Stock Thock for Under $100? - Epomaker TH66 and TH80 (No Mods!)

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The Epomaker TH66 and TH80 are two of the THOCKIEST stock keyboards I've ever used (with the right switches) for under $100. No mods needed!
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[@RaisinBarXZ550]

Only been in the keyboard hobby for a couple years but on a tight budget, really looking forward to this being my first real long term platform, as it has all the features I've been wanting like wireless thru 2.4 instead of BT, gasket mount, Gat blacks I've been wanting to try after making a couple frankenswitches, and a knob.

[@lukas______]

Settle on a board?

[@avi7278]

Just got the TH80 today. If you're hesitating, go with the TH80 with bugarian blue which are not all clicky. They sound like knocking on wood or lottery balls. Overall if you're unsure, rest assured this is really incredible. I am loving it.

[@quietkid9422]

i have the th80 pro, gateron pro black switches, and it has been tape modded, and tissue modded

[@DaveAlkema]

I'm still new to the keyboard hobby, but went in head first with several boards made or customized at this point. I chose to give some away to my co-workers as I had too many boards laying around. Before I bought my first board, I ordered some Feker Holy Pandas and a few keycap sets from Banggood, it took just over two months for them to be delivered, so now I had to buy a new board to put them in. I went with the TH66 and am looking forward to getting it built up tomorrow when it arrives. Thanks for the informative video!

[@AppySaid]

How were the end results? I just ordered my own TH66.

[@DaveAlkema]

@@AppySaid It turned out pretty good. Don't remember too much about it anymore as I ended up gifting it to a coworker. Last I heard he was loving it.

[@AppySaid]

@@DaveAlkema Sounds great! Man, you're quite the generous co-worker. You must've already given away a lot keyboards, lol. Your co-workers must love working with you!

[@DaveAlkema]

@@AppySaid I am the main trainer at work for our new technicians. They work closely with me for 90 days. At the end of their 90 days I give them a choice of a mouse or keyboard.

[@AppySaid]

@@DaveAlkema That's nice! I like that. 👍🏾

[@squip6275]

you look like my freshman year geometry teacher

[@cxr2]

Amazing

[@rosemorfydd1596]

So random 😂

[@FoodIsGood753]

OMG HE DOES LOOK LIKE HIM!!!

[@treci-dieci9303]

Bro huh

[@Xander_t]

Mr. Portly ????? Is that not you?????

[@circleofthytyrants]

went ahead and bought my th80 se for my office. cant wait!

[@dw8555]

"If the switches are clicky, the board will sound icky!" That is SO classic! And so Portly, too. Excellent sense of humor, always! Oh, and the reviews are good, too.

[@laurawbingham]

I just bought the TH80 and I looooove it! Although it's my first ever so I don't really have a comparison lol.

[@Milan-cf1xe]

Which switches do you have?

[@alpha1k.]

i got the th66

[@gkolesnitsky]

Are the stabs pcb or plate mounted.

[@JunkCat1]

i just got the th96 and so far i love it

[@dw8555]

I'm back, and I bought a TH80 Pro kit. It has Haimu Heartbeat silent switches. It barely makes any noise, at all, yet these switches are not mushy! I love it. You should try these switches. All of the stabilizers came very solidly mounted on the plate. No movement and no noise. I like everything about this keyboard! Thanks, again, for the review!

[@Portly]

Awesome! Glad you like the keyboard. I’ll have to check those switches out for sure!

[@igor.lacerda]

This is great to know, first keeb like this that i got was the TK68. Im also waiting on the TH80 to arrive, ordered 2 days ago!

[@tombstone628]

How long did it take to be delicered?

[@rbrojas2040]

First time in your channel, I can confirm, the intro was not awkward at all. 😊

[@Portly]

The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/theportlygamer06221

[@aidenwills451]

Thanks man, mine arrived today and I love it :)

[@crypticvisionary]

Subscribed for the honesty in that intro.

[@milklover45]

Man I want the bear bones with the gather on pro black switches and THICC key caps for more THOCC

[@nazuichi]

amazing video matches exactly all i wanted to know i subbed thanks so much

[@jameschristopherlopez88]

Let’s Thock and Roll!! Great review. Very insightful.

[@Portly]

😂😂😂

[@SplashyPear]

There is no stock keyboard more thocky and creamy than the EPOMAKER x LEOBOG Hi75 Aluminum Alloy Wired Mechanical Keyboard with the Nimbus V3 switches.

[@jardarrn-b1h]

the start minecraft song goes hard af

[@eitancarlier9329]

Boys in the 90s were looking for girlfriends, boys in the 2020s are looking for THOCK

[@ShakBe94]

The “THOCK” in the intro is why I kept watching 😂😂

[@TFLseed_TFLsolar]

this is a awsome video thank you! you helped me out by deciding what board to get and this video was just so good and keep up the awesome vidz and dont listen to hate.

[@SergioRussoPlus]

Just picked up this keyboard and it has one massive annoyance. When you press Ctrl + Backspace the lights go white. So you can spend your time to pick the RGB setting you like, hit Ctrl + Backspace to delete a word in a text editor and bang, all your keys turn white. Stupid bug.

[@megadeth8592]

probably need to update the firmware

[@alpha1k.]

i got the th66 white kit, they should’ve had a black version instead of clear black tho

[@Shane..]

My first comment on a video but want to say I LOVE this board, and i’m so glad i was able to watch and see it :) Love the knob and am very excited to build it up!

[@Sibilantic]

Came here for the review, stayed for the Persona 5 background music.

[@monster410]

I was playing Persona 5 just before watching this video, I was wondering where the music came from haha xD

[@HexylvaniaFilms]

Have you played the videogame that your background music is from? It's one of my favorite games ever. It's called Catherine.

[@Gearsandco]

Those keyboard look like my Dukharo Vn66 and for the same price as well lol well mine came with Gateron yellow for just 70 to $75 which is not bad and I did upgraded therm too the Gateron pro milky yellow with sound deeper and THOCKY

[@recursion.]

if only the keycaps were shine through😪

[@warehousing2953]

Hey where is the sound test for Gateron Pro brown switches? 😆

[@TheVhsGuy0]

He sounds like Chris from family guy

[@Portly]

Does he tho?

[@JoshTechgamer]

yea Th66 is good for stock. I love mine lol they sent me the white one wanted the black. hmm gave a like man

[@mnap1595]

Keycap profile appears to be MDA, judging by the current options on their website.

[@DaEliteGamer117]

lmao nice minecraft music in the backround xd

[@martijnjoch8838]

i was like why the f*ck is that so famillier. its persona 5 music !

[@TheTomtomer]

How is it working with MacOS? Does switching to Mac mode automatically change the alt key to command?

[@adiands850]

Good question. Did you ever find out the answer?

[@granitasnow]

Yes it does if anyone needs the answer. I switched mine once to max mode and never had to meddle with it again

[@josuesarmiento3593]

Nice vid bro, I am interested on buy this Keyboard, it looks so amazing

[@josuesarmiento3593]

What about the software bro?

[@anthonycardonasantiago2311]

I love the keyboard but I don't like the sleep mode that has, you need to wake it up and if you forget and start typing you will miss 2-3 letters, and is kind of annoying I wish this sleep mode can be turned off and your keyboard can be always on and ready to just type and go and no need to wake it up.

[@adiands850]

I've heard that the bluetooth performance on this board is not great. Did you get to test it? Thanks!

[@CourtWatchAu]

Great review, I like the look of the Epomaker keybaords. Can you assign 'switch layer' or 'momentary layer change' to a diff key than the Fn key. I hope so. eg i t would be god to have maybe F1, f8, f9,F10 to be change layer and stay on that alternate layer, while using Fn or a remapped Win key to allo w momentary to diff layer . Thankyou

[@leanderoudendijk6270]

Did they do anything with the keycaps too? or would i get the same result if I use different caps?

[@aba.m1]

Here for the Persona bg music

[@CinceTheDay]

no DEL key on the TH66... that's a bummer.

[@Penguinishy]

How wide and tall is the knob, considering this keyboard but would like to find a replacement knob for it first.

[@veecks]

The only thing I can't stand is: Why they put only 2 keys below the knob, why, there is plenty space for a del, end, pgup, pgdown 😭

[@christianjimenez4374]

Hey man, do you recommend the gateron pro black or pro red switches for best sound and smoothest feel?

[@Portly]

Black for sure. Going to be a bit more fatiguing but I personally prefer the sound and feel of black switches

[@michaelthompson9798]

Great video Portly as always 🤩🤯👍. To test if it’s a metal / aluminium (NOT ALUMINUM ….lol at the yanks 😂 😆) just put a magnet next to it as aluminium isn’t magnetic 🧲😇🫠

[@jimgd4]

So- I would like to put together a full size keyboard using a separate numpad on the left, since I am left handed. I am a novice to this keyboard stuff, but I would like it to be RGB with keycaps that will allow the light to shine through. I was completely lost on Epomaker's website, and they have no phone # at all, so I emailed them. The email I got from them in response was so far off from what I am looking to do in terms of recommendations, it's actually nonsensical. It doesn't inspire confidence in terms of back end customer support from this company. Very frustrating.

[@TheGamingMexican69]

Is the left shift supposed to be a off brand steam symbol?

[@Portly]

I wonder that myself lol

[@TheGamingMexican69]

@@Portly nothing a new set of keycaps can't fix!

[@reyhanpradantyo]

Hi, just bought the TH66 and I'm wondering if this has onboard memory so I could use this on multiple devices without installing the software everywhere. Thanks

[@teamextreme86]

ahhh thocccc

[@tombstone628]

Just ordered the TH80, live in the Austin area. Curious as to how long it takes to get delivered and shipped generally? Thanks for help.

[@Portly]

If you ordered direct from Epomaker, generally takes a week or two from China in my experience.

[@MrVidification]

This or the keychron V3 (it's usually around 99) for general quality and longevity..

[@Portly]

I’ve never used a Keychron but I have heard great things about a lot of their keyboard from the last two or three years. It’s a tough call

[@hey21139]

i have a question. should i get the epomaker th66, th80 or ep84? i really just need to pick between ep84 and th80

[@Portly]

I haven’t used the ep84 but I know for sure that I really liked the th80

[@hey21139]

@@Portly Ty! I think I will just get the th80. In my opinion It looks a lot better

[@frijol_ASMR]

Which one is more light ? I'm TH 68 user but i think it's too heavy to bring it in my backpack 🎒

[@Portly]

Definitely the TH66

[@ballbing2695]

Does these keyboards support Nordic layout?

[@DavideDeRosa3383]

Hello, do someone here have any issue with wireless mode (2,4 or BT)? I bought the keyboard 2 weeks ago, also I updated the firmware, but I m having some random connection loss, with BT and 2,4 mode. No issues in wired mode

[@fantasywaffle]

Minecraft music. Very interesting.

[@ifherbowasntg548]

For someone looking for DEEP “THOCK” what do people recommend? Gateron pro black or Gateron pro yellow?

[@Portly]

To my ear, black are slightly deeper, but only slight. If you really want a deeper sound and you’re planning to buy either of these keyboards, get either one to start with and eventually get something like Gateron Black Inks and lube them. They’re known for their deeper pitch. A bit pricey though

[@ifherbowasntg548]

@@Portly So would this board with the Gateron pro black be considered “thocky”?

[@Portly]

@@ifherbowasntg548 if you mean the TH80 then yes I’d say so. That’s the switch I had on mine

[@ifherbowasntg548]

@@Portly yes I meant for this board specifically. So are any mods at home necessary or the way it comes is good enough?

[@marketcrorepati5729]

*No end key , dealbreaker for me*

[@Portly]

You can use the software to map an End key to any other key you want, if that helps

[@aaronsantana5932]

Persona 5 background music

[@CarlosOfficials]

minecraft music for the the win :D

[@YSoAggressive]

1000hz polling rate or bust

[@samk1301]

Is it possible to take the red knob off and replace it with a GMMK Pro knob?

[@Portly]

I’m not sure what the thread size is for the GMMK pro knob but yes you can take off the red knob

[@slightkek]

Valid for the Persona 5 music

[@C00LTYPER]

which ones better and what switches should i choose

[@Portly]

Honestly they’re very similar other than the TH80 having more keys. Personally I prefer the TH80. As for switches, it’s all up to you and what you want your typing experience to feel and sound like. Gateron Pro Yellow switches are S tier switches in my opinion so can’t go wrong with those, if you like linear switches

[@C00LTYPER]

thx for the reply, but what do you think of the EPOMAKER TH80 SE

[@Portly]

@@C00LTYPER just looked it up. It looks a lot cooler than this one lol. I don’t know much else about it tho

[@C00LTYPER]

ok thanks I'll get it, the only reason why I wouldn't get the th80 normal version is only bc I prefer black xd

[@iga3272]

Im thinking about buying the th80, which switches are the thockest from all the options?

[@Portly]

Definitely the Gateron Pro Yellow switches. Still some of the best switches you can buy and will sound great with the TH80

[@iga3272]

@@Portly what about epomarker budgerigar, I've been watching videos and it sounds really thock, but I don't know, what you think?, budgerigar or gateron yellow?

[@Portly]

@@iga3272 I don’t have any experience with the Budgerigar switches personally and those are tactile where the yellows are linear. So that’s up to you! Keep in mind sound tests of any switch you hear online is never quite going to sound like how it really sounds in person. I’m sure either one will be a nice experience. Worst case, you don’t like one switch, you can buy and swap the other switches for pretty cheap!

[@josephthistle8798]

bro, its like $40 on amazon.

[@PMann-gl4ru]

How would one get another dial?

[@Zo_Asif]

Can u switch the keycaps or No

[@Portly]

Yes

[@EadgarLopez]

persona...

[@cristianbuono2428]

can i use akko switches with this keyboard?

[@Portly]

Yup!

[@cchris8372]

do the f keys work on the 60 percent model can you press fn and then the number

[@Portly]

Yes!

[@vetisu_7719]

what's the mouse there in the video?

[@Portly]

That is the Logitech MX Master 3. I have some grip tape on the main buttons because it gets oily and I hate how it feels lol

[@vetisu_7719]

@@Portly it looked nice i might look into it. I’ve been using different variation of the Logitech G502 for years. All the way up to the most recent lightforce.

[@Portly]

@@vetisu_7719 just a heads up it’s not great for gaming but it is very good for productivity and super comfortable. Probably the most popular productivity mouse

[@vetisu_7719]

@@Portly yeah i watched a couple videos and kinda gathered that. I’ll stick to the G502 still. It just fits my hand so well and has all the extra buttons. Great video btw i bought the epomaker th66 with their new Budgerigar switches.

[@illitero]

I'm a first time viewer and want to thank you for the nice and informative video...until the 7:49 mark where you comment on the south-facing LEDs. Interference is in reference to component LEDs physically connecting with the keycap. The ones on this and all other hotswap boards are SMD and on the PCB, so there's no interference since they're, you know, under the switch. Not at all trying to be snarky or mean, just wanted to point that out for the sake of knowledge :) I actually made a face from the sheer confusion and loss of credibility when you said that, it was a crazy emotional shift hahaha

[@Portly]

Much appreciated! however you might be a little mixed up friend, but understandable since I mentioned the LEDs specifically. It’s just my verbiage that I’ve picked up from other reviewers. The interference I’m talking about can happen even without LEDs on the board at all, or without even having the switch and keycap in the board at all. It refers to the lower height rows of cherry profile keycaps (r2 and r3) hitting the switch itself and not being able to bottom out. It’s very common when you have north facing LEDs because (hence the maybe odd choice of verbiage), that means the switch socket is also north facing, which is what causes the interference.

[@michaelbrettmonroe920]

Yuhh

[@BillRalens]

you e-thocks are ruining the internet

[@JordanStambaugh1]

Not really thock but alright.

[@BrianGBizu]

SUB'D

[@outflowsextended]

im having some trouble trying to pick between the two so which one would you recommend? th80 or th66?

[@Portly]

Really just depends on how many keys you need and which color option you want. They’re practically the same otherwise other than maybe slight sound difference