Razer’s “By Gamers, for gamers” tagline has all the time held true in its keyboard choices, which have targeted nearly completely on vibrant RGB lighting and maxed-out spec sheets. It’s why I’ve all the time felt its keyboards had been about so far as you might get from a premium, enthusiast-oriented typing expertise—they by no means felt nice to kind on, nor did they sound satisfying. Razer additionally sometimes discouraged person customization.

But its newest {hardware}, the BlackWidow V4 75%, exhibits an organization that understands what makes a good mechanical keyboard. Razer’s first foray into the world of customized keyboards checks off all of the bins. The BlackWidow V4 appears elegant and glossy on a desk, feels improbable to kind on, may be custom-made with out a lot effort, and manages to carry out properly for gaming. The tactile switches it ships with aren’t supreme for fast-paced video games, however they perform properly as a hybrid gaming and typing answer—a welcome enchancment to Razer’s basic clicky Green switches.

Superb Switches

My black assessment pattern got here fitted with Razer’s Gen 3 Orange tactile switches, the element beneath keycaps that inform your PC what keys you’re urgent. They’re shockingly good right here, delivering a stability of tactility and smoothness that makes them really feel attentive to kind on with out being too aggressive or harsh.

The switches have a big, rounded, tactile bump that occupies a lot of the journey distance, beginning instantly on the prime of a keypress and persevering with nearly to the underside, with a small quantity of extra journey afterward. Their tactility (the energy of this bump) is about on par with one thing like a Glorious Panda change, extra distinct than a Cherry MX Brown, and fewer so than a Durock T1 or a Zealio—all of which to say it is a center floor I discover satisfying and comfy in day-to-day use.

Razer enables you to swap out the switches utilizing hot-swap sockets manufactured by Kailh. A hot-swap socket connects the switches to the keyboard with out soldering, permitting you to swap out parts in your keyboard in a matter of seconds with hardly any threat. Kailh might be the most important and most respected producer of hot-swap sockets, so I’m glad to see Razer went with it as a substitute of one thing proprietary.

My gripes with the switches are minimal. They have north-facing LEDs, which is sensible with the included keycaps because it permits for brighter shine-through RGB. However, it additionally means the lights face away from the person, which might probably trigger interference with sure change and keycap mixtures should you plan on swapping them out.

The stabilizers—wires that join both finish of longer keys for a smoother keypress, just like the house bar—are plate-mounted as a substitute of being mounted on the printed circuit board (PCB), which suggests they are going to possible rattle over time. My check unit ended up having a slight rattle after a number of weeks of fixed use. That mentioned, Razer consists of mounting factors for PCB-mounted stabilizers in case you wish to make the improve afterward.

I beloved typing on this keyboard. The solely modification I’d make to the switches could be so as to add change movies, skinny layers of plastic sandwiched between the highest and backside half of the change to restrict house between them, to mitigate any rattling from the highest housings. This isn’t an enormous situation when typing, however it may be noticeable. The repair is fast with out the necessity to disassemble the keyboard’s case in any respect.

Peak Productivity

In phrases of ergonomics, this keyboard does every little thing proper. The principally aluminum construct high quality is outstanding, the format is straightforward and intuitive, the flip-out toes may be adjusted for 3 typing angles, and the case’s excessive profile does not impede the typing expertise. The included wrist relaxation makes use of magnets to connect to the keyboard, which is a pleasant means of making certain it should keep in place and stay comfy at any angle.