Let’s talk about the EPOMAKER Budgerigar switches!
I’m a keyboard nerd who’s built dozens of boards and swapped switches more times than I can count.
I’ve put these things through the wringer for you.
This EPOMAKER Budgerigar review breaks down their specs, performance, and whether they’re worth your hard-earned cash.
Stick around to see if these switches deserve a spot in your next build!
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Switch Snapshot
EPOMAKER dubbed this switch after (what they swear) is the third most popular pet on the planet: the budgerigar or budgie. Don’t worry. I had to Google what that was too.
They were inspired by the close relationship between human and budgie and designed this tactile switch with pale-green and yellow housing to take after the budgie.
Maybe I’m color blind, but these things definitely look like baby blue and cream to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Specs
- Type: Tactile
- Top Housing: Nylon
- Bottom Housing: Nylon
- Stem: POM
- Spring Weight: 55g (Initial Force)
- Total Travel: 3.8mm
- Lubrication: Pre-lubricated
- Pins: 5-pin
Specs were sourced directly from the manufacturer’s website.
Wanna get into details about mechanical switches? Learn more about them here.
Tempted already? Snag a pack and join the tactile party!
Hands On Breakdown
I tried these switches as they came from the factory using the following setup:
Keyboard: Neo Studio Neo65
- Case: Aluminum
- Plate: FR4
- Mount: Gasket
Check out our keyboard case article, plate article, and gasket mount article for more info.
Keycaps: Wuque Studio BOW
- Material: PBT
- Printing: Double Shot
- Profile: Cherry
Learn all about keycaps here.
Note: Neo Studio Neo65 doesn’t have RGB. RGB was tested on a Keychron Q1.
Check the force curve for the nerdy details:
I tested these switches in both gaming and typing scenarios.
Performance
Performance Score: 4.5
Preferences:
The switches I’ve used the longest are the Gateron Oil Kings. So, you can consider them the baseline for what my preferences are.
I like to rest my fingers on the keys when I’m typing. This often leads to keys being inadvertently pressed.
I also type like I’m hammering nails. I bottom out pretty hard when I press the keys.
General:
Used to be all about linears, but tactiles have been my go-to lately.
These switches glided like butter and I didn’t catch a hint of scratchiness.
These things have a very noticeable tactile bump. I would describe it as pretty sharp and I actually prefer switches like this.
Take a look at the force curve above and you can see this clearly.
I’ve also included close-up picture of the stem in the sections below.
Gaming:
I sailed Sea of Thieves with these switches for a boatload of hours and they nailed it with zero hiccups.
While playing, I didn’t notice any delay in my movements and my pirate movements felt snappy.
I did a bit of PvPing with these switches, but majority of the time was just spent digging up treasures with my crew. For those that aren’t familiar, PvPing involves aiming your ship’s cannons and dodging other players a lot with the WASD keys. Everything felt really responsive to me.
We actually happened to win an Hourglass Battle for once! Maybe these switches are good luck.
We played more in the following days, digging up more treasures and taking out some ghost fortresses. Decided to try our luck again in Hourglass and we ended up winning two out of three! Confirmed, these switches are good luck.
Typing:
I’m actually writing this review using these switches right now.
These switches have the perfect weight for me. I can rest my fingers comfortably without any accidental presses. No typos here, unlike lighter switches that betray me.
Check out the score I got on TypeRacer:
Sound Profile
Sound Score: 4.5
Sound Signature:
These switches dished out ear-candy thocks that blew me away. My ears perked up when I heard the thockiness coming from them.
Pinging:
I heard some pings when I brought individual switches up to my ear to listen (very very subtle), but I couldn’t hear anything when I was typing on the keyboard.
I practically glued my ear to the keys and still heard zilch.
Microphone Usage:
In the past, I regularly had complaints on Discord about my mic picking up keyboard sounds when I was using the Gateron Oil Kings, but I didn’t get any complaints at all when using these switches.
I even told my teammates to specifically listen for my typing as I mashed on the keyboard for them. They said they couldn’t hear anything.
Build Quality
Build Quality Score: 4.5
Socket Fit:
These look dirt-cheap (like a clunky 80’s car), but don’t be fooled, they locked into my keyboard’s sockets with zero wobble.
Errors:
I had no issues with ghost-typing, but my Tab and Esc keys weren’t working on KeyboardTester.com.
Pins:
Lo and behold, the pins were bent. Easy fix. I popped them back in and everything worked. Were they bent from the factory or was it my bad? We’ll never know ’cause I didn’t check each switch before inserting them.
The switches were 5-pin design and seated very securely in the socket and plate.
Lubrication:
I opened them up to check out the insides and they were nicely lubed from the factory.
Aesthetics and Compatibility
Compatibility Score: 5
Colorway:
The switches have the following color scheme:
- Baby Blue: POM stem
- Cream: Nylon top housing
- Cream: Nylon bottom housing
EPOMAKER’s clearly got a different image of a budgerigar in mind ’cause these colors don’t match the bird at all.
Keycaps:
The keycaps fit tightly over the Box-style stems on the switches.
All the switches stayed in place when removing the keycaps. I didn’t have a single one get pulled out with its corresponding cap.
RGB:
Each switch has RGB slots that do their job and let the lights shine through like champs. You won’t be getting any RGB through the housing, though.
Quick Comparison
Here’s how the EPOMAKER Budgerigar switches stack up against some similar options:
| Switch | Type | Tactile Force | Travel Distance | Materials |
| EPOMAKER Budgerigar | Tactile | 55g (Initial Force) | 3.8mm | Nylon Housing, POM Stem |
| Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 | Tactile | 59g | 3.4mm | PC/Nylon Housing, POM Stem |
| Drop Holy Panda X | Tactile | 60g (Spring Weight) | 3.5mm | PC/Nylon Housing, POM Stem |
| Cherry MX Brown | Tactile | 55cN | 4.0mm | Plastic Polymer Housing/Stem |
| Gateron G Pro 3.0 Brown | Tactile | 55g | 4.0mm | PC/Nylon Housing, POM Stem |
| Kailh Box V2 Brown | Tactile | 75g | 3.6mm | PC/Nylon Housing, POM Stem |
| Gazzew Boba Black U4T | Tactile | 62-68g (Spring Weight) | 4.0mm | Proprietary Plastic Housing, POM stem |
| Akko V3 Lavender Purple Pro | Tactile | 55g | 3.8mm | Not Specified |
| Glorious Panda | Tactile | 60g (Bottom Out) | 3.3mm | PC/Nylon Housing, POM Stem |
| Gateron Quinn | Tactile | 59g | 3.4 | Nylon Housing, POM Stem |
Price and Value
Value Score: 4.5
At the time of this writing, the EPOMAKER Budgerigar switches cost ~$0.33 per switch. This is a total score!
These are super budget-friendly switches that every tactile lover should try.
EPOMAKER’s MSRP for these switches is ~$0.45 and I think they’re even worth it at that price.
They seem to pretty much always be on sale ’cause I’ve never seen them anywhere near MSRP.
I’m totally floored by the bang-for-buck these switches deliver.
Who Are These Switches For?
These switches are a godsend for folks munching Ramen to bankroll that Mode SixtyFive.
They’re for audiophiles that dream of perfect thock. These things churn out creamy thockiness.
Their beefy initial force is a dream for typists with hulk-smash fingers.
Also, the switches are perfect for lazy modders that just wanna pop them into their builds without hand lubing. These things are ready to go straight out of the box.
Wrapping Up
Performance Score: 4.5
Sound Score: 4.5
Build Quality Score: 4.5
Compatibility Score: 5
Value Score: 4.5
Total Score: 4.6 out of 5
The EPOMAKER Budgerigar switches, as they came from the factory, were perfect to me.
I can’t praise the heavy tactile force enough and I’ll never get over this poppy, marbly sound.
I don’t think I’ll be getting around to hand lubing these guys. The effort vs value won’t be worth it. They’re perfect as they are.
So, you ready to give them a spin? Grab a pack and upgrade your typing today!
How We Tested and Our Methodology
Keyboard Forge is a 100% independent publisher.
We purchased these switches with our own funds and were not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
We conducted numerous hours of hands-on testing with these switches in both gaming and typing environments. Majority of the gaming testing was done playing Sea of Thieves. Majority of the typing testing was done writing articles for Keyboard Forge.
We hope this review helps you get a better understanding of these switches. Feel free to reach out to suggest switches to review in the future.
Thanks for the support!
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