Whats the deal with Maxkeyboard Nighthawk series?

[Metalfingers]

I rarely see anyone talk about them here or recommended by anyone, I did some research and I see no bad reviews but there isn't much info about them out there.

I just purchased one because I can never find a Ducky Shine in stock and was wondering if I made a bad choice?

[JPG]

You will tell us!

[ping111]

You absolutely didn't.  The imbeciles at the British-based order centre from which I bought a DUCKY came out a Max when I opened it.  Same specs, but I was really looking forward to having reactive lighting for epic typic, and hey, having a god-darn Ducky.  But hey, at leas this thing came with an awesome wristrest, as well as a really neat bypass for my headphones and USB - that cleaned up my desk a ton.

Anyways, you really can't go wrong with this thing.  Everything's built like a tank, the backlighting is glorious, and it works absolutely fabulously.

One thing, through, the rubbery casing on the outside loves to soak up grease and bloom out these ugly white spots, so be sure to learn to clean it.

Otherwise, I love my Max to death (even if it's not a Ducky), and I think you'll have a lot of fun with it.

[jabar]

I acquired a Max Nighthawk X8 from a GH member and it's a keyboard that sees the most use of my collection.

A lot of people give them crap because Max keyboards seem similar to Xarmors which are known for poor build quality (and because Xarmor's OEM is iOne, a disparaged manufacturer here). Regardless if iOne makes Max or not, the internals are completely different from Xarmor. Here is a list of my observations:

* The board does seem a bit more plastic-y than Ducky, likely because it has a larger profile than the austere Ducky/Filco-esque cases. No branding. The attached cable is the most durable braided cable I've ever seen. The cable also has two LR audio cables to support on-keyboard audio as well as lower power USB ports. Full size only.

* Their backlighting options have less bells and whistles compared to Ducky's (off, 3 levels of brightness, and pulse mode for Max). My Max has purple backlighting which looks more like purple than the pink "purple" LEDs on the Ducky 78 board I have. One aspect I don't like is that the backlighting does not automatically turn off when the computer is shut down, so you will need to manually do so else the board stays lit.

* Although I dislike all ABS keycaps, the Max's seems more durable and the font is easier to read than Ducky's. It has a 1.5 ANSI mod set but with an odd 6 unit spacebar to accommodate an extra 1 unit right Fn key.

* Software-based programming.

* Oh yeah, it comes with a wrist rest.

Backlit keyboard manufacturers draw a lot of ire simply because of emphasis on backlighting (which some see as a gimmick) and keyboards geared toward gamers (although CoolerMaster gets a pass?).



god damn that photo is awful, I think you get the picture heh

Also check this thread out: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37375.0

[Metalfingers]

Also check this thread out: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37375.0

Well going by that thread I should stay away from them because they are made by iOne?

[Mugen]

Also check this thread out: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37375.0

Well going by that thread I should stay away from them because they are made by iOne?

Yes, that seems to be the consensus.

[Metalfingers]

Also check this thread out: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37375.0

Well going by that thread I should stay away from them because they are made by iOne?

Yes, that seems to be the consensus.

I guess i will just send it back and get my money back, for the price I paid $160, I rather get a great solid keyboard and just wait for the Ducky Shine II. Don't really want to take the chance with a inferior one at the moment.

[ping111]

Dude, are you freaking serious?  Don't!  It's a wonderful keyboard, and who gives a crap about who made it, no matter how bad THEIR products are!

[jabar]

OEMs build to specs. If the Xarmor guys want low-cost crap, iOne will deliver.

This is not the case with Max. I think the list price is a bit high, but there were discounts here and there.

[Mugen]

For $160 bucks i can buy a CM board and a full set of keycaps. IMO there's absolutely no reason to pay that much for an arguably good quality with cheaper alternatives available.

[Metalfingers]

For $160 bucks i can buy a CM board and a full set of keycaps. IMO there's absolutely no reason to pay that much for an arguably good quality with cheaper alternatives available.

Well I chose that one because its well back lighted, it has audio/usb ports, the font on the keys are nice, and it doesn't look crazy with added padding and fluff like I have seen from other backlit keyboards. Like I said, I wanted to get a Ducky Shine II but they are rarely in stock and im tired of using this membrane keyboard I have at the moment, so it was the next best thing, or so I thought.

I am just going to use it and post a review of it when I get it.

[Mugen]

For $160 bucks i can buy a CM board and a full set of keycaps. IMO there's absolutely no reason to pay that much for an arguably good quality with cheaper alternatives available.

Well I chose that one because its well back lighted, it has audio/usb ports, the font on the keys are nice, and it doesn't look crazy with added padding and fluff like I have seen from other backlit keyboards. Like I said, I wanted to get a Ducky Shine II but they are rarely in stock and im tired of using this membrane keyboard I have at the moment, so it was the next best thing, or so I thought.

I am just going to use it and post a review of it when I get it.

[Hyde]

Well it's kind of true like people said that they only got a rep on geekhack because it's made by iOne, but so far all the reviews I've read are positive.

Also it is true that the OEM build to what the client specify.  If they want low cost keyboard then they'll build low cost crap, but if they want high quality stuff then it will reflect in cost.  This applies to Costar too.

As for Max Keyboard vs Ducky.  I kind of like Ducky's simplistic design but I'm not too big on the Cherry stabilizers, while Max Keyboard has Costar-like stabilizers which should feel better in comparison.  Also I don't like how Ducky has built in light for num lock/caps lock/scroll lock.  So when it's off you get this non-lit key which look kind of horrible in my opinion when all the other keys are lit.  Though I do like Ducky for standard sizing keycaps so it's easier to buy another keycap set and swap.

In the end I'd say both are good choice for backlit keyboards so I wouldn't worry if I were you.  But I can't deny that I'm waiting for CM Storm to release their backlit QuickFire XTL 

[Metalfingers]

Well I wanted to spend a week with the keyboard before I made this post. I just wanted to thank you guys in convincing me to keep the keyboard, its actually everything I wanted and it has really great quality. Very happy with keeping it and so worth the money I spent.

Thanks again!