The Perfect Mechanical Keyboard for Casual Customization

Summary

• The Keychron K8 Max offers superb quality for the price.
• The mechanical keyboard has a “thocky” sound with its brown switches.
• You have extensive customization options for both the hardware and software.

The Keychron K8 Max is a highly customizable mechanical keyboard with a quality frame. Its most premium model features hot-swappable switches and an aluminum frame. This keyboard may be an enticing option for those seeking a fully-fledged pre-built or folks curious about keyboard customization.

Price and Availability

The Keychron K8 Max QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard comes in various models ranging $89.99 for non-hot-swappable keys and a white backlight to $119.99 for the hot-swappable model with an RGB backlight and aluminum frame. Switch options include Keychron Super Red, Super Banana, and Super Brown. It is available on Amazon and Keychron’s website.

The K8 Max Is a Sturdy Keyboard

First, this keyboard—at least the aluminum frame option—is heavy. I primarily use a low-profile Logitech MX Mechanical keyboard, and Keychron’s is technically smaller by 80% while being significantly heavier. Unless you lug your keyboard around to different locations, this weight is a perk for sturdiness, providing a fantastic foundation for the huge amount of customization options Keychron offers.

Keychron took many steps to make the K8 Max’s build feel premium beyond just its weight, too, with many layers between the base and keycaps, including different types of foams, films, plates, and pads to provide ideal support and minimize excess noise. In addition, wider keys such as Enter and Space have PCB stabilizers, which eliminate wobbling while pressing them.

Last, it should be noted that the keyboard’s base is ABS, a type of plastic polymer—stiff and durable but still plastic. The quality of this keyboard’s build is amazing for the price, but it likely won’t impress enthusiasts who entirely avoid plastic on their bases or favor more personally-tuned components.

Keychron Gives Users Great Customization Options

Keychron manages to appeal to casual mechanical keyboard users with great, fully functional pre-builts, but this device shines due to its ease and depth of customization, offering an enticing entry point for new enthusiasts. Keychron provides a few alternate caps, such as Windows versus macOS-specific keys and a bright orange enter key, which is seen in most photos. However, these options pale compared to what an enthusiast could do.

With hot-swappable switches, a selection of tools for customization included, and Keychron offering the device with three different default switch types, this keyboard is ready for enthusiasts to customize. Some might consider it too easy to customize.

During my testing, when attempting to remove keycaps, I often removed the entire switch instead. A more experienced keyboard customizer would probably avoid this issue, but it took me a couple of tries to swap out the provided caps without removing the switch, too.

Super Brown Switches Make for a Good, “Thocky” Sound

Personally, I am not a fan of high-pitched, overly clicky mechanical keyboards. I much prefer mechanical keyboards that are quiet or have a deeper “thock.” This is not the deepest pitch I’ve ever heard from a keyboard, but very few pre-assembled keyboards “thock” at all. Similarly, while this keyboard would likely be audible within a cubicle or two, it’s quiet enough not to be entirely offensive in an open office setting.

Below is a sound sample of pressing individual keys followed by sustained typing.

The “thock” of this keyboard is nice but not perfect from an enthusiast’s perspective. The pitch of the click is slightly inconsistent from key to key, and even with the aluminum frame, the base of the keyboard is ABS—still plastic and not the most acoustically ideal material for a “thock” sound. Even with the plastic base, I enjoy the sound of this keyboard.

Keychron’s Launcher Software Is Convenient and Helpful

The Keychron Launcher software to customize and update this keyboard is actually web-based, requiring no download. While usage is limited to wired and 2.4 GHz connectivity and Chrome-based browsers, I was pleasantly surprised not to need to download yet another piece of software onto my Mac.

Features include customization to keymaps, backlighting, macros, and utilities to update firmware, test keys, and report bugs. The keymap and macro settings provide heaps of customization for enthusiasts, but I was slightly disappointed by the backlight settings. Keychron Launcher provides 22 lighting options but lack customization that many other keyboard manufacturers like Razer or Alienware provide, such as per-key customization like permanent WASD illumination. Nevertheless, Keychron provides a ton of customization options for the K8 Max.

Keychron Offers a Variety of Connectivity Options

Technically, the K8 can be paired to five devices simultaneously, though only used one at a time. You can pair the device via a USB 2.4 GHz receiver, the keyboard’s USB-C port, or up to three Bluetooth 5.1 devices, and you can toggle between Windows and macOS layouts. Beyond switching layouts, Keychron provides alternate keycaps for macOS versus Windows.

Despite the Windows and Mac labels, the device is also compatible with Linux, Android, and iOS too. While I did not notice it, Bluetooth has the highest latency of the three connectivity options, whereas 2.4 GHz and wired connections have a high-speed 1000 Hz (1 kHz) polling rate.

The K8 Max Works Great for Gaming

While not specifically designed for gaming alone, this keyboard does well for gamers. The Keychron K8 Max worked especially well for me over a few nights of playing Marvel: Rivals. Each keycap has a substantial amount of space from adjacent keys and an ergonomic shape thanks to their ergonomic OSA profile, making it nearly impossible to make accidental inputs. Individual preferences for switch types will vary, but I tend to have a heavy resting hand on the keyboard and press keys with a lot of force, so the tactile Super Brown switches further prevent mistakes while playing. In addition, the 80% form factor provides extra desk space for mouse movement compared to a full-sized mechanical keyboard.

Beyond the physical benefits, the 1000 Hz polling rate rivals even the more expensive Alienware Pro Gaming Keyboard for low latency. I am not advanced enough of a gamer to really notice or worry about polling rates beyond what I physically notice, but Keychron has seemed to ensure that this keyboard works just as well for gamers as for typists.

Typing On the K8 Max Is Incredible, With a Small Catch

Between the superb attention to detail in the keyboard’s design, the “thocky” sound of the brown switches, and the heaps of customization options, the Keychron K8 is a joy to use and type on. I used it to write several of my recent articles throughout my testing, and it may be one of the best typing keyboards I’ve ever used. I only have two very small complaints about this device’s typing experience, both relating to ergonomics.

While you can adjust the angles of the device’s feet for typing ergonomics, I prefer even larger feet with a steeper angle for keyboards as bulky as this one. In addition, I tested this keyboard without a palm rest, and my experience certainly would have been better with one. Keychron sells palm rests separately, so this is mostly immaterial, but I’d recommend one with this keyboard for extended usage.

Should You Buy the Keychron K8 Max?

If you want a standalone, fully-fledged mechanical keyboard, the Keychron K8 Max may be right for you. Its features and quality for the price are outstanding, and if you opt for the hot-swappable switch option, you now have an amazing foundation for entering the world of custom mechanical keyboards. More advanced mechanical keyboards, such as those with full-metal bases, can cost upwards of twice the price of the K8 Max, making it one of the best entry-level, all-rounder, customizable mechanical keyboards.

Established enthusiasts can probably pass on this keyboard. However, for folks curious about custom mechanical keyboards or who simply want a great, pre-built at a reasonable price, the Keychron K8 Max is absolutely perfect as a high-quality, affordable option to try.