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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 7, 2026

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Keychron V5 Max

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Athena 1800

Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • Missing ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic. The other board is sold in those layouts.

Get the

Keychron V5 Max

Build quality in the top 10% of 96% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

KBDFans Athena 1800

Keychron V5 Max

  • Layout size

    100%

    96%

  • Connection

    Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Ergonomics

    Split Backspace

    Standard

  • Case material

    Aluminum

    ABS, Plastic

  • Mount style

    Top Mount

    Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • KBDFans Athena 1800
  • Keychron V5 Max
Performance
68
83
Build quality
79
86
Productivity
69
97
Customizability
82
98
Portability
43
53

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
  • Sound dampening
See every spec side by side

From real owners

What owners say

Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.

KBDFans Athena 1800

4.7

7 owner reviews

Praise
“This is one built keyboard. Heavy duty and beautiful. Not a scratch on her and worth every penny. I put the Onyx set on her cuz Ima cat person. Love the lil gif window too. 10/10!”
Shanon H.Verified buyer· via Divinikey

Keychron V5 Max

4.8

5 owner reviews

Praise
“The keys feel smooth and easy as you type. It's probably the best keyboard I've used. I've had a number of mechanical keyboards, but, none of them can compare to the v5 max. The feel of the thing while typing, is hard to not constantly repeat.”
Chris L.Verified buyer· via Keychron

Full specs

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Keychron V5 Max specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

21 of 28 specs differ

KBDFans Athena 1800

Keychron V5 Max

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

100%
96%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-ES, ISO-FR, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW, ISO-UK

Ergonomics

Split Backspace
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

LED, LCD
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Battery

Wired only
4,000 mAh

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
ABS, Plastic

Plate material

Aluminum, Brass, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate, Steel
Polycarbonate

Keycaps

PBT
ABS, PBT

Weight

3,000 g
925 g

Dimensions

—
22 x 149 x 392 mm

Typing angle

9°
4°

Backlight

RGB
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

VIAL

Yes
No

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2025
2023

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

KBDFans Athena 1800

  • KBDfans

    ISO

    Out of stockShips to you

  • MonacoKeys

    ISO

    Out of stockDoes not ship to you

Keychron V5 Max

  • Keychron

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW

    Out of stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW

    Out of stockDoes not ship to you

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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