MOUNTAIN Everest Max

5. Conclusion

Review Pages

1. Everest Max Keyboard
2. Makalu 67 Mouse
3. Base Camp Software
4. Nunatak Mousepad
5. Conclusion

After spending several weeks with the MOUNTAIN EVEREST MAX, MAKALU 67 mouse and the NUNATAK mousepad, we feel that MOUNTAIN really hit the jackpot with all above released products and we cannot imagine what else (new) is coming at the near future.

But let’s start with the main attraction of the show...the EVEREST MAX keyboard. Many other fellow journalists have said that this is the best ever keyboard they have tested and we tend...to agree. The keyboard has top notch build quality, a long selection of available keycap switches and most of all, unique media dock and detachable numeric keypad that can be installed in both sides of the keyboard. We didn’t also forgot the magnetic weights that add height to the back of the keyboard for that wanted gradient to satisfy your needs.

The retail package is complete and heavy. Users will find all they need inside and the unboxing experience is really good. Everything is really thought and carefully designed to be easy to use. The keyboard can be ordered in two different colors and users have the freedom, due to the keyboard design, to attach in various placed the included media dock and numeric keyboard. However you can also add the already tested DisplayPAD and maybe even MacroPAD to further unleash productivity, this is something that we didn't have witness with other keyboard manufacturers. The included magnetic palm rest also is nice to have and add to the comfortless of the EVEREST MAX keyboard, even we would like to be slight longer.

For our tests we did get the SILENT RED keycap switches, which are very satisfying to use and hear, of course MOUNTAIN sells many other switches types for all users and even their own designs if you wish to follow and alternative path. A nice idea would be to also start selling low height keycaps for users who want such keyboard (maybe we are included as well).

At the bottom of the keyboard you will find great cable management. At the back there are two type-C ports, where you can hook up other MOUNTAIN products. In fact with one cable we installed the display PAD, the media dock and the numeric keypad...even MOUNTAIN suggests to use separate USB cable for extra accessories (like the DisplayPAD or MacroPAD).

The numeric keypad can be installed very easily and secured (via magnets). We found this approach a good design idea, however we feel MOUNTAIN can further improve the design either with extra magnets or maybe a bottom latch, since if you lift up the keyboard probably the numeric keypad will get separated.

Passing to the MAKALU 67 mouse, this was another surprise for us. This mouse really shines with a top notch Pixart PAW3370 sensor,6 buttons, RGB on board and ribcage design that cools down you palm, especially if you are a hardcore gamer. The low weight of 67gr is welcomed, while the bottom, especially with the NUNATAK mousepad, helps to reduce friction and move the mouse quickly. The included 2.0m USB cable is very soft and won't slow you down during those long gaming sessions. With the BASE Camp Software, users can set various settings and maybe even macro, and you can set the DPI on the fly with the center top button. The included rotating wheel is very light with clicky feel that gives you satisfaction while turning it up or down.

Lastly the NUNATAK XL mousepad is another excellent product from MOUNTAIN that shouldn't missed from your gaming setup.

Overall we found all three MOUNTAIN products to shine at their area and hopefully MOUNTAIN will give us even better and improved products at the near future.

For your convenient we gathered for each product it’s positive and negative, from our testing...

Positive

Great retail package with many accessories and components
Great build quality and overall product finish and look solid and durable
Milled aluminum faceplate with good weight to stay ground
Includes Cherry MX Switches and allows to hot-swap switches of your liking either from MOUNTAIN or other companies
Genuine Cherry stabilizers class plate mounted solution with tight tolerances
Manually clipped feet of space bar stabilizer to improve actuation feel
Dampening foam between Everest PCB and case to increase noise absorption
Manual lubrication of all stabilizers with Krytox GPL205g0 lubricant for greatly reduced rattle sounds
MOUNTAIN offers Mineral Keycaps / MOUNTAIN Switches / MOUNTAIN x Space Cables / Artisan
Keycaps
Includes media-dock module and numeric keypad with LCD screens
Media-dock module allows control of many different operations
Numeric keypad has interesting mount mechanism that allows either for left or right placement
Includes magnetic palm rest and feet to increase height of the keyboard
Silent red switches are very nice to type with
Base Camp Software offers many optimizations and occupies little memory resources
Full LED keyboard
4 programmable display keys on the Numpad, for up to 20 personalized profile images or one click to your shortcuts
Product design allows for installing other MOUNTAIN modules, like DisplayPAD or MacroPAD
Includes a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A hub: At the back there are two Type-C pass-through USB ports for adding more components / devices
Bottom design allows for great cable management
Razer Chroma supported
Frequent firmware updates
Retail price is 249.99€ and product sales at 199€ during holidays or other special occasions

Negative

For this premium price, MOUNTAIN could have included option for
- 5 pin switches
- Low profile key set
- PBT keycaps (vs. stock ABS keycaps)
Included armrest could be longer
RGB lighting isn't very bright (we don't mind but some might) and individual key RGB or RGB zones could have been added (maybe even with software update?)
Media dock needs software improvements (for example change sound volume with direct rotation of the media hub)
Retail package include only 8 magnetic feet for both keyboard and Numpad so you are limited in terms of height options
Numeric keypad magnetic hold should be improved with next generation
While the bottom of the keyboard includes many wiring channels, only the 3 at the top can be used to run the included cable