EPOMAKER EK21

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EPOMAKER EK21, the higher tier numpad from EPOMAKER.

EPOMAKER has all kind of mechanical keyboards but they also offer some numpads; the EPOMAKER EK21 is the most advanced and rich-featured model of numpads from the brand.

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EPOMAKER EK21 Review

Tests & Scores

Scores

EPOMAKER EK21 Scores

Accessories - 9.25/10
9.3/10
Design - 9.25/10
9.3/10
Ergonomics - 10/10
10/10
Construction & Build - 9.5/10
9.5/10
Keycaps - 9.75/10
9.8/10
Switches - 9.25/10
9.3/10
Connectivity - 9.75/10
9.8/10
Customization - 10/10
10/10
Typing - 10/10
10/10
Productivity - 10/10
10/10
Office - 10/10
10/10
Tablet-Mobile - 10/10
10/10
Programming - 10/10
10/10
Sound - 10/10
10/10
Durability - 9.5/10
9.5/10
Lighting - 8.75/10
8.8/10
Software - 8.75/10
8.8/10
Battery - 8/10
8/10
Value for Money - 10/10
10/10

Summary

Pros

✅ Thock

✅ Light weighted

✅ Hot swappable

✅ Knob

✅ Price

✅ VIA programmable

Cons

❌ None

CONCLUSION

The EPOMAKER EK21 is the best numpad that you can buy if you want to get thocky sound, portability and usability at a crazy affordable price.

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9.6/10

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ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING
^4.75^_/5

Oddly, the EPOMAKER EK21 comes better packed than many mechanical keyboards from the brand.

With the numpad you will get:

• 3x switches replacement
• 1x Backspace keycaps
• Keycap/switch puller
• USB-C cable

It is well-appreciated and surprising that a numpad comes with replacement switches bundled for free as many premium mechanical keyboard do not even do this.

DESIGN
^4.5^_/5

The EPOMAKER EK21 is a 21 keys plus a knob numpad with a 3-color design that uses black for the shell/knob and white/cream for the keycaps.

The case has an inclined design boosting the ergonomics of the numpad and ease up the reach of the top rows of keys.

The back edge of the case has a slot for the 2.4G dongle and the mode/power switch next to the USB port, while the front and back panels have a shiny, plastic addon that looks like the window of an IR remote. The bottom case is equipped with 4 rubberized feet with a dot shape that add a grippy, anti-slipping stabilization on any surface.

The EPOMKAER EK21 is available in 2 different colors:

• Black
• Grey

The grey variant is not a very common model and is harder to find online.

CONSTRUCTION & BUILD
^4.75^_/5

The EPOMAKER EK21 might have a sub-$50 price tag and be a numpad but the quality of the internal components easily surpasses many premium mechanical keyboards.

Among the insane high-tier internals of the EK21 you will find a multi-dampening layer with Poron sandwich foam, IXPE switch pad, gasket-mounted, CNC polycarbonate plate and a hot-swappable board – the numpad is even a full anti-ghosting one.

Thanks to the full PC case build, the EPOMAKER EK21 become a very light-weighted numpad. This makes it much easier to move around or even carry around with you.

KEYCAPS
^4.75^_/5

The keycaps of the EK21 have Cherry profile and a 2-color design where the numbers have dark fonts over a cream background and the remaining keycaps use black fonts over dark grey.

The keycaps are made of PBT with durable, non-fading fonts and oil-resistant construction.

By touch you will notice that each key has a subtle grainy finish that provides better grip than fully texture-less keycaps.

The knob placed on the top left corner is full-aluminum alloy built with a mostly silent rotational movement and tactile feedback.

SWITCHES
^4.25^_/5

The EPOMAKER EK21 has a hot-swappable board compatible with 3-pin and 5-pin mechanical switches and allow the replacement of them without having desolder and resolder.

It is quite crazy that you can choose a numpad with 4 different switches already assembled from factory, yet this is the case with the EPOMAKER EK21.

The specific switches that you can choose for your EPOMAKER EK21 are:

• EPOMAKER Flamingo
• Gateron PRO Yellow
• Feker Mulan
• EPOMAKER Wisteria (model that we are reviewing)

We have reviewed and tested all 4 switches throughout the time and the EPOMAKER Wisteria sit among our favorite ones. All of the switches options are linear but each one has a unique flavor and typing feel.

CON

CONNECTIVITY
^4.75^_/5

The EPOMAKER EK21 can be used either wired or wirelessly with 2 options for the non-wired mode that include standard Bluetooth connectivity and an additional faster 2.4G wireless one with the bundled dongle.

If you prefer to use it wired, the EPOMAKER EK21 has a durable and more practical detachable cable design with an USB-C connection.

P&E

PERFORMANCE & USE

PRODUCTIVITY
⁵^_/5

From spreadsheet freaks up to graphic artists, music producers and photo/video editing; the EPOMAKER EK21 can become one of the wisest upgrades that you can gift yourself.

OFFICE
^5_/5

A full numpad layout with 21 keys and a knob combined with tri-mode connections and full programmability potential make the EPOMAKER EK21 one of the best numpads that you can get right now.

TABLET/MOBILE
^4.75^_/5

The EPOMAKER EK21 is a Bluetooth numpad that allows to be used with any mobile device and adapted to be customized through its VIA programmability.
On top of that, the light nature of the numpad makes it an outstanding numpad to use as a portable numpad.

LIGHTING
^4.5^_/5

The numpad is equipped with south-facing RGB LEDs that provide several lighting presets and effects to match your preference while also boosting the usability on dark environments.

SOUND
⁵^_/5

The EPOMAKER EK21 offers a remarkably thocky sound, that we were truly not expecting. In fact, the EPOMAKER was way thockier than the full-metal, premium built CIDOO V21 – the variant of the EPOMAKER EK21 that we are reviewing is the one that comes with EPOMAKER Wisteria switches.

Moreover, the pre-lubed stabilizers and quality switches never showed pinging, rattling and there were never issues with hollow, echo or resonance.

It worth highlighting, the premium sound achieved by EPOMAKER with the EK21.

On top of that, the EPOMAKER EK21 provided a springy effect while pressing any key that made it resemble the typing feel of some top-tier premium DIY barebone kits with spring systems.

SOFTWARE
^4.5^_/5

The EPOMAKER EK21 is programmable through VIA, which gives absolute freedom without needing any installed and running software and enables 100% per-key access to customize your numpad.

BATTERY
⁴^_/5

As seen on other numpads, the EPOMAKER EK21 has the same 1000mAh battery capacity; which is decently well-balanced for a numpad.

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EPOMAKER EK21

9.6

SCORE

9.6/10

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EPOMAKER EK21 – Review

EPOMAKER EK21