I could go on and on about the pricing of this thing and how you can get a really nice keyboard or two for less, but I have already done so recently with the review of the ASUS ROG Claymore II that adopts a similar modular design for the numpad and comes in at the same price, too. In fact, I even alluded to the Mountain Everest Max there since I was supposed to have been done with this review before the Claymore II was even announced, but such is the way things worked out that I am instead doing it today with another embargo to coincide with the release of OBS Studio integration for Mountain's Base Camp software suite.

You might be as tempted as I was to compare the Everest Max only with the ROG Claymore II because of the many commonalities. But as I pointed out over the previous seven pages I urge you to go through in order, there are far more differences than commonalities. Even the numpad installation mechanism is quite different, with the ROG implementation being much better in my opinion. The Claymore II also offers wireless 2.4 GHz functionality and first-party optical switches. Lighting is also far superior there, though it isn't so much that it is less impressive here. Rather, it boils down to all the possibilities with the backlighting and 36-zone side lighting. Aside from that, the Everest Max comes in and basically stomps all over the Claymore II. The media dock is the biggest point in favor of the Mountain offering, allowing for a potential comparison to the CORSAIR K70 + iCUE NEXUS companion screen, which now adds up to around the same value. The display keys on the numpad are nice too, and remind me of some other keyboards that are either in the making or coming and using the concept to different degrees of success. Even smaller items, such as a TKL-sized wrist rest rather than a full-sized one, make the Everest a better thought-out device for someone who sees the Everest Core with the media dock as the primary keyboard and the numpad an add-on for when you really need it.

The use of a proper USB 3.0 hub allows all this to happen, and it's not cheap or inexpensive. The same could be said about the displays, and the software drivers are remarkable for what is a start-up company that is barely a year old. The Everest Max is no doubt a low volume seller, but going the Kickstarter route coupled with some nice tweaks to enhance the typing experience and appeal to enthusiasts broadens the market. Add the latest OBS Studio integration and you now have a multi-use device that can be compared to a keyboard and separate Elgato Stream Deck combination as well. Be it professionals at work, a gamer at home, or a content creator in a studio, the Mountain Everest Max can be tweaked in both hardware and software to meet your needs. This is why I am happy to recommend it, certainly over the ROG Claymore II. I dare say that a CORSAIR or ROG version with the same feature set would easily be north of $300!