Mechanical keyboards · owner-verdict comparison

V1 Max vs Halo75 V2: what real owners say

Real owners rate these about evenly: 57% of 37 V1 Max owners recommend it, vs 53% of 15 for the Halo75 V2.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

V1 Max

57%of 37 owners recommend
57% recommend · 21% neutral · 22% don't
Owners praise
  • Feature-packed for the price, gasket mount, hot-swappable switches, 2.4GHz wireless with dongle storage, and VIA programmability that owners say beats plain Keychron K-series boards
  • Typing feel and sound are excellent out of the box, with several owners calling the stock switches surprisingly good-sounding and the gaskets noticeably supple
  • Feels sturdier and better built than Keychron's cheaper shine-through-keycap boards, giving a solid, premium feel for a budget-tier keyboard
Owners complain about
  • Recurring quality-control failures, entire rows of keys suddenly dying (even surviving a factory reset), glitched/bugged layers, and owners describing frustrating, slow customer support when trying to get it fixed
  • Stock switches can be loud and clicky rather than quiet, and some owners report chattery, overly sensitive keys that produce unwanted duplicate characters
Full owner report →

Halo75 V2

53%of 15 owners recommend
53% recommend · 34% neutral · 13% don't
Owners praise
  • Owners rave about the typing sound and switch feel, thocky, creamy, and noticeably better than the previous Air V2, with several calling it the best-sounding board they've tried
  • Widespread overall satisfaction, many call it the best keyboard they've ever owned or used and say they'd buy it again
  • Strong out-of-box quality and reliability for most units, arriving "almost perfect" with no setup issues
Owners complain about
  • A subset of units suffer reliability problems, dead boards or keys that double/triple-type, with some tracing it to the stock NuPhy switches and hoping firmware fixes the debounce issue
  • Keycap changes disappoint returning owners, the new MSA profile and colorways replace the old KOP profile and color schemes, and some call the new caps "cheap" looking
  • Complaints that the switch to south-facing LEDs and loss of the outer Halo RGB ring is a step back from the original Halo look
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the V1 Max if
  • ✓Budget-conscious buyers wanting a hot-swappable, customizable 75% mechanical keyboard
  • ✓Mac/PC dual-users who want easy OS switching and 2.4GHz wireless
  • ✓First-time mechanical keyboard buyers seeking VIA/QMK programmability without a steep price
  • ✓Typists who value a satisfying, suppler gasket-mount feel over a rigid tray mount
Skip it if
  • Buyers wanting rock-solid reliability, given recurring reports of broken key rows and QC issues
  • Those needing a quiet office keyboard, since it's loud and clicky out of the box
Get the Halo75 V2 if
  • ✓Buyers who want a great-sounding, thocky prebuilt without modding or custom-building
  • ✓First mechanical keyboard upgraders uninterested in the hobby side of things
  • ✓Fans of VIA/QMK customization who still want gasket mount out of the box
  • ✓Budget-conscious buyers who want near-custom quality without spending $200+
Skip it if
  • Buyers wanting the old Halo v1 look, keycap profile (KOP), or full ring lighting
  • Anyone needing rock-solid reliability, since some report dead units or double/triple-typing keys

What V1 Max owners say

“It's absolutely incredible for a budget board.”
— @3choblast3r4 on YouTube
“Definitely not a bad keyboard..”
— @theunexpectedua on YouTube
“Really annoying and unacceptable at any price point.”
— @Butterwichtel on YouTube

What Halo75 V2 owners say

“I love the feel, I started with Browns in my first keyboard and then like the Moss on the air series, but the raspberry is a pretty moderate feeling linear.”
— @NickM86 on YouTube
“This so fare is the best keyboard I have ever tried .I love the feel of this keyboard and the sound of the Raspberry switches.”
— @DanielDChannel on YouTube
“Battery capacity disappointing.”
— @kickin123 on YouTube

V1 Max vs Halo75 V2: frequently asked questions

Is the V1 Max or the Halo75 V2 better?

Real owners rate these about evenly: 57% of 37 V1 Max owners recommend it, vs 53% of 15 for the Halo75 V2.

Who should get the V1 Max?

Owners point the V1 Max at budget-conscious buyers wanting a hot-swappable, customizable 75% mechanical keyboard, and mac/PC dual-users who want easy OS switching and 2.4GHz wireless.

Who should get the Halo75 V2?

Owners point the Halo75 V2 at buyers who want a great-sounding, thocky prebuilt without modding or custom-building, and first mechanical keyboard upgraders uninterested in the hobby side of things.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the V1 Max is recurring quality-control failures, entire rows of keys suddenly dying (even surviving a factory reset), glitched/bugged layers, and owners describing frustrating, slow customer support when trying to get it fixed. For the Halo75 V2, it's a subset of units suffer reliability problems, dead boards or keys that double/triple-type, with some tracing it to the stock NuPhy switches and hoping firmware fixes the debounce issue.