Continuing our coverage of Epomaker’s most unique keyboards, we have the Tide49, a mechanical keyboard that prioritizes portability and essential usage over everything else.
Featuring a challenging 40% layout with 49 keys, the Tide is a fully programmable keyboard that seeks to maximize desk space, sacrificing multiple rows of keys for the sake of an ultra-compact layout.
Is it possible to get used to a keyboard like this? Do these missing keys impact the keyboard’s usage in any way? Have we simply gone too far? Read our full review for the Tide49 to find out these answers and more.
Epomaker Tide49 Mechanical Keyboard
Manufacturer: Epomaker
Price: $119.99
Despite its reduced size, the Tide is a hefty boy, weighing in at almost 1 kg due to its full aluminum body. The matte black case and tonally matching keycaps give it a premium minimalistic look, something that matches perfectly with its small scale.
Since the Tide only has four rows of keys, completely forgoing the function and number rows you’d find on most keyboards, it becomes heavily dependent on shortcuts. Holding the FN key turns the Q-P letters into numbers, while switching layers with FN+Control turns them into F1-F12.
This takes some time to get used to, not only because you are learning a whole new set of shortcuts, but also because you don’t have visual indicators of what those keys turn into when a layer is activated or when the function key is being held down. It’s a shame that such a unique keyboard does not have a custom set of keycaps to help illustrate its default shortcuts better.
When it comes to its sound and feel, the Tide49 comes equipped with a set of hot-swappable Zebra switches, which have a satisfying sound that mixes creamy and thocky. The five layers of sound-dampening material combined with the aluminum body help provide acoustics that make it fitting for a quiet environment while still being pleasant to listen to.
The Zebra switches come pre-lubed, ensuring a smooth glide when typing, and also feature a 5-pin design for increased stability. The Zebras are quite low on resistance, requiring 40±5 gf of actuation and 45±5 gf of bottom-out force, overall making the keyboard smooth and snappy to type on.
The keycaps are, as usual, made of double-shot PBT, featuring the same shade of black as the keyboard’s case for a uniform feel; they feature colorful letters and a concave design that becomes more noticeable on the smaller keys that make up the keyboard’s last row. They are unfortunately not shine-through, but the colorful letters make them somewhat easier to see in low light, contrasting nicely against the black tones.
Like most of Epomaker’s new releases, the Tide uses VIA as its software, an open-source program that serves as a catch-all replacement for proprietary applications. The keyboard is bundled with a .JSON file, which can be downloaded through their website to plug into VIA for whatever adjustments you wish to make.
Thankfully, the Tide’s VIA integration is solid, allowing for some truly impressive customization that includes function key shortcuts, multiple modes for the RGB backlight, and the ability to create new layers, which can hold even more shortcuts when activated. It’s a relief to see that the keyboard plays nicely with VIA, as the Tide’s most advertised feature is being entirely programmable.
The Tide49 is a very competent keyboard when it comes to its build and functions, but users new to the layout, like myself, will encounter a sharp difficulty curve. The number of shortcuts required for basic usage can make it difficult to concentrate on your work, although it does become easier with time.
Being fully honest, I don’t believe the 40% layout is for me. I’m all for cleaner and simplified designs, but there’s a limit to how many keys we can get rid of before a keyboard becomes uncomfortable to use. Having to do a triple key combination in a specific order to type out an exclamation mark feels like the opposite of productivity, regardless of how used to it one might eventually become.
Personal skill issues aside, it’s worth highlighting that the Tide49 is a cohesive product in every sense of the word. All needed functions can be found through pre-programmed shortcuts, and even more can be created through VIA, making it a great keyboard for programmers or people who enjoy a fully customized experience. It might not be for everyone, but that doesn’t mean it fails at fulfilling its specific niche.
You can find the Tide49 on Epomaker’s official store, currently going for $119.99 USD as of writing this review.
The Tide49 was reviewed using a unit provided by Epomaker. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
