The lovely people at Epomaker have very generously sent me one of their TH96 keyboards to try out.

The TH96 is a 96% 104 key keyboard – essentially a full-sized keyboard with 4 fewer keys and a more compact key layout – and a volume dial/knob. I do love a keyboard with in-built volume control, and a click-to-mute/unmute function. While I’m pretty used to switching to and from working on ANSI keyboards these days, the TH96 also comes in an ISO-UK layout, which is what I got. Always nice to have a nice big Enter key and to not be hitting \ by mistake every third time.

The TH96 is a gasket-mounted keyboard –  silicone sound-absorbing foam in the base of the board damping the typing sound and reducing the amount of “thump” when you’re hammering away at the keys. A stainless steel plate adds weight and strength to the board, making it feel substantial and stable.

The TH96 comes with a choice of

RGB backlights on the TH96 are south facing meaning that, rather than the whole keyboard being lit up like a glaring and potentially distracting light show,  they’re designed to illuminate the keys for typing. The opaque MDA profile PBT keycaps obviously help with this (the TH96 comes in a choice of grey or white, with corresponding keycaps – I got the grey version with grey and white keys), but you could, of course, switch these out for some clear keycaps if you fancied something a bit more lively.

The RGB placement also supports Cherry-profile keycaps, further increasing your customisation options. There are 20 or so RGB backlight settings as well as a static white backlight option, hue, saturation, brightness, and effect speed can also be easily tailored to suit the users’ needs and tastes. While the static white backlight seemed like it was probably the one for me, I’ve actually ended up sticking with a nice, slowly pulsing green, which gives the TH96 a nice, subtle retro sci-fi look. Because, when all is said and done, we all like to pretend we’re typing on a console on the USCSS Nostromo, don’t we? Why not?

The wireless version of the TH96(which is the version I received) can be connected by either Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz wireless (on/off switch at the rear, next to the USB port), or standard USC-C. Three wireless connections can be stored and cycled between, meaning that once set up you can switch between laptop, tablet, or even phone connections easily. The TH96 has an onboard 6000mAh Battery for wireless / on-the-go use but, as I’m mostly using the keyboard wired on a desktop, I haven’t really tested out the charge/recharge times properly myself.

As mentioned above, the TH96‘s stainless steel plate gives the keyboard a fair amount of weight (1.4 kg on my scales), meaning that it is incredibly sturdy and solid feeling. Is it too heavy to carry around in a laptop bag? No, I don’t think so, but it’s probably going to double your carry weight. That said, the more compact 96% form factor makes it ideal for someone who wants all the benefits of a full-sized keyboard on the go, without actually carrying a full-sized board around with them. A pair of sturdy flip-down silicon feet at the rear of the TH96 provide a bit of angle adjustment, although the “flat” setting has proved perfect for me.

All in all, following on from using the Wombat Pine Pro for a couple of months, I’ve found the TH96 an absolute pleasure to work on. As a lover of more compact keyboards, I haven’t found myself itching to get back to a 68-key, as I sometimes do after using a larger board for a while, which means that the TH96 really is the best of both: a versatile, solid, tactile keyboard which does pretty much everything, but also doesn’t take up my entire desk.

The TH96 is available now direct from Epomaker for $149 USD (wireless model) and $179 USD (wired)