Razer Blackwidow - is it really that bad?

[Cyanotical]

this is some interesting info. is there any way to determine where a keyboard was manufactured before buying?

been looking for some shops in Poland with mechanical keyboards, there are like 2 but most out of stock, there's one that sells CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid but it's sooo expensive compared to Blackwidow...

yes and no, i was able to go through a stack of them at microcenter and test them and compare it to the batch/serial number

otherwise, if you are buying over the internet, or they dont let you open in store, it's pretty much a guessing game

this is good example of the problem:



and i guess this isn't a first gen problem because they still have this issue on the stealth and flavored varieties

[Cowt]

http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/me...keyboard-guide has everything you need to know about mechanical solutions.

[Riavan]

I personally just have a problem with razers build quality in all of their products, I'd always go for logitech instead.

[LordDios]

I personally just have a problem with razers build quality in all of their products, I'd always go for logitech instead.

I have the exact opposite problem, every logitech product I have ever had has given me no end of grief and fallen to bits rather quick, razer stuff seems to be durable. Tho my gampad joysticks seem to stick occasionally but other then that no issues

[Radiss]

I'm really OCD about cleaning, and the blackwidow gets really smudgy and dirty. The sound is also way too loud for me.

[savagetommy]

http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/me...keyboard-guide has everything you need to know about mechanical solutions.

thanks for the link, it's a very useful resource, but I'm afraid that almost all of the mentioned boards are unavailable in Poland

been trying to see the cost of importing something from the US and it's about 50 bucks so no can do :P

[Deleted]

The sound is also way too loud for me.

You can't really pin the sound on the Blackwidow though as this is caused by the switches. All Cherry MX Blue based keyboards will have this clicking sound.

[savagetommy]

Ok, I've made up my mind, went to a shop and actually touched the blackwidow and it's too loud for my ears. Gonna wait for the CM Storm with Brown switches to appear in my country, test it and maybe buy it.

You guys helped me very much and I thank you for that. Kudos!

[Feranor]

I personally just have a problem with razers build quality in all of their products, I'd always go for logitech instead.

Exactly, perfect example would be their mice, the small plastic piece that pushes the "click switch" when you press on the left/right mouse button is made so cheaply that it becomes curved instead of straight after about 6-9 months of use, which then causes the mouse to do double-clicks about 33% of the time you do single clicks.

[Pikapika]

Exactly, perfect example would be their mice, the small plastic piece that pushes the "click switch" when you press on the left/right mouse button is made so cheaply that it becomes curved instead of straight after about 6-9 months of use, which then causes the mouse to do double-clicks about 33% of the time you do single clicks.

Neither of my Deathadders (I used the first one for 3 years, the second for about a year now) had any double click problems, I only ended up getting a second one after the scroll wheel got a bit too loose for me personally. My friend didn't mind and he's still using it now.

If it was top-quality the plastic wouldn't bend when you slightly forced a finger down.

That's the thing, it doesn't bend. My Blackwidow starts tilting over if I apply enough pressure to blend the plastic on my old Logitech board.

Ok, I've made up my mind, went to a shop and actually touched the blackwidow and it's too loud for my ears. Gonna wait for the CM Storm with Brown switches to appear in my country, test it and maybe buy it.

You guys helped me very much and I thank you for that. Kudos!

MX Browns aren't that much quieter than MX Blues, if you want something quiet you should look into MX Blacks or MX Reds. Most people don't like them for typing but I don't find MX Blacks to be too bad, you just have to get used to bottoming out the key for every press.

[Neptune]

Honestly, after trying some of the "gaming switches" of Cherry MX, I didn't see any improvement over my MX Blues. The MX blues feel different, yes, but not worse at all. You can buy any mechanical keyboard out there with any of the switches and you'll do equally good on all of them. Don't say something is better for gaming when in reality its purely dependant on the person using the keyboard. Different =/= bad.

[Deleted]

thanks for the link, it's a very useful resource, but I'm afraid that almost all of the mentioned boards are unavailable in Poland

been trying to see the cost of importing something from the US and it's about 50 bucks so no can do :P

You may want to check out The Keyboard Co.. It's located in the UK and delivery to Poland took a whooping two days with their standard option. And their support is great, too.
Yeah, it's still expensive, but a mechanical keyboard will probably last you a lifetime. Think about that .

[OoMally]

Always had a Razer almost since i got my first rig, never had any of the issues here, maybe im just lucky?

The bending issue ... that could be because your hands get crazy sweaty/hot?

I'm still using my Logitech G11 even though it's beginning to fall apart. Mostly because the new one (G110) doesn't have decent anti-ghosting for some inexplicable reason.

YES! I hate that. But other than that its a great keyboard, reasonable price and has taken a beating from the plethora of games I have macro'd to it!

[Deleted]

Honestly, after trying some of the "gaming switches" of Cherry MX, I didn't see any improvement over my MX Blues. The MX blues feel different, yes, but not worse at all. You can buy any mechanical keyboard out there with any of the switches and you'll do equally good on all of them. Don't say something is better for gaming when in reality its purely dependant on the person using the keyboard. Different =/= bad.

You somewhat contradicted yourself right there.

First you say that the switches are equally good and that you didn't see any improvement comparing "gaming switches" to the MX Blues. Then you go on and say that it's different from person to person, and that others shouldn't suggest any switch over the other.

Thing is, OP specified that he will be using it "70% for typing and 30% gaming", I believe the discussion just got derailed slightly when others came in asking which switch is the best. Fact is (yes fact) that the Cherry MX Blues can be considered worse for gaming because the actuation point is above the release point.



This means that when double tapping rapidly, you can get a "click" and a tactile bump without the key actually activating. Since the press is linear with Reds and Blacks, this issue is resolved. The argument is also that the Reds being 45g is a faster switch, which benefits gaming performance.

Now, this is the general way to look at it, but we are as you say all different. I know people that swear by the Blues for gaming, thinking they are the greatest switch ever made, and I know people that by far prefer the Blacks.

Also, these switches are not equal and as such individual people will generally not do equally good on all switches. The best way to approach this is to go to a store and try the individual switches (and keyboards) yourself. We can only do a general recommendation.