V5 Max QMK/VIA Wireless Custom Mechanical Keyboard

I’ve got the v5 max and have no complaints at all. Love it. Everything works well. VIA is great. I wasn’t a massive fan of the look of the keycaps but I actually prefer the feel to anything I’ve used before and now can’t bring myself to change them. I have just had a play about with changing the Jupiter browns to milky yellows as decided I want a linear quieter board for work. Plus the milky yellows lubed up are providing a nice thocky noise. But don’t get me wrong it sounded creamy as heck with the Jupiter browns

Keychron V5 Max. SRGB has custom firmware available for it to flash.

I use a Keychron V5 Max 96% wireless keyboard. Love it so far. Has hot swappable keycaps and switches. It has a great thocky sound. I needed a numpad for my use case so I didn’t want to go lower than 96%. The software for it is also great. I got it under $100 but it’s always between 85-100. Great quality and had a more minimalist aesthetic. Their site can be a bit overwhelming but they have great products over all. I’d recommend watching some videos searching “best keyboards of 2025/2026)” and watch ones with sound tests so you can hear how the keyboards sound when typing. The last thing you want is one that sounds nothing like how you would want it to sound especially if you’re ordering online. [keychron v5 max](https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-v5-max-qmk-via-wireless-custom-mechanical-keyboard)

Get a Keychron V5 or Q5 if you can stretch the budget. Barebones V5 is $60 right now so plenty left over for your preferred set of keycaps and switches.

Customer support is ass, but I had a v5 for a year and loved it. Then I saw they released a new line of retro keyboards and got the r6 and love it too. Never saw the need for spending more than $100 on a keychron when the differences don’t seem that different

Really hard to go wrong with Keychron. Their V-series is a reliably excellent choice, and right at the correct price point. I prefer the [96%](https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-v5-max-qmk-via-wireless-custom-mechanical-keyboard) but they have everything from 60-100%. As for 'nice' build, sound, and aesthetic, that's unfortunately down to user prefence, haha. To get recommendations regarding those you'd have to know a little more what you're looking for—do you want minimalist or RGB bonanza? Tactile or linear switches? Quiet or loud? Clicky or thocky? It's definitely a rabbit hole for almost every aspect of the board, lol.

I bought a Q3 Max with red switches and it was very silent. Be aware, Keychron HE keeb is compatible only with its own HE switches. For me it was a no-go.