EPOMAKER has quickly carved out a place in the mechanical keyboard market by offering feature-rich peripherals at competitive prices, and the HE60 continues that strategy with a compact gaming keyboard built around Hall Effect technology. Priced at $59.99/€59.99, it combines adjustable actuation, Rapid Trigger, programmable input functions and an advertised 8,000Hz polling rate with wireless connectivity and an 8,000mAh battery. Its 60% layout is clearly aimed at players who prioritise gaming performance and desk space over the convenience of a full set of dedicated keys. That makes the HE60 an interesting proposition on paper, although its unusual combination of features also comes with a few practical compromises.
The first thing to consider is the physical design. Measuring approximately 298.5 × 102mm and weighing around 700g, the HE60 occupies little desk space without feeling insubstantial. Its ABS plastic housing is paired with an aluminium plate, giving the construction a degree of rigidity that helps it feel more substantial than its price might suggest. The tray-mounted design does mean that the keyboard offers little flexibility, however, and the relatively stiff structure influences its typing character. The included carrying ribbon adds a distinctive visual touch, while the black and white color options allow the keyboard to fit into different setups. It is not an especially extravagant design, but its compact proportions and restrained styling make it easy to accommodate on a crowded desk.
EPOMAKER has also put considerable effort into the acoustic side of the HE60. Five layers of internal dampening material, including PCB foam, a switch pad, an acoustic pad, additional foam around the switch sockets and a silicone base layer, are intended to reduce unwanted resonance. This is a welcome inclusion in an affordable keyboard, particularly given how hollow some budget models can sound. This one has a solid construction with little unwanted echo, although the aluminium plate still gives the HE60 a firmer, somewhat clackier character than keyboards with more flexible plates. The result is not necessarily the softer, more muted typing sound that every enthusiast prefers, but the acoustic treatment helps the keyboard avoid feeling or sounding particularly cheap.
The EPOMAKER Creamy Jade Magnetic switches are central to the experience. These factory-lubricated linear switches use Hall Effect sensing to register key movement magnetically rather than relying on conventional physical electrical contacts. Their actuation point can be adjusted between 0.1mm and 3.3mm, allowing players to configure sensitive keys for rapid inputs while keeping other commands from activating until they are pressed further. The switches have a relatively light initial operating force, with a stated range of approximately 30–55gf, and their smooth linear action should suit both competitive gaming and ordinary typing. The double-shot PBT keycaps, meanwhile, use a Cherry profile that offers a familiar shape and texture. Together, these components provide a promising foundation, although the rigid plate means the overall typing feel is less yielding than some alternative enthusiast keyboards.
Hall Effect technology becomes more interesting when combined with the HE60’s gaming-oriented software features. Rapid Trigger allows a key to reset according to its movement rather than requiring it to return to a fixed reset point, potentially making repeated inputs faster and more responsive. This is particularly relevant to competitive shooters, where precise movement and rapid directional changes can influence the outcome of an encounter. The keyboard also supports Dynamic Keystroke (DKS), Mod Tap, Toggle and Snap Key, which incorporates simultaneous opposite cardinal direction (SOCD) handling. These functions offer considerable scope for customising how individual keys behave, although their usefulness depends on the games being played and how much time users are willing to spend configuring them.
The headline 8,000Hz polling rate is another notable feature at this price. The HE60 supports this rate over both USB-C and 2.4GHz wireless, while Bluetooth operates at 125Hz. EPOMAKER advertises latency figures of 0.125ms over a wired connection and 0.4ms over 2.4GHz, but these specifications describe the manufacturer’s claimed performance rather than a guarantee of a perceptible advantage in every game. We saw consistent input registration and responsive wireless operation, suggesting that players need not automatically sacrifice responsiveness to avoid a cable. Nevertheless, an 8,000Hz polling rate is unlikely to transform the experience for everyone, particularly outside competitive play. It is a compelling specification for enthusiasts who want to fine-tune their setup, but it should not overshadow the importance of switch feel, layout and software usability.
Connectivity is one of the HE60’s more versatile features. Players can choose between USB-C, 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth, making the keyboard suitable for a stationary gaming PC as well as more flexible setups involving compatible devices. The large 8,000mAh battery is encouraging for wireless use, although EPOMAKER does not provide a specific battery-life estimate, so the practical time between charges remains uncertain and will vary according to use. There is also an awkward design decision: the physical mode selector sits beneath the Caps Lock keycap. Switching between connection modes therefore requires removing that keycap rather than simply operating an exposed switch. It is a minor inconvenience if the keyboard remains permanently wired or wireless, but less appealing for anyone who regularly moves between devices or connection types. The two-stage kickstands are a more straightforward inclusion, providing three available typing angles of 6, 8 and 10.5 degrees.
The compact layout is simultaneously the HE60’s greatest practical advantage and its most significant limitation. With 61 keys and no dedicated arrow-key cluster or conventional function row, it leaves more room for mouse movement, something that can be particularly valuable in first-person shooters played at low sensitivity. Its dimensions also make it an appealing option for smaller desks and portable gaming arrangements. However, the missing keys have not disappeared entirely; their functions are accessed through combinations involving the Fn key. That can be manageable during gameplay, when many players primarily use the left side of the keyboard, but it is less convenient for productivity, navigation and applications that depend heavily on dedicated arrow and/or function keys. Users accustomed to 75% or larger layouts should expect an adjustment period, and the extra key combinations can become tiresome during extended work sessions.
Lighting and customisation round out the feature set, although the implementation has some limitations. The double-shot PBT keycaps have translucent legends, and the RGB backlighting provides scope to personalise the keyboard’s appearance. However, the south-facing LED arrangement can leave the legends looking relatively dim, reducing the practical benefit of the shine-through design in darker rooms. The lighting is therefore more convincing as an aesthetic feature than as a guarantee of excellent key visibility in every environment. The ability to adjust lighting, actuation and key behavior through EPOMAKER Hub is more consequential, and the browser-based software is reported to be straightforward to use without requiring a conventional software installation.
There is still a learning curve to the HE60’s configuration options. Adjusting actuation and experimenting with Rapid Trigger can help players tailor the keyboard to their preferences, but the number of programmable functions may be excessive for anyone who simply wants to connect a keyboard and start playing. More importantly, we noticed that Rapid Trigger and Snap Key cannot be enabled simultaneously. Having access to both functions is useful, but being forced to choose between them reduces the flexibility suggested by the feature list. The keyboard’s magnetic hot-swap support also comes with a qualification, as replacement switches must use the supported north-pole-down orientation. This is more restrictive than unrestricted switch compatibility, and the value of replacing the stock switches is debatable when the fixed aluminium plate has such a strong influence on the overall typing character.
At $59.99, the EPOMAKER HE60 nevertheless offers an impressive range of hardware features for the money. Its combination of Hall Effect switches, adjustable actuation, Rapid Trigger, multiple programmable key behaviours, dual 8,000Hz polling and three connection modes would have been a more unusual proposition in this price bracket a few years ago. The substantial battery, PBT keycaps and extensive internal dampening further strengthen the package. There are meaningful compromises, though: the 60% layout sacrifices everyday convenience, the connection selector is inconveniently hidden, the RGB legends could be brighter, and the rigid plate will not appeal to everyone who enjoys a softer typing sound.
Ultimately, the HE60 makes the most sense for players who want a compact Hall Effect keyboard with extensive input customisation without spending considerably more on a premium competitive model. Its features are more specialised than most casual players will need, but FPS enthusiasts can benefit from its adjustable actuation, Rapid Trigger support and extra mouse space. Those who frequently switch between gaming and productivity, or who rely on dedicated navigation keys, would probably be better served by a larger layout. EPOMAKER has made some sensible compromises to reach this price, and although the HE60 is not without its quirks, it delivers a substantial set of gaming-oriented capabilities in a compact and solidly constructed package.