Keychron V1 Max 75% Custom Mechanical Keyboard Kit – Hot-Swappable

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1. ILIAk HERRERA Verified Buyer – 3 October 2024

   The V1 Max is even better than the previous v1 adding more connectivity types and gasket.

   

2. Ry Carl Verified Buyer – 5 March 2025

   The PCB on the inside of this is not at all what the “influencers” on youtube got. There is no silicone sound dampening mat. I honestly feel ripped off.
   

3. Aden Verified Buyer – 11 March 2025

   Things I can say that are good about this keyboard is that it’s fast responding. Has lots of led choices and styles for you to choose from. The volume knob is nice. But a couple things I can say that are bad, is that if you drop this thing from a good foot or two most of your switches the keyboard itself will fall out and you’ll have to rebuild it. Doesn’t seem to have an OFF switch.
   

4. Anonymous Verified Buyer – 13 March 2025

   Great product. It is everything I hoped it would be and I will buy from keychron again.
   

5. Ryan Verified Buyer – 4 April 2025

   I decided to purchase this keyboard as a replacement for my Keychron K8 Pro. Later in the review, I will be comparing my new V1 Max to my old K8 Pro. With both keyboards, I used the exact same switches, stabilizers, and keycaps. Before I give my thoughts on the features and results, I’ll first discuss the building process since this is the barebones version. The first thing I did was to remove the stabilizers that came with the keyboard, install stabilizer stem pads, and install hand-lubed Durock V2 stabilizers. The fit was a bit tight, but not in a way that would damage the PCB. I had noticed that the keyboard came with a thin layer of sheet plastic called PET film. I had never seen this used in a mechanical keyboard before, and from my understanding, this layer is supposed to add a bit of “pop” to the sound. I decided to leave it installed on top of the stabilizer stem pads and the PCB. The next mod I did was to install Durock switch pads. These are very similar to a PE foam layer, except that switch pads are all individual (one for each switch) instead of a single piece of foam to cover the PCB. I believe that the switch pads were intended to be installed directly onto the PCB (same as the stabilizer stem pads), but I decided to install them onto the PET film instead. This was a long, tedious process since I had to make sure that the switch pin holes and slots for the LED to shine through lined up properly. The next step was to reinstall the layer of sound absorbing foam on top of the PET film and switch pads. I’ve heard that some people remove this foam entirely to allow for a more pronounced sound and potentially more flex, but I decided to leave it installed for now. After installing the polycarbonate plate, I decided to tape the back of the PCB with 2 layers of painter’s tape. (This is known as the Tempest mod.) I’ve heard that when it comes to doing this mod with keyboards that have a battery, it is safer to use electrical tape. But I’ve done the tape mod with regular blue painter’s tape for other wireless keyboards in the past without issue. Plus I had no electrical tape laying around. Here’s when I noticed a couple of subpar things. While the bottom case foam is very high quality (reminds me of memory foam), there was no room to add any additional layers of foam or silicone. Since the V1 Max is gasket-mounted, any layers added to the bottom foam would prevent the gaskets to flex as much as they do from the factory. I was pretty bummed about this, since my K8 Pro had a very deep sound (due to the thick, heavy layer of silicone at the bottom of that case), so I was hoping to add at least one layer of foam or silicone to get a deeper sound for my V1 Max. Another thing I noticed is that the gaskets are mounted to the bottom piece of the case, not to the plate. And since the gaskets are pre-installed in plastic “grooves” that stick out from the bottom piece of the case, it would be extremely difficult to replace the gaskets with thicker ones. This is unfortunate, since the gaskets themselves felt pretty firm and don’t cushion the typing experience nearly as much as I was hoping. (More on that later.) One final minor gripe I have is that the two toggles on the “front” of the case (the Bluetooth/2.4GHz/wired and Mac/Windows switches) came loose from the factory, and there seemed to be no easy way to “tighten” or adjust them so they constantly rattle anytime I move my keyboard. Thankfully, the additional layers of foam and tape didn’t negatively impact the reinstallation of the top piece of the case. I then installed the pre-lubed Gateron Milky Yellow Pro switches that I had previously used on my K8 Pro, followed by installing the double-shot PBT side-lit keycaps that I had also previously used on my K8 Pro. Alright, now onto the first impressions of the typing experience. First of all, the keyboard felt substantially lighter than my K8 Pro did. Yes, it’s a 75% keyboard will be narrower than a TKL keyboard, but the lack of silicone layer really made the V1 Max feel… a bit cheap. I get it, it has a plastic case, but so did my K8 Pro. That’s one of the reasons I had wished there was a bit of extra room in the bottom of the case so I could add a layer or two for some extra weight. That being said, the typing experience itself is wonderful. The gasket performance isn’t necessarily top-tier, but it does its job; it cushions the key presses just enough, without being too “pillowy.” Definitely better than a case-mounted keyboard. The V1 Max is a bit louder than my K8 Pro was, but not in a bad way at all. The K8 Pro had a great thocky tone, but was also kinda muted. The V1 Max keeps the thockiness; the PET film also adds a bit of “pop” to the sound, but not in a “clacky” way. It’s hard to describe, but it’s an excellent sound. Overall, I’d give this keyboard a 4.5/5. Despite the minor gripes that I mentioned earlier, the V1 Max is an incredible value for the price, both in terms of features as well as typing feel and sound. The fact that you can get a 75% hot-swappable gasket-mounted wireless keyboard with a polycarbonate plate, south-facing RGB LEDs, 5-pin switch support, multiple layers of foam, QMK/VIA support, AND a programmable aluminum knob for $80? Yes please!