AKKO - 5098B

Well check this out. New [Akko 5098B](https://www.thethockshop.com/product/akko-5098b) model. Fits your budget and way better than S98.

Any person in their right minds would NEVER GET A KEYCHRON. Get [Akko 5098B](https://www.thethockshop.com/product/akko-5098b) from thockshop. Wait for Aula F108 Pro JamesDonkey RS2 4.0 from keebsmod is good too. You can maybe get a Filco too. Yes they do not have the latest features, but they are the most reliable keyboards, guaranteed to work atleast 5 years. If you need for long term, invest in a filco keyboard

I've got a 5098b and, while I haven't had a Q5 Max, I've had a bunch of Keychron boards. The difference in build quality is notable, but the 5098b isn't a bad board. It's very definitely plastic and not easy to take apart if you want to mod it. It's the only board I've disassembled that's actually hurt me lol. By that same token, it's very rigid for a plastic board. The biggest difference between the two boards is build quality (plastic vs aluminium), but I'm much more partial to the KSA keycaps on the Q series boards. They feel much higher quality, and they are easier for me to type on. YMMV. The firmware is also a big differentiator. VIA/Launcher is streets ahead of the proprietary driver Akko uses, and the battery life on my 5098b really sucks. I got like 100 hours out of my Q13 Max (basically the Alice version of the Q5 Max) but I only got like 30 hours out of the Akko. I suspect this is because of the display and underglow lighting, so there might be optimisations to be had there. The Akko switches are also a decent bit wobblier than the Gateron switches in the Keychron board (although those Akko Piano switches are popular for some reason). It should also be noted that the stabilisers on the Akko are also about the only prebuilt stabs I've tried that come close to being as rattly as Keychron's. 

Akko mechanical keyboard, some random ancient gaming mouse off Amazon from when I was 14