Evoworks Evo80 Keyboard Full Review

Overview

The Evo80 is a TKL/80% custom mechanical keyboard by Evoworks, a subsidiary of Qwertykeys and Neo, that aims to provide quality prebuilt custom mechanical keyboards. The Evo80 is built with quality materials using the latest technologies. The Evoworks brings premium features to the prebuilt market! Let's take a look at what the Evoworks Evo80 has to offer and how it feels and sounds!

Product Details

Key Design Features

The Evoworks Evo80 case is designed with features that are found in more premium level custom mechanical keyboards. Entry level mechanical keyboards as of late have bottom weights that are usually just a rectangular backpiece. However, the Evo80 goes beyond that and designed a more complex bottom weight that adds character to the Evo80 and distinguishes it from other prebuilt custom mechanical keyboards.

On the bottom case, the Evo80 offers a separate color for the portion of the bottom case that houses the battery. Additionally, the separate colored backpiece of the Evo80 also has another two separate-colored weights that are reminiscent of an inverted Keycult TKL backweight. These multiple separate colored backpieces gives the Evo80 more depth to its colorways and allows for more customization options. Below the different colored weight is a small accent with the "EVO" logo with matching colors to the two-piece backpiece.

On the top case, the Evo80 has uneven bezels with thinner bezels on the sides of the top case and slightly thicker bezels on the front and back of the top case. Below the navigation keys and above the arrow keys, the Evo80 features a mirror finished accent that supports LEDs. The edges of the Evo80 top case have a convex fillet to create a clean and sleek rounded profile.

The side profile of the Evo80 at first glance looks like a standard box-on-wedge design, but upon further inspection the Evo80 has subtle design elements that adds layers to just a simple box-on-wedge. The Evo80 has a slight concave fillet, similar to the look of the Mode Sonnet, that adds a softer detail that a standard box-on-wedge. The separate backpiece that houses the batteries also provide another dimension of depth to the side profile.

Internally, the Evo80 is assembled using a quick assembly ball-catch mechanism that feels secure and also allows for easy disassembly to try out different configurations. Coupled with the magnetic pogo pin connection over the standard JST cable or ribbon cable allows the Evo80 to be easily assembled and disassembled without having to worry about tools or cables. It is mounted with gaskets mounts on a buttery leaf spring mount that feels responsive and comfortable to type on. The Evo80 also comes with foams pre-installed but thanks to the ball catch mechanism it will be easy to add and remove the foams you prefer to use for your personal configuration.

Keyboard Sound

The Evo80 stock produces a deep and creamy sound straight out of the box and is refined to have no hollowness or case ping.

With all of the foams removed, the Evo80 has a slightly brighter sound and sounds less foamy. The Evo80 has no case ping or hollowness with no foams as well. The heft of the bottom weights could be helping in creating a tighter sound that is more isolated and less open. With no foams, the Evo80 has the potential to have a high pitched clacky sound if used with higher pitched switches, but overall its sound profile lies within the mid tones creating a tasteful combination of the highs and lows that produces a creamy sound signature.

The Evo80 also has built in padding on the bottom near the ball-catch mechanisms and on the corners of the keyboard. These paddings help to align the keyboard when assembling as well as providing a built-in force break to prevent any metal-on-metal contact.

The Evo80 comes with factory lubed switches and good quality dye sub PBT keycaps that sound great straight out of the box. The Evo80 has two options for switches: ... The Evo80 has a versatile sound that can be clacky, creamy, or thocky depending on how the keyboard is configured with different plates, switches, and foams.

Evo80 Unboxing and Sound Test Video:

Keyboard Feel

The Evo80 feels comfortable to type on straight out of the box with its PCB gasket leaf spring mount structure. The Evo80 uses dumbbell shaped silicon gaskets on a butterfly leaf spring mount. The Evo80 doesn't feel extremely flexible in its stock form with all the foams inserted but the mounting system provides a comfortable typing experience. I would describe the Evo80 to feel responsive and comfortable in its stock form. With the foams removed, the Evo80 feels soft and flexible, especially with the PP plate. When pushing with excessive force the PCB can bottom out on the bottom case so it would be recommended to keep at least one layer of case foam to prevent damaging the PCB.

The stock switches and keycaps on the Evo80 feel premium to touch and to type on. The switches are factory lubed and feel smooth and consistent with minimal stem wobble. The dyesub PBT keycaps feel comparable to more expensive sets and provides a matching aesthetic to the case color you choose.

Build Experience

Since the Evo80 comes prebuilt, the initial build experience is mostly comprised of the unboxing and setup experience. The Evo80 is amazing to use straight out of the box, but for those who are interested in tinkering with different configs (keycaps, switches, mounting, etc), below are our thoughts on the build experience.

The Evo80 has a screwless quick assembly system using a ball-catch mechanism. This makes the Evo80 incredibly easy to open to try out different configs since the ball-catch mechanism allows the top case to be unlatched from the bottom case without any unscrewing necessary.
The Evo80 uses a magnetic pogo connection to create an even easier assembly/disassembly without the need to deal with JST cables or ribbon cables.
When trying to insert or remove switches from flex cuts plate/PCB, it is recommended to fully open the case and remove the plate/PCB assembly when swapping out switches to prevent any damage to PCB or keyboard components. We would also recommend to use a plate fork (or tweezers if no plate fork) to help support the flex cut plate when inserting switches.

Things to Note

The On/Off switch for the Evo80 is underneath the caps lock key so you would need to remove the keycap to access it.

Conclusion

The Evoworks Evo80 is a high quality prebuilt custom mechanical keyboard. It is the next step for the Qwertykeys and Neo family to produce premium quality keyboards and a prebuilt entry level price as part of Evoworks. The Evo80 has modern design features like the ball-catch mechanism, tri-mode connectivity, magnetic connectors, built in force break, and it even sounds great without any foams as well. I would recommend the Evo80 to anyone looking for a custom mechanical TKL keyboard that is in-stock, pre-built, and is affordable. Starting at $169.99, the Evoworks Evo80 sets another standard for achieving premium feel, sound, and aesthetics at a more affordable price.

This item is available for pre-order with an expected shipping time of mid-late February 2025. Order now to lock in our pre-order sales price and save 5%! Use coupon code: EVO80 to get 5% OFF your purchase.

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