Last week I bought my first mechanical keyboard. I thought I could write a review from the perspective of a mechanical keyboard noob. I have wanted one for a long time. When I was growing up, my dad had an IBM Model M in the house, and I had completely forgotten how great that keyboard was until now.

I come from a history of gaming keyboards. Initially, I had a Razer Lycosa. While it looked pretty, that keyboard was way more trouble than it was worth. It had a strange problem were it would get stuck sending a key’s signal to the computer, even though no keys were being pressed. The only fix for that was to unplug and re-plug into the machine. This happened multiple times a week. It was so frustrating that, after I ditched that keyboard, I swore off Razer products for good. I replaced the Lycosa with a Logitech G110, which was fine. It’s a gaming keyboard with backlighting, and dedicated macro and multimedia keys. I never really used the macros as much as I thought I would. Eventually I came to realize that simpler is better. It seems like all the fancy “gaming” stuff they put on those keyboard is just a way of making a cheap keyboard more expensive.

I had a set of criteria when starting to look for a mechanical:

• Full size board
• Blue switches (for my first mechanical I wanted the FULL clicky clacky experience)
• White backlighting (I need to wean myself off the gamer keyboard crap. I figure white, instead of some gaudy colored backlighting, is a step in the right direcion)
• Minimalist design

Ok, review time. The Max Keyboard Nighthawk is very sleek and solid. When holding it from both ends and twisting, there is very little play or flexibility in the construction. I compared this to my old Logitech G110, and the Logitech creaked and twisted much more. If the Nighthawk was twisting, it was almost imperceptible. The whole board, keycaps included, has this smooth, matte, almost velvety texture to it. Time will tell how it will wear. The letters on the keys are etched into this texture, revealing white plastic beneath so the backlight can show through. Running a finger over this lettering has a slight tactile feeling, like you can feel the depression where the letter was etched out of the coating.

I appreciate that each key has its own backlight. This is something that I suspect my previous backlit, non-mechanical keyboards did not have. Not only does this mean that every key is evenly lit across the board, but also that the whole thing can get very bright. I would guess that the Max Keyboard Nighthawk is at least twice as bright as my old Logitech. The backlighting has three levels of brightness, plus it can be put into a pulsating mode (have not found use for this), and it can be turned completely off. So far, I've just left it on maximum brightness.

The naming scheme on the Max Keyboard Nighthawk line is kind of weird. There’s a Nighthawk x7, Nighthawk x8, and Nighthawk x9. The numbering implies that with the higher number, you’ll be getting more features or quality. This is not the case. The only difference between the 7, 8, and 9 models are the Cherry switches used and the back lighting’s color. So by going with the x7, I got blue switches and white backlight. However, in all other ways, it’s identical to the 8 and 9 models. Also, Max Keyboard gives you the option to completely customize your LED color layout and switch type. But the x7 was already exactly what I wanted, so that’s what I got.

Technically, these Max Keyboard Nighthawks are still branded as “gaming” keyboards. But the gaming features it offers are so subtle and out of the way that they could be completely ignored. The function key row doubles as the multimedia and gaming key row. F1 tough F6 are the standard media keys (volume, play, pause, etc.). F7 through F11 allow you to pick different macro profiles. And F12 turns on “gaming” mode, which basically just disables the Windows key. I've never had any trouble avoiding the Windows key while playing games. Both my Razer and Logitech keyboards had this feature, and I never used it. Unless you’re a complete spaz and have little control of your hands, I don’t know why this feature continues to exist. To use these media/profile keys, there’s a Function key where the right-side Windows key would traditionally be. So there’s only one Windows key on the Max Keyboard Nighthawk. That’s not a huge deal for me, since the left Windows key is the one I mainly use anyway.

The macro profiles are programmed with software that can be downloaded from the Max Keyboard website. I haven’t done this, and I’m not sure if I’m going to. Fortunately, using this software is completely optional, and the keyboard works just fine out of the box. After many years using Windows machines, I've come to learn that the less driver junk you install on your system, the better. I may play with it in the future, but for now I am happy to use the board without any macros.

The main thing that bugs me about this board is the upper right section. While the design of this board is not too gaudy, the corner above the numpad slightly breaks my minimalist design criteria. There’s the standard Num Lock and Caps Lock lights, but in place of a Scroll Lock light, there’s a “G” light to indicate if the Windows key is disabled. Above these, on the back of the board, there are two USB ports, a headphone port and a microphone port. I have yet to use any of these, and am again not sure if I ever will. According to the documentation, the USB ports support up to 100 mA of power, and thus are not useful for charging any USB devices. I guess the main thing they should be used for is USB thumb drives, which is fine. The board’s cable is fairly think and braided, and splits off into a single USB connector and two connectors for the audio pass through functionality.

But the weirdness in the upper right part of the board is easily overlooked, and doesn't detract too much from the rest of the keyboard. Like I said, I initially wanted to get the minimalism of a Ducky Shine, but now I am kind of happy I ended up with something that is slightly different. Everyone has a Ducky. It would be nice, though, to have both models side by side for comparison.

This is the first mechanical keyboard I've used since I was a kid, and typing on it has been amazing. After half an hour of use when I first got it, I tried going back to my Logitech with rubber domes, for feel comparison. The contrast in feel is substantial. After using the blue switches, the rubber dome board felt mushy, and almost gross. Now I feel like I need to buy a second board to take into the office. I've also been evangelizing mechanical keyboards to all my friends and coworkers, who mostly think I’m insane for caring this much about a keyboard.

Lastly, I really like what some guys with mechanical keyboards are doing with the custom keycaps. Some of the color layouts I've seen are really cool. That is one thing that makes me have second thoughts about a back lit keyboard. While I love having an illuminated keyboard in a dark room, the back lighted keys limit the amount of keycap customization available. Max Keyboard sells a set of four caps you can swap out with silly pictures on them, but finding good caps that work with backlight is pretty rare. I've seen guys with Ducky Shines who swap out their keys with non-backlit caps, and sometimes the keys illuminate nicely, but I suspect that depends on the kind of plastic and thickness of the cap.

Well, I hope a review from a mechanical noob’s perspective was interesting. I got the impression that the Max Keyboard line was kind of looked down upon by serious mechanical guys for not being a serious keyboard. But coming from Razer and Logitech products, this keyboard feels very serious. In build quality, feel, and functionality, this is hands down the best keyboard I've ever owned.

I should start off by stating that is was my first foray into the mechanical keyboard world and it's safe to say that I'm never going back. I was looking for a very specific set of options: A Cherry MX Brown, White back lit keyboard with macro keys. I thought this would be easy, but white back-lighting is not as common as I thought. Just when I thought I would have to settle for the CM Storm QuickFire Pro which seemed to be the best alternative (it is only partially backlit in red) I discovered Max Keyboards.

If you're looking to save some time, know this. If it's a backlit mechanical keyboard you are looking for and you are willing to pay the price, look no further and get this one. The quality of the keys are excellent and have an almost silky finish; the keyboard it is matte black and won't be collecting fingerprints. The build quality is very solid as well, and the keyboard has some weight to it. I will say it is minimalist in design so the keys come right up to the edges, but as someone with a very small desk space this is a major positive. This is not a tank, but the no frills look, and backlit keys give it a really sharp, classy look. The X8 also came with a memory foam wrist wrest which is actually quite comfortable. My only complaint is that when the rest is placed touching the base of the keyboard it feels like it could have been just a couple millimeters bigger to accommodate people with long fingers. I just adjust while I am typing however, and this is less than a minor issue.
The backlighting on the keys looks excellent and far superior to the backlit Razer Marauder I had previously. That is because the X8 has an LED light dedicated to each key giving a vibrant, even look. The X8 comes with dimming controls as well giving the user the option to turn the backlight off, cycling through 3 brightness settings, and turning on a pulse feature that will bring the keys to their highest setting and gradually dim them to the off position and repeat.

The brown switches seem to be the perfect balance for me, offering tactile feedback typing, but without the extra "clack" present in MX Blue switches. I use the keyboard for gaming as well as a lot of typing and it serves both functions very well. Setting up the macro keys was not difficult at all, but the software does not come with the keyboard itself. It is readily available online however along with instructions on how to program your macro keys. The Nighthawk X8 also comes with a mic and headphone jack as well as 2 USB ports. This is a nice added feature especially when coupled with the fact that the keyboard itself is connected by one fabric braided USB connection. The only thing to note here is that the USB ports have a 100ma maximum capacity so things like charging a phone or tablet are not possible to do safely so you are somewhat restricted there.

I spent a long time researching keyboards and I am thrilled that I went with the Nighthawk X8 and I trust that other Max Keyboards would be just as good depending on what you are looking for.