The Epomaker x Leobog Hi75 is one of the most popular budget 75% keyboards right now, it has so many good color combinations, decent gasket performance, and retails for $99. You can also get it barebones (without keycaps and switches) for $75.
Review
The Leobog Hi75 is a 75% keyboard, it has 8 different barebones colors, and four more colors if you get it pre-built. The case is Aluminum, and it has a huge plastic knob on the top left. It has rubber grip pads on the bottom, but the keyboard is so heavy you’ll barely need them. It adopts a sort of space theme, with a large planet on the back of the board.
It has 4 different switch options, the Nimbus Linear switch, the Building Block Tactile switch, the Ice Blue Clicky switch, and the Greywood Linear switch. You can also get these switches separately on Amazon, 100 pieces for $25. This is very good as you can always swap out your switches based on your preference, as the keyboard is hot-swappable. The switches also come factory-lubed. You can also choose between 3 keycap shapes, MDA, Cherry, and SOA, all double-shot PBT.
To take apart the keyboard, you have to take out some keycaps and switches which have screws beneath them. Also, the screws used here are very weak, they can easily strip and that means you won’t be able to take apart the keyboard as much. If you want to take off the top frame, you will have to remove the volume knob as well. The PCB is flex cut, and you have some sound-dampening layers like Poron plate foam. Installing and removing switches could damage the plate on contact points as well if you use a lot of force.
As for the cons, the Leobog Hi75 isn’t wireless, you can only use it with a USB-C cable. Also, it doesn’t have support for open-source software, like QMK and VIA. You can download the app directly from Epomaker’s website. It is a basic website, you can add macros and customize bindings. You can change preset lighting modes, create custom ones, and change some performance settings.
What’s in the box
- Leobog Hi75
- USB-C Cable
- User Manual
Verdict
The Leobog Hi75 is a decent budget keyboard. To get it pre-built for only $99 is amazing, and all its color configurations look good. Wireless would have been nice, as it is included in most of the keyboards in this price range. Taking the keyboard apart is a pain, and the screws corrode if you unscrew them too many times. Apart from that, the Leobog Hi75 is a good keyboard which impressed me a lot. Another keyboard like this that buyers should consider is the Chilkey ND75.
