Epomaker HE108 Keyboard (White) Review

The mechanical keyboard market is a bit like the coffee industry. Every company insists their product is “artisan-grade” and apparently engineered by monks in a mountain laboratory. Meanwhile, most people simply want a device that feels good, works properly and doesn’t sound like someone emptying a toolbox down a staircase… and that’s where the Epomaker HE108 Keyboard quietly sneaks in. No, this isn’t a revolution. The HE108 is one more, full-sized, Hall Effect keyboard in a white chassis with RGB lighting, tri-mode wireless connectivity and enough acronyms on the spec sheet to frighten the average office worker. The surprising thing here is how much keyboard you get for a fair price.

Full-Size is back. Thankfully. There’s something deeply refreshing about a proper 108-key layout. After years of manufacturers behaving as though some types of buttons were bourgeois luxuries, the HE108 unapologetically gives everything back. Function row? Yes. Navigation cluster? Yes again. Numpad? Like civilisation intended. Plus, a little button on the back enables using the device with a Mac, with its own command keys “combined” with the Windows ones.

Despite packing all those keys in, the board still manages to look fairly modern. There’s a black alternative available, but the white model which was tested for this review, has a clean, minimal appearance that pairs brilliantly with the RGB lighting. It avoids the “teenager’s gaming spaceship” aesthetic of many gaming keyboards. It’s ‘cool,’ but not ‘extreeeme!’ In terms of actual feel, the gasket-mount does a respectable job softening the typing experience, making long typing sessions genuinely comfortable. This very article is being written with the HE108, and it has been a pleasure doing so.

The HE108 is loaded with functionality usually reserved for much pricier keyboards, and this is where it’s made clear that, although a great keyboard for everyone, this mostly caters to gaming enthusiasts that are into the slightly more competitive side of the hobby. This comes with Adjustable actuation down to the uber-sensitive 0.005mm and 8K polling (whose power mere mortals won’t notice very easily) plus Snap Key/SOCD for reducing mistakes while fingers are typing faster than Bruce Almighty.

In practice, the keyboard feels extremely responsive. Movement becomes snappier, repeated inputs feel cleaner, and the Rapid Trigger implementation noticeably improves movement precision during competitive play. It’s important to note that this has tri-mode connectivity, with 2.4GHz and Bluetooth for wireless setups, but if super obsessed with low latency, wired via the USB-C is the way to go. That said, those who don’t care about competing in the latest Monster Energy-sponsored tournament will find 2.4GHz equally satisfying.

For someone who isn’t really into flashy gadgets, this critic loved how the RGB lighting behaves. It’s bright without being obnoxious, vibrant without looking tacky, and restrained enough that you could realistically use the keyboard in an office without HR scheduling a meeting. By using a function key and other command buttons it’s easy to decrease/increase brightness or speed, turn the whole thing or separate parts of it off, and finally swap between various modes, depending on whether you’re feeling conservatively futuristic and want to make the keyboard slowly “breath” or in need for some disco vibe for your spreadsheet editing hour.

The 10,000mAh battery deserves special mention because it is hilariously oversized in the best way – and quite possibly the reason for its weight. With RGB disabled, Epomaker claims up to 500 hours of wireless use. Even allowing for marketing optimism – which usually operates somewhere between astrology and fiction – the device was left running in the aforementioned disco mode for quite some time (with lots of typing as well) and HE108’s battery indicator never shown any signs of it being tired.

Being a Lamborghini-on-a-budget kind of deal, the lowered cost is the result of materials that won’t exactly please the more demanding of consumers. To the manufacturer’s credit, the HE108 avoids feeling cheap despite using a thick ABS plastic chassis instead of having that cold, dense luxury aura of an aluminium custom keyboard costing three times as much. Does it creak, flex alarmingly or slide around the desk like a frightened penguin? No. At around 1.2kg, the board always feels planted and stable during use.

There are a few more drawbacks that remind users that this is still a low-priced compromise, not a flawless gem. Some may find it too heavy and/or bulky and those into modding (either through the software suite itself or physically) won’t get their fix here, as this is mostly concerned with keeping things simple. Acoustically, the gasket structure and dampening help, yet the typing sound remains somewhat hollow compared to boards with more refined materials. In the end, perfectionists will find this lacking. This isn’t for them, though. This is for everybody else, who just want a compelling and feature-rich option at a good price.