Mountain Everest Max review – the most customisable gaming keyboard

Diving into the Mountain Everest Max overview modified my opinion of what a gaming keyboard needs to be, standing out from the group with an unparalleled degree of customisation. The whole package deal is nothing wanting a Twitch streamer’s dream, baking components of the Elgato Stream Deck into its DNA. The most effective half, nonetheless, is that whereas the Everest Max sits on the peak of the Mountain vary, its modularity creates an more and more inexpensive pathway for those who discover the complete whack a bit too expensive.

Mountain goes an extended approach to persuade you that the Everest Max is the best gaming keyboard on the market, with a top quality that makes you neglect that the gadget itself was born within the fiery pits of crowdfunding. Unboxing it’s handled as a crimson carpet occasion, with magnetic latches, a cupboard’s price of attracts for its equipment, and packaging you received’t wish to throw out.

its particular person options, little of what the Mountain Everest Max does is new. We’ve already seen loads of keyboards with hot-swappable mechanical switches, some with a removable display screen, and others with a numpad you may chuck to the left. That is the primary time we’ve collectively seen them multi function gadget, although, because the Everest Max perfects the Swiss Military knife method.

Execs

• Modular
• Scorching-swappable switches
• LCD macro buttons

Cons

• Wrist relaxation is a bit skinny
• Collectively expensive, however you should purchase part-by-part

Design & options

With most keyboards, you’re caught with what you’ve obtained except you substitute the complete factor, however that’s not the case with the Everest. In the event you can’t afford it multi function lump sum, you have got the liberty to start out smaller and construct your method up till you’re kitted out with the whole lot you need. As its identify suggests, the Everest Max comes with all of the trimmings for $249.99 USD / £249.99 GBP. In the event you fancy shaving a few of that value down, you may as an alternative seize both the Everest Core Barebones (a tenkeyless shell with out mechanical switches) for $129.99 / £129.99 or the Everest Core (a TKL mannequin) for $149.99 / £149.99, and add the equipment later down the road.

Our take a look at mannequin has a black milled aluminium end and Cherry MX Brown switches within the UK ISO format. That is one in all a number of configurations you may select from, with a gunmetal gray choice, ten totally different regional layouts, and 5 Cherry mechanical switches to piece collectively your supreme construct. Mountain’s very personal Blue Tactile 55 switches impressed us in our Mountain Everest 60 review, so it’s a disgrace to not see them come as a part of the package deal, however you may all the time seize a set individually as they’re hot-swappable with three-pin switches.

Mountain features a complicated swarm of USB ports, however disappointingly solely the only Sort-A is a passthrough you need to use nonetheless you’d like. The 2 USB-C ports on the rear solely work with the media dock, the 2 both aspect of the keyboard strictly work with the removable numpad, and the one beneath feeds the facility. The routing system on the underside is among the finest I’ve seen, going a great distance that will help you handle cables so that you don’t find yourself with a spaghetti state of affairs in your PC setup.

RGB lighting is uniform between the Everest and its numpad, not solely shining per key but in addition accentuated with a strip across the edge. You’ll want to show up the brightness within the Base Camp software program to get essentially the most out of it because it’s dimmed by default, however the colors are vivid and pop by way of the ABS keycaps.

The numpad goes a step additional than any we’ve seen earlier than, as Mountain locations 4 LCD buttons throughout the highest. They’re not as spongy because the Elgato Stream Deck, however work a lot in the identical method with features and icons you may customise within the Base Camp software program. This characteristic alone is price getting the Everest Max for.

Efficiency

Mountain features a layer of sound-dampening foam, which makes typing on the Everest Max a pleasing expertise. I don’t discover its pronounced click on fairly as satisfying because the Everest 60 with the identical switches, however acoustics are a private desire and depend upon a number of components in your PC setup. Regardless, it’s among the many finest Cherry MX-laden boards and doesn’t disappoint.

As an unique backer of the Kickstarter marketing campaign, the Everest Max has been my go-to keyboard because it was launched in 2020, and the one I preserve returning to in between critiques. Its magnetic reminiscence foam wrist relaxation isn’t fairly as plush as others I’ve used from Razer and Asus, however it’s comfy. I’m much less of a fan of the Everest forgoing flip-out ft in favour of magnetic discs, although, as whereas they provide extra phases for a extra incremental incline in comparison with the standard two-step, they’re straightforward to lose and fewer than supreme for travelling.

The media dock isn’t only a handy attachment that provides you playback shortcuts, as its IPS show is a ton of enjoyable to play with. It tells the time, displays your {hardware}, and sure, you may customise the background with just about something – like a shameless promotion of the PCGamesN brand. It’s an entire lot extra practical the Mad Catz Strike 7 was again within the day and doesn’t carry the identical premium because the Corsair iCUE Nexus, however you’re caught with the built-in choices because it doesn’t have the identical modding group because the Logitech G15.

I’ve lengthy advocated for plonking the numpad on the left-hand aspect for extra mouse area, however the quadruple LCD keys drive the purpose house because it makes them simpler to succeed in. They’re finest suited within the fingers of streamers with Twitch and OBS integrations, however the buttons additionally make shortcuts and launching your favorite video games that a lot simpler.

DisplayPad and MacroPad (non-obligatory)

If the 4 buttons on the numpad aren’t sufficient otherwise you’re not bought on shopping for the complete keyboard, then the DisplayPad and MacroPad are most likely extra your stride. These keypads aren’t included within the Everest Max bundle and so they’ll work with completely any setup, even in the event you don’t personal Mountain merchandise. There’s a small profit to pairing them with an Everest, although.

The DisplayPad is a standalone 12 key mannequin for $109.99 USD / £99.99 GBP, which is cheaper than the Elgato Stream Deck for near-identical options. The buttons have a agency click on and, very like the Everest Max numpad, don’t characteristic any key wobble – which I personally favor.

The MacroPad strips the associated fee right down to $59.99 USD / £49.99 GBP with 12 screenless mechanical keys. By default, it comes with Mountain’s blue Tactile 55 switches, however these are hot-swappable and allow you to substitute them in the event you’re not a fan.

Since these are standalone merchandise, they’ll take up a USB slot of their very own. Each include a strong stand you may place wherever round your keyboard, however belief me, it received’t budge an inch by accident while you’re pushing buttons. It’s fabricated from metallic with a rubberised base, in order that they keep put till you raise and deliberately reposition them.

You are able to do away with the stand totally in the event you personal an Everest, although, slotting it onto the again of the keyboard in the identical method because the media dock. You possibly can even plug it in utilizing the USB Sort-A passthrough to chop down on the quantity of wires reaching throughout your desk, though the default cable it somewhat too lengthy to tug this off with out wanting a bit messy. I opted for a separate, shorter cable to tug this off.

No matter which you go for, they’re straightforward and intuitive to make use of within the Base Camp software program. You possibly can drag-and-drop features when assigning what every key does. The one minor subject I’ve skilled with it’s when switching forwards and backwards between separate profiles utilizing the DisplayPad. It switches to the second profile immediately, however swapping again to the primary profile once more is noticeably slower. It’s not an excessive amount of of an inconvenience and it might get higher with future updates, however is perhaps an issue for these wanting to make use of greater than 12 features.

Software program

The Base Camp software program has come a great distance because it first launched, chock filled with choices in a trendy package deal. Right here, you may arrange macros and totally different keybindings, customise what’s on the show dial and LCD buttons, sift by way of the settings, personalise the RGB lighting, and create as much as 5 totally different profiles. 5 profiles may not look like a lot, and it nonetheless lacks recreation detection to robotically swap between what you’re taking part in, however these profiles are saved on-board so that you’re much less reliant on the software program being lively.

I nonetheless take subject with the identify, because the mountaineering theme doesn’t imply it’s straightforward to recollect in the event you don’t pin it to your taskbar or desktop. I personally use the Home windows Begin Menu to open applications, however Base Camp doesn’t seem when typing in ‘Mountain’. It unnecessarily will increase the educational curve till the identify sticks in your thoughts, which is especially annoying when your setup most likely consists of merchandise from a number of firms, every with their very own program. The software program additionally isn’t obtainable for macOS or Linux, which means it isn’t the perfect to pair with a Steam Deck except you’ve put in Home windows.

Fortuitously, Base Camp is fairly strong for a relative newcomer, and has ironed out most of its points. It now not crashes prefer it as soon as did and is zippy to make adjustments in actual time. When you choose totally different Mountain units, the corresponding product flashes so that you’re conscious of what you’re customising, which is a neat contact.

Verdict

At $249.99 USD / £249.99 GBP, the Mountain Everest Max is an enormous funding, however it packs sufficient worth that you may think about it a steal. The one options it’s lacking are optical keys and a wi-fi connection, which could give the Asus ROG Claymore II the sting. In contrast to its competitor, nonetheless, the Everest helps you to pay your method for the options you particularly need.

For the model’s first-ever keyboard, and a Kickstarter venture no much less, the Everest Max is a house run. Mountain can also be shortly studying what its prospects need, introducing its personal switches, a incredible 60% keyboard, and several other helpful equipment. So very hardly ever has a brand new firm excited me the best way that Mountain does, and I can’t wait to see what comes subsequent.

The standalone DisplayPad and MacroPad stay as much as the identical excessive bar the Everest Max units, with a incredible construct and lean value. Elgato has stiff competitors if it needs to carry onto its crown.