Epomaker sent us the GK96S for a full review, and while we will do a full review and put this keyboard through it’s paces, I did want to get something out there since the Kickstarter campaign for this keyboard will be ending very soon. There are a few things that set this keyboard apart from others.
If you want the standard mechanical keyboard experience you can choose to get mechanical switches. You can pick from the rainbow of switches that are offered. Pick your favorite and go. OR you can have a little fun with it and choose and Optical switch. If you go the optical route, you will then have the option to hot swap switches on your keyboard as you see fit. When I say hot swap, I mean hot swap. Turn the keyboard off, pull the keycap, then pull the switch. You can do both with the included puller. Just the tip of the iceberg…
If you want to use the keyboard wired, you can use the included USB-C to USB-A cable. If you want to use this keyboard on the go, or even pair it with a tablet or your phone for that matter, it has built in Bluetooth.
If you decide to go the wireless route you can pair the GK96 with up to three different devices. So if you wanted to, you can pair the keyboard with your computer, phone, and tablet.
When you turn the keyboard on, it will automatically connect to the last device you were connected to. If you want to switch devices just hold the FN key while selecting the corresponding number your device is paired with.
I’ll dive into more details in the full review, but there is one more thing that I wanted to point out (ok two). So this is a 96% keyboard (hence the 96 in GK96), which means you will have a 10-key number pad.
You have the choice to get the number pad on the standard side OR you can get the Southpaw version that places a full 10-key on the left hand side of the keyboard which is the version they sent me. If you end up with the standard version just know the “0” key is drastically smaller than normal.
Ok the other thing I wanted to share. Apple fans are not left out in the cold. The GK96 is fully compatible with your Mac, which means your function keys will do the things you want them to do and your Command and Option keys are labeled as such. If you need a wired/wireless keyboard and you’re looking for something mechanical (or optical), this is your keyboard.
Don’t forget to watch out for our full review where I’ll go in depth about setting up and using all the functions of the keyboard. If you are reading this in time, you can check out the campaign here.