The quest for the perfect mechanical keyboard often begins with nostalgia. Enter the Epomaker RT100 Pro, a keyboard that hits you with promises of retro style and premium acoustics, launching at just £129. On the surface, it looks like a compelling package: a detachable screen, multi-mode connectivity, and an aesthetic designed to appeal directly to those who love the vintage vibe.
But when you pull the keyboard off the box, the real story begins to unfold. While the initial impression is undeniably attractive, the depth of the experience quickly reveals a fascinating tension between visual flair and functional reality. Epomaker has managed to create a product that sounds genuinely superb right out of the gate, masking some serious compromises beneath a glossy exterior.
Acoustically, the RT100 Pro is a winner. Through clever internal dampening—thick silicone and PE foam sheets—and expertly pre-lubed switches, it delivers a deep, marbly “thock” that many enthusiasts spend hours trying to replicate. This foundation is strong, providing a satisfying tactile experience for typing.
However, the attention-grabbing gimmicks seem to be where the product falters. The highly advertised detachable screen proves to be a frustrating afterthought. It is incredibly dim, features muted colors, and bafflingly loses all internal clock settings the moment it is disconnected or the battery runs low. Furthermore, the plastic chassis itself feels cheap and prone to creaking, making modifications difficult once you try to access the internals.
The most significant letdown, however, resides in the software experience. While flashy features are plentiful, the Epomaker software struggles with quality implementation. To access basic functions like the screen monitor, users are often forced to grant full Windows Administrator rights. Worse still, launching the application silently initiates multiple strange background services—including names like screencaptureservice.exe and keyboardmonitorservice.exe.
This software issue is not just an inconvenience; it poses a real performance risk. As demonstrated by user experience, these background processes cause noticeable system instability, leading to potential GPU spikes and CPU fluctuations, which resulted in performance drops of around 20% during gaming sessions.
Fortunately, this flaw was addressed swiftly. Following community feedback, Epomaker released an update that limits these background services to only when necessary for specific RGB settings—a much more sensible approach. Ultimately, the Epomaker RT100 Pro manages to nail the basics of a quality mechanical keyboard and delivers fantastic sound immediately. Yet, buried beneath the aesthetics and the thock is a frustrating software package that requires significant improvement before it can truly earn its premium status.
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Credit: KitGuru
