please be reminded that I'm recapping my journey through the mechanical keyboard hobby, and with this, I try to recreate my thought processes back then; this includes my lack of knowledge about the various intricacies that make up mechanical keyboards -- something that will continue to improve on each part of the journey.
So what made me buy this keyboard? What attracted me to it? I'm going to apologise in advance, as the reason was quite a shallow one -- there's no long explanation here -- I simply liked the look of it! It's got a great design!
The Epomaker Galaxy68 is a non-traditional 65% layout pre-built keyboard. One part of why I gravitated towards the keyboard is the unique layout. The layout was what grabbed my attention, but it was the colourway that truly pushed me to purchase the keyboard.
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| The Galaxy68 has a very sleek accent LED and useful knob |
Unlike a traditional 65%, the exploded arrow-keys and the control cluster on the upper right allow for the layout to breathe, unlike a traditional 65% in my opinion.
At the time, I was also fascinated by the lack of function keys (or the F row). This was an alien concept to me. This led to several moments of inward reflection on whether I truly used the function keys, or at least enough in a sense that I would miss them. Unknowingly, this was a topic that I'll be revisiting many more times in the future.
Going back to the looks of the keyboard -- that black and green colourway caught my attention right away. I love the combination because it reminds me of my favourite band, Type O Negative:
I loved the colourway so much that I changed the settings of the RGB to match. I'm calling my keyboard "Creepy Green Light" moving forward!
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| I love the Galaxy68's Creepy Green Light |
When I first handled the keyboard, the immediate thing I noticed was the weight. It wasn't heavy, it was solid. The keyboard felt premium, and it gave me a sense of holding a quality piece of tech.
After typing that last paragraph, I took hold of the keyboard again, lifted it up, and had a proper feel for it. Yes, it's still the same premium-quality keyboard I remember from months ago. This is a well-built keyboard.
There's no flex, no creaking, a beautifully anodised black finish, a solid typing feel, and it's still an awesome centrepiece for any desk. This reminds me: I need to create the right deskmat for this! (off to write it in my notebook so I don't forget)
This version of the Galaxy68 I have comes with Feker Marble White switches, and they sure live up to their name.
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| Feker Marble White switch |
Typing on the keyboard gives off a bright but not clacky sound signature, a "marbly" sound. It's not a bad switch, and if you're coming from membrane keyboards, it certainly gives off a premium feeling. I will, however, say that I prefer Epomaker's Creamy Jades.
Another positive of this keyboard, and it's something that I only realised until later on was its configurability through VIA. I usually do the configurations when I first start using the keyboard, set-it and forget-it, but knowing that VIA is just a step away is a HUGE plus that cannot be understated. Keep this going, Epomaker!
It's also hot-swap, meaning I can swap out the switches for something else! I've been thinking what to swap it with.
The keycaps that come with the keyboard are okay. Double-shot PBT, green-on-black with a colour theme that reminds me of Type O Negative, my favourite band. There's a slight texture, and the green colour is consistent throughout the keyboard. The lettering is precise, and there are no issues like off-centre legends on any of them.
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| Standard 3-pin/5-pin hotswap socket |
RGB is standard on this, and I love the Epomaker logo on the side with its own RGB effects. It's a nice tasteful design choice, and I'm all for it. Check out the video below on how it performs.
Battery life is decent. I've been typing heavily these past few days and it's still just 90%. In my experience, the battery life will take a significant hit if you enable RGB - something I still do as I can't get enough of the Creepy Green Light mode.
This is a keyboard with a knob, and it's a premium-feeling one. Solid, with nice tactile
The Galaxy68 is great for long typing sessions. It's got a comfortable typing angle, the wireless performance is faultless, the sound of the board is pleasing, and the gasket mount makes for comfortable long typing sessions. How does it look on my desk? Check it out:
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| The Creepy Green Light Galaxy68 on my desk |
So who is this keyboard for? If you're looking to get into the hobby with a nice-feeling keyboard that doesn't break the bank, love the marbly sound profile, and you're okay with the layout -- then you can't go wrong with the Galaxy68. It's a lot of keyboard for the price!
Thinking of gifting someone with a good starter keyboard? This is a great choice.
However, if you've got several keyboards already under your belt, then it's likely that you know what you want already and will most likely give this a pass.
Do I regret purchasing the keyboard? No, not at all. I'm still happy with it. I'm glad that it's in my collection, and I like using it, so it's also in my rotation.
To close this off, here are a few more photos of the Galaxy68:
Interested in this keyboard? You can purchase it using my affiliate link.
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