Mountain may be a newcomer in the gaming peripherals scene, but the German firm certainly knows how to make a splash. Its first keyboard, the crowdfunded Mountain Everest Max, is undoubtedly the most customisable gaming keyboard around. It has a crazy amount of modularity that is probably excessive for most users. But keyboard enthusiasts will get to have their cake (portability with its tenkeyless core) and eat it, too (full-size keyboard with media dock, number pad, and palm rest).

The Everest Max consists of three main components, a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard (mine came with Cherry MX Brown switches), a media dock with a rotating LCD dial, and a number pad with four customisable display keys. There's also a palm rest with guide magnets to ensure it's properly aligned. The media dock and number pad connect to the tenkeyless core via USB-C. The former clips onto the top left or top right (you get to decide) of the keyboard. Similarly, the number pad attaches to the left or right side of the keyboard, with magnets to keep it in place. The number pad does droop down slightly when you lift the entire setup, but it's secure enough for moving around the house.

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Mountain also includes a short USB-C cable, which lets you place the number pad further from the tenkeyless keyboard. This is useful if you want its functionality, but lack sufficient desk space next to the keyboard, for example. The tenkeyless keyboard itself has a solid and rigid aluminium top plate and the typical RGB LED backlit keys. Instead of the usual plastic tilt legs, the Everest Max uses magnetic snap-on discs to raise the keyboard rear. It's pretty cool and unique. A USB-A port on the keyboard also lets you charge a smartphone or connect a mouse.

I found the display dial on the media dock handy. You can switch between the volume, screen brightness, RGB lighting profiles, among others via this dial. Equally fun and customisable are the four display keys on the number pad. I can assign these shortcut keys to run a macro or launch an app. The display will even show the appropriate app icon. There's also OBS Studio integration so streamers can assign recording shortcuts to these keys. You'll need to install Mountain's Base Camp app to make these changes. This app is clean and easy to use. You can also sync the Everest Max's RGB lights with devices that support Razer's Chroma lighting platform.

With its modular design, the Mountain Everest Max offers users amazing flexibility in deciding which keyboard functions they require at any given moment. The build quality is excellent, the RGB lights are bright and customisable, and there's the tried-and-tested hot-swappable Cherry MX switches. The media dock and number pad also offer cool features that are unavailable in many premium keyboards. Hence, I can see why there will be takers for the Everest Max, even if its S$399 retail price will induce sticker shock for the average user. You can buy it now on Shopee and Lazada.

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Note: Review unit provided by Mountain.