My current daily driver - a Monsgeek M5 with Glorious Fox Reds, and Cerakey Indigo caps
All included mods except force break stickers applied (tape, max case foam)
Description and build quality
My current daily driver, upgrading from my previous Ducky One 2 – the primary allure for getting this board was that it was a kit with some included mods, as well as being made of aluminium.
Since the board comes as a barebones kit, I was required to unscrew, lube and attach the stablisers, apply the tape mod, then align the board + foam before I could pop in switches and caps, but even for my first time, this was a fairly easy and enjoyable process – although all the case foam does mean that you’ll need to squeeze the bits together slightly before you tighten the screws.
Some important cons were that I had to buy two boards – see the kit is boxed with the two halves of the case already screwed together using some tiny useless hex screws. Two screws from the first kit were tightened too much – and I wasn’t able to unscrew them without shearing the screw head – meaning the case was firmly stuck together. I’d suggest applying gentle and firm pressure to minimise the chance of this occurring to you should you pick up this board, and for Monsgeek find another way to pack the board so that you don’t need the screws pre-tightened.
The second major con is that with all the foam used – I found my numpad enter switch would pop out when I was changing keycaps as the switch wasn’t nestled as deeply as others due to the foam – a minor problem, but one to be aware of. Finally, this case is a dust magnet – so a minor pain to keep clean.
Overall, the build quality of the board is good for the cost – the LEDs are bright, the board doesn’t flex, and the sheer weight (around 2.5kgs) means that if I had to describe the board in two words, it’d be ‘Brick ****house’ – or ‘very solid’ if you’re from one of the boring parts of the world – and I’m happy to be using it daily.
Typing comfort, feel and sound
The board sits a little high, so a wrist rest may be a good investment, but otherwise the typing experience is great. This is a full-sized board, and being so solid, I can really hammer away at all the keys – the board stays perfectly positioned even amidst the most fail of my WoW raids. I was keen to use the Fox switches as I have them in my Keychron and loved their feel – an average actuation force, but with just enough lube to make the linear action very smooth. I initially had a set of Ducky pudding caps which gave the board a bright clacky sound – but decided to order a set of Cerakeys indigos after seeing the review from Chyros.
They feel great alongside the Foxes – while the cerakeys give each press a ‘weighty’ feel, the Foxes spring them right back up so there’s very little mushiness. The spacebar and 0 key also sometimes give a nice ‘ping’ sound and the sound has changed from a clacky to a more thocky sound profile when the keys hit the POM board. I’m not particularly fussed by that last point – but I’m amazed by how much change was brought on by a set of keycaps.
Overall - I'd probably leave a neutral review for the board. While I'm very happy with mine - the experience of the sheared screw plus the assembly required means that I'd only recommend it for those that want a board that has a unique feature (able to double as a weapon in a pinch due to the weight) and who also want to being more involved in building a keyboard (on top of changing switches and caps) but would also like stuff supplied - similar to cooking with those Hello Fresh kits.
If you're after a hassle free experience - I'd suggest you look elsewhere.
