EPOMAKER Luma40 Review

Small keyboards are fun. They’re easy to carry with you, and they don’t take up your entire desk, leaving you with plenty of space for your mouse, and that cup of coffee you like so much. If this notion appeals to you, then you’ll like today’d keyboard… or at least, it will have drawn your attention. So, welcome to the world of ortholinear 40% keyboards. Today, we’re looking at the Epomaker Luma40.

It’s tiny, it’s built like a tank, and the keys are arranged in a perfect grid – like an Excel spreadsheet came to life and decided to challenge your muscle memory. This is Epomaker’s attempt to bring a niche, enthusiast layout to the masses with a low-profile, aluminum design. But is it actually usable, or just a cool paperweight? Let’s find out.

BOX CONTENTS

Epomaker keeps it fairly standard here. In the box, you get:

• The Luma40 keyboard itself.
• A braided USB-C to USB-A cable.
• A manual
• A 2.4GHz wireless receiver (dongle).
• A few spare Kailh low-profile switches.
• A keycap-cum-switch puller tool.
• A decorative strap with a screwdriver to add or remove the strap.

BUILD QUALITY

The first thing that hits you is the build. This thing is surprising. It features a full CNC-cut aluminum case that makes it feel incredibly dense and premium for its size. It weighs about 410 grams, which is hefty for something this small.

There is zero flex. It feels like a solid brick. However, notice the typing angle – it is completely flat. Because this is a tray mount design with no adjustable feet, you are stuck with this flat profile. For a low profile board, that’s usually fine, but if you like a tilt, you’re out of luck here.

Visually, the Luma40 is a stunner. It has a very sleek and modern design, while maintaining a minimalist vibe. The keycaps are semi-transparent ‘frosted’ polycarbonate, which diffuses the RGB lighting beautifully.

Speaking of RGB, it’s bright, vibrant, and because of the translucent caps, the whole board glows rather than just the letters. It looks fantastic on a dark desk. The layout is a 47 key ortholinear grid, which looks very clean and symmetrical, even if it looks terrifying to type on.

SWITCHES: Kailh White Rain

Under the hood, we have Kailh White Rain linear, low profile switches. They are hot-swappable, but do note that you are limited to low-profile switches here, not standard MX ones.

The typing feel is snappy and short. Because of the low travel distance, it feels more like a high-end laptop keyboard than a traditional mechanical board. It’s fairly silent when typing and doesn’t have a distinct sound profile.

There are no stabilizers on the 2u spacebar. Epomaker decided the key was small enough to not need them. Surprisingly, they don’t wobble too much, but you will notice a slightly different sound compared to the other keys.

KEYCAPS

The keycaps are what Epomaker calls the ‘LAK profile’. They are flat, uniform, and made of PC (polycarbonate) plastic. Personally, I hate how this raised lego-like circle in the middle feels to type on.

The legends are silk-screened, not double-shot. This raises a durability concern over time, with hand oils and friction, these legends might fade. However, because the profile is flat, you can technically swap them around to different rows without messing up the height, which is great for remapping keys in VIA.

CONCLUSION

So, is it worth the $100 price tag it sits at?

To wrap up, The Epomaker Luma40 is not for everyone. If you rely on your muscle memory for a standard staggered layout, you will hate the first two weeks with this board. You will hit the wrong keys constantly.

But, if you are an enthusiast looking for a travel-friendly, ultra-durable board, or you want to dip your toes into the world of ortholinear layouts, this is one of the easiest entry points on the market. It’s built well, looks great, and runs on VIA software for easy remapping.