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Need-to-knows
- Low profile offers a perfect typing angle
- Key travel feels perfectly dialled in despite the low profile
- Well-built metal case and very light
- Carry case included
If you’ve spent any amount of time trawling through mechanical keyboard Reddit forums or YouTube rabbit holes, you’ll know about the sheer amount of options out there. Different sizes, different layouts, different key designs, different levels of flashing lights, it’s confusing. But I think Epomaker’s Luma100 might be the perfect balance.
The Luma100 is a “low-profile keyboard” which basically means it doesn’t sit with an aggressive angle on the desk and maintains a slim design. But as we’ll find out, that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on other important elements like the type feel.
This is a keyboard designed for people who want the full mechanical experience without the chunky, desk-dominating presence that usually comes with it. Let’s get into it!
A layout that makes sense
The first thing worth highlighting is the layout. The Luma100 uses a 96% layout, which means you basically get almost everything from a full-size keyboard, just squashed together a bit. And that’s a very good thing.
You’ve still got your number pad (essential if you work a lot with spreadsheets or the like) and F-keys, but the overall footprint is far more compact than a traditional keyboard. It’s one of those designs that, once you get used to it (which doesn’t take long at all), makes standard layouts feel clunky and wasteful.
Related: Epomaker TH108 review
It’s also paired with an ultra-slim profile; just 23mm tall at the front and 25mm at the back. This is especially nice as a lot of mechanical keyboards this size come chunky meaning the typing angle can feel quite unnatural. And that might sound very boring, but trust me after many years sitting at a desk, your typing posture absolutely matters so don’t discount it!
Low-profile switches without the compromise
Low-profile switches can be a bit of a mixed bag. Sometimes they feel too shallow, too stiff, or just a bit unsatisfying. You want a mechanical keyboard to feel like you’re actually pressing something with just the right amount of resistance down.
Epomaker is clearly aware of this, because the Luma100 leans heavily into getting the typing feel right. For the uninitiated, mechanical keyboards often have fairly large, thick keys that give manufacturers the space to dial in things like the amount of key travel. When you go low-profile, you lose some of that space and therefore need to be careful to maintain the type-feel.
The Luma100 uses Epomaker’s Low-Profile Mint Switches (and Gateron stabilisers underneath) to deliver a shorter travel distance and faster response time with a total travel distance of 3.2 to 0.4mm. In practice, these keys respond pretty much exactly as you’d expect. They feel very fast to type on with a snappy key return and minimal effort required to generate an input.
Check out my list of the best mechanical keyboards!
Compare it to a laptop keyboard for example, and the experience is night and day. You don’t need to slam any keys down which means finger fatigue is much reduced.
More importantly, though, Epomaker claims you get a “creamy smooth” keystroke. Now, that phrase gets thrown around a lot in the world of mechanical keyboards because, well, that’s the whole point. But the Luma100 backs it up…
The gasket mount
This is where things get really important. If a mechanical keyboard doesn’t feel right to type on, then it may as well not exist.
The Luma100 uses a gasket-mounted design, which is the gold standard with these kinds of things. Translated into normal human language, that means the internal plate in the middle of the keyboard is sandwiched between multiple layers of soft materials to create a cushioned typing feel.
Instead of the harsh, clacky bottom-out you get with cheaper keyboards, a gasket mount softens each keystroke. You know on a laptop keyboard you can feel the keys bottom out when you type, like you’re pressing down on something hard? That is far less likely to happen with a gasket mount.
More: My pick for the best iPad keyboard
Overall, it reduces fatigue, improves acoustics, and just generally makes the whole experience feel more premium. And speaking of acoustics…
A quieter sound
Epomaker has gone all-in on sound dampening here, with a five-layer system designed to eliminate that high-pitched clacky noise that plagues a lot of mechanical keyboards.
The end result with the Luma100 a very satisfying, low-pitched ‘thock’ when you strike a key that doesn’t echo around your room like you’ve just lobbed a bag of marbles all over the floor. It’s so much less obnoxious than what you’d expect. With many keyboards, I’d feel bad using them around others, especially in an office, because they’re so loud but I could comfortably take this anywhere without annoying anyone.
Read my full M4 iPad Air review
It’s one of those things you don’t realise you care about until you experience it but it definitely matters!
Great build quality
At just over $100, the Luma100 sits in the lower-mid-range price bracket for a mechanical keyboard. You can, if you so wish, spend upwards of $500 on a keyboard. But once again, that doesn’t mean you are making massive compromises here.
The Luma100 is made from an anodised aluminium case, which looks and feels premium, and there’s a nicely balanced weight to it. At 0.62kg, it’s not overly heavy and therefore remains portable, but it feels solid enough on the desk to remain stable.
The DSA keycaps are another nice touch. They’re low-profile, uniform, and double-shot, meaning the legends shouldn’t fade over time, and they also come with Mac-specific modifiers. On top of that, you also get a nifty faux-leather carry case.
Connectivity and VIA support
The LUMA100 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to connectivity.
You get:
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 2.4GHz wireless (with a 1000Hz polling rate)
- USB-C wired mode
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In other words, it’ll work with pretty much anything you throw at it, laptop, desktop, tablet, and you can switch between devices without any hassle. There’s also onboard memory for multiple different device pairings.
And, if you’re the kind of person who likes to tweak and customise everything (and let’s be honest, if you’re looking at a keyboard like this, you probably are), VIA compatibility is a big deal. It means you can remap keys, create macros, and tailor the layout exactly to your workflow.
Want a dedicated shortcut for launching your favourite app? Done.
Want to turn Caps Lock into something actually useful? Also done.
Compatability
Just a quick note on compatibility, because I know that is always one of the dealbreakers when it comes to picking a keyboard. The Luma100 works with Mac, Windows and Android, so you’re covered across pretty much any type of device you want to use.
The box also comes with six additional Mac keycaps, so you can switch things around until you get to your desired setup.
The bottom line
You know what I said above about the Luma100 being a great middle ground? Well I think that just about illustrates it. It has a lot of the advanced, nitty-gritty features that mechanical keyboard aficionados will appreciate, but it’s also simple enough in its design that anyone can pick it up and be satisfied.
As an everyday workhorse, it’s excellent thanks to a super smooth type feel, sleek profile so you can take it with you and top build quality. At $120, it’s a steal and a keyboard you will use for a very long time. If you need a companion to your desktop setup, tablet work or just to avoid using laptop keys, this is a great option!
This post is supported by Epomaker
