Final words and conclusion
Final words and conclusion
I really enjoyed using the new Mountain Everest Max. It’s a great solution for general use; it doesn’t matter if it’s gaming (including streaming, with the OBS Studio officially supported) or writing (well, that depends on the switches selection). You can find here a great palm rest, the possibility to remove/move the Numpad section. There are four buttons for which the display can be adjusted, and there’s a bigger screen “hidden” inside the dial placed on the Media dock section. Another advantage is that USB Type-C is everywhere on this keyboard. The benefits of Mountain Everest Max is a design that can flexibly respond to 100% and 80% needs, and at the same time can install the Numpad area on the left side. The Mountain Everest Max uses (hot-swappable) Cherry MX Brown, so it’s a rather safe choice for mech-keyboard newbies, but the more advanced users will appreciate it more. The dampening foam is used here, so it makes the keyboard quieter. The reviewed keyboard comes with ABS keycaps (it would be better to have the PBT, which are more reliable – but that’s only an option, for 30 EUR more). The RGB lighting is here; you can set it via Mountain Base Camp software (there’s also the Razer Chroma RGB support). The keyboard has dynamic per-key RGB backlighting. Overall the software is very nice to use, and it’s good that it’s constantly improved. I liked it more, for example, the Asus Armoury Crate or the new version of Corsair ICue. The quality of the keyboard itself is excellent, so no reason to complain here, as the frame is sturdy and made of aluminium. Unfortunately, the media dock section has too much plastic, and also it’s often a problem to attach it to the right side of the main keyboard section. The feet are rubbery, so the Everest Max stays in place as it’s supposed to, and you can adjust the height (by using the eight provided feet) to match it to your preferences. You also get the USB Hub here.
Aesthetics
The Everest Max uses a mix of full-size and tenkeyless formats; you can choose whatever you need at the moment. In addition, you can put the Numpad sector both on the left or right side (or not connect at all). The LED lighting system does what it’s supposed to by offering vivid and crisp colours. There’s a possibility of individually adjusting each key lighting to your preference, so even the anti-RGB guys should be satisfied because they can select all-white or use it only on some keys.
Final words
Although there are many mechanical keyboards on the market, the Mountain has managed to present something interesting. The first thing is the detachable Numpad (so you can go tenkeyless), which you can also move to the left side of the keyboard. This is not all. There’s a Media dock segment that has a display on it. There are also four keys for which you can assign what is shown. Isn’t that great? From more ordinary things – you can select from a variety of Cherry MX switches so that you can find your match. The provided MX Browns are relatively quiet (thanks to the dampening foam) and work well when typing. But of course – the gaming is not a pain with them, definitely no. What’s more? 1,000 HZ polling rate, full NKRO, 100% anti-ghosting – all checked. The software – Base Camp does what it’s supposed to —no complaints in that department. Aaah, there’s a USB pass-through, which is great; you can attach some dongle there. What’s not hot? The standard keycaps are from the ABS. Yes, the PBT is available (you need to pay 30 EUR more), but it should be a standard in such an expensive keyboard. Yes, the price. It’s steep, as it begins at 249.99 EUR and can be even ... 289.99 EUR when selecting the PBT keycaps and Cherry MX Speed or Silent. So why not do some nit-picking? For that budget, I’d expect that the Media Dock would be a little more solid. Also – it’s sometimes a struggle to attach it to the right side of the main keyboard part. Why? I don’t know, but I’ve seen that it’s not a case only for this sample. What I’m worried about is that the connection for the Numpad can break in some time in the future. Additionally, I’d like to have not only a 15 cm cable to attach it but, for example, also a two times longer one, for more flexibility. Maybe some other idea would be to have it as a wireless one? That would make it even more comfortable to use. The Media Dock and the four buttons display on Numpad could have been set a bit of an angle to be more visible to the user? Additionally, the Media Dock buttons are not lit up, so it can be troublesome to hit the right one in some darker rooms. Another thing is a quite weak magnet for the palm rest. Overall – it would be a “Top pick,” as it’s an innovative product. Still, it’s only “Recommended” due to the steep price, ABS keycaps, and some issues like with connection of the Media Dock to the right side of the keyboard and some others already mentioned above. A great product, but it could (and maybe it will) be even better.
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