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
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
✓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 think
Most V1 Max owners are enthusiastic, praising it as an unusually feature-packed budget board — gasket-mounted, hot-swappable, 2.4GHz wireless, and VIA-programmable — with a typing feel and sound that punch above its price and build quality that beats Keychron's cheaper shine-through-keycap models. But a vocal minority reports real quality-control problems: whole rows of keys dying even after a factory reset, glitched layers, and slow, frustrating customer support when trying to get a faulty unit replaced. A smaller group also dings the stock switches for being louder and clickier than expected, with some units feeling overly sensitive and prone to unwanted double characters. The overall read is a genuinely great value keyboard for most buyers, undercut by a real minority-but-not-rare defect and support risk.
What Halo75 V2 owners think
Owners overwhelmingly praise the Halo75 V2's typing sound and feel, with many calling it the best or most satisfying keyboard they've owned and pointing to strong out-of-box quality and good value against pricier custom builds. The V2-specific upgrades — VIA/QMK support, gasket mount, and a faster 2.4GHz dongle — land well with returning NuPhy fans. A meaningful minority is less pleased with the redesign choices, though: the switch to south-facing RGB and loss of the outer Halo ring, the new MSA keycap profile and colorway, and a redesigned badge all draw repeat complaints as downgrades from the original Halo look. A smaller but recurring group also reports reliability headaches like dead units or double/triple-typing keys, plus a hollow-sounding stock spacebar that some fix themselves with foam tape.
“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.”
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.