The Mountain Everest Max Mechanical Keyboard Review: Reaching New Heights in Build Quality
by E. Fylladitakis on November 17, 2021 10:45 AM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
- Cherry MX
- Mechanical Keyboards
- Mountain
Software: The BaseCamp App
A good software suite is always the heart behind a really advanced mechanical keyboard. Mountain named their software BaseCamp, a fitting name for a company that clearly likes naming things after, well, mountains. Unlike the single-page software packages we usually encounter, BaseCamp is a complex piece of software with a clean user interface and tons of customization options. It also supports the customization of and synergy with other Mountain products, or will support them in the future. The current version also supports syncing with Razer products.
Once the Everest keyboard is selected, the first customization page is the profile customization and management page. This page is relatively simple, allowing the users to create, duplicate, import, export, and delete custom profiles. We found one limit here, which is that there can only be up to five profiles, which may or may not be enough for active gamers and multidisciplinary professionals.
The second page of the software allows for lighting programming. It is relatively simple to program the lighting effects per profile, with several pre-programmed visual effects already present. If a pre-programmed effect is selected, the user can adjust its direction and speed. Per-key manual programming is also possible. The software also offers synchronization between devices and other profiles.
Moving to the third page of the software, users here can reprogram any key to either change its function or disable it altogether. Aside from simple layout changes, users can also tether advanced functions, keystrokes, or even complete macros to every single key.
Naturally, the next page of the software is the Macro programming page. The Macro recorder is intuitive but not the most advanced we have seen to this date. It allows for the recording of keyboard and mouse keystrokes but cannot record or perform mouse movements. Users can also adjust or negate action delays, as well as to modify the playback mode of the macro. There also is an option to test the programmed macro.
The next page allows for the customization of the display dial on the media dock – assuming there is one attached. Users can select the options that appear on its rotating menu, how long it remains active, and some basic colors. There also is a custom mode that allows advanced users to achieve some personalization. The downside is that, if the display is not set to stay on constantly, it resets itself back to the main menu. This can be annoying for some users, especially those who want to use it purely for sound volume control, as they need to go in the menu, select volume, and then adjust the volume – every single time.
The final page of the software is simple, yet important. From here users can modify the “game mode” of the profile, disabling specific keys. They also can disable the indicator LEDs entirely, as well as change the entire keyboard’s layout. Finally, there is an option to automatically check for and update the keyboard’s firmware.
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imaheadcase - Thursday, November 18, 2021 - link
That is by design, unlike other keyboards that use plastic, you can't just inject mold to make a part, it has to be machined out of one piece. I would venture to guess than a huge chunk of the price is that one piece itself.Lord of the Bored - Saturday, November 20, 2021 - link
Personally. I think it is ugly as hell.I'm pretty sure there's a few choices in between "injection-molded plastic" and "monoblock machining", though.
omf - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - link
I'd love to see a version of this where the tenkey and media controls are all built in and not detachable so as to slim the whole thing down.bldr - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - link
Like every other mech keyboard with those features currently does? You missed the whole point.Tams80 - Thursday, November 18, 2021 - link
Yet another comment of 'Why doesn't this do something that most other products do? comment.Over the last few years I've seen these stupid, selfish comments pop up a lot more.
Are you really that selfish and stupid?! You have a whole plethora of keyboards that meet your needs. Why suggest messing up this for people who do want that feature?
meacupla - Thursday, November 18, 2021 - link
So, basically you want a SteelSeries Apex 7, or Logitech lightspeed G915/G815schizoide - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - link
Why don't high-end mechanical keyboards come with Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint readers?I haven't been able to find this feature anywhere, so I'm forced to *only* consider keyboards with USB hubs or passthrough so I can plug in a cheap fingerprint reader off Amazon. Most mechanical keyboards don't come with extra USB ports either, although this one happily does, so it's a possible contender.
Sivar - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - link
This is a good question. Most customers of these types of keyboards use Windows.Mountain? Logitech? Are you listening?
melgross - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - link
Well, for this price, they should throw a few of these plastic key tops that we Mac users haveimaheadcase - Thursday, November 18, 2021 - link
Why would they? Vest majority of people don't use those at all for personal PCs. In fact most don't even power down or use password when its at home, why would they when you got use accounts if got family.Its a really weird thing to think they would, it doesn't even fit in a commercial environment. Maybe a school i guess.
I bet most people don't even know wtf windows hello is. I forgot about it untill you mentioned it. lol