Keychron V1 MAX Review: A Fundamental Shift Forward

The Keychron V1 has gotten a SERIOUS upgrade with the V1 MAX, transitioning the lineup from tray mount to GASKET MOUNT! There's a lot to unpack in terms of how the board has changed, from bottom case changes to having a proper daughterboard and, dare I say it... DECENT BOUNCE!? It's even sort of competent without foam and opens up great potential for the lineup. Watch to hear more of my thoughts and a huge thanks to mechanicalkeyboards.com for lending us this V1 MAX to review today!
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Not Much Remains The Same
1:29 - New Bottom Case Design
1:48 - New Polycarb Plate
2:26 - New Foam Configuration
3:10 - Stock Typing VS Adding PE Foam
4:04 - New Daughterboard, HUGE Improvement!
4:44 - Two Wireless Dongles?
5:14 - Stock & Re-build Keycaps
5:33 - Stock and Re-build Switches, QMK/VIA
6:34 - Re-build... WITHOUT Foam!?
7:16 - Re-build Type Test
7:39 - Thoughts on overall construction
8:23 - Options I'd Like To See
10:44 - Closing Thoughts, Epilogue For Current V1 Owners
Music Provided by KZbin Audio Library
#keyboard #review #keychron

[@StupidBulletsTech]

Well paced throughout. Good job.

[@jammies701]

Nice vid mate, this thing is looking niiicccceee

[@SadWitchBree]

Thanks for the review of this! It's good to know that they are moving forward a bit with their basic line.

[@TheManicGeek]

Yeah it's really a great place for the board to be since there's still gonna be folks who prefer cases that aren't metal for acoustic reasons. Despite my recommendations, it could still be a nice upgrade from the previous V1 if you're just not happy with tray mount anymore and want something familiar-feeling while still being a more modern overall experience.

[@MarbsMusic]

Great video! I've reviewed quite a number of plastic case boards, written, and never thought about removing the foam on them due to the price point and design. I do heavily modify AL boards but and try different foams but I guess I don't see many people who paying $85 or less for a board wanting to add costs to that. Maybe I need to reconsider that thought process, thanks!

[@TheManicGeek]

TO BE FAIR, I'm also very much a tinkerer, which plays into my content heavily. It's not something I'd usually recommend as a "buy it all at once" scenario with mods at this price point, though having the more reasonable floor to entry with products like these means you can get into something properly good sooner, then tune and refine it later for less than the cost of a new board, even if you've otherwise moved on from it and want to breathe some new life into it or just tinker again. The main thing I try to impress upon products in this, or any, price point is there's nothing wrong with a board having foam, per se, but with the brand very firmly straddling the line between mainstream and enthusiast, being talked about in both spaces, it's still important to test how the case performs without the foams to understand the limitations of the construction so when the board DOES get modeed, youve got a better idea of what you'dwant to use. Especially with a barebones model being on offer, and Keychron providing you everythinf youd need to completely disassemble the board, that directly implies the possibility, and intent, of tuning the sound and feel to suit your personal parts selection, or at least servicing the board at some point.

[@mosiffd4092]

Any suggestions on best bang for the buck in a 75% form?

[@joesmith9377]

How does the gasket mount feel for someone who types without bottoming out? Would I prefer the regular V1 tray mount config?

[@TheManicGeek]

If you don't really bottom out then this shouldn't impact things one way or another. If you have an original V1, that's how you type, and you're happy with the board, I'd just stick with your original V1. There's not so much bounce in the assembly that it would provide any undesirable feedback in switch presses.

[@joesmith9377]

@@TheManicGeek thanks

[@0xBULLgogi]

$94!? You can get a custom full aluminum keyboard with much better features, feel, and sound profile for that now. Like the Chilkey ND75. 2024 is no joke for entry into semi premium keebs at a budget price

[@TheManicGeek]

The only different features are inconsequentially different mounting systems (top mount MAYBE being an outlier based on observed typing tests from reputable sources), metal construction, and the LCD panel. Unless you own both boards, you can't actually qualify whether or not one feels better than the other, and even then it's still a preference thing. I don't, so I wont. ND75 presently also has issues with the case foam being adhered to the back of the PCB. Also, unlike ND75, this will likely offer plate options from Keychron eventually, something ND75 is fairly unlikely to have outside of third-party options assuming you get the plate file. Then there's a lack of QMK/VIA support, while the V1 MAX has it. While I haven't gotten hands on with ND75, I've seen enough on it that the decision between one or the other isn't immediately cut and dry, though certainly things lean in favor of ND75 if you do prefer metal construction and the LCD panel. The switches and keycaps are another unknown for the purposes of our content, but by and large, most pre-built boards tend to have at least decent quality caps. You are right on one thing tho, the decision on which keyboard you should spend your money on these days is more involved than it ever has been with tons of great quality products on the market.

[@jammies701]

5:47 "D"-shaped or "d"-shaped? Didn't see a diagram in the video, and couldn't figure it out from the pre-/post-travel demonstrations

[@TheManicGeek]

Any time I reference a letter to describe the bump, it's a capital letter.

[@GolocheSupercaboche]

can it work wired without the battery? In case the batterie have an issue or something

[@TheManicGeek]

I didn't get to test that, but I have boards in inventory that work without the battery plugged in just fine. Worst case, there's a battery indicator LED that stays lit.

[@GolocheSupercaboche]

@@TheManicGeek thanks for the quick reply It's good to know if there is ever a issue with the batterie and can't find a suitable replacement, that i can theoretically do without in worst case scenario. Wireless is not really my thing, It is mostly the gasket mount that interest me. I nerver have a gasket mount so i wonder how different it will feel. To bad they don't have frosted case thought.

[@TheManicGeek]

@GolocheSupercaboche yea some more transparent options would be really nice for this board.

[@jammies701]

With all these new things they're doing, here's to hoping Keychron releases a keyboard with a a 4th 1.25u bottom-left key for Mac users (with the obvious 2.25/2.75u split spacebars)… supposedly their main segment focus That Keychron split is a joke and doesn't count