First Impressions - Keychron K10 Max

I've been intrigued by mechanical keyboards for a while, mainly driven by memories of the original keyboards that I used when I first started computing. Specifically the keyboard on the Video Genie TRS-80 clone, my old PowerBook 190cs and a variety of IBM keyboards from early PCs.

My daily driver keyboard is a Logitech MX S, wireless, suitable for Windows or Mac (or ChromeOS). It feels light and comfortable to use, and it's very quiet. I can use it for work happily and heavily for a day without any issues. That's important, as I managed to damage a tendon many years ago when I was writing a lot of specifications and doing a lot of CAD drawings. The culprit wasn't actually the keyboard, but rather the very strange lumpy mouse that they produced in the 1990s which meant my hand (and tendon) were twisted when using it. 

I do believe in not skimping of the quality of keyboard that you use. If you're a screen worker, this is the primary element that you will be engaging with so it needs to be comfortable and well built to make sure that you minimise the risk of harm to yourself and get the maximum user pleasure from typing on it. The MX S is a solid quality build. My first lasted four years until I wore out two of the higher use keys enough that they were erratic in use.

However, I miss the tactile feedback and sound of the keys clacking that I remember of old. I remembered something satisfying in typing on a keyboard like that. Was it just nostalgia?

I ended up looking at quite a few keyboard reviews over the last two years, and was hankering after trying one of Keychron's models based on some comments by folks whose opinions that I have time for. So I ended up selecting a Keychron K10 Max. It's a full size keyboard with a numeric keypad. It's reasonably plain, and I went with a dark colour as I have memories of the way that some keyboards build up residues which show if they're lighter colours. 

I selected Brown Switches because they are a halfway house - tactile but quieter than the Blue switches but not a linear response like the Red gaming switches. It took a while to understand exactly how this worked and I found this article really useful.

It took just over a week to get to me from China, and I immediately noticed the heft of the keyboard when I opened the box. I'd happily carry the Logitech MX S with me somewhere, but I think that this is definitely one that is going to stay on my desk. 

The keyboard came configured UK-ISO set up for a Mac. The keyboard can be switched between Mac and Windows but if you want Windows symbols you will need to swap out the Mac specific keys for Windows ones. These are provided, along with the necessary tools and instructions. The keyboard can be used with Bluetooth or directly wired. It will support up to three different devices at once over Bluetooth, which seems to be the norm for the technology. The Mac set up means I will resist the urge to pair it with my work laptop.

The keyboard itself has a white backlight and   you can select how it behaves. Apparently you can connect into it and edit the settings quite heavily, but I've had no need to do this at all. Battery charging is via USB-C, and it either has a smaller battery or consumes much more energy than my MX S as I've had to charge it twice in the last week of use.

So what's my verdict? 

I really like the keyboard. There's a lovely tactile feel from it and the keyclicks are very reassuring and make me feel like I'm making progress as I am writing. The keyboard is more upright than the MX S which means that I will need to watch that I do not twist the tendon in my right hand and maintain proper posture, but it does feel delightful to use. Perhaps the only thing that irks me is the battery usage, but I'll see how that plays out. It's not really a hardship as there's a USB hub immediately behind the keyboard on the desk so I can easily top it up.

I'm happy I've got this, there's no regrets. There may have been some nostalgia in the purchase but using the keyboard shows me that it was more than justified.

Recommended.

19 July 2025