Today we are diving back into the world of peripherals with a look at the EPOMAKER Shadow-X mechanical keyboard. EPOMAKER was founded in 2019, so it is a relatively new kid to the block, they specialize in mechanical/gaming keyboards. But they are focused on bringing good, feature-packed keyboards at an affordable price tag whilst offering customizability and repairability. The Shadow-X is available on Amazon (UK) for £68.79, Amazon (US) for $85.99 and AliExpress for £55.44. So definitely on the lower end of things price-wise, and if you can wait longer for shipping then AliExpress may be the best place to go for the most cost savings.
SPECIFICATION
- 70 Key US ANSI Layout (Other layouts available)
- 3000mAh rechargeable battery
- Gasket mounted structure
- South facing RGB
- USB-C, Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz connectivity options
- Dimensions: 370.4*129.8*47.8mm
- Hot-swappable keycaps and switches
- Double-shot PBT material keycaps
SHADOW-X KEYBOARD PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
EPOMaker is fluid when it comes to packaging, they modify the colour scheme of the box to match the product, which is a nice touch. This time the box is Black and on the front is an illustration of the keyboard and the EPOMaker logo and product description presented in a crisp White colour scheme.
Looking at the rear of the box you can see more on the product features, as well as the product certification logos. Again the EPOMaker is nicely presented.
Opening up the box we can see the keyboard, an instruction manual (should you need some bedtime reading) as well as a keycap puller, spare switches, a nice braided USB-C to A cable and some Yellow keys if you want to spruce the keyboard up a bit and make it stand out. On the box itself, notice the “Accessories are underneath” reminder. So many times I’ve gone to throw a box away and not unpackaged everything, so this is a nice reminder to make sure you’ve got everything before you discard the packaging.
A CLOSER LOOK
We were sent a gun metal grey-themed design, however, the design is mainly plastic, and the Grey look just makes it look like a metallic finish. There are other colour schemes available through the various retailers if Black/Grey isn’t your preferred colour scheme. But it looks good and will complement most setup themes.
The keycaps themselves are of high-quality doubleshot PBT material, what does this mean? Well, it means the keycaps themselves are resistant to fading and general wear and tear. They are also resistant to the natural oils found in fingertips so you shouldn’t get that shiny look on them. So this keyboard should last you a long time.
Our review sample comes with the EPOMaker Wisteria – Linear switches. They are the perfect combination of quiet mechanical goodness. You get the reassuring click sound but without alerting everybody in the office. The switches are removable by use of the included keycap puller and could easily be swapped for an alternative if you wanted something louder or firmer. Even the spacebar sounds nice with very minimal reverberation. This can sometimes be a weak spot in a lot of keyboards. But not here. It looks, sounds and feels great. You can also see the IXPE foam which helps with the overall acoustics of the keyboard.
One thing I wanted to touch on was the knob in the top right-hand corner of the keyboard. This isn’t a volume knob but is used for switching between the various connectivity options and Bluetooth profiles. However, it comes at the cost of the Page Up key which has been removed. I can’t decide whether this is good from a design perspective, or a bad move. Bearing in mind this is only a 70-key keyboard, so there have to be decisions made somewhere. There are no function keys on this keyboard so I can’t be too hard as EPOMaker had to include the connectivity profiles somehow.
Looking at the rear of the keyboard you can see the USB-C port and the 2.4Ghz dongle. I like that you can store the dongle with the keyboard, and it’s even EPOMaker branded. I can’t even begin to count how many dongles I’ve lost over the years, for them to turn up randomly months later. If you’re not using it, then it lives just under the USB-C port. The OCD part of me loves how it’s dead centre too.
The RGB on this keyboard is south-facing, meaning the light isn’t passed through the keycaps directly but you just see a nice shimmer effect coming under each key. Of course, RGB isn’t everyone’s cup of tea so you can always turn it off if you’re not a fan. Personally, I think it goes well with the gunmetal grey theme and I didn’t find it too overbearing. If anything it was slightly less vibrant than I was expecting.
Now if you’ve been following EPOMaker for a while, they like to innovate. This keyboard includes a 1.06-inch screen. They love including a screen or display of some description and the Shadow-X is no different. It shows the date and time, caps lock status, Windows or Mac mode, charging and connectivity status. It can be further customized using the EPOMaker Driver application.
You can even upload GIF animations to the screen. We went for the classic “Dancing Cat” GIF for a chuckle and it looks okay, a little small but provided well-needed entertainment whilst we had some music on in the office.
Onto the battery life, we were able to get about 48 hours with heavy usage, or around 5-6 days with average usage. This is a little bit on the weaker side as it’s only a 3000mAh battery. But I generally prefer to use my keyboards wired anyway. So it will entirely depend on your use case.
Bluetooth connectivity was as simple as selecting B1, B2 or B3 and holding FN + Q for a few seconds until the LED blinks quickly, then add the device in the normal manner using the control panel in Windows 10/11.
The keyboard weighs about 0.8 kg, once on our desk, it stayed put and didn’t slide around like some lightweight cheaper alternatives. If you’re going to be moving around between desks or set up though, bear this in mind as it’ll add some weight to your bag.
FINAL WORDS
VALUE
For the price tag, you get an incredible feature-rich modifiable keyboard. The replaceable keycaps/switches are a big bonus for me. You’ll struggle to find something cheaper with as many features. If you’re looking for a 70% keyboard, then the Shadow-X may fit the bill for you.
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE
The Gunmetal Grey finish looks sleek and will fit well with most setups. However, don’t forget other colour schemes are available. I’m not a big fan of the knob in the top right being used for connectivity rather than volume, a couple of times I went to turn the music down and instinctively went to use the knob to do this, as this is what it’s designed for on many keyboards, but on a 70% keyboard, space comes at a premium, so I can see why EPOMaker have done this.
The PBT keycaps didn’t show or leave any fingermark residue, it continued to look clean after a week of heavy usage. The built-in screen is a nice gimmick and it’s good to see a keyboard manufacturer continuing to innovate.
We have decided to award the EPOMaker Shadow-X keyboard the EnosTech design award for its clean, crisp and moddable design.
We would like to thank EPOMaker for sending in the Shadow-X for review and we look forward to working with them again in the future.
