Yet another exciting delivery from the ever-generous people at Epomaker: this time, I’m trying out the Magcore 87.

This is the first Epomaker board to feature Inductive Switches, which, following the release of Ducky’s One X series, look set to become the latest fascination among keyboard obsessives. We’ll get into that in a little while.

The basics

The Magcore 87 is an 85% / 88 key, wired (USB-C), Tenkeyless (TKL) ANSI US layout keyboard, and is compatible with Mac and Win.

The Magcore 87 comes in black with Cherry Profile, double-shot PBT keycaps. All keycaps are black with white characters except for Esc, Backspace, Enter, and the Spacebar, which are transparent blue.

The case of the Magcore 87 is made of aluminium, and the plate is aluminium alloy. It’s gasket-mounted and has multiple layers of sound-dampening, including Silicon Sandwich Foam/IXPE Switch Pad/Bottom EVA Foam.

The Magcore 87 weighs about 2kg, so it’s a heavy board. Definitely more of a desktop piece of kit rather than a take-anywhere keyboard.

The Magcore 87 has south-facing RGB backlights with all the usual on-board customisation options, and more available via the free-to-use Epomaker software.

So far, so good. The Magcore 87 is a solid, good-looking, high-end feeling keyboard, but what’s the difference between it and a hundred others? Well, I’m going to have to try to get a bit technical here, so please prepare yourselves.

Inductive Switches – sensitivity and durability

A while ago I reviewed the HE75 Mag, which is equipped with magnetic switches as opposed to standard mechanical switches. Whereas a typical switch basically acts like a tiny hammer, actually pressing down to physically “hit”, a magnetic switch is a proximity sensor without parts which strike each other. This means that magnetic switches are much more durable, accurate, and much more sensitive. The sensitivity of magnetic switches can also be adjusted. Magnetic switches, however, also consume power.

The Magcore 87 is equipped with inductive switches, which are a different thing again. Every individual magnetic switch needs to have its own distinct sensor, whereas inductive switches’ actions are detected by coils built into the PCB itself. This means that inductive switches consume a lot less power than magnetic switches do. Now, part of the justification for using inductive over magnetic switches is that they won’t drain a battery as fast if you’re using a keyboard wirelessly. That, however, doesn’t apply to the Magcore 87, as it’s wired only.

The Magcore 87‘s switches are specified as Kaih Box Inductives, but I can’t find them on the Kaih website, so I can’t tell you much about them beyond that. They are hot-swappable, but only with other inductive switches (as you might expect).

The sensitivity of the Magcore 87‘s switches can be adjusted using the driver software. There is a setting for Trigger Travel, which determines how far a key needs to be pressed down before the keystroke is detected. There is also a Fast Trigger Mode, which determines how far the key needs to come back up before it can be triggered again. These settings are, of course, really designed for gaming rather than typing. Equally, the idea that inductive switches have a much longer life when being absolutely pummelled is really aimed at gamers who are hammering away at a few keys as fast as they can. However, there is definitely an appeal for typists also, especially for those who type at a 100-words-per-minute or higher rate.

The Magcore 87‘s Kaih Box inductive switches do feel noticeably different to your standard mechanical switches. They feel nicer to me than the HE75’s linear magnetic switches but, similarly, they do have a much more clicky sound than I’m used to. They’re not loud by any means, and I actually really like the sound but, if you’re a mech keyboard ASMR fan, you might be disappointed. Or not. Maybe you’ll love the clickiness, but it’s a different sound to what you’re probably used to.

Exaptation

Exaptation is a biological term referring to an evolutionary adaptation which comes to serve a different purpose. For example: feathers are believed to have originally evolved as a means of keeping warm, but came to be used in flight. Many (most in fact) of the keyboards I test out and review are designed and marketed as gaming keyboards, but I never use them for that purpose. Now, inductive switch technology comes along, and it’s designed and marketed for gamers, but it’s actually perfect for typists.

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The Magcore 87 is, I have no doubt, a fantastic gaming keyboard, but it doesn’t look like one. At least, it doesn’t look like what the stereotypical idea of one would be. It looks and feels really, really high-end and professional. So much so, it would not look out of place on the desk of an architect or lawyer. It is a solid, robust piece of kit with an incredible polling rate (8000Hz), and its switches will withstand an absolute hammering and never wear out. If you are a lightning-fast touch typist who is looking for a desktop keyboard that’s going to last you a good while, you should seriously be thinking about the Magcore 87 as an option.

The Magcore 87 is available to order directly from Epomaker for £150.71 / $199.99 USD

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