Estimated Time With Gear: 70+ Hours
Price: $145 (approx)
Where to buy: Mountain
What Is It?: Lightweight wireless mouse
Compatible With: PC
Product Manufacturer: Mountain
Mountain has allowed me to test out their next release in computer accessories on the market, the Makalu Max. I reviewed their wired mouse, the Makalu 67, last year. I was rather impressed with the mouse and stated in that review that I prefer wireless devices. Thankfully the Makalu Max covers that and more.
For me, the Makalu Max is an upgrade on an already great device, with a similar size and shape to the Makalu 67. The added wide body attaches easily, and the device quickly replaced my Makalu 67 as my primary mouse. Arriving at my home in the distinctive boxing that I have come to associate with the Mountain brand, the sleek design of the box was easy to access. It displayed information on the rear and images of the device while having further information and specifications wrapped around the sides. Mountain works with Plasticbank and aims to keep everything that their packages are made from 100% recyclable, which I find a plus for the company. The box is also designed to allow storage of the products. I enjoy opening devices from Mountain as the aesthetic leans towards the quality of the products.
Included Accessories
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Braided USB Type-C to Type-A Lifeline cable
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RF Receiver
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2 Sets of Side Grips*
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3 Weight Discs
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Sticker set
* w/ standard Side Grips and w/o weight discs
I opened the box and explored the internals with vigour. Inside was the Makalu Max fitted with the standard sides*. Outside that were the wide sides and three weights. Looking at the lid, I found a wedge-shaped box containing a USB-A to USB-C in a two-metre cable, the RF wireless dongle, and the USB-C to USB-A socket adaptor. Mountain was also nice enough to provide one of their Mouse mats in medium size. Pulling the device from the box, I tried a mixture of styles, changing sides and weights and settling on one that felt natural in my hand. The three weight options consisted of 6.5g, 8.5g and 10.5g, I opted for the heaviest, and it was as simple as placing a nail in the slot, lifting out the weight, and pushing a fresh one in. This simplicity for exchanging parts carries on through their design; swapping out the walls on the mouse is just as easy. The sides are connected through magnets, and placing the tip of the finger into the guided hole and giving a simple push had the sides off while placing a new one on was as quick as lining it up and moving it towards the mouse. The magnets are strong enough to pull the sides into place quickly. The design around this adjustability makes the various combinations seamless and quick sufficient to make swapping out for different tasks effortless.
Now that I had the mouse looking and feeling like I wanted it, the next task was to replace the current mouse. This took a little more time as I had tidied my cables earlier in the year. The plan was to run the USB-A to USB-C cable where I had run the Makalu 67 cable, replacing it and allowing unfettered access to the USB-C when charging the mouse or using other USB-C devices such as controllers. The RF wireless dongle I plugged into the convenient USB socket on my Mountain Everest Max keyboard. The new cable design was reminiscent of the current Makalu 67 cable and had a similar texture, a loose fabric style weave-coated cable that was easy to manipulate into place. Once the cable was plugged in, I used it to charge the mouse. I was advised to use the Beta Base Camp software to be able to utilise the mouse to its full extent.
When I initially set it up, the software had some issues, having trouble discovering all the Mountain devices I had plugged in. It was a fresh install, so I restarted the PC, clearing up the issue. Once the devices were discovered and the Makalu Max was displaying, I moved to its tab on the Base Camp software and began looking at its setup, changing the settings to match the profile that I created on the Makalu 67. I was quickly set up and ready to go.
I noticed in the Base Camp software that there was an update for the mouse and proceeded to try and install it. I had the mouse unplugged at this stage, and about halfway through, the update failed, and my new mouse stopped working. Trying a couple of techniques to try and get it working again failed; this included plugging it in and trying to update, restarting the PC, and trying it on a second computer. All to no avail. I reached out to Mountain, and they quickly responded with some ideas, and one of them was to flash the firmware for the mouse and that solved my issue, allowing me to install the fresh update with no further dramas.
Specs
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Sensor: PixArt PAW3370
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Connectivity: 2.4 GHz RF & USB Type-C
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Max DPI: 19000
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IPS: 400
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Lift Off Distance (LOD): 1-2mm
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Tracking Speed: 50g
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Buttons: 8
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Colour(s): Black
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Grip: Claw / Palm
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Backlight: RGB
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Polling Rate: 1000Hz / 1ms
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MCU: Cortex M0
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Connector: USB Type-A
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Cable length: 1.8m
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Product Dimensions: 127×70.2×42.2mm (LxWxH)
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Product Weight: Approx. 110g*
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Onboard memory: Yes, 5 profiles
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Material: ABS
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Micro switches (L+R) // Kailh GM 8.0
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Software Support: Base Camp™ (Windows only)
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Warranty: 2 years
With those issues behind me, I got to testing the mouse, trying it out in a bunch of games and general day-to-day tasks, the mouse performed as well as its wired counterpart, and I often forgot I was using a new device. The Max is comfortable in my hand, and even my wife was impressed by it, asking about it when using my PC. Although they share some similarities, the mice also differ in their rights. The Max is heavier and has adjustable weights. It is wireless but can be used wired. The Max also now includes a sniper button on the thumb groove, which is flexible but allows for quick manipulation of the DPI when smaller movements are required. To utilise this, you press, hold, and release it when it is no longer needed. This button and all the buttons on the mouse can be used for anything else as the mouse is fully programable using the Base Camp software. The mouse also features memory and can have up to five profiles programmed and saved. This allows it to be moved to other computers and maintain the settings for those profiles without needing the Base Camp software on those other devices.
During my time with the mouse, with heavy use, the eighty hours estimated battery isn’t far off my experience. I recharged it once a week and had my sleep settings bumped to five and ten minutes, respectively; having the mouse drop to deep sleep earlier should improve battery, as would turning off lights on the mouse. A battery indicator can be found in the Base Camp software to monitor this, as well as the mouse displaying red on the lighting when it needs a charge desperately. The Makalu Max is very responsive and can be used on a multitude of surfaces. It has a vast range for the DPI and would suit a wide variety of gamers and daily PC users. I kept my DPI between 1500 DPI and 8500, with the limit of the mouse maxing out at 19000 DPI. The mouse also features adjustable polling rates, sensitivity, click speeds, response times and even angle snapping and lift-off distance. Users have the choice to make the mouse fit their style without compromise. Adjusting the lighting is as easy as selecting the lighting tab on the mouse menu and then choosing from one of the multiple styles, static, wave, rainbows, or individually selecting colours for each of the eight lighting zones. The possibilities are endless.
The mouse’s design and feel are practical and would fit any gaming, office, or other home setting. I found it more comfortable to use than the other mice I have a home, the Logitech G602 and the Corsair Dark Core. The Corsair also features many of the same features. The buttons on the mouse are solid and feel good to click, and the scroll wheel is smooth and responsive and features a satisfying click. The DPI adjustment buttons, as are the three side buttons, are a tad noisy but function efficiently. The thumb/sniper button feels very tactile, so you have a definite click when it is active. The mouse works on any surfaces I had at home, including the desk and various mouse pads and functions on the provided Mountain mouse mat. The Mountain mouse pad features a water-repelling surface, a soft texture, and a rubber coating on the rear, and it is on par with many of the mouse pads I have used and is replacing my travelling mouse pad.
I have enjoyed my time with the Makalu Max, and the setup was a breeze; although I had some issues early on, there have been no repeats, and the mouse functions perfectly. Replacing the Makalu 67 with a wireless alternative also made me happy, with the added additional access to the connector making for a clean and simple setup. I like the way the Max is adjustable in size and shape, Mountain continues to make great quality gear, and their work with Plasticbank means less waste is moving into the environment. I also like that their boxes double as storage for their gear when unused. I love having a wireless mouse again, although I have often forgotten that it was plugged in while charging due to the lightweight cable and the swift movement of the Max. If you are chasing a new mouse that works and performs excellently, look no further, as the Makalu Max is easily on par with some of the more significant manufacturers out there while their support team is one of the best I have dealt with in a long time.
[*Note: upon release, Mountain has also enabled the community to 3D Print their custom sides for further customisation. The files can be found here. I would have loved to do this, but unfortunately, I do not own a 3D printer. Although, having nice sleek orange sides would make my dreams come true. I can’t wait to see what the 3D printing community comes up with.]
