Monsgeek M5 - 12 months on

Learning and discussion
1

Bought a Monsgeek M5 TKL just on 12 months ago so time for an update.
Gateron Baby Kangaroo switches are installed with Keychron DSA Retro keycaps

Very happy with the purchase so far, works well with Linux (main) and Windows (CAD), I picked the M5 as it is QMK not the proprietary Monsgeek firmware but I’ve had no need to make any changes or re-flash the firmware.
Switches are comfortable and make little noise but just lately I’ve started to have a lot of double strokes or key-bounce on a few keys, probably need cleaning and/or lubing - didn’t apply any lube when assembling the keyboard originally.
I do have a set of Akko Matcha Green Pro switches that I might install as I don’t have any lube on hand (recommendations would be helpful).
Keycaps could use an update, the DSA profile is OK but does hide the status LEDs above the ins/home/pgup keys - don’t miss the number pad at all!
Having USB cable can be a pain sometimes so next keyboard is definitely wireless.

IMG20250424143519
IMG202504241435191920×1446 204 KB

4 Likes
2

It’s always nice to read a long-term review.

The double-tapping is curious. No parts should be failing after a year. I don’t know if it’s the PCB or the switches. But replacing the switches, as you suggest, might be revealing.

Switches should not require hand-lubing in order to function properly. And double-tapping is not necessarily a result of not lubing. Almost every stock switch should function perfectly, without modification.

In terms of switch reliability, I asked around about that a few months ago. The replies I received suggested that Cherry, Gateron, and Kailh should be reliable manufacturers, having been around for a while.

[Cherry seems to among the most reliable, with many reports of high switch longevity.]

Akko is supposed to be a pretty reliable budget manufacturer. Maybe not up there with Cherry and Kailh.* Haimu and BSUN are supposed to be particularly reliable brands. And LICHICX switches are often said to have a high build quality.

  • There have been some reports of AKKO budget tactiles, like the early Lavender Purple and Cream Blue, failing. Although with so few examples, I wonder if those were PCB failures.
3

I would at least try reseating (taking them completely out and pushing them back in) the switches that seem to double click/chatter often, which should be easy enough to do on a hotswap board. I did that with one of my boards that was double clicking often and it fixed my issue.

1 Like
4

Yes, I was thinking of adding that it’s fortunate the board in question is hotswap.

This should make it much easier to reseat the switches, and if they still don’t work, the switches can easily be replaced (if that is the issue).

5

Thanks for the suggestions. I do have some spare baby Kangaroo switches that I can use to replace the known key-bounce ones plus reseat all the others.
Just need to find the tool …

1 Like