Keyboard Review - AULA F75 aka The Keyboard Hobby "Gateway Drug"

Today I am going to be talking about one of the most popular mechanical keyboards in recent years. A keyboard that many people consider the gateway drug into the mechanical keyboard hobby.

The AULA F75.

If you spent any amount of time watching keyboard videos on YouTube in 2025 or 2026, chances are you've seen this keyboard. Maybe several times. It became almost impossible to avoid.

The AULA F75 was the fourth mechanical keyboard that I purchased. This was back in late January of 2026. I've only been in the keyboard hobby for barely a month. In case you missed it, you can check out the previous keyboards and my respective write-ups for them (aka "the journey so far"):

• Keyboard 001 - Epomaker RT85
• Keyboard 002 - Womier WD75
• Keyboard 003 - Epomaker Galaxy68

At this point in time in the hobby, I already couldn't count the number of keyboard videos I've already watched on YouTube. There was this weird ongoing sensation where I felt like I was catching up on a hobby that I'd always wanted to be a part of...yet I did not know what it was.

There's also this one thing that I noticed about the hobby. You can say it's a negative, but there's some nuance to take into consideration. What am I talking about? It's an overwhelming feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out).

The FOMO in this hobby is very real, and it affects you in various ways and in varying degrees, and it hits you from multiple directions at once! But they all essentially have the same effect, and here's a humorous take on it:

• Level 1 - You see something. You want it.
• Level 2 - You see people talking about it. You want it more.
• Level 3 - You see people already buying it or joining the group buy. Now you REALLY want it.
• Level 4 - You start researching it. At this point, mentally, it already belongs to you.
• Level 5 - You discover a different colourway or variant.
• Level 6 - You go from level 1 to 5 and then realise the item is no longer being sold. It was a limited run, and now you can never have it. (thanks to INFILTRATION for this one!)

You've already bought three keyboards this month anyway.

And the cycle goes on! I am thankful that early on in the hobby, one of the things that I've realised is that there really is no "endgame" for the hobby. At least, in my case, I do love to collect, and I'm still in the process of experiencing a lot of things about the hobby.

Like most things in life that you end up spending a lot of time on, it's best to be mindful of things and savour the moments and experiences you have with it. With this thought in mind, I have realised something important about the hobby, and it's that THE JOURNEY IS THE ENDGAME.

I digress. Let's go back to a few months ago, and I saw a deal on AliExpress for an AULA F75 with the Ice Vein switches. It was a steal for £30, delivered. So, I took a punt.

After about ten days, I received the keyboard.

The packaging was simple and borderline frugal, as to be expected of something at this price point, but it did not feel cheap. It was a bit of a surprise, and my main takeaway after carefully inspecting the whole package was that this was the result of countless revisions on various parts of the package. It almost felt like a quiet flex of modern Chinese manufacturing. I was impressed.

So what's in the package? The box is simple, but thicker than the usual cardboard you get from China. There's some padding inside. The keyboard has a clear plastic dust cover, some spare switches, and a braided USB cable. There's also a quick-start guide that rounds out the package.

The box and padding are designed in such a way that they can take some serious hits during transport. Again, like I said before, the folks who designed this package knew what they were doing.

I take out the keyboard from all the packaging and hold it in my hands. The keyboard feels unapologetically plastic. Again, considering the price, this is okay. I am reminded of all the plastic membrane keyboards that I've typed on at work.

I took out the 2.4G dongle, plugged it into my computer, switched the keyboard on to 2.4G, and was greeted with the RGB lights. It's brighter than my Epomaker RT85.

Then I started typing...and I finally understood the hype.

The keys had this soft, cushioned bounce to them that felt strangely addictive. The sound was deep without being overwhelming. Every keypress felt smooth, controlled, and comfortable.

It was one of those moments where a hobby suddenly clicks into place in your brain.

I remember sitting there thinking:

"Wait...this costs HOW much?"

I used the keyboard for the rest of the day, and at the end of it, I was happy with my purchase. Quite happy.

Fast forward 24 hours later, I bought another AULA F75, but this time I opted for the 'Reaper' switches.

Leobog Ice Vein (left) and the Leobog Reaper (right) switches

When I received it, I immediately proceeded to do a sound test to compare the two. There's minimal difference, but what I can say is that back then I preferred the thocky sound of the Ice Vein, but today, I am loving the marble sound of the Reaper more, but only marginally (and probably only at the time of this writing). The feel of both switches is almost the same.

Would I buy an AULA F75 again today? Probably not, considering I've moved on (gone deeper into the rabbit hole) and my tastes in what I want in a keyboard have significantly changed.

Is the AULA F75 still a great keyboard? Hell yeah! It's still a joy to use, and I love the sound. Especially for the price, it just makes perfect sense as a recommendation for someone who's getting into the hobby.

The current configuration of my AULA F75 (Ice Vein)

Maybe you're looking to give someone a gift, and they're still using a membrane keyboard - the AULA F75 is a great affordable (Trojan Horse) gift for that loved one!

Looking back now, the AULA F75 feels like one of the keyboards that truly pulled me deeper into the hobby.

I close this off with a sound test video:

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment if you can. See you on the next update.

You were supposed to be a gift...the TKD Cycle 7

This post is going to be different from the usual keyboard review. The review is still ongoing, and the next keyboard on the list is the notorious AULA F75, aka "The Gateway to the Mechanical Keyboard Hobby"! Stay tuned for that one!

Keyboard Review: Epomaker Galaxy68

Hello everyone, my name is Alan, and welcome to my UK Tech Blog.

Today I'm going to be talking about the next keyboard in my journey through the hobby -- the Epomaker Galaxy68. It's my first full-aluminium keyboard, and it's also still one of my favourites because of the colourway it has (more on that later).

Epomaker Galaxy68

Going into this post, please be reminded that I'm recapping my journey through the mechanical keyboard hobby, and with this, I try to recreate my thought processes back then; this includes my lack of knowledge about the various intricacies that make up mechanical keyboards -- something that will continue to improve on each part of the journey.

So what made me buy this keyboard? What attracted me to it? I'm going to apologise in advance, as the reason was quite a shallow one -- there's no long explanation here -- I simply liked the look of it! It's got a great design!

The Epomaker Galaxy68 is a non-traditional 65% layout pre-built keyboard. One part of why I gravitated towards the keyboard is the unique layout. The layout was what grabbed my attention, but it was the colourway that truly pushed me to purchase the keyboard.

The Galaxy68 has a very sleek accent LED and useful knob

Unlike a traditional 65%, the exploded arrow-keys and the control cluster on the upper right allow for the layout to breathe, unlike a traditional 65% in my opinion.

At the time, I was also fascinated by the lack of function keys (or the F row). This was an alien concept to me. This led to several moments of inward reflection on whether I truly used the function keys, or at least enough in a sense that I would miss them. Unknowingly, this was a topic that I'll be revisiting many more times in the future.

Going back to the looks of the keyboard -- that black and green colourway caught my attention right away. I love the combination because it reminds me of my favourite band, Type O Negative:

I loved the colourway so much that I changed the settings of the RGB to match. I'm calling my keyboard "Creepy Green Light" moving forward!

I love the Galaxy68's Creepy Green Light

When I first handled the keyboard, the immediate thing I noticed was the weight. It wasn't heavy, it was solid. The keyboard felt premium, and it gave me a sense of holding a quality piece of tech.

After typing that last paragraph, I took hold of the keyboard again, lifted it up, and had a proper feel for it. Yes, it's still the same premium-quality keyboard I remember from months ago. This is a well-built keyboard.

There's no flex, no creaking, a beautifully anodised black finish, a solid typing feel, and it's still an awesome centrepiece for any desk. This reminds me: I need to create the right deskmat for this! (off to write it in my notebook so I don't forget)

This version of the Galaxy68 I have comes with Feker Marble White switches, and they sure live up to their name.

Feker Marble White switch

Typing on the keyboard gives off a bright but not clacky sound signature, a "marbly" sound. It's not a bad switch, and if you're coming from membrane keyboards, it certainly gives off a premium feeling. I will, however, say that I prefer Epomaker's Creamy Jades.

Another positive of this keyboard, and it's something that I only realised until later on was its configurability through VIA. I usually do the configurations when I first start using the keyboard, set-it and forget-it, but knowing that VIA is just a step away is a HUGE plus that cannot be understated. Keep this going, Epomaker!

It's also hot-swap, meaning I can swap out the switches for something else! I've been thinking what to swap it with.

The keycaps that come with the keyboard are okay. Double-shot PBT, green-on-black with a colour theme that reminds me of Type O Negative, my favourite band. There's a slight texture, and the green colour is consistent throughout the keyboard. The lettering is precise, and there are no issues like off-centre legends on any of them.

Standard 3-pin/5-pin hotswap socket

RGB is standard on this, and I love the Epomaker logo on the side with its own RGB effects. It's a nice tasteful design choice, and I'm all for it. Check out the video below on how it performs.

Battery life is decent. I've been typing heavily these past few days and it's still just 90%. In my experience, the battery life will take a significant hit if you enable RGB - something I still do as I can't get enough of the Creepy Green Light mode.

This is a keyboard with a knob, and it's a premium-feeling one. Solid, with nice tactile

The Galaxy68 is great for long typing sessions. It's got a comfortable typing angle, the wireless performance is faultless, the sound of the board is pleasing, and the gasket mount makes for comfortable long typing sessions. How does it look on my desk? Check it out:

The Creepy Green Light Galaxy68 on my desk

So who is this keyboard for? If you're looking to get into the hobby with a nice-feeling keyboard that doesn't break the bank, love the marbly sound profile, and you're okay with the layout -- then you can't go wrong with the Galaxy68. It's a lot of keyboard for the price!

Thinking of gifting someone with a good starter keyboard? This is a great choice.

However, if you've got several keyboards already under your belt, then it's likely that you know what you want already and will most likely give this a pass.

Do I regret purchasing the keyboard? No, not at all. I'm still happy with it. I'm glad that it's in my collection, and I like using it, so it's also in my rotation.

To close this off, here are a few more photos of the Galaxy68:

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment if you can. See you on the next update.

Keyboard Review: Womier WD75 v2 - The Wooden 75%

This is part two of me recapping my mechanical keyboard journey. Each part will feature a keyboard and some of my thoughts, recollecting what transpired to make me purchase the keyboard. This is also the second keyboard in my journey and was purchased just after New Year's of 2026, so please keep this in mind. I already blogged about it a while ago, so this is more of a reframing of that blog post.

The Womier WD75 v2. It's made of wood! And those keycaps, wow. I love Japanese culture, and I've been on a mechanical keyboard learning spree. What could go wrong?

Thankfully, not a lot. I'm pleased to say that the overall experience was a pleasant one. That's not to say that there weren't any hiccups -- there were a few.

I ordered the keyboard on AliExpress through the Womier Keyboard Store. It took just over a week to be delivered and was packaged nicely. A positive purchasing experience.

The packaging wasn't the greatest. A simple Womier box, some padding inside, a keycap puller, a couple of extra switches, and a USB-A to USB-C cable. Standard fare.

But the highlight is the keyboard, and it looks better in real life!

So I eagerly plugged it into my computer and proceeded to start typing, and...are my fingers that heavy?

I was disappointed. Not a lot, but enough to dampen the joy that a new gadget brings. Still, this did not deter me from moving forward.

I recollected myself and took a moment to try and remember why I was initially attracted to this keyboard. It was wooden. I love wood. The keycaps were called 'Ukiyo-e', and it's a very Japanese-themed set. So that's two points now. Let's take a look at the feature set:

* Tri-mode Connectivity
* Hotswappable PCB
* VIA Compatibility
* 8,000mAh battery
* Compact 75% layout

Yes, this is a very good buy -- and just like with anything, I need to spend some time and get used to the light-as-a-feather switches that the keyboard came with.

A week passed by...and I am still not used to this lightness. Thankfully, it's a hot-swap keyboard, so I did the obvious next step -- get new switches! After much deliberation, I opted to get the Huano Sakura linear switches. This was a mistake. Don't get me wrong, the Sakuras are an excellent linear switch; the problem was that it was also a feather-light switch with an activation force of 35g!

Huano Sakura - A feather-light tactile

After this, I somewhat lost interest in tinkering with the board. Life gets in the way, and I end up keeping this configuration for a few months. It goes on my rotation, and I spend a full day of work at the keyboard when it's in the rota. I swapped the keycaps to a set that had a similar profile and material but was coffee-themed.

Womier WD75 with Womier Kafeimao keycap set

It wasn't until today, when it was its turn to be featured here on my blog, that I decided to make some major changes to it and, surprisingly, make it become a favourite. But before that, have a listen to how the keyboard sounded before I made any changes to it:

I took out all the keycaps. Then I removed all the switches. I came in with a clear goal in mind -- I wanted to make this keyboard something that I'd love to use. This means that I want to make it clacky, and I need to make the switches heavier.

Removing the keycaps

I look around my desk, thinking about what to do next until I see a container filled with HMX Sonjas. I recently found myself loving the scratchy profile of MX2A Oranges, and these switches are a light tactile with that very feature of having a scratch. Right! Let's do this!

HMX Sonja – a slightly scratchy light tactile

Before installing, I looked at the HMX Sonjas carefully. I have to say, these are pretty switches. I love the colourway. Testing them in hand, they are definitely heavier, and I can feel the slight scratch and D-bump. It's official; I am excited!

After I installed all the switches, the next decision will be what keycaps to use with the board. I need something that will complement the wood aesthetic of the keyboard.

HMX Sonjas installed on the keyboard

I didn't spend much time and quickly landed on the same brand, Womier, and opted to use their Black Crystal set. It's one of the first few keycap sets that I purchased, and I've never used it. I'm a bit nervous, thinking that if this doesn't fit, I'll have to plan for selling them on eBay at some point, and I need to look for another keycap set to match the wooden theme.

The first keycap I installed was the letter Q. It looks great! The happiness factor increased again!

The letter Q

I proceeded to install the rest of the keycaps -- with each keycap raising my excitement. WD75, you are looking really nice now! And after I place the final keycap, I turn on the keyboard to test the RGB and it's GLORIOUS.

It now looks awesome!

The build is complete. A wooden keyboard with keycaps that show enough of the light. I changed the RGB to have this burning embers underneath effect. I love it!

And without further ado, please watch and hear how the final build sounds:

I'm happy. I think I'll use this board for a few days before going on to the next one on my rotation. If you've reached this far, thank you for reading! Here are a few more photos of this mini-project:

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment if you can. See you on the next update.

Keyboard Review: Epomaker RT85 - The one that started it all for me!

Today, I'm reviewing the Epomaker RT85. This is a special one since it's my very first mechanical keyboard. Well, the first one after a long while.

The main reason for me buying this keyboard has to be the sound. You have to understand that before this, I was used to mainstream keyboards used in offices. Yes, we're talking about those membrane keyboards. A close second reason had to be the looks. Epomaker did well here. It's got the corporate beige look with grey accents, but with further orange accents on the Esc, spacebar, Enter, and arrow keys. It's a looker!

When I received it and when I first started using it, I knew I was hooked. The sound, the feel, and the joy of using a tool that was several levels higher than what I was used to.

Before this, I swore that low-profile was the way to go. I was even contemplating getting a Nuphy low-profile keyboard. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

Going back to the looks: I love the left side of the board. It's got grills and a small dial that toggles the various connectivity modes for it. I wish that Epomaker had opted to do the same for the right side of the keyboard, but instead, they opted to put a mini-joystick and a small LCD screen. Honestly, after living with the keyboard for several months, I can say that both features really are just gimmicks. The left side also houses the 2.4G dongle. Very convenient!

The keyboard is an expanded 75% layout. It's another reason I went for it. The standard 75% feels too cramped.

The RT85 comes with the Epomaker Creamy Jade switches, and it does live up to its name! Typing on the keyboard gives off a "creamy" or "marbly" sound profile. 

The keyboard is also unapologetically plastic. It's solid, though, and feels like premium plastic. There are gaskets that help with a decent amount of flex to provide long sessions of comfortable typing. There's no unnecessary flex, nor is there any creaking when typing. Overall, it doesn't feel cheap, and for the price, it's not bad at all.

Going back to the switches, they feel great. A decent linear switch. The cream+marble combination is one of the highlights of this keyboard, and the switches have done their job well in this case. There's minimal stem wobble, and the return stroke is solid. The modifiers on the keyboard sound great, and the spacebar passes -- could be improved, though. There's no rattle on the stabilizers, thankfully. It feels that they have been decently lubed.

The keyboard is hot-swappable, so you can easily swap out the switches should you feel it. It has south-facing RGBs. There is no QMK/VIA support, unfortunately, and you'll need to make do with Epomaker's proprietary software. In my experience, the software is serviceable.

I will always go back to the price, just to make sure that I'm putting things in context -- because for the price, this keyboard is a joy to use. I've typed for several hours a day, and it just keeps going. No issues whatsoever.

My desk setup leans more to the bright side of things, and it fits nicely with beech wood, white accents, and warm lights.

So what's my final verdict? Let's run down the pros and cons:

PROS

+ Solid build and decent weight

+ Excellent creamy & marbly switches

+ Creamy sound

+ Gasket mount

+ Great looking keycaps, I love the orange!

+ Exploded 75% layout doesn't feel cramped

+ Left side of the keyboard looks great and is functional

+ It's got flippy feet should you want a steeper typing angle

CONS

- It's plastic all over

- The right side of the keyboard is filled with gimmicks.

- The LCD screen is a faff to use, and it doesn't hold the time.

- The mini joystick looks out of place for the design.

- The RGB presets aren't great

- There is no Orange colour in the RGB. A missed opportunity, what with the orange accent keycaps

MY CONCLUSION 

To sum it up – if you have £50 to spare and are looking for a productivity keyboard AND you like the look of this one? Then this should be on your shortlist. If you can push your budget a bit more, even just £10 more, then there are other keyboards that offer more value.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment if you can. See you on the next update.

Keyboard Review: My initial thoughts on the QwertyKeys Neo60Cu

I am hoping that this is the start in a continuing series of keyboard reviews. I'm going to try to write a keyboard review every day until I review all of the keyboards that I own. The reviews won't be rehashing what you can find out there; instead, I will be mainly talking about my thoughts about a particular keyboard and my journey so far into the hobby. If you want to read more about the specs and basic details of the keyboard, check out the QwertyKeys website.

Things have significantly changed since my last blog post. In the previous blog post, I talked about how tastes can change and what this change looks like in the world of mechanical keyboards. I have learned a lot more about the hobby, read a ton of information about various things, and added a few more keyboards to my collection.

With that, let's start the review for this evening; it's going to be about the Neo60 Cu.

There's something to be said about the 60% form factor. It feels like I'm on the edge of a cliff. That cliff is where "normal" keyboards stop. I look over the cliff, and I can see the various other formats -- 40% being the first I notice!

The 60% layout is where you start using layers for real. There are usually no arrow keys, so navigation involves pressing Fn and the corresponding key. In this case, take a look at the photo below:

My particular keyboard is of the WKL (Win-Key-Less) variant. As someone new to the hobby, I would have preferred a WK (Win-Key or "standard") version as I do use it, but the price for this keyboard was too hard to pass up!

Here are some more details regarding the build:

• Layout: WKL
• Top Case: Spray-coated Nebula
• Bottom Case: Brass
• Weight: Brass
• PCB: Hotswap
• Plate: Aluminium
• Keycaps: Key Kobo Ohm
• Switches: Cherry MX2A Orange (factory lubed)
• Foamless

Building the keyboard took an entire day for me. The perks of being a dad to neurodivergent children! It was a long process, and I think I had to disassemble the entire keyboard several times just to get the layout correct.

Whilst I normally would have been frustrated in building something only for me to trace my steps back (several times), I embraced the process in this instance, and I learned. It's been a long time since I had that feeling of not being disappointed, but rather, being enlightened. It's an addicting feeling -- and in some ways I feel like I'm digging myself deeper into this hole, I mean, hobby.

I love the weight of the Neo60 Cu. It is SOLID. There's absolutely no flex when typing. This is countered by the slightly scratchy Cherry MX2A Orange switches. I feel that there's balance to the keyboard because of these two things -- it all comes together with the Key Kobo Ohm keycaps.

This is my first ever keyboard built in the ISO UK layout. I love it.

Here's a typing test:

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment if you can. See you on the next update.