# [REVIEW] Razer Blackwidow Ultimate



## Manyak

*Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Review
- Manyak*










When the PC was first introduced in 1981, there were two kinds of keyboards - the mechanical ones that you could type on, and the "other" ones that you hated so much they might as well have murdered your mother. Ask anyone who's ever typed on a membrane or foam-n-foil board and they'll tell you. It wasn't until the late '80s or early '90s, when there was a big rush among manufacturers to make PC-compatible computers as cheap as possible, that rubber dome keyboards were introduced. Finally! Manufacturers had viable alternative to mechanical switches - something that was cheap to make, yet also "good enough" to keep their reputation intact. Over the next few years, millions of people bought the first computer and first keyboard that they had ever used, and those keyboards would be all that they knew for the next two decades. During this time only a small group of people would even _remember_ that mechanical keyboards existed. Only a small handful of mech keyboards would still be manufactured, and they would be hidden so well you'd never have known about them if you hadn't gone looking for them. But over the past few years they've gained lots of attention. They are no longer seen as "old, ugly, and loud", and a few retailers have begun to stock them again. But most importantly, for the first time in _ages_, they've caught the eye of a major peripheral manufacturer - one with enough resources and marketing prowess to bring mechanical boards mainstream again.

This whole fiasco left us today with two schools of thought when it comes to keyboards. The first is that keyboards are all generally the same, and it's only worth paying more for flashing lights and other gimmicks. The other is that keyboards are one of the three major ways that you interface with your computer, and so the keyboard should be made to very high standards to provide the best possible experience out there - anything less is unacceptable. And mechanical keyboards were always made to appeal to that second group.

Now, Razer has traditionally been the complete opposite - they differentiated their keyboards through 1000Hz polling, backlighting, macros, and other gimmicks - nothing that really improved the computing experience. But now they've introduced the Blackwidow - a mechanical keyboard with all the trappings of a mainstream board. A "hybrid" of the two schools of thought. And those of us who look for nothing but quality are left wondering: can this board still hold up to the standards set by manufacturers over 20 years ago?

*First Impressions*










When I received the box, I did the same thing that I'm sure everyone else will when they first see it - play with the arrow keys through the cutout







. At first I kind of wished the plastic cover in there was an keyboard cover to use on your desk instead, like what you get with a Filco. But on the other hand, when these boxes are sitting on shelves in Best Buy, that cutout is all they'll need to get these to sell like hotcakes! So being that this is the first _ever_ attempt at making a mechanical board mainstream, I'll have to say that the cutout is more important.










As far as the looks go, you can immediately tell that it's a Razer (did the glowing logo give it away?







). Yet at the same time, it's very clean; and I like clean. A lot of people will disagree with me on this, but all the usual "gaming" keyboards look like toys to me. This one, however, still retains a bit of seriousness that anyone past their teen years will appreciate. It doesn't have a million extra useless buttons, it only deviates slightly from a classic shape, they excluded the usual uncomfortable plastic wrist rest, and the status LEDs (Caps, NumLk, ScrLk) are only subtly lit - they don't flash, bounce, blind you, or bark at you to get your attention (something _every_ manufacturer should pay attention to <cough>Diatec<cough>). It's not a classy, professional look, but it's still clean.










The font, I think, is going to be hit and miss with people. It looks like a mix between something out of a sci-fi flick and a UNIX console. On one hand, it is BY FAR nicer than Deck's crayon scribbling, but on the other it's not as elegant as something like Helvetica. But I'll tell you this - it does look better in person than it does in pictures.










Extra media keys on a keyboard is nothing but useless clutter, and most of the time does nothing but take away from the looks. The guys at Razer obviously thought the same thing, and used an Fn+Fkey method for their media keys - MUCH cleaner than anything they've done in the past. Das had attempted to do the same thing with the Model S but failed miserably - they replaced the left Windows key with the Fn key, but it turned out that nearly everyone uses that one the most so only a few people bought it. Razer was smart and replaced the one on the right, which not many people care about







.

The only downside to the whole setup is the glossy body. Now, everyone has their own opinion on whether or not glossy looks good, but one thing is undeniable - it's a royal pain to keep it clean. So now we're back to the idea of having a cover of some sort. But instead of removing the cutout in the box, how about including a small microfiber cloth and/or offering an acrylic roof separately? I know _I_ would certainly buy a roof for it, as this past week I've frequently had to wipe it down from fingerprints and dust. IMO these two things would be a great addition to the keyboard.

*Backlighting*










Razer is only the third manufacturer to ever offer a backlit mechanical keyboard, after TG3 (Deck) and iOne.










One of the cool things about backlighting with Cherry MX switches is that there's a little spot on the switch for an LED to sit. So just like the Decks and Xarmor, each individual key has it's own LED. For those who didn't know, rubber dome keyboards with backlighting have only about 6-10 LEDs around the perimeter of the board, and use a diffuser sheet to spread the light across the entire thing. Giving each key it's own individual LED results in brighter and more even backlighting.










Here what you see is a Deck Legend on the left and a Razer Blackwidow on the right. Razer used the same blue you'll find on any of their other keyboards or mice, while the Deck's LEDs have a slightly different hue to them - a little bit more towards the turquoise side. But they are identical in brightness.

Now, I don't know whether or not Razer's LEDs are rated for the same lifespan that the Deck's are, but even the cheapest ones last for several thousand hours. So I'm not too worried about their longevity.

Hitting Fn+F12 cycles through the backlight settings, which are as follows:
1 - Off
2 - Low
3 - Medium
4 - High
5 - Pulsing (gradual change from off to high, and then back to off)

That last one is mildly annoying and _very_ distracting, and I can't imagine anyone actually using it.










One thing I can't understand is why manufacturers absolutely insist on putting the USB and audio ports on the right side of the keyboard, where _most_ people use their mouse (and it's not just Razer I'm talking about here). Having a large USB stick there, or just having headset wires coming down from there, gets in the way of the mouse. I understand it's easier/cheaper just to use the space underneath the status LEDs since the controller goes there anyway, but in this keyboard specifically there _is_ enough space in the top left corner to move them there.










One of the most important things is for a keyboard to sit perfectly still on your desk, and not slide around while you use it. The Blackwidow does well in this regard, sitting solidly on both my
 giant mousepad
and my desk itself (veneer).

*Switches*

This keyboard uses plate mounted Cherry MX Blue switches.

Now, Razer has been claiming that they "Cherry Picked" the switches used in this keyboard, but wouldn't divulge what their criteria was. So I took it upon myself to find out what the difference was between these switches and every other Cherry MX board that I own, if there even was one.

Now, remember when I said how I played with the arrow keys through the box? When doing that, the switches felt _lighter_ than those on my Filco, which surprised me. When Cherry Blues are brand new they're usually slightly stiffer than usual, as it takes a few days for them to break in. Of course, as soon as I took it out of the packaging and put it on my desk, it was back to being what I expected.

So I tested it with the Rip-O-Meter just to be sure, and it _was_ identical to the Filco.

That being said, the sound was quite different. Well the clicky sound of the switches themselves was the same, that's not what I'm talking about. But see, the Filco likes to make a lot of other noise - even the slightest keycap movement translates to a ton of rattling. The Razer board is a lot better in this regard, but I doubt it has anything to do with the switches - the casing and keycaps have a much greater affect on the noise than just picking the best switches on a standard deviation curve, and as you'll see later in the review, their designs do just that.

So either I'm completely missing something here, or the whole "Cherry Picking" thing they're doing isn't very effective.

*Keycaps*










Keycaps are one of the most important parts of a board, as they play a role in most aspects of a board - the look, sound, feel, and durability. I've already gone over the look and sound, so let's get a bit into the other two.

I don't know what kind of plastic was used for the keycaps <yet>. They are clear, with some kind of black coating applied. The legends are simply where the coating was lasered off. If you closely at the image above you'll be able to see how the black coating is raised above the letters, and even better, you can see the faint line that was the center of the laser beam as it wrote the letter. Then looking at the image below, you can see the pad printing used for the secondary legends, as this part is raised _up_ from the base coat.










The coating feels quite nice. It's smooth yet "grippy". Kind of like how rubber is, except it doesn't really feel like rubber. To be quite honest, I like it more than the regular bumpy molded plastic. But at the end of the day it _is_ just a coating, and so I can only wonder about how long it will last. These sorts of coatings give some very sharp lettering when lasered (as you can clearly see), but have a history of wearing off relatively quickly (the Lycosa and G15 are just two examples). Dyesub legends, on the other hand, last a lifetime. But it all depends on the actual mixture used, so I guess this is something we'll just have to wait to find out!

Below you can see the lasered ditch a bit better.



















The keys are sculpted for each row to have a different height and angle, so that your fingers hit the keys better while typing. Whether or not this is better for you than having them flat is up to you to decide, but I think most people will agree that this layout lends itself to fewer typos and less fatigue.










Here we have a Filco key on the left and a Blackwidow key on the right. The Blackwidow key is only the tiniest bit thicker, but even that little bit makes a difference! The keys are able to absorb a bit more of the switch's vibrations, so the clicky noise isn't as loud or harsh. To make sure this wasn't just becuase of the age of the switch, I moved a few Filco keycaps over - and sure enough the noise became harsher.

*Build Quality*

Let's open 'er up!









Shown here is the plate, held down to the bottom by 8 screws. Very solid indeed. Metal plates are practically a prerequisite for anyone's board to be taken seriously these days, as there's no better way of eliminating flex - something that everyone hates. Ever had a keyboard (or laptop) where the entire keyboard seemed to bend as you typed? Yeah, well, that isn't going to happen here.

Then when I tried to take the PCB out I was smacked in the face by a nice surprise:










See that? *THAT* is how you hold a cable down!!! First, it's bolted to the frame. Then it's pretty much super-glued to the frame _twice_. Is it excessive? Sure! But excessive is exactly what we're after here


















Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the bottom half of body is made of ABS







. This is the same stuff that the Model M's body is made of (although not quite as thick). But there's one small catch - this is _only_ the bottom half. I couldn't find any markings on the inside of the top half, but it's very flexible and soft - better for absorbing sound, worse for absorbing a punch. So I deem this keyboard _unpunchable_.

But I'm going off track now. See, the biggest reason a hard plastic like ABS is desirable for the keyboard casing is that it prevents the keyboard from warping and bending (it and the metal plate). Even with only _half_ of the casing made of it, it still performs it's duty, and so it's quite acceptable







. Some people might even prefer it this way because of the sound characteristics the soft plastic on top gives you.










The soldering looks perfectly fine, not like some other keyboards I've seen. But I can't help but wonder if they made the PCB black just to make it look cooler in a review














.

*Electrical*










The cable is very nicely braided, and very thick. The connectors on the end are as follows:

USB for keyboard
USB pass-through to side port
Headphone pass-through
Mic pass-through
So you don't have to use both USB plugs if you don't want to.









And speaking of USB, that brings us to a very important point - the keyboard is *NOT NKRO*. And I don't mean not NKRO as in, because it's USB it can only to 6+4 keys. No. I mean, there are no diodes on the board, so key combos are blocked by the controller instead of by the USB protocol. So you _will_ run into combinations that get blocked at only 2 keys, meaning this is just 2-key rollover. One such combination is Z+X+C, which screwed me up because I use those keys for both emulators and music games. Not that I couldn't find a new cluster of keys to use, but it's just something that I wouldn't want to have happen immediately after spending $130 on a keyboard.

_Edit: I should note, WASD gaming works perfectly fine. All the common combos like W+D+Shift+Space go through. It's only if you get off the WASD cluster that things can go wrong._

Quote:

Razer: I know your primary market for this keyboard are the gamers who don't currently use a mechanical board and those who are blindly following the mechanical hype. And for them NKRO doesn't really mean anything and "anti-ghosting matrix" can be marketed just as well. But, for everyone else's sake, it would be nice if you spent the $1/keyboard to add switching diodes to your next model. For some people it really is a necessity, and for everyone else it's simply peace of mind. In fact, it would also be nice if you spent another $1 and added PS/2 support. Then you could charge even more for the keyboard, and it would still be a better value.
As for the 1000Hz polling - the lowest delay I could get on Passmark was 2ms between keypresses. For comparison, a Filco gets the same 2ms reading over both PS/2 and USB. Obviously there should be a difference here, but apparently there's another limiting factor besides the interface and so I can't perform a conclusive test on it.

*Macro Capability*

This right here is one thing that is completely unique to this keyboard, as far as mechanical ones go. Well, not programming it through the driver, there are a bunch of keyboards that can do that. And you can always do it through autohotkey, which is still the best if you want to program something more complex than a sequence of buttons. So yeah, with as many ways as there are to remap and macro your keys no matter what OS you're in, as far as I'm concerned driver programming is useless.

But what _this_ keyboard has that's unique is that it has *on-the-fly* macro recording, from the keyboard itself! The last time I saw a keyboard with this capability was the Gateway Anykey, which came with my old 486DX2 machine back in around 1990. And I loved it. Why no-one put it on keyboard again until now is beyond me. Either way, this is the first _mechanical_ keyboard to offer it, and it's slick. But I would have preferred that it be done completely in the hardware like the Anykey was, completely independent of the drivers, so that it becomes platform agnostic.

Quote:

*Edit: It was brought to my attention that I had forgot that there are other keyboards that offer this capability, such as the G15. But in my defense, I don't consider the G15 or G19 to be real keyboards - more like toys, so they never even crossed my mind









*Conclusion*










The Blackwidow Ultimate is, without a doubt, a great board. Razer has met or exceeded the standards that make a good keyboard a good keyboard in many areas. The casing is made (mostly) of ABS, the switches are plate mounted, and the cable is practically bolted on and is strong enough to use as a jump rope in an elementary school playground. The layout is perfect with no useless clutter, the board isn't any bigger than it needs to be, and the status LEDs aren't blinding. The backlighting is one of the best on the market, and there's no other keyboard out there with on-the-fly macro capability. The keycap printing is very sharp, and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the coating's abrasion resistance until proven otherwise. I'm very impressed with the quality of this board.

And while no keyboard is perfect for everyone, at the end of the day this keyboard has one major flaw, and that's the lack of NKRO and PS/2 support. At $80, the regular Blackwidow not having NKRO isn't a problem. In fact, after trying out this board I think that $80 gets you a LOT of value, especially since it's better built than many mechanical keyboards that are even more expensive and all you miss out on is Backlighting and pass-through ports. Like I said before, I'm impressed with Razer's quality here. But at $130 the lack of NKRO is much harder to accept.

In the end it comes down to this, and this alone: If you want NKRO, there are other boards at this price that are of similar build quality (give or take a bit). But if you'd give up NKRO for on-the-fly macros and the looks/backlighting of _this_ board, then it's one hell of a board to get and you won't be disappointed









Quote:

PS: I received this board as a review sample, and some people suddenly think my whole review is worthless because I didn't point this out here (even though I did mention it several times on the forums). So this is me pointing it out.


----------



## muchadoaboutnothing

I had a funny feeling you'd end up getting a review board...

Good review. Nice to see the teardown especially.


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## eternaldj

That is one attractive keyboard. If I had the money I would definitely pick one of those up. Thanks for sharing


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## Derp

Great pics and review. Too bad about the rollover, I was expecting razer to design the BW to allow a better rollover even on USB like the sidewinder X4 did.


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## Morizuno

great review, I read through the entire thing









There is no glossy plastic unlike the lycosa, correct?


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## RAFFY

Awesome review but I hate blue LEDs.


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## -iceblade^

i never thought this day would come


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Derp* 
Great pics and review. Too bad about the rollover, I was expecting razer to design the BW to allow a better rollover even on USB like the sidewinder X4 did.

Thanks









Even if it was still the regular USB 6+4 keys it would be perfectly fine. It's not so much that the extra rollover is necessary, but it's peace of mind that you don't have to worry about if the combo _you_ want to use is blocked.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Morizuno* 
great review, I read through the entire thing









There is no glossy plastic unlike the lycosa, correct?

Thanks









The top of the board _is_ glossy.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *-iceblade^* 
i never thought this day would come









lolwut?


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## Khaotik55

Hey, have you tried common combinations to see if it ghosts?

Shift + W + Space

Shift + W + Tab

N + ' + T

Shift + W + Space + D

W + S + A/D

Etc? I'm not sure what this board has, I'm by no means Rollover literate.


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## RAFFY

What does key rollover mean? You can only press two keys at once?


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Khaotik55* 
Hey, have you tried common combinations to see if it ghosts?

Shift + W + Space

Shift + W + Tab

N + ' + T

Shift + W + Space + D

W + S + A/D

Etc?

All of those combinations go through. WASD gaming is perfectly fine on this board.


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## Khaotik55

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
All of those combinations go through. WASD gaming is perfectly fine on this board.

Good









I was debating between this Razer and the XArmor.

...While the XArmor does seem to be a better quality board (Just guessing), I like the simple features that the Razer has like function keys, windows key disabler, and Macros. Things the XArmor does not have.


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RAFFY* 
What does key rollover mean? You can only press two keys at once?

It means that it's _possible_ to be blocked after only two keys. Like, I can press Z and X, but then if I try to press C it gets blocked. Z+X+V will go through, but not Z+X+C. And therefore it's called 2-key rollover.


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Khaotik55* 
Good









I was debating between this Razer and the XArmor.

...While the XArmor does seem to be a better quality board (Just guessing), I like the simple features that the Razer has like function keys, windows key disabler, and Macros. Things the XArmor does not have.

I excluded the Macro feature from the review because it is possible to do the same (and more) using Autohotkey.

And also because I've already spent all day taking photos and writing this up


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## Crazy9000

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RAFFY* 
What does key rollover mean? You can only press two keys at once?

Key rollover refers to how many you can press at once, with N key being every single one.

I would be interested in seeing some sort of list of known failing combos on the BW boards.


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Crazy9000* 
Key rollover refers to how many you can press at once, with N key being every single one.

I would be interested in seeing some sort of list of known failing combos on the BW boards.

If you have specific combos you want checked I can test them for you.


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## Segovax

Nice review.

Garbage keyboard. I'm sure it will sell though, just judging from this forum alone the amount of Razer fanbois is amazing. The font is ridiculous and silly. The back lighting looked good actually. No NKRO/PS2. Jury is out on how well those keycaps are going to hold up, I'm betting they won't.


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## Tator Tot

Manyak; I'm actually surprised you liked the feeling from the coating on the keys.
I got a Blackwidow not to long ago and I really did not like the coating that was on the keys.
Then again though; that was just me.

The only key-combo's that messed me up were the F#-Keys because of Frets on Fire.


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## Crazy9000

Quote:


Originally Posted by *manyak*
If you have specific combos you want checked I can test them for you.

How about C,V, spacebar, and any two arrow keys. Other then that, just any combo that you can find that specifically fails, and seems like someone might want to use.


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## Khaotik55

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Segovax* 
Nice review.

Garbage keyboard. I'm sure it will sell though, just judging from this forum alone the amount of Razer fanbois is amazing. The font is ridiculous and silly. The back lighting looked good actually. No NKRO/PS2. Jury is out on how well those keycaps are going to hold up, I'm betting they won't.

Woah bruh. I'm no Razer fanboy, I'm just looking for a Cherry MX Blue keyboard with backlighting. So far, there's only two. XArmor, and This.

I chose this just due to simple features. Not because it looks fancy and has "Razer" on it.

Besides, if the coating starts to wear off Razer is usually good with that kind of thing and will just give you a replacement... At least my friend got a replacement for his worn mouse pad. :S


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## losttsol

What's with the "Caps Lk"? They couldn't afford a couple more letters?


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## Tatakai All

Thanks for the review! I've been trying to decide between the Black Widow Ultimate or the UB9L and now I'm leaning more towards the UB9L. Great review.


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## KG363

Great review. unfortunately, I can't rep you


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Segovax* 
Nice review.

Garbage keyboard. I'm sure it will sell though, just judging from this forum alone the amount of Razer fanbois is amazing. The font is ridiculous and silly. The back lighting looked good actually. No NKRO/PS2. Jury is out on how well those keycaps are going to hold up, I'm betting they won't.

The one thing I can't believe they didn't do is give it NKRO. It's so cheap, and so simple, and makes the board _that_ much better. Everything else is really a matter of taste more than anything - for every person who hates that font there'll be someone out there who likes it.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tator Tot* 
Manyak; I'm actually surprised you liked the feeling from the coating on the keys.
I got a Blackwidow not to long ago and I really did not like the coating that was on the keys.
Then again though; that was just me.

The only key-combo's that messed me up were the F#-Keys because of Frets on Fire.

Honestly I didn't think I would either. I didn't like the keys on the Lycosa either. But I do like these. /shrug

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Crazy9000* 
How about C,V, spacebar, and any two arrow keys. Other then that, just any combo that you can find that specifically fails, and seems like someone might want to use.

The arrow keys are _sort_ of blocked but only when using opposite directions. If you press Up, you can't press Down. You can press Left and Right together, but then you can't press neither Up nor Down.

Holding C, V, and Space has no affect on arrow key blocking.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tatakai All* 
Thanks for the review! I've been trying to decide between the Black Widow Ultimate or the UB9L and now I'm leaning more towards the UB9L. Great review.

YW









Mind if I ask why? Just curious if there's any reason besides NKRO.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *KG363* 
Great review. unfortunately, I can't rep you

Thanks


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## Crazy9000

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 

The arrow keys are _sort_ of blocked but only when using opposite directions. If you press Up, you can't press Down. You can press Left and Right together, but then you can't press neither Up nor Down.

Holding C, V, and Space has no affect on arrow key blocking.

That's actually really good for a board that doesn't have NKRO. So like up or down + right or left doesn't block? Good enough for most uses really. Still I agree, they should have sprung for the real deal.


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## pjBSOD

Would you recommend this keyboard for someone who like myself who types roughly? I purchased a Saitek Eclipse II from Best Buy, which at the time was $79.99 and absolutely destroyed the space bar within a few days, and it eventually broke off. I had a replacement space bar sent, and that broke a few days after as well. I don't know if it's poorly manufactured, but I definitely type roughly so that doesn't help at all either.

I'm using a Dell SK-8115 keyboard which came with my 6 year old Dell dimension e521. It's a $19.99 keyboard, and it's in perfect condition minus being extremely loud and many keys are fading. For a $19.99 keyboard it definitely feels stronger than the Eclipse II.


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Crazy9000* 
That's actually really good for a board that doesn't have NKRO. So like up or down + right or left doesn't block? Good enough for most uses really. Still I agree, they should have sprung for the real deal.

Yeah I don't think anyone will notice it. And yeah, at $130 they are pricing themselves with the _quality_ boards, which all have NKRO. Everything else about this board does say quality, except that one very important detail.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *E-Peen* 
Would you recommend this keyboard for someone who like myself who types roughly? I purchased a Saitek Eclipse II from Best Buy, which at the time was $79.99 and absolutely destroyed the space bar within a few days, and it eventually broke off. I had a replacement space bar sent, and that broke a few days after as well. I don't know if it's poorly manufactured, but I definitely type roughly so that doesn't help at all either.

I'm using a Dell SK-8115 keyboard which came with my 6 year old Dell dimension e521. It's a 19.99 keyboard, and it's in perfect condition minus being extremely loud and many keys are fading.

ANY quality mechanical board will stand up to your abuse







. And yes, this one too


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## pjBSOD

Awesome, thank you. Only reason I'm asking is because a lot of people complain how loud the Dell SK-8115 when it comes to typing on it... Also because I just want a nice mechanical keyboard


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## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *E-Peen* 
Awesome, thank you. Only reason I'm asking is because a lot of people complain how loud the Dell SK-8115 when it comes to typing on it... Also because I just want a nice mechanical keyboard









People will still complain about noise on this board too. But it will definitely hold up better, lol.


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## r31ncarnat3d

Good review. Looks like a pretty good board. The only thing bugging me is the horrible, horrible font they use. IMO, the Das font (or as I like to call it, Chipotle Burrito font) is still my favorite.

Now I wish I had media keys on my Model S...


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## Tator Tot

I think I'm the only one who likes Razer's font actually. (Well technically iOne's.)


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## Geemaa

I like the font and the black lit, don't really use enough keys for NRKO, maybe alt+w+a/s/d space/shift for FPS.

Is it worth the extra 50 over the regular black widow? I really want to try a mechanical keyboard, I've been using my g15 that I paid 120 for when it first came out and my keys are about gone and its dirty as heck in there.


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## -iceblade^

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
lolwut?









to quote your old sig

Don't buy Logitech or Razer - see what a REAL keyboard is like


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## Manyak

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Geemaa*


I like the font and the black lit, don't really use enough keys for NRKO, maybe alt+w+a/s/d space/shift for FPS.

Is it worth the extra 50 over the regular black widow? I really want to try a mechanical keyboard, I've been using my g15 that I paid 120 for when it first came out and my keys are about gone and its dirty as heck in there.


The only differences between it and the regular blackwidow are the backlighting and pass-through USB/audio ports. If you want to pay an extra $50 for them it's up to you.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *-iceblade^*


to quote your old sig

Don't buy Logitech or Razer - see what a REAL keyboard is like










lol yeah....Well I still stand by the Logitech part!


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## thisispatrick

Nice review Manyak! Will be using some of your pics for my review.


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## turbocharged

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tator Tot* 
I think I'm the only one who likes Razer's font actually. (Well technically iOne's.)

I must be the only one who likes Deck's font.


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## Tator Tot

Quote:



Originally Posted by *turbocharged*


I must be the only one who likes Deck's font.


I don't like Deck's font, but I don't hate it.

I own the Frost... so.


----------



## Phaedrus2129

Even disregarding my personal bias... The XArmor beats the BlackWidow on every point. It has NKRO, native PS/2, the pass-through ports are located on the back of the keyboard, and it comes with a wrist rest and extra keys. It's otherwise basically the same keyboard. And it costs the same.

Unless you have to have macros, or really like glossy finishes, the XArmor is just the better keyboard. The U9BL-S should be even better, since they're fixing the media key implementation, replacing the orange WASD with red, and using switches that don't cause problems with gaming for 1/5 players due to hysteresis.

And most important XArmor isn't lying their ass off about cherry picking switches, about designing the keyboard for four years (long before these people ever even heard about mechanical keyboards), or trying to trick you into thinking what flaws exist with the board are actually benefits.


----------



## ripster

You do seem a bit biased. Reminds me of lmnop and her Decks.

Macro keys and easy one key SW programming is pretty handy - AutoHotkey is not exactly user friendly.


----------



## Phaedrus2129

Quote:



Originally Posted by *ripster*


You do seem a bit biased. Reminds me of lmnop and her Decks.

Macro keys and easy one key SW programming is pretty handy - AutoHotkey is not exactly user friendly.


True, and it's the one solid point I concede the BlackWidow. I vastly prefer hardware reprogramming however; I wish my SPOS had it.


----------



## rpgman1

Razer tends to use marketing gimmicks a lot to cover problems from the peripherals themselves. I thought it was all hype anyway and people either love or hate Razer products.


----------



## thisispatrick

I'm actually really happy about the macro ability on this keyboard. I've been using it for some games here and there and even for my web browsing. Its become quite handy.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Phaedrus2129*


Even disregarding my personal bias... The XArmor beats the BlackWidow on every point. It has NKRO, native PS/2, the pass-through ports are located on the back of the keyboard, and it comes with a wrist rest and extra keys. It's otherwise basically the same keyboard. And it costs the same.

Unless you have to have macros, or really like glossy finishes, the XArmor is just the better keyboard. The U9BL-S should be even better, since they're fixing the media key implementation, replacing the orange WASD with red, and using switches that don't cause problems with gaming for 1/5 players due to hysteresis.

And most important XArmor isn't lying their ass off about cherry picking switches, about designing the keyboard for four years (long before these people ever even heard about mechanical keyboards), or trying to trick you into thinking what flaws exist with the board are actually benefits.


Who dude, relax a bit...

First off, whatever marketing the companies are or aren't doing doesn't affect the quality of the final product.

Second, some people (like myself) can't stand the solid plastic wrist rests that come with keyboards, and it ends up being just one more piece that you have to keep in your closet if you care to sell your keyboard later. So don't be so quick to say that including a wrist rest makes it better.

I'm 100% with you on the NKRO and PS/2 though


----------



## Victor_Mizer

Great review. I am getting the standard blackwidow tomorrow, for my first mechanical.

A question to the people who are upset about no NKRO keyboards. Do you turn with arrow keys or something? I have been gaming on logitech/razer keyboards since like.. 1996, and I have never ran into a problem in a game where the keyboard wouldn't let me do it.


----------



## ripster

USB and ultra flexible easy to use macro programming software. Allows you to program ANY key to multiple sequences of keys including timings.

  
 USB + Macro Software = A Marriage Made In Heaven.  



 
Let's see you find that for PS/2 keyboards. AutoHotkey is a PITA.


----------



## r31ncarnat3d

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Victor_Mizer*


Great review. I am getting the standard blackwidow tomorrow, for my first mechanical.

A question to the people who are upset about no NKRO keyboards. Do you turn with arrow keys or something? I have been gaming on logitech/razer keyboards since like.. 1996, and I have never ran into a problem in a game where the keyboard wouldn't let me do it.


I feel it's more of an issue for RTS and RPG players than FPS. With shooters, I've found that my mouse makes much more of a difference than my keyboard. Thumb button reload = win.

However, I'm a bio major college student with a research internship, so I type _a lot_, hence why I've found my Das Model S to be superior to my old G15.

Although looking at the BW, I have to admit I am a bit tempted. Still, I am perfectly happy with my Das so I doubt a switch will happen.


----------



## saiyanzzrage

nice, thanks for the review..my xarmor u9bl is sitting at my door right now as we speak...cant wait to get home and try it out!!


----------



## thisispatrick

Through some more testing, I've really got to say that cherry blues isn't my thing when gaming. FPS/MMO's are pretty much alright but once I played a game where I find myself double tapping a lot, problems arise.
I was playing NFS Hot Pursuit on the BW Ultimate and then on my Das Silent and amazingly I was able to shave a few seconds off.
Back to more testing/playing games.


----------



## BreakDown

i have some questions.

is the board like the razer lycosa where the glossy finish is a fingerprint and dirt magnet?

is there any way i can assign to extra characters to the board? (i would like to have a spanish layout with "Ã±" and "Ã§")


----------



## Skylit

Thanks, Manyak.


----------



## thisispatrick

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BreakDown* 
i have some questions.

is the board like the razer lycosa where the glossy finish is a fingerprint and dirt magnet?

is there any way i can assign to extra characters to the board? (i would like to have a spanish layout with "Ã±" and "Ã§")

Yes the glossy finish is a fingerprint/dirt magnet. I find myself cleaning this keyboard daily.

The board is fully re-map-able therefore you can make any key do pretty much anything. Example: You have 5 extra keys on the left hand side so those can be set up as your Ã±/etc.


----------



## [email protected]

I liked this better than my RaZer Lycos Mirror keyboard because if you turn them led lights off during the day, you can't see crap on your keyboard cuz they never bothered to add white letters for daytime use so i have to frequently use the LED backlighting during the day lol.

This may be my next keyboard perhaps until then if prices will go lower, the Tron legacy set up by razer looks sick but kinda overkill. Still nice.


----------



## thisispatrick

Quote:


Originally Posted by *[email protected]* 
I liked this better than my RaZer Lycos Mirror keyboard because if you turn them led lights off during the day, you can't see crap on your keyboard cuz they never bothered to add white letters for daytime use so i have to frequently use the LED backlighting during the day lol.

This may be my next keyboard perhaps until then if prices will go lower, the Tron legacy set up by razer looks sick but kinda overkill. Still nice.

You can pick up the regular version for $80 which does not have back lighting but the text should still be readable.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *r31ncarnat3d* 
I feel it's more of an issue for RTS and RPG players than FPS. With shooters, I've found that my mouse makes much more of a difference than my keyboard. Thumb button reload = win.

However, I'm a bio major college student with a research internship, so I type _a lot_, hence why I've found my Das Model S to be superior to my old G15.

Although looking at the BW, I have to admit I am a bit tempted. Still, I am perfectly happy with my Das so I doubt a switch will happen.

RTS is the easiest - you don't have any combos of more than 2 keys.

The problem is _mostly_ for non-standard games (like emulators), or people who don't use WASD. For example, I tried ESDF recently and I think I'll be sticking to it - it's easier to find in the dark because of the nub on the F key, and you get a few extra buttons for the pinky.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BreakDown* 
i have some questions.

is the board like the razer lycosa where the glossy finish is a fingerprint and dirt magnet?

is there any way i can assign to extra characters to the board? (i would like to have a spanish layout with "Ã±" and "Ã§")

Yes it's a fingerprint magnet.

And yes you can assign all the characters you want, it's fully programmable.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Skylit* 
Thanks, Manyak.


----------



## Tatakai All

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
YW









Mind if I ask why? Just curious if there's any reason besides NKRO.









Mainly the gloss finish, my Asus netbook is enough of a pain to keep clean, dust and fingerprint free. Also the uncertainty of the key caps longevity is something that is assuredly minute and minor, but just something I'd rather steer clear of, since this is going to be my first mech board that will not be replaced until it stops kicking. Or rather clicking. Finally is the placement of the USB ports, headphone and mic jacks. It just doesn't make much sense to me.

All in all, you gave a solid review of a solid board that just falls short in certain areas. When it comes down to it, it's all about preference and I just prefer the UB9L over the BWU.


----------



## _AKIMbO_

Great review Manyak. Thanks!


----------



## RayvinAzn

I've just got to add regarding the Deck that just like you said about the Razer, the font on the Deck doesn't look nearly as goofy in person with the possible exception of the "K", which has a little tail that does admittedly look rather goofy.


----------



## Manyak

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Tatakai All</strong> <a href="showthread.php?s=d0fcea543db45214df9417cadf870bcb&p=11563731#post11563731"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="http://static.overclock.net//img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Mainly the gloss finish, my Asus netbook is enough of a pain to keep clean, dust and fingerprint free. Also the uncertainty of the key caps longevity is something that is assuredly minute and minor, but just something I'd rather steer clear of, since this is going to be my first mech board that will not be replaced until it stops kicking. Or rather clicking. Finally is the placement of the USB ports, headphone and mic jacks. It just doesn't make much sense to me.<br><br>
All in all, you gave a solid review of a solid board that just falls short in certain areas. When it comes down to it, it's all about preference and I just prefer the UB9L over the BWU.</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
<br>
Ok cool <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"><br><br>
By the way, the keycaps on the Xarmor are just as questionable, as they're also coated. Sure there's a dyesub legend <i>underneath</i> the coating, but it's still not going to look very good when some are rubbed off some aren't. Just FYI. The TG3 and Deck boards are the only ones with indestructable keycaps.<br><br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>RayvinAzn</strong> <a href="showthread.php?s=d0fcea543db45214df9417cadf870bcb&p=11564212#post11564212"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="http://static.overclock.net//img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I've just got to add regarding the Deck that just like you said about the Razer, the font on the Deck doesn't look nearly as goofy in person with the possible exception of the "K", which has a little tail that does admittedly look rather goofy.</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
I agree. But it STILL looks like scribbling, lol <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile">


----------



## supra_rz

still in love with my lycosa <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Big Grin"> when it dies this will be next


----------



## Phaedrus2129

XArmor claims their earliest engineering samples from six months ago don't show wear yet. We'll just have to see how long it takes.


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Phaedrus2129* 
XArmor claims their earliest engineering samples from six months ago don't show wear yet. We'll just have to see how long it takes.

I say a year and they'll really show wear.

Though I haven't found a board yet that can last 6 months with me besides the Deck (when it comes to caps)


----------



## mdbsat

Manyak thanks for this review. I canceled my order a while ago. I just may give this board a shot.

*EDIT* I just went to buy it now and the Ultimate is still on backorder. Oh well. Amazon will send me an email when it comes available.


----------



## RAFFY

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
It means that it's _possible_ to be blocked after only two keys. Like, I can press Z and X, but then if I try to press C it gets blocked. Z+X+V will go through, but not Z+X+C. And therefore it's called 2-key rollover.


Quote:


Originally Posted by *Crazy9000* 
Key rollover refers to how many you can press at once, with N key being every single one.

I would be interested in seeing some sort of list of known failing combos on the BW boards.

Tha ms for the clarification guys. Really dissapointing for razor to come out with a "gaming" keyboard that only potentially can only handle two key strokes. That ruins it for me.


----------



## Geemaa

So...is there any other mechanical keyboard that would be a better purchase? I don't really push that many key strokes at the same time, I mostly play FPS so it isn't like i need to macro manage much.

Or is this one suitable for FPS/MMO gaming? It looks real sharp.


----------



## Domino

Didn't read the whole review, nor can see anyone posted it in here yet. But what is the difference between the ultimate and non ultimate? Are they both mechanical?

nvm, the audio and usb add-ons.


----------



## mdbsat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Domino* 
Didn't read the whole review, nor can see anyone posted it in here yet. But what is the difference between the ultimate and non ultimate? Are they both mechanical?

Backlighting.


----------



## ascaii

Has anyone thought about a hardmod to make it NKRO? Would it be possible to "fix" it? If all it is, that makes or breaks a keyboard is a few diodes...i wouldn't mind soldering if i had a plan^^.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RAFFY* 
Tha ms for the clarification guys. Really dissapointing for razor to come out with a "gaming" keyboard that only potentially can only handle two key strokes. That ruins it for me.

If you think that's disappointing, you should try the G11, G15, G19, Lycosa, Arctosa, Tarantula, Eclipse, or any of the other rubber dome "gaming" boards. They're all the same way.

Except the Sidewinder X4 - but that one has ghosting problems instead of blocking problems.


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RAFFY* 
Tha ms for the clarification guys. Really dissapointing for razor to come out with a "gaming" keyboard that only potentially can only handle two key strokes. That ruins it for me.

Remember that this is sadly the norm though. Unless you purchased a keyboard specifically with getting NKRO in mind, chances are it locks up after some 2 or 3 key combos.


----------



## Domino

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mdbsat* 
Backlighting.

oh, that too.

thanks!


----------



## Skylit

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Domino* 
Didn't read the whole review, nor can see anyone posted it in here yet. But what is the difference between the ultimate and non ultimate? Are they both mechanical?

Ultimate- Back lit keys, usb and audio ports.
Non Ultimate- Regular printed keys, no USB and audio ports.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Domino* 
Didn't read the whole review, nor can see anyone posted it in here yet. But what is the difference between the ultimate and non ultimate? Are they both mechanical?

Backlighting and the pass-through USB and audio ports.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ascaii* 
Has anyone thought about a hardmod to make it NKRO? Would it be possible to "fix" it? If all it is, that makes or breaks a keyboard is a few diodes...i wouldn't mind soldering if i had a plan^^.

It _would_ be possible, but in addition to diodes you'd also have to rewrite it's firmware.


----------



## ripster

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Crazy9000* 
Remember that this is sadly the norm though. Unless you purchased a keyboard specifically with getting NKRO in mind, chances are it locks up after some 2 or 3 key combos.

Not sadly the norm once you start paying $130 and above.

Except some Logitechs I guess.

This is what Jason at Razer posted here and at Geekhack. Never did understand the reasoning on a $130 keyboard. On the non-backlit $80 it makes SOME sense but you can still get a Rosewill RK-9000 for that. The whole PS/2 versus USB thing I considered FUD since 6KRO (+4 modifiers) would have been fine for 99.99% of people.

Quote:

4. Does the Razer BlackWidow have NKRO? We were the first in the world to push the limits of anti-ghosting when we released the Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard some 4 years ago, so we know how important this feature is for many gamers. However, we also balance this against the other features that gamers require. . Razer BlackWidow's up to 6-key rollover gaming optimized key matrix serves a similar purpose for gamers who need anti-ghosting while using an ordinary USB port (as opposed to a PS/2 port). In addition, by using a USB connection the Razer BlackWidow is able to provide gamers advanced customization and performance features that are not available using a PS/2 connection, using Razer's configuration software.


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ripster* 
Not sadly the norm once you start paying $130 and above.

Except some Logitechs I guess.

Yeah Razer has no excuse for it. Just trying to make sure people realize most of these big gaming names make keyboards that aren't ideal for gaming, lol.

That's why I have some respect for steelseries; they use switches that should be best suited to game on for most people, and have boards with nkro.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ripster* 
Not sadly the norm once you start paying $130 and above.

Except some Logitechs I guess.

This is what Jason at Razer posted here and at Geekhack. Never did understand the reasoning on a $130 keyboard. On the non-backlit $80 it makes SOME sense but you can still get a Rosewill RK-9000 for that. The whole PS/2 versus USB thing I considered FUD since 6KRO (+4 modifiers) would have been fine for 99.99% of people.

Except PS/2 keyboards can be used to turn on your PC instead of having to fumble for the stupid button all the way under the desk.

And PS/2 is x86 native, USB is a hack!


----------



## Crazy9000

Oh you two <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Stick Out Tongue">.<br><br>
Is that Razer guy serious with that quote? I'm pretty sure people had NKRO before 4 years ago <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/lachen.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Lachen">.


----------



## hardcore19

Great Review!<br><br>
Looks like I'm going with that Xarmor <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"><br><br>
Asuming i can find one in canada for sub 200$! Maybe they'll get black switches soon...<br>
How Does a Deck Legend compare to a XArmor ?


----------



## Crazy9000

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>hardcore19</strong> <a href="showthread.php?s=74c93f6f203cd8fae0e35cc41dcc73e0&p=11568162#post11568162"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="http://static.overclock.net//img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Great Review!<br><br>
Looks like I'm going with that Xarmor <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"><br><br>
Asuming i can find one in canada for sub 200$! Maybe they'll get black switches soon...<br>
How Does a Deck Legend compare to a XArmor ?</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Well basically I would recomend deciding what switch you want. IMO the tactile switch the Decks use is a much better choice for a gaming keyboard then the blues, if you don't want linear switches.


----------



## ripster

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Crazy9000</strong> <a href="showthread.php?s=74c93f6f203cd8fae0e35cc41dcc73e0&p=11568069#post11568069"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="http://static.overclock.net//img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Oh you two <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Stick Out Tongue">.<br><br>
Is that Razer guy serious with that quote? I'm pretty sure people had NKRO before 4 years ago <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/lachen.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Lachen">.</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
I think he was serious.<br><br>
We could HOPE he is a Product Manager with balls that realized his mistake, shut down the production line, had the PCB laid out and diodes inserted, and the delay for the Illuminated Black Widow would have been all worth it.<br><br>
NAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.


----------



## ripster

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Manyak</strong> <a href="showthread.php?s=74c93f6f203cd8fae0e35cc41dcc73e0&p=11568022#post11568022"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="http://static.overclock.net//img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Except PS/2 keyboards can be used to turn on your PC instead of having to fumble for the stupid button all the way under the desk.<br><br>
And PS/2 is x86 native, USB is a hack!</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Manyak is going off topic. x86 native was good though. ;-)


----------



## runeazn

hmm will i be accepted if i ask review sample, i think not XD


----------



## ascaii

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
It _would_ be possible, but in addition to diodes you'd also have to rewrite it's firmware.

So basically all i need to do is post a challenge to the talents of geekhack, and hopefully we'll have an unofficial firmware upgrade to make it NKRO with the diode modification?









Sounds like a plan.


----------



## paradoxum

I would be allover this were it not glossy.. having owned a Tarantula for a few years now, I don't even bother trying to keep it clean anymore, it's just a mess.


----------



## hardcore19

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Crazy9000* 
Well basically I would recomend deciding what switch you want. IMO the tactile switch the Decks use is a much better choice for a gaming keyboard then the blues, if you don't want linear switches.

I was thinking that I did want Linear Switches but possibly Black instead of blues. I don't really see the advantages for me to get Tactile over linear considering I'm a "Hardcore gamer".

Sidenote: How do Browns/Clears do for gaming?


----------



## r31ncarnat3d

Quote:



Originally Posted by *hardcore19*


I was thinking that I did want Linear Switches but possibly Black instead of blues. I don't really see the advantages for me to get Tactile over linear considering I'm a "Hardcore gamer".

Sidenote: How do Browns/Clears do for gaming?










I'm just a casual gamer, logging in ~5 hours/week, but I find that the Browns are a pretty great switch for gaming. I've no issues with it so far.


----------



## fssbzz

i used both blue and brown.
i like brown a lot a lot a lot more on gaming compare to blue.


----------



## kckyle

sick desktop background. mind sharing that with me?


----------



## redhat_ownage

im getting the blackwidow expert, i dont need fancy lights or the stupid usb/audio ports, all i need is a keyboard that does not jam when i hit the button a lil sidways.


----------



## The Mad Mule

Quote:



Originally Posted by *redhat_ownage*


im getting the blackwidow expert, i dont need fancy lights or the stupid usb/audio ports, all i need is a keyboard that does not jam when i hit the button a lil sidways.


Oh God, my Saitek Eclipse II used to do that w/ the Ctrl key. Messed me up more than a few times in CS:S. Now it just sits on the garage to think about what it's done while I use the ABS M1.


----------



## Crazy9000

I really need to take a picture of whats happened to my eclipse, lol.

I would say the eclipse is hands down the worst keyboard I've ever owned. The worst one I've ever used is a low profile HP keyboard though.


----------



## bojinglebells

between this review and this deal ($10 off for $69.99 + free shipping), I'm in for the regular BlackWidow to try me some Cherry Blues

I seriously doubt I'll prefer them over my 6Gv2's Cherry Blacks (which have me seriously contemplating spending ~$180 for a G80-3494's Cherry Reds) for gaming, but we shall see







.


----------



## Sizuke

Had this on pre-order but in the end i voted against it and cancelled it mainly because razer kept postponing the release date and there was a couple of aspects that i didnt notice when i order it that put me off. 
End up getting a 7G and im extremely happy with it and his simplicity.

Extremely good review, good job


----------



## _AKIMbO_

Surprise, surprise...Razer has sold out online of the Black Widow Ultimate and I have been placed on back order even after pre-ordereding on Oct. 5th and being promised that my KB would ship out on Dec. 7th.

If anyone has/can find the email address for the Razer president or similarly positioned Razer employee will you please give it to me as I want to write them an incredibly nasty email about their botched release of this product.


----------



## redhat_ownage

Quote:



Originally Posted by *bojinglebells*


between this review and this deal ($10 off for $69.99 + free shipping)


this make it so worth it


----------



## tersagun

I've just received my UK layout "normal" version one. Seems awesome so far though I cannot really compare to any other mechanical keyboard. The last mechboard I've used was my father's ancient one, which I haven't seen for more then 15 years.

The only thing I noticed is my U key is very slightly high compared to other keys. I don't think that was intended for ergonomical thought.

And the Numpad/Arrow hubs are a little bit too near to each other. There is just a tiny space between Enter-Delete and PageUp/NumLock for instance.


----------



## Phaedrus2129

I wonder how much product Razer has actually shipped, compared to the amount of money they've taken in. Sounds like that TrulyErgonomic con, only greater.


----------



## ripster

More than Xarmor.

I'm sure of that.


----------



## Munkypoo7

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Phaedrus2129* 
I wonder how much product Razer has actually shipped, compared to the amount of money they've taken in. Sounds like that TrulyErgonomic con, only greater.

Actually if you paid via credit card, they only charge you after they package it and prepare to ship it. However, with Debit cards and Paypal accounts it seems they took the money and are holding it outright, sucking every penny of interest possible... The wait was totally unwarranted, *but* I'm extremely happy that they're finally shipping them out to customers. Can't wait until Tuesday.. going to be the best day ever!









Great review Manyak, love that you took it apart and went in depth, your review just reinforced my purchase ^^


----------



## bojinglebells

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Phaedrus2129* 
I wonder how much product Razer has actually shipped, compared to the amount of money they've taken in. Sounds like that TrulyErgonomic con, only greater.

hopefully enough to start a mechanical switch gold rush amongst the other manufacturers


----------



## Lanx

Sorry if it was posted i got through page 7 and still didn't see.
Isn't the G15 (and other logitech G) keyboard have "on the fly" macro recording?
you press MR, 
you press a G-key
you do whatever you want
you press MR again

isn't that on the fly, true you have to install logitech drivers for that to even work, but you do not have to touch any sort of "software" control panel or gui or anything to get a quick and easy macro setup.

I actually can't test this out readily, my g15 is totally disassembled and waiting to be put into my next mod but i'm sure others with a g15 can confirm.


----------



## kidwolf909

Thanks to these reviews and a little help from Newegg's black friday mishap with the MSI 470, I have ordered a non-Ultimate for $50 shipped.

I really would like to have a backlit mechanical keyboard since I have grown accustomed to my Logitech Illuminated, but since this will be my first dive into mech. keyboards, I'll get my feet wet with a cheapy. The way I see it, I'll be getting a slightly better version of the Rosewill RK9000 (sans NKRO) for far less than I could have ever gotten the Rosewill.

I figure if I grow fond of the MX Blues, I can always sell the BW and upgrade to a BWU/XArmor/etc. and if I don't like the MX Blues, I can still sell it and try some Browns.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Lanx* 
Sorry if it was posted i got through page 7 and still didn't see.
Isn't the G15 (and other logitech G) keyboard have "on the fly" macro recording?
you press MR,
you press a G-key
you do whatever you want
you press MR again

isn't that on the fly, true you have to install logitech drivers for that to even work, but you do not have to touch any sort of "software" control panel or gui or anything to get a quick and easy macro setup.

I actually can't test this out readily, my g15 is totally disassembled and waiting to be put into my next mod but i'm sure others with a g15 can confirm.

Well I guess it is - I completely forgot about that because I consider the G15 a toy, not a keyboard







. I guess I should modify that part of the review a bit.


----------



## Lanx

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
Well I guess it is. But yeah, here it's entirely done in the keyboard, completely independent of the computer. I guess I should modify that part of the review a bit.

You don't have to install a razer driver at all? that's amazing razer is notorious for needing/having drivers in every and anything. This is coming from a guy who has bought almost every razer mouse.


----------



## ripster

The wonders of Flash Memory.

Northgates and plenty of other old keyboards can do this. It's just the Japanese prefer DIP switches on their $275 keyboards.


----------



## Lanx

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
Well I guess it is - I completely forgot about that because I consider the G15 a toy, not a keyboard







. I guess I should modify that part of the review a bit.

G15 can't be taken as a toy, just because it does not use mech switches, should not invalidate the fact that it is the standard to which many other companies have tried to "mold" their "gaming" peripheral line of products.

Look at the placement of the macro keys from the BW to the g15, identical, actually it was only identical to the g15v2 red, all other g15's offer more macro keys, and like i posted b4, it should be one of the few keyboards and the only gaming keyboard that offered on the fly macro recording, years before razer even made a single keyboard.
The fact that there is a permanent sticky thread right here about the G15's LCD just states how many people do not view this keyboard as a toy.
Without the G15 there wouldn't even be BW, razer would never admit it, but they can't even bundle a LCD in there, just more "bling" lights.
"bling" lights are so 2001.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Lanx* 
G15 can't be taken as a toy, just because it does not use mech switches, should not invalidate the fact that it is the standard to which many other companies have tried to "mold" their "gaming" peripheral line of products.

Look at the placement of the macro keys from the BW to the g15, identical, actually it was only identical to the g15v2 red, all other g15's offer more macro keys, and like i posted b4, it should be one of the few keyboards and the only gaming keyboard that offered on the fly macro recording, years before razer even made a single keyboard.
The fact that there is a permanent sticky thread right here about the G15's LCD just states how many people do not view this keyboard as a toy.
Without the G15 there wouldn't even be BW, razer would never admit it, but they can't even bundle a LCD in there, just more "bling" lights.
"bling" lights are so 2001.

I don't care how many other people don't see it as a toy, *I do*.

1 - They use some of the the WORST quality rubber domes ever, that feel like mud and wear out faster than any other keyboard I've ever put my fingers on.

2 - The casing is so light and the feet are so smooth that it slides around everywhere while typing, and when my girlfriend owned one she actually needed to duct tape it to the desk (and I'm not even kidding).

3 - The keycaps are so thin that when I tried to remove them to clean it out they BROKE. Never, in over 20 years of typing on computer keyboards and taking them apart to clean them, have I seen a keycap break. Other than here.

4 - The keyboard creaks no matter where you touch it

5 - The LCD is so frickin stupid - for the same price as a G19 you can buy a regular $10 keyboard (most of which feel better to type on anyway) and a second monitor that can do everything the keyboard's LCD can, and more.

6 - When a keyboard costs no more than $10 to manufacture, you've got to be out of your mind to pay almost $200 for it.


----------



## thiru

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
5 - The LCD is so frickin stupid - for the same price as a G19 you can buy a regular $10 keyboard (most of which feel better to type on anyway) and a second monitor that can do everything the keyboard's LCD can, and more

.... this is like a revelation... the ultimate argument.


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
I don't care how many other people don't see it as a toy, *I do*.

6 - When a keyboard costs no more than $10 to manufacture, you've got to be out of your mind to pay almost $200 for it.

Heck, you can buy a $20 rubber dome with better build quality, AND a 17" LCD monitor, for the same price







.


----------



## howiec

This is a great example of how a keyboard (or products in general) should be reviewed. Keep up the good work!
You seem to do better than most professional hardware review websites out there.









I have come to generally dislike the incompetence of _some other reviewers and sites out there which don't really offer much_ *unbiased, technical, functional, and performance type metrics or info* to truly aid the customer in choosing the product that fits them most.

Then again, I guess not everyone else out there is an engineer.

Thanks,
Howard


----------



## howiec

I know that this was primarily a HW review but is there any chance you can comment on the Razer SW to see if it's any different from say the Lycosa or if it has actually improved at all.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *howiec* 
This is a great example of how a keyboard (or products in general) should be reviewed. Keep up the good work!
You seem to do better than most professional hardware review websites out there.









I have come to generally dislike the incompetence of _some other reviewers and sites out there which don't really offer much_ *unbiased, technical, functional, and performance type metrics or info* to truly aid the customer in choosing the product that fits them most.

Then again, I guess not everyone else out there is an engineer.

Thanks,
Howard

Thanks









Quote:


Originally Posted by *howiec* 
I know that this was primarily a HW review but is there any chance you can comment on the Razer SW to see if it's any different from say the Lycosa or if it has actually improved at all.

The only other driver I used from Razer is the Lachesis one, which was HORRIBLE. The one for the BW seems to be pretty lightweight in comparison. The only thing it has is options for macros - one "tab" where you record a macro, and another tab where you have a picture of the keyboard and can select each key and say which macro you want to bind to it.


----------



## Geemaa

So..bottom line, would you recommend this keyboard?


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Geemaa* 
So..bottom line, would you recommend this keyboard?

Speaking strictly from a _quality_ perspective, absolutely.

That being said, I have a very hard time recommending that anyone pay $130 for a keyboard that doesn't have NKRO, period. I know that if I paid $130 for this, took it home, and found that the keys I wanted to use were getting blocked, I'd be real pissed. I think the regular BlackWidow (non-ultimate) is a GREAT value at $80, and I wouldn't hesitate one bit to recommend that one. But at ~$130 I think that you'd have to REALLY want the backlighting, REALLY like the way it looks, and REALLY benefit from on-the-fly macros.


----------



## DoomDash

Just placed my order. Should be here before X-mas I hope.


----------



## qcktthfm1

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Manyak* 
Speaking strictly from a _quality_ perspective, absolutely.

That being said, I have a very hard time recommending that anyone pay $130 for a keyboard that doesn't have NKRO, period. I know that if I paid $130 for this, took it home, and found that the keys I wanted to use were getting blocked, I'd be real pissed. I think the regular BlackWidow (non-ultimate) is a GREAT value at $80, and I wouldn't hesitate one bit to recommend that one. But at ~$130 I think that you'd have to REALLY want the backlighting, REALLY like the way it looks, and REALLY benefit from on-the-fly macros.

Thank you very much for the review. You really read my mind, paying $130 for a beautiful keyboard get blocked during the game is really sad


----------



## Azarah

Does it support something like :

alt+shift+w+a+3(not num pad)
alt+shift+1
alt+shift+1+2
alt+1+2
shift+F1+F2
shift+2+F3
arrow up + arrow left + space + shift + 2
space+1+2

And things like that ?
I may be an intensive MMORPG player so those kind of combos matters to me. If not then XAmor 9UBL should be it








Other than that, you guys know where I can get either Razer BW ultimate or XArmor 9UBL that is not hard on Canadian shipping ?








And how is the sound of either of them compared to a cheap 10 buck board ?


----------



## qcktthfm1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Azarah*


Does it support something like :

alt+shift+w+a+3(not num pad) 
alt+shift+1
alt+shift+1+2
alt+1+2
shift+F1+F2
shift+2+F3
arrow up + arrow left + space + shift + 2
space+1+2

And things like that ?
I may be an intensive MMORPG player so those kind of combos matters to me. If not then XAmor 9UBL should be it








Other than that, you guys know where I can get either Razer BW ultimate or XArmor 9UBL that is not hard on Canadian shipping ?








And how is the sound of either of them compared to a cheap 10 buck board ?


Razer BW ultimate could be available in our yellow or red electronic stores, cos they both have Razer products now.
But I wanna know where to buy XArmor 9UBL in Canada too


----------



## Seabass7857

I got the Razer Blackwidow (non-ultimate edition) yesterday as an early Christmas present from my girlfriend, and this being my first mechanical keyboard, all i can say is... wow is that ever different.

I absolutely love the tactile feedback i get from the keys, definitely does make a difference when typing, although the noise is something that my girlfriend and I are going to have to get used to. I have to say though, feeling like a hacker in those old tech movies does have its advantages lmao. Being mostly a gamer, it's going to take some time to get used to the actuation force of the keys themselves as well as the "depression distance" (can't remember the technical term) of the keys themselves.

All things considered, I definitely need to get used to this keyboard, but it feels like a step in the right direction after having migrated from my G15.


----------



## ripster

Congrats on the Black Widow. Blue Cherry remains my favorite switch.

It's called Hysteresis. I should do a wiki on that someday.


----------



## Shub

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qcktthfm1;11641173*
> But I wanna know where to buy XArmor 9UBL in Canada too


http://www.hltechnology.com/one_prod.php?pid=139955
First result when I googled "xarmor canada" -- I don't know if the site is legit but there you go.
The "Where to Buy" section of www.xarmor-usa.com also claims http://www.daiwa.net/ is their Canadian reseller but the U9BL is nowhere to be found on their website.


----------



## MiRai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Manyak;11549367*
> If you have specific combos you want checked I can test them for you.


Most people use QWEASD for movement in MMO's, but I was actually thinking
of trying to train myself for WERSDF and was curious if combinations of
WERSDF combined with Shift/Ctrl/Alt _and_ the number keys [not NumPad]
are conflicting on this keyboard. I'm really just wondering if my new
movement/strafing keys will conflict while I'm trying to press Shift+1,2,3 etc.

I don't have a specific list as it would be quite long, I am just asking if you could
pick a handful of those combinations out and test; maybe a few extra with R/F
since those are outside of the normal WASD cluster area.

Thanks!


----------



## Manyak

I tried all ESDF combinations I could think of with 5 fingers, including the number keys, and they all went through.


----------



## MiRai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Manyak;11653775*
> I tried all ESDF combinations I could think of with 5 fingers, including the number keys, and they all went through.


Perfect, thank you.


----------



## vdek

Switching from my g15 to this, I hope it's worth it!

Nice review, I really like the way this looks.


----------



## thisispatrick

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *vdek;11677158*
> Switching from my g15 to this, I hope it's worth it!
> 
> Nice review, I really like the way this looks.


Good job! If you wanted to try out the keyboard you could of just asked me since we're both in Flushing


----------



## vdek

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *thisispatrick;11680500*
> Good job! If you wanted to try out the keyboard you could of just asked me since we're both in Flushing


:O I ordered it before I realized you had one. Do you like it?


----------



## thisispatrick

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *vdek;11680868*
> :O I ordered it before I realized you had one. Do you like it?


I posted another review on it







I like it quite a lot. I forced myself to use macro keys so lately I've been enjoying using it more and more.


----------



## nathris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Manyak;11653775*
> I tried all ESDF combinations I could think of with 5 fingers, including the number keys, and they all went through.


W+E+R+S+D+F works too

wsefrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrdfrd


----------



## vdek

So angry, There was a special on Amazon for $108 for the Black Widow Ultimate and I snapped it up as soon as I could. 2 days later:
Quote:


> Dear xxxxxxxx,
> 
> We regret to inform you that your order for Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Full Retail US Layout had to be refunded.
> 
> While processing your order, our warehouse noticed that the package was damaged and is not in a shippable condition. Unfortunately, the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Full Retail US Layout is currently not available and we do not have a confirmed ETA for the next shipment. Therefore, we are unable to ship a replacement item.


Ordered from newegg this time...


----------



## sgilmore62

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Khaotik55;11549405*
> Woah bruh. I'm no Razer fanboy, I'm just looking for a Cherry MX Blue keyboard with backlighting. So far, there's only two. XArmor, and This.
> 
> I chose this just due to simple features. Not because it looks fancy and has "Razer" on it.
> 
> Besides, if the coating starts to wear off Razer is usually good with that kind of thing and will just give you a replacement... At least my friend got a replacement for his worn mouse pad. :S


The coating is worn from the delete key on my Lycosa -- just got an email response from Razer stating that they do not sell replacement keys and rubbed paint is not covered under warranty.


----------



## ripster

Hmmm. Can't replace the keys and yet keys aren't under warranty. Not exactly Occam's Razer here.


----------



## ripster

Wrong thread. :embarrassed:


----------



## Lanx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;11707038*
> Hmmm. Can't replace the keys and yet keys aren't under warranty. Not exactly Occam's Razer here.


I don't see you making these wordplay pun's at GH, just a lot of lego's in precarious positions =/


----------



## ripster

You missed the one I did with a Polish member?

What Nationality is Santa Clause?

North Polish!


----------



## DoomDash

Well I got mine in and the build quality is impressive to say the least. The thing is heavy!

My only problem now is the fact that I cannot for the life of me get the keys down in Starcraft II ( shortcuts ). I've already adjusted to typing for the most part, but I'm always one key off to the left when playing games. It's really frustrating because when you play serious games of SCII you cannot afford to be clicking the wrong buttons.

Any tips on how to adjust?

Also currently the media keys do not support winamp ... I hear drivers are coming though.


----------



## Lanx

do you mean your "missing" keys, it must be your muscle memory, razer "moved" some keys closer or something, so that might be why your muscle memory is failing you. Lol on razer not supporting mp3 playing software that's been around since 99. Please don't tell me itunes is support, that garbage software needs to die.


----------



## ripster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lanx;11723488*
> do you mean your "missing" keys, it must be your muscle memory, razer "moved" some keys closer or something, so that might be why your muscle memory is failing you. Lol on razer not supporting mp3 playing software that's been around since 99. Please don't tell me itunes is support, that garbage software needs to die.


Your post is missing this key.


----------



## Lanx

how else was I able to type out "quote"?
my pinkies are too weak =/
forum posts get the bare amount of pinky usage from me, work on the other hand gets full and proper everything, and spell check!
oh i noticed you were missing out on ;;;;


----------



## Jeffro422

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DoomDash;11722873*
> Well I got mine in and the build quality is impressive to say the least. The thing is heavy!
> 
> My only problem now is the fact that I cannot for the life of me get the keys down in Starcraft II ( shortcuts ). I've already adjusted to typing for the most part, but I'm always one key off to the left when playing games. It's really frustrating because when you play serious games of SCII you cannot afford to be clicking the wrong buttons.
> 
> Any tips on how to adjust?
> 
> Also currently the media keys do not support winamp ... I hear drivers are coming though.


In order to adjust to the same problem you're having I've tried to get the feeling of my pinky being rested between the macro and ctrl/shift keys down so I know my fingers are positioned right. My first few games I was hitting the M5 key over and over and was like ***?!?! RAGEE

I'm having the same problem and have probably played about 20 games with
my blackwidow. It was horrible at first getting used to the macro keys but it's gotten a lot better. Just keep playing with it and you'll get it.


----------



## DoomDash

It's just so frustrating lol.


----------



## Jeffro422

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DoomDash*


It's just so frustrating lol.


I knew this would be a problem before I purchased because I've used a G15 and G11 both of which have macro keys on the left side and I was constantly pressing them instead of the control key.

Now for SC2 you only really NEED to click Ctrl when control grouping. When I was usually making a mistake is was when I was Ctrl + clicking which selects all the units of the selected type but I've since resorted to double clicking a unit to select all units of that type in order to lessen my mistakes.

Again it's all muscle memory, if for 18 years there was never anything to the left of the ctrl key and now there is, it's going to take some getting used to.


----------



## Lanx

macro the G1-5 key you constantly press "thinking" it's ctrl to, ctrl.


----------



## G. Callen

To be honest I am very impressed with Razer this time around. My friends and I usually had trouble with Razer products in the past but it seems Razer really pulled off something special this time around. I would seriously considered buying the Blackwidow Ultimate if it had NKRO and PS/2 support. I would've also bought a Mamba to go with it if it had NKRO and PS/2 support









It's a shame that I really need those features otherwise this is a top notch product and would've bought it, which is very surprising to me considering all the Razer trouble I've had in the past. Oh well maybe Razer's next product will. But for the moment my Steelseries 7G will do me just fine


----------



## RMP91

Hey Manyak. Great review on this superb keyboard!

I bought this keyboard myself a week ago thanks to your review! (I was originally going to go for a Saitek Cyborg because of it's ability to display different colors to different areas of the keyboard)

You mention in your review that you were skeptical of the Black Widow's key coating. Does this still hold true after a month of use? Are any of the keys starting to wear down or "shine"? If so, is there a way to find a cover for the keys so they don't get worn down?


----------



## Manyak

Quote:



Originally Posted by *RMP91*


Hey Manyak. Great review on this superb keyboard!

I bought this keyboard myself a week ago thanks to your review! (I was originally going to go for a Saitek Cyborg because of it's ability to display different colors to different areas of the keyboard)

You mention in your review that you were skeptical of the Black Widow's key coating. Does this still hold true after a month of use? Are any of the keys starting to wear down or "shine"? If so, is there a way to find a cover for the keys so they don't get worn down?


I don't know because I stopped using it after writing the review









And there are no covers that I know of.


----------



## DoomDash

I still cannot believe the weight of this thing, so heavy







.


----------



## DoomDash

update. I am finally used to the keyboard kind of.

I took a small piece of paper and folded it in half over the macro keys on the left side of the keyboard. For an FPS game where your fingers never need to leave the adsw area it wouldn't be an issue, but for SCII you are constantly moving your hands all over the keyboard so it really screws you up.

So for SCII since you aren't allowed to use macro keys anyway this is what I'll do.


----------



## BlankThis

Great review Manyak







Definitely going to look into one of these for my next keyboard.


----------



## icecube_pmb

I just got my blackwidow ultimate yesterday and today it would not turn on, no lights, and keys don't work. tried it on another computer and still nothing.

anyone experienced this?


----------



## hoth17

I have never figured out what your name was, or how to pronounce it, manyak. Although, I think I've got it. Is it "maniac"?


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:



Originally Posted by *hoth17*


I have never figured out what your name was, or how to pronounce it, manyak. Although, I think I've got it. Is it "maniac"?


It's Man + Yak (like the animal.)


----------



## james_ant

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *icecube_pmb;11802186*
> I just got my blackwidow ultimate yesterday and today it would not turn on, no lights, and keys don't work. tried it on another computer and still nothing.
> 
> anyone experienced this?


Oh rly, zero rep and only one post. I don't think anyone else has experienced this "problem."


----------



## Lanx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *icecube_pmb;11802186*
> I just got my blackwidow ultimate yesterday and today it would not turn on, no lights, and keys don't work. tried it on another computer and still nothing.
> 
> anyone experienced this?


try plugging the BW to the back of your computer rather than the front or a hub, if that still doesn't work then rma.


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *james_ant;11804745*
> Oh rly, zero rep and only one post. I don't think anyone else has experienced this "problem."


Bad boards do happen, I wouldn't go insulting a member like that.

Most likely the cable has a split in it, or it has a bad solder joint that broke which is causing no signal to be transmitted from the computer to the board to give it power.


----------



## hoth17

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tator Tot;11802406*
> It's Man + Yak (like the animal.)


hahaha, thanks, I have been wondering about that for over a year.


----------



## vdek

I finally got my blackwidow the other day after being in limbo with UPS for almost a week, amazing keyboard. Since I'm coming from a G15v2 I've had no problems adjusting to the positioning of the keys. I really love the key feel on this, my first computer was an IBM PC which came with a mechanical keyboard, I used that keyboard for years and learned to type on it. It's nice coming back to a mechanical!


----------



## ripster

If Man Yak is a herder in Mongolia is Tater Tot a dead potato in Germany? (this joke requires bischen Deutsch sprechen)


----------



## Tator Tot

It would have been more appropriate to say:
(This joke requires a kleines Wissen des Deutschen)

The way you phrased it was as painful as the Engrish on some packaging.


----------



## ripster

Meine Deutsch nicht so gut.


----------



## Wr3ckin_Cr3w

Very nice review! I plan on getting one of these soon. Thanks for the in-depth breakdown.


----------



## Fany

I would love to own a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate, but are there any other cherry blue mechanical keyboards with media keys/volume scroll?

I own a G110 and the media keys and volume scroll are very helpful with music.


----------



## thiru

I just use Autohotkey and setup my own shortcuts using normal keys.


----------



## thisispatrick

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fany;11833705*
> I would love to own a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate, but are there any other cherry blue mechanical keyboards with media keys/volume scroll?
> 
> I own a G110 and the media keys and volume scroll are very helpful with music.


XArmor U9BL


----------



## Fany

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know if there are any others?


----------



## Eagle1337

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fany;11834915*
> Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know if there are any others?


pfft while handy i don't use the buttons, autohotkey will solve that issue.
I just tossed my g110 for my age old saitek eclipse.


----------



## Fany

I just snagged one off Amazon for $107 with one day shipping! Should come here by Wednesday







I'm pretty excited.

There's only 1-2 left in stock!


----------



## Kaldari

Keyboard reviews don't get more thorough or well written than this. Excellent.

These are the changes I want:

Cherry MX Browns
No glossy anything
NKRO
White LEDs instead of blue
That, and if they put the inputs on the left side would make it perfect.


----------



## Sheira

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kaldari;11883168*
> 
> Cherry MX Browns
> No glossy anything
> NKRO
> White LEDs instead of blue


This.

I still consider I will give it a try.. Currently owning Steelseries 6gv2, but i didnt quite get use to it yet.


----------



## Fany

I just received my keyboard today and I really enjoy typing on it.

I also don't want to get the glossy part all scratched up so, I was thinking about cutting the plastic cover that goes over they keyboard to protect the glossy finish.

Do you think this would work?


----------



## vdek

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fany;11909479*
> I just received my keyboard today and I really enjoy typing on it.
> 
> I also don't want to get the glossy part all scratched up so, I was thinking about cutting the plastic cover that goes over they keyboard to protect the glossy finish.
> 
> Do you think this would work?


It would probably work, but I don't see the point of it and it might be very uncomfortable.


----------



## Crazy9000

You can get screen protectors that you can cut out of a larger sheet of them, that would be a better idea.


----------



## Kaldari

Why are you so worried about getting scratches on it? If it's to keep it looking good, the plastic cover will look far worse than a scratch or two.

It should be fine unless your cat uses it as a clawing mat.

Worry less and just enjoy it.


----------



## Fitzbane

glad i read this as my eclipse 2 is dying. gonna order one soon.


----------



## flak-spammer

Anyone tried this keyboard with tappy FPS games like ut2004 or UT3? I suspect this should be fine for my purposes mostly doing programming and typing. I was just curious as to what other people think of it.


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *flak-spammer;11945761*
> Anyone tried this keyboard with tappy FPS games like ut2004 or UT3? I suspect this should be fine for my purposes mostly doing programming and typing. I was just curious as to what other people think of it.


With blues some people will run into a problem.

For example; I don't have an issue with blues & UT3 though Crazy9000 does.

It all comes down to personal preference; though you can definitely work with it.


----------



## webwit

It's a magic switch. If you personally prefer it, the hysteresis goes away. You need strong will-power.


----------



## teh_HyDr0iD

Hmmm, thank you. Very nice review. I'm still somewhat torn on what to do though. When I first saw the Black Widow when Razer unveiled it, I was quite excited that they were dipping into mechanical keyboards. At the same time I was also unsure on how it would work out after I bought into their stories about the Lycosa and then found out it wasn't really anything spectacular.
Don't get me wrong I love my Lycosa, but for what I paid for it I did expect it would be a bit more impressive. I've now learned to check some good reviews before hand. I haven't had any problems with the rubber coating coming off, and according to WhatPulse I've pressed approximately 6,000,000 keys since I bought it just over a year ago. I think I do type quite lightly however appart from the occasional game induced frustration when I'm having a bad day.

I just don't know if I can justify the asking price right now to replace my Lycosa when its still in pristine condition with no visible signs of wear after a years use. And all in all it appears that this Deck Legend, albeit a less "pretty" keyboard, would be a better choice for me as a backlit mechanical keyboard.


----------



## geehansok

the spacebar on my keyboard doesn't go down smoothly as if theres a hitch in the switch. Is suppose to be like this? Or is it because its still new?


----------



## ajx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tator Tot;11946951*
> With blues some people will run into a problem.
> 
> For example; I don't have an issue with blues & UT3 though Crazy9000 does.
> 
> It all comes down to personal preference; though you can definitely work with it.


what about double taping issue?
as you may know, ut requires a special move called "dodge"


----------



## [email protected]

I have this keyboard and i love it. Fast respond and backlit is so bright in 4 different tones. When i opened it, i liked how they packaged it and it had a plastic cover for protection so i used it from now on as a cover guard when i am not using my keyboard so i can keep it clean and not dusty.
I even wash my hands before i use it. I also have a Limited Edition Razer Goliathus Speed Extended. I was told by Razer Support Tech that this is only a limit time and 10,000 units or so were only made so i grabbed one from their website and upon arrival i was blown away how bigger it was. Compared to the pic i saw online.. it's HUGE! This is handy for fast fps gamers or whoever like to use for fast respond.
Here is a picture of it. Hope you guys like it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Sorry for the crappy photo.. my camera doesn't do well at nights. Only daytime.


----------



## Kaldari

You sure that isn't a yoga mat?


----------



## [email protected]

A yoga mat? What you stupid? It's a razer mousepad dude.

http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.223179200/parentCategoryID.35208900/categoryId.40946200


----------



## fssbzz

is the razer new mousepad.
i want to get one, because is limited edition only 1000 available.


----------



## black!ce

awesome review man im so buying this keyboard also do you think its worth the upgrade from the G15 im using right now?? i did see you say that they are like toys... what say you?? this or the SS 7G?


----------



## Eagle1337

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *black!ce;11957419*
> awesome review man im so buying this keyboard also do you think its worth the upgrade from the G15 im using right now?? i did see you say that they are like toys... what say you?? this or the SS 7G?


g15 is a toy. I honestly hate steelseries and wouldn't buy a product from there. Everyone who's had one has had issues same with me.
I'd get this as in my honest opinion most people don't need a nkro keyboard, I'd try it first ans the 7g and widow have different switches and feel very very different. The widow has the blues which going by the description of them means I'll love them.


----------



## r31ncarnat3d

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *black!ce;11957419*
> awesome review man im so buying this keyboard also do you think its worth the upgrade from the G15 im using right now?? i did see you say that they are like toys... what say you?? this or the SS 7G?


Upgraded from my G15 and ended up with my current Das with Cherry MX Browns, and yep, the G15 is a toy.

Cheap, feels horrible, low quality.


----------



## outseeker

Fullest review I can find. I really appreciate the internal photos too









Any chance you could divulge where they've hidden the screws to open these up?


----------



## black!ce

just ordered mine as you guys suggested now all i have to do is wait for 14 days and it will be mine thanks for the review again man


----------



## qcarmstrong

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *black!ce;11959826*
> just ordered mine as you guys suggested now all i have to do is wait for 14 days and it will be mine thanks for the review again man


hopefully you dont get a bad batch, the quality control down at razer is pretty bad... the spacebar issue is pretty major and you can't even take off the keys or that will void your warranty


----------



## Kaldari

Quote:



Originally Posted by *[email protected]*


A yoga mat? What you stupid? It's a razer mousepad dude.

http://store.razerzone.com/store/raz...oryId.40946200












I know things are hard to catch sometimes over text, but come on..


----------



## black!ce

Quote:



Originally Posted by *qcarmstrong*


hopefully you dont get a bad batch, the quality control down at razer is pretty bad... the spacebar issue is pretty major and you can't even take off the keys or that will void your warranty


fingers crossed


----------



## [email protected]

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kaldari;11960884*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know things are hard to catch sometimes over text, but come on..


LOL ok. The mousepad is awesome for fps. I have great control and never had problems with my Mamba. I'm taking good care of the keyboard too. Everything works in order. Sure i'd get it from Razer but i got it from NeWegg cuz shipping is faster







And affordable sometimes free. But i did get the mousepad from Razer and got a free keychain razer cord. Limited Edition. Now i need to make a video review so i can get a l337 package deal.


----------



## SHNS0

Hey guys, I'm thinking about buying a Ultimate. Has anyone here tried to play Touhou with this one?


----------



## Anth0789

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qcarmstrong;11959844*
> hopefully you dont get a bad batch, the quality control down at razer is pretty bad... the spacebar issue is pretty major and you can't even take off the keys or that will void your warranty


Yeah well the one I had didn't have that problem but instead it actually died on me in 2 weeks just burnt down I guess.


----------



## ajmidd12

Just picked up this keyboard for my new rig, it is a very nice keyboard! Highly recommended and not just cause I own one, but going back to an average keyboard pissed me off after using the Razer Black Widow. Just felt like very little effort to use.


----------



## [email protected]

Guys i have a problem.. i just reformatted and installed a new hard drive and i installed Razer Drivers for the keyboard version 1.02. Upon restart i try to load the Razer Black Window Configurator and it says it's application is not connected? I unplugged the usb and plugged it back in. Am i missing something here? Do i have to reinstall the firmware again? I really am leery about the firmware crap they have. Do i have to install that to make the configurator work?

Advice?


----------



## ajx

advice?

do not buy a razer product unless of being masochist








i always had an usb issue with razer stuff

maybe try it on another pc


----------



## [email protected]

Don't troll AJX. GET out of here. It's just needs a update and i have NO problems with it.


----------



## flak-spammer

I got one, and to be honest there's not much more I could want (I'm only a fractional gamer). The space bar on mine is fine and doesn't do the usual press one side and fail to trigger the switch. As for the shiny top...I'm not a fan but you can't get everything in one package. Overall it makes a great typing experience. Though it does take a little getting used to.


----------



## ripster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SHNS0;12036051*
> Hey guys, I'm thinking about buying a Ultimate. Has anyone here tried to play Touhou with this one?


----------



## [email protected]

Anyone? reply to my first questions regarding the drivers? I think i'll just contact razer support. Good Keyboard anyhow.


----------



## SHNS0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;12057561*
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBFm_s6TvUA


No that's not really Touhou
Ths is more like it
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-oUDOn5_8c[/ame]

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;12057561*
> Somebody stole my BlackWidow And Marissa is PISSED


Dude, what the.. I lol'd so hard.


----------



## 1keith1

Okay I was about to buy this keyboard but the lack of NKRO has me worried for gaming. Reason being I use the arrow keys not WASD, so my keystrokes commonly involve things like RightCtrl-UpArrow-KP_0-KP_Enter.

Will i be able to do one such as the one above?


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *1keith1;12065322*
> Okay I was about to buy this keyboard but the lack of NKRO has me worried for gaming. Reason being I use the arrow keys not WASD, so my keystrokes commonly involve things like RightCtrl-UpArrow-KP_0-KP_Enter.
> 
> Will i be able to do one such as the one above?


You'll run into issues with the arrow cluster.


----------



## ripster

Somebody needs to sit down and really test the arrow cluster + WASD/Control Key combos to really answer this question. But usually on a "Gaming Optimized" keyboard like the Logitech G series or the BlackWidow this is where the keyboard matrix optimizations fall down.


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;12065883*
> Somebody needs to sit down and really test the arrow cluster + WASD/Control Key combos to really answer this question. But usually on a "Gaming Optimized" keyboard like the Logitech G series or the BlackWidow this is where the keyboard matrix optimizations fall down.


On the normal Black Widow it does pretty bad on the Arrow cluster.

For the arrows themselves it's 3KRO, but it's 2KRO when using it with the WSAD cluster. Depends on the keys but there is some serious blockage going on.

To memory, Left & Right Arrow + Z or X did not work. That was a big one for me.


----------



## [email protected]

Uhh anyone on the drivers issue? Nevermind i'm contacting razer support. Yea thanks for your lame help


----------



## flak-spammer

I think that means nobody else has driver issues. To be honest I haven't had any at all. First install I had the 1.01 drivers that I downloaded by accident. I upgraded the firmware to 1.04 then got the 1.02 drivers. That's all I can say, it works just like it was supposed to and this is with another keyboard still plugged in and install with razer software as well.


----------



## ripster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected];12067130*
> Uhh anyone on the drivers issue? Nevermind i'm contacting razer support. Yea thanks for your lame help


You're welcome.


----------



## gordesky1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tator Tot;12066451*
> On the normal Black Widow it does pretty bad on the Arrow cluster.
> 
> For the arrows themselves it's 3KRO, but it's 2KRO when using it with the WSAD cluster. Depends on the keys but there is some serious blockage going on.
> 
> To memory, Left & Right Arrow + Z or X did not work. That was a big one for me.


Just tried that combo on my blackwidow ultimate and it works, So the normal and ut is different with the KRO? Even holding all 4 keys down it registers

It seems the KRO on mine does mostly always 4 and sometimes 6. ony keys that is really bad with it is zxc which doesn't register ony what works is zx.

Which is kinda weird sense i could push any other 2 keys with zx and all four keys register.

But ya other than that im still really enjoying my black widow As soon as i got it and used it for a day the xarmor went to my server computer which i still love and the black window ut is on my main computer cause i like the feel of it more and to me just feels more solid. And so far i haven't miss NKRO.


----------



## Tator Tot

Since you're still having issues with ZXC it may be due to a firmware update on the BWU that lets it work now.

I can't test the Black Widow anymroe since i sold it.


----------



## gordesky1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tator Tot;12077007*
> Since you're still having issues with ZXC it may be due to a firmware update on the BWU that lets it work now.
> 
> I can't test the Black Widow anymroe since i sold it.


Hmm didint know there was a firmware update out for it, And pretty much forgot about it can be upgraded...

So i should upgrade too the newest firmware?

Im still on 1.02


----------



## Tator Tot

As far as I know, the BW and BWU use similar firmware; there's just a bit more to what the BWU has because of it's extra features.

Firmware 1.02 is the newest for both boards I think (you should check that) but Firmware generally does update features or fix problems. So having the newest is generally recommended.


----------



## gordesky1

Yep there's a new one out v1.04 gonna update to that too see if it fixes the zxc even tho i don't think i use all 3 of those together in any game lol. And i got the software and firmware version mix up...Mine is on 1.03 right now not 1.02 which is the software.

Update: Just updated to 1.04 and it haven't fix the zxc, But its no biggie sense i haven't played a game or even herd of one that uses all 3 of those together.

The update software scared the **** out of me tho.. When it was going threw the update process it stopped right in the middle of verifying the firmware and said update failed! And the keyboard was dead and no life in it, So i tried the update software again and said no device found.. So i tried replugging it back in and it said found hardware and i went to do the update again and this time it worked and everything is fine.. lol Software or my computer must of glitch out or something


----------



## Crooksy

damn, I can't rep you. Great review though buddy!


----------



## ripster

A couple of things..

You guys should really read the NKRO wiki. The ZXC being blocked has NOTHING to do with firmware - it's all in the way the PCB switch matrix is laid out.

The dude complaining about borked Black Widow may want to doublecheck WHICH firmware file he used to update. Ultimate and non-ultimate are different and somebody at HardForum used the wrong one - luckily he didn't brick his keyboard.


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;12078112*
> A couple of things..
> 
> You guys should really read the NKRO wiki. The ZXC being blocked has NOTHING to do with firmware - it's all in the way the PCB switch matrix is laid out.


This. Key locking is a hardware issue. Blame Razer for not spending the $1.50.


----------



## HealthyBigMac

Got my Blackwidow from UPS a couple of hours ago. It's my first mech and so far I LOVE it. The MX blues aren't as loud as I expected them to be, although having never used a mech, I didn't really know how loud they really would sound. Also, I'm loving how easy it is to press the keys. It feels extremely fluid and it's wonderful to type on.

Hopefully I don't run in to any of the infamous Razer QC issues.
Congrats, OC.net, you have another convert.


----------



## Anth0789

Still waiting for mine to come from RMA.

Man I was getting so used to my mechanical keyboard until it died now I can't stand these non mechanical keyboards.


----------



## HealthyBigMac

Wanted to chime back in and say that even though I've only had my Blackwidow for 6 days, the escape key already started to bug out. It's nothing that unplugging/replugging the USB didn't solve, however, I'm officially on my toes for the issues that plagued the Lycosa. Crossing my fingers.


----------



## [email protected]

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HealthyBigMac;12153880*
> Wanted to chime back in and say that even though I've only had my Blackwidow for 6 days, the escape key already started to bug out. It's nothing that unplugging/replugging the USB didn't solve, however, I'm officially on my toes for the issues that plagued the Lycosa. Crossing my fingers.


Remember you have warranty, you can always RMA it. I hope you haven't been pressing it TOO hard or something? lol. No FOOD on your fingers mister!


----------



## HealthyBigMac

Quote:



Originally Posted by *[email protected]*


Remember you have warranty, you can always RMA it. I hope you haven't been pressing it TOO hard or something? lol. No FOOD on your fingers mister!










Believe me, I've been fairly OCD taking care of this keyboard.
My bathroom is a mess (it seriously needs a good cleaning), but my keyboard is absolutely spotless.









As for RMA, if I have to put up with a key bugging out every once in a while, I will. It was annoying only because it was the escape key and would close programs/delete webpage addresses I was typing/stopped webpages from loading.


----------



## Blindsay

My razer Tarantula is dieing so this might be my replacement for it. Really like the backlighting as thats probably the only thing i wish my current one had. Never had a mechanical keyboard before though


----------



## MatlocK

How did you take the keyboard apart? Are the rubber feet covering up screws?

I spilled a tiny amount of soda on the keyboard and now some of the keys don't work. Do you think Razer will replace it?


----------



## black!ce

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MatlocK;12305822*
> How did you take the keyboard apart? Are the rubber feet covering up screws?
> 
> I spilled a tiny amount of soda on the keyboard and now some of the keys don't work. Do you think Razer will replace it?


they replaced my carcharias even when i dropped it but i didnt mention that i dropped it







just said it stopped working ... ( in my defense the product was only 6 days old when this happened)


----------



## MatlocK

Quote:



Originally Posted by *black!ce*


they replaced my carcharias even when i dropped it but i didnt mention that i dropped it







just said it stopped working ... ( in my defense the product was only 6 days old when this happened)


I poured a bunch of isopropyl alcohol on it and I'm giving it a day or two to dry out. If that doesn't work then I will try to send it back. If that doesn't work, I'm taking it apart.


----------



## Murinus

Thanks for the awesome review.

Still can't order mine(Europe - Greece), i was told that the keyboards will be available from April(!).

Anyway, i saw you mentioning some kind of 'coating'.. will cleaning the keyboard with Isopropyl alcohol actually damage it?Or will it do if i just clean it with a piece of cloth and some mild-soap solution?I mean, i intend to use the widow till the day it dies(heh)i wouldn't want to put extra wear on any of its parts.


----------



## ch_123

So, does anyone else have one with pink switches?


----------



## black!ce

got my BW ultimate finally.... i had the normal version before and man the backlighting is BRIGHT! expect a mini review with pics soon


----------



## MachLuD

Quote:



Originally Posted by *black!ce*


got my BW ultimate finally.... i had the normal version before and man the backlighting is BRIGHT! expect a mini review with pics soon


Just got mine two days ago, and you aren't lying! One of the nicest lit keyboards I've ever seen.

I have been doing some die-hard typing and gaming on mine, and couldn't be happier! Just love the feel and sound of this beast!


----------



## Capwn

Got Microcenter to pricematch Amazon ( ~$104 ) on my Black Widow Ultimate...
Needless to say my Sidewinder x4 has lost its place on my desk









I am now an understander of the mech love around here..


----------



## cuad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capwn;12546041*
> Got Microcenter to pricematch Amazon ( ~$104 ) on my Black Widow Ultimate...
> Needless to say my Sidewinder x4 has lost its place on my desk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am now an understander of the mech love around here..


How does one go about getting a store to price match? I'm new to this


----------



## Amw86

would be awesome if my local store even had any in stock.

Kind of glad they didn't, I've since lost interest in the widow.


----------



## MachLuD

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amw86;12547166*
> Kind of glad they didn't, I've since lost interest in the widow.


Why is that?

I got mine with an employee discount, so around $40 off or so. Couldn't be happier!!!


----------



## Capwn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cuad;12546164*
> How does one go about getting a store to price match? I'm new to this


I just grabbed the keyboard, Went to my buddy that works there, had him go ask the manager about the pricematch ( told him the price on amazon )..
Few mins later he brought the keyboard back to me with a tag on it from the manager saying the matched price








It is actually a pretty simple process.. Ive had them pricematch for me more times than not, Its all about talking to the right person.
Doesn't hurt to get to know one of the employees well, Get him on your side for situations like this.


----------



## cuad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capwn;12547881*
> I just grabbed the keyboard, Went to my buddy that works there, had him go ask the manager about the pricematch ( told him the price on amazon )..
> Few mins later he brought the keyboard back to me with a tag on it from the manager saying the matched price
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is actually a pretty simple process.. Ive had them pricematch for me more times than not, Its all about talking to the right person.
> Doesn't hurt to get to know one of the employees well, Get him on your side for situations like this.


So I don't have to provide proof that I'm actually giving a legit price?


----------



## Capwn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cuad;12547911*
> So I don't have to provide proof that I'm actually giving a legit price?


Its Microcenter, they have the internet, They can look up the price. lol
And pricematching is not guaranteed. It is ALWAYS at managers discretion.
Just be positive and hope for the best..


----------



## Amw86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MachLuD;12547866*
> Why is that?
> 
> I got mine with an employee discount, so around $40 off or so. Couldn't be happier!!!


I want full NKRO and Brown switch's instead of blues.

not to mention I'm finally tired of being let down by Razer products and refuse to by another one.


----------



## cuad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capwn;12548134*
> Its Microcenter, they have the internet, They can look up the price. lol
> And pricematching is not guaranteed. It is ALWAYS at managers discretion.
> Just be positive and hope for the best..


Well that's what I figured and now I am sure.


----------



## NotAgain

Wasn't sure if this should have gone in its own topic (there seems to be loads popping up for this keyboard) or if I should add it here. Thought it would be best not to add more clutter to the keyboards section&#8230;

My BlackWidow Ultimate just turned up in the mail today. Only had it plugged in for about an hour so far, so I only have some brief first impressions. I'm coming from an ancient UK layout Microsoft Wireless Multimedia Keyboard. This was the best image of it I could find online from a quick google search, for reference:









And this is the packaging that it arrived in from Razer. Seems kind-of excessive to me, perhaps they needed all that extra space for the free beanie that came with it?


















First impression before I even got it out of the box was that I had made the right decision with this, when I felt the arrow keys through the cut-out. As I'm sure has already been said (but I've read too many reviews to know if it was said _here_) it's a shame that there is a cut-out as the rest of the packaging would have made a great dust cover for it.

Compared to my old keyboard, the general feel of the keys is amazing. It's not just that it's a new keyboard, the mechanical keys are just so much nicer to use.

The noise didn't seem too bad when testing out the keys - actually seemed like it was going to be quieter than my old keyboard as the keys had a habit of 'squeaking' sometimes, but as I'm actually typing this out, I'm tending to bottom out on a lot of the keys (they're so much lighter to depress!) and it's making a fair bit of noise. Keyboard is on a mouse pad, on the desk.

I am generally _not_ a fan of glossy black products, _especially_ products that you have to touch, but at least how I'm using the keyboard right now, it doesn't actually look like it's going to be too bad for marks/fingerprints. It's not leaving any marks on the frame when I press down a finger on it either. Dust, on the other-hand, I'm sure will be an issue.

Still not sold on the font that they used on the keycaps at all. Now, it doesn't look nearly as bad as I had anticipated once you see it in person, but I really wish they had just used a normal font like VAG Rounded. My biggest complaint with the font is the R key. All the letters on the keyboard are uppercase, but the R in the font they used on the board looks like a lowercase r. It also looks like some of my keycaps may not actually be lasered on completely straight, but I don't know if it's intentionally like that due to the font they used or a manufacturing defect. (Q, E and T definitely look rotated slightly for example)

Not sure how clear it is in this photo, with a bit of card along the top of the keys for reference:








*Can someone with a BWU please confirm if their keyboard is like this?* I need to know if this is poor quality control, or intentional.

The keycaps themselves are straight, the lettering on some of the keys is not.

The only other backlit mechanical option here is a Deck, and they look considerably worse in my opinion. I had also been considering a Filco tenkeyless, but then I realised that I do actually use the numpad a fair bit, and actually for mousekeys more often than I expect. That said though, mousekeys is usually only if I have a wireless keyboard away from the desk for whatever reason, and obviously I can't do that considering this is wired. I'd like to have ditched the numpad, but I can't help feeling that I would have regretted it in the end. What put me off the Filco in the end though was that it wasn't backlit.

While I can _somewhat_ touch type - I was never taught how to type properly, but can type at a reasonable pace. (around 100WMP if I recall correctly) I do sometimes find myself looking down at the keys, particularly when gaming if I manage to 'lose' my position on the home keys. After using Macs for the last five years that all have a built-in backlit keyboard, I found that I more-or-less needed one. It's not that I'm looking at the keys and hunting & pecking my way around the board, but every so often, I just need to glance down for a fraction of a second and a backlit keyboard really makes a big difference to me.

The backlighting seems reasonably good. On the main keys it's pretty evenly lit considering that they have one LED each, though the modifier keys with writing on them don't look great. There doesn't seem to be any kind of diffuser on the keycap, so they're not evenly illuminated. You also only have the upper half of each key lit up, which is a bit strange after being used to Apple keyboards where the entire key is lit up. In a way, that's both good and bad for me. It's good in that, as I'm used to UK keyboards, I will be remapping some of the symbols to get back my £ for example, but it's bad because those are probably what you are most likely to want to see in the dark if you need a backlit keyboard. I'm also getting a slight buzz from the keyboard when the backlighting is on at the low/medium level. It's the afternoon here right now, so I can't really tell if it's going to bother me or not until it's the middle of the night.

As for the differences between UK and US layout&#8230; going to take some time to get used to. Can't understand why your left shift key needs to be so large, and I keep hitting the \ key instead of enter because of your short-but-wide key. I didn't realise it until now, but I'm at least one key short with this layout so I'll definitely have to create a custom keyboard mapping and try to figure something out.

The size/position of some of the keys that Razer has changed (rather than just being US layout) are also going to take a bit of getting used to. I'm used to the [ctrl] [win] [alt] keys all being the same size, but here [win] is a much smaller key and I keep hitting [ctrl] by mistake.

They have also shifted the function keys, and because of the macro keys on the side, it's easier to lose your place on the keyboard once again. I'm sure it's something you will get used to, but the [esc] and [ctrl] keys are no longer on the left edge of the keyboard, the function keys along the top are shifted to the right and grouped closely together. (very little gap between the 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 groups)

The keyboard also has its keys angled towards you, rather than being flat. When the stands at the back of the keyboard are flat down, the angle of the keys is about what it was on my old keyboard with the stands _up_. Just something to get used to I suppose, but I feel like I'm probably going to have to buy a wrist-rest for the keyboard, for the first time in my life.

I'm also finding that sometimes the keys seem to 'lock' down when I'm using them. I'm sure it's just a case of getting used to them, but if I hold down the spacebar for example, it's still being pressed down when I think I've let go of it. I think this is because of the way the mechanical actuation works. You feel a slight nudge as you press the key down, then you bottom out. As you're letting go of the key, you get another tactile bump on the way up, and it seems to be 'catching' on that. It's probably not a fault, and more to do with me not being used to this kind of keyboard at all but it is annoying. I will say though, it does have me half wondering if I should have just gone with something that uses mx blacks or reds.

I'm sure a lot of this is simply having to get used to the keyboard, especially now that it's not only a different keyboard, but a different style of layout (US vs UK) but while I love the feel of the keys for typing on, and I'm sure they're great for gaming with, there are other things about the keyboard that make me wonder if it was worth all this money.

I've also just gone onto the Razer site to download the latest firmware for it (had v1.03 installed) and see that they have just released a Dragon Age 2 Collector's Edition version of the keyboard with red backlighting - which would have been my choice of colour (either that or white) if it were an option when ordering!







Too bad it's a branded keyboard though, couldn't bring myself to own something like that, even if I were a big DA fan.

I hope this doesn't come across as being too negative, it's just that it is an awful lot of money for a keyboard, and there were quite a few 'surprises' with it, like slight changes Razer have made from a standard keyboard layout that you will probably get used to over time, but don't really make any sense to have changed in the first place.


----------



## KOBALT

my E is a bit crooked, but i had to REALLY look to see it. still not 100% sure. i make more typing mistakes on this than i ever did. i'd take a G-Series over this anyday. i replaced my G11 with this.

hate how the secondary commands on the keys isn't lit. the whole layout seems scrunched together. the FN key to access media controls like volume is my biggest thing. can't do it with one hand. i gave the mechanical the benefit of the doubt. 7/10


----------



## NotAgain

The T in particular is _very_ obviously askew on my keyboard - noticeable from a distance.

If that is not the case with yours, and I suspect it probably isn't, it seems more likely that this is probably a manufacturing defect. It's more than just the T, or the keys on the top row that are out of alignment like this.

As much as I like the feel of the keys, and while I do think it will take a bit of work to get used to the layout, I'm not happy keeping the keyboard with a defect like that, and I must say that I'm in two minds about whether or not to request a replacement or a refund and go with something else. That would mean either losing backlighting or simply going back to that old MS keyboard and waiting for someone else to bring out a backlit mechanical keyboard.

To your point about making typing mistakes. I do think it would probably be quite easy to make errors on this if you're not used to the much lighter pressure required to hit the keys compared to a membrane keyboard. I _love_ how much lighter it is to hit the keys when typing though - that's one of the things that pushed me towards going mechanical in the first place, though I can see that it's going to take a bit of practice to get used to.


----------



## n0x1ous

I have both an Ultimate that I purchased about a month ago for my gaming machine and a regular BW that I purchased last week for work.

My keys are straight and yes your T looks like its leaning to me. One other thing I noticed is that Razer changed the font to Caps (except r) on what must be a newer revision of the board.

Take a look at the picture of the box on post #1 and then the board itself. The box has lower case e,b,a etc whereas the keyboard itself has those letters capitalized on the keycap. I bet your box is the same way that they don't match. The Q and J are different as well.

My Ultimate has the lowercase ones that match the box and my reg has the uppercase ones that match the board in this review. Wonder if anyone else noticed this.

Also, the rubberized Ultimate keys feel much better than the plastic textured of the standard. They seem quieter to me.


----------



## NotAgain

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n0x1ous;12611786*
> I have both an Ultimate that I purchased about a month ago for my gaming machine and a regular BW that I purchased last week for work.


That's quite an endorsement for the keyboard then.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n0x1ous;12611786*
> My keys are straight and yes your T looks like its leaning to me.


If neither of your keyboards are like that, I'll have to contact Razer about a replacement.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n0x1ous;12611786*
> One other thing I noticed is that Razer changed the font to Caps (except r) on what must be a newer revision of the board.
> 
> Take a look at the picture of the box on post #1 and then the board itself. The box has lower case e,b,a etc whereas the keyboard itself has those letters capitalized on the keycap. I bet your box is the same way that they don't match. The Q and J are different as well.
> 
> My Ultimate has the lowercase ones that match the box and my reg has the uppercase ones that match the board in this review. Wonder if anyone else noticed this.


How strange. I hadn't noticed that at all-it was more that I noticed the ugly font rather than giving it any more attention.

That's a real shame-if they changed the labels on the keycaps, why couldn't they have just changed the font entirely?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n0x1ous;12611786*
> Also, the rubberized Ultimate keys feel much better than the plastic textured of the standard. They seem quieter to me.


Good to know.


----------



## [email protected]

WOW i can't believe you guys are having problems. I have NONE.. I clean my system and my keyboard once a week every friday. I always use the plastic cover the box came with to keep it clean overnight and it has been awesome. I love this keyboard. No problems so far!!


----------



## EarlZ

Im getting my BW-Ultimate tom and Im just wondering if this crooked issue on the keycaps are common ?


----------



## frankth3frizz

The macro keys were a turn off to me. I have the lycosa and one of the reasons I bought it was because of the simple design. Now I'm getting the 6Gv2.

Nice review manyak

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk


----------



## HaiiYaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frankth3frizz;12725946*
> The macro keys were a turn off to me. I have the lycosa and one of the reasons I bought it was because of the simple design.


Same for me... like if i use WASD for fps my pinky will be resting right where the macro keys are


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ;12725416*
> Im getting my BW-Ultimate tom and Im just wondering if this crooked issue on the keycaps are common ?


Yes


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Tator Tot*


Yes


That blows!


----------



## frankth3frizz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HaiiYaa;12726104*
> Same for me... like if i use WASD for fps my pinky will be resting right where the macro keys are


same here. i have NO USE for the macros, and if they ever make one without it then im sold. un less it has sucky drivers like the lycosa :X


----------



## EarlZ

My keyboard came in and its pretty fantastic! The typing experience is massively better compared to my G15v2! I had issues with leaving the G15v2 because the LCD display which I use for my system HUD ( using Sir Real's LCD plugin ) is something I cannot part with but the strain on my fingers with the G15v2 is getting unbearable already!

One thing that bothers me though is what some of the keys are not in caps which i dont understand why.. from what I can tell its E,A,D,H,V,B. Can anyone shed some information about this ? as the pictures in the first page shows all caps!


----------



## CephalicCarnage

They're all over the place will the some of the keycaps being uppercase and some being lowercase. No clue what's going on there.

"r" is the only key that is lowercase on the Blackwidow I've got at my place.


----------



## EarlZ

Yeah, I wish Razer made it call caps instead of a mixed lower and upper case hybrid, does not bother me that much and I cant be assed to return this to the retailer hoping to get a full caps.

Im starting to have issues with the unlit secondary keys haha, I havent really memorized them all yet, also how do I program the macro keys to open "My Computer" or a specific folder on my PC?

Since I have my G15v2 setup as;
G1 - My Computer
G2 - My Documents
G3 - Downloads
G4 - Calculator

EDIT:

I've been looking around the drivers and I cant seem to find how to make the keyboard open specific folders on its Macro Keys, is this possible to setup with the BW-Ultimate?

EDIT2:

I alt tab of my games pretty often and I noticed that the tab key sometimes gets stuck because of audio feedback is delayed after the button is released, issue is acceptable its not that I rapidly alt tab out but i do have to agree that the quality control on this keyboard is pretty low.


----------



## black!ce

have they resolved the issue regarding the use of the media keys not working when itunes is minimized?


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *black!ce;12886319*
> have they resolved the issue regarding the use of the media keys not working when itunes is minimized?


Nope.


----------



## jasonjlx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *black!ce;12886319*
> have they resolved the issue regarding the use of the media keys not working when itunes is minimized?


This is not an issue with Razer, it has to deal with iTunes and Windows. Any media keys will not work with itunes if it is not running in the foreground.

What you can do to resolve this issue with any keyboard is to get mmKeys.dll follow this:

http://www.everythingitunes.com/os/windows/2008-01-04/mmkeysdll/


----------



## Ekemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Manyak;11549104*
> [...]
> Conclusion
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Blackwidow Ultimate is, without a doubt, a great board. Razer has met or exceeded the standards that make a good keyboard a good keyboard in many areas. The casing is made (mostly) of ABS, the switches are plate mounted, and the cable is practically bolted on and is strong enough to use as a jump rope in an elementary school playground. The layout is perfect with no useless clutter, the board isn't any bigger than it needs to be, and the status LEDs aren't blinding. The backlighting is one of the best on the market, and there's no other keyboard out there with on-the-fly macro capability. The keycap printing is very sharp, and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the coating's abrasion resistance until proven otherwise. I'm very impressed with the quality of this board.
> 
> And while no keyboard is perfect for everyone, at the end of the day this keyboard has one major flaw, and that's the lack of NKRO and PS/2 support. At $80, the regular Blackwidow not having NKRO isn't a problem. In fact, after trying out this board I think that $80 gets you a LOT of value, especially since it's better built than many mechanical keyboards that are even more expensive and all you miss out on is Backlighting and pass-through ports. Like I said before, I'm impressed with Razer's quality here. But at $130 the lack of NKRO is much harder to accept.
> 
> In the end it comes down to this, and this alone: If you want NKRO, there are other boards at this price that are of similar build quality (give or take a bit). But if you'd give up NKRO for on-the-fly macros and the looks/backlighting of _this_ board, then it's one hell of a board to get and you won't be disappointed


Um... I don't know what NKRO and PS/2 is. Honestly before this amazing review, I didn't know that they existed. Can someone please be kind enough to tell me what they are?


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ekemeister;12952655*
> Um... I don't know what NKRO and PS/2 is. Honestly before this amazing review, I didn't know that they existed. Can someone please be kind enough to tell me what they are?


PS/2 is the port they used to use for all keyboards, before USB became popular.

NKRO means you can press as many keys as you want on the keyboard, and they will all register. With the black widow, they've "optimized" it so that the most common keys pressed in FPS games will all go through, but you may run into problems if you play other games that need several keys held down at once.


----------



## ripster

I wouldn't bother learning what PS/2 is. It's kinda like what's the value of learning what a RS232 or a Apple ADB is?


----------



## Qu1cK

I'm between SteelSeries 6Gv2 and Razer BlackWidow. (the only mechanical keyboards in my country there)
Which to choose?


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Qu1cK;12955307*
> I'm between SteelSeries 6Gv2 and Razer BlackWidow. (the only mechanical keyboards in my country there)
> Which to choose?


We had similar options, I went with Razer Black Widow Ultimate which was cheaper than the 6Gv2.


----------



## Qu1cK

in my country find the Razer BlackWindow (not ultimate) 145U$S and SteelSeries 6Gv2 140U$S


----------



## HaiiYaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Qu1cK;12959317*
> in my country find the Razer BlackWindow (not ultimate) 145U$S and SteelSeries 6Gv2 140U$S


In that case im sure the steelseries 6gv2 would make you happier


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Qu1cK*


in my country find the Razer BlackWindow (not ultimate) 145U$S and SteelSeries 6Gv2 140U$S


Then the 6Gv2 is an awesome buy, in my place the 6Gv2 is more expensive than the Black Widow Ultimate and no warranty after purchase.


----------



## Tator Tot

6Gv2 is a better board all around. It doesn't have Macro's or backlighting, but it also is not filled with the number of quality check problems that Razer has. Nor the limitations.


----------



## gordesky1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tator Tot;12962940*
> 6Gv2 is a better board all around. It doesn't have Macro's or backlighting, but it also is not filled with the number of quality check problems that Razer has. Nor the limitations.


Its a Awesome board if you get one with out any problems.

Mine is the first batch black window ultimate because i preordered and i haven't had a single problem with it and the keys still look good and feels just the same as it did when i first got it. And i game heavy on it.

Every company will have its ups and downs.

And this board replaced my xarmor x9bl which is on my server getting used now now, Do i miss NKRO? Nope i just prefer the build quailty and the sound and the feel of it more than the xarmor x9bl for my main keyboard.

I tried the 6Gv2 at my local store i didn't like the switchs at all. I just love my blues And don't like the look at all which if i wanted a plain keyboard i would've just got the mother of all keyboards model M. Which im planing too get in my collection.


----------



## Quccu

I have recently purchased a Razer BlackWidow, not the ultimate version.

My reasons for this purchase are;
- In Australia it is only $97 from MSY store, BW Ultimate being $145 and I'm not willing to pay an extra 50 odd bucks for some usb port and backlighting.
- All other mechanical keyboards are close to $200, if not $200+ to buy in Australia or to be shipped into the country, which is double the price of my keyboard

My thoughts after 2 days of owning it so far;
- first day of using it I didn't really feel much difference between it and my old $30 rubberdome keyboard. Had second thoughts about purchasing such an expensive keyboard.

- second day of using it I noticed I typed somewhat faster now, went on typeracer.com and now averaging 130wpm compared to rubberdome averaging 115wpm. So I guess it helps me to type faster. I use to rarely hit the 130's now its very regularly.

- Just plugged my old $30 rubberdome keyboard back in, and my goodness...the feeling of typing on it was so rubbish. I seriously cannot go back to average keyboards anymore =P

- Read a lot of reviews about the clicky sound that Cherry MX Blues makes. In my opinion, if you type really slow then it may be an issue for noise freaks. But, if you type fast and use to typing fast...the noise issue won't be a problem at all as the clicky sound is mixed in with the sound of your keys hitting the bottom of your keyboard. In fact, the sound of the keys hitting the base of the keyboard is somewhat louder than the clicky sound itself, although it may just be me pressing keys harder than the average person.

- Having all programmable keys + extra macro keys on this keyboard is an advantage that I actually prefer over other mechanical keyboards as I am an MMO player, don't really play anything other than MMO though.

-You've probably noticed already that the F-keys are moved a bit to the right, may be an issue for players like Warcraft III where you need F keys to control your heroes. You can always program the F1-3 keys to your side macro buttons M1-3 though to see how that works.

-As for the glossy surface of the keyboard that gets fingerprints: I'm usually in a dark room playing games so it's hard to notice. But I regularly wipe all my technology including monitor screen, webcam face etc anyway. If you love taking care of your technology, it shouldn't be a problem. But if you're the person who never cleans anything and leaves dust to build up here and there, it may be an issue for you =)

edit: I've just noticed, I only get slight palm prints at the bottom end of the keyboard (below ctrl/alt/space keys) where my palm sometimes rests, all other area of the keyboard doesn't have fingerprints as I never touch it with my fingers? I mean why would you anyway.

Hope my opinion helps anyone into making a decision purchasing this keyboard. As for the issue of people saying Razer products breaking down often, well I've only had it for 2 days now...so can't really comment on that issue. But if it does break down, I'll be sure to let you guys know!


----------



## black!ce

my favorite keyboard reviewed by a hot girl what more could anyone ask for?

  
 You Tube


----------



## thejoy

Very nice review.

Do you think it's better than the 6Gv2 ? (same price)


----------



## ripster

Ring Alert! Ring Alert!

My favorite hottie video is this one. Hate the keyboard though.

  
 Veronica Rulez!!! Art Lebedev Sucks!!!


----------



## black!ce

Quote:



Originally Posted by *thejoy*


Very nice review.

Do you think it's better than the 6Gv2 ? (same price)


depends on your personal preference actually, i found playing FPS games tiring my fingers alot when using the 6G v2 i think its because of the cherry mx blacks but the cherry MX blues require less force to click it and has much better tactile feed back . plus the blackwidow just looks fabulous compared to the 6G v2 which looks like an ordinary keyboard


----------



## Rakhasa

Awesome review.. I think I want one


----------



## Sheira

Tomorow is the last day i can return my BW. They accidently sent me standard version, instead of Ultimate (They also charged me less). Should I keep it? I really wanted backlit keys, but after couple of days of testing, what bothers me is not backlist keys, but the macro keys and my constant missclicks. My hand is not used to this layout - macro keys on left of capslock, shift etc. Do you guys get use to it ?


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sheira*


Tomorow is the last day i can return my BW. They accidently sent me standard version, instead of Ultimate (They also charged me less). Should I keep it? I really wanted backlit keys, but after couple of days of testing, what bothers me is not backlist keys, but the macro keys and my constant missclicks. My hand is not used to this layout - macro keys on left of capslock, shift etc. Do you guys get use to it ?


Macro keys are nothing, I got used to this:









It's my belief anyone could get used to any layout, if they wanted to and are physically able to press the buttons.


----------



## HaiiYaa

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crazy9000*


It's my belief anyone could get used to any layout, if they wanted to and are physically able to press the buttons.


Thats not true according to most people o the geekhack forum... theres no way anyone can get used to that enter key even the rest of the world loves it


----------



## ripster

With all the Razer Hate threads around here I have a simple question.

Does the OP still own this keyboard or did he sell it?


----------



## HaiiYaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;13799161*
> With all the Razer Hate threads around here I have a simple question.
> 
> Does the OP still own this keyboard or did he sell it?


It broke after 1 week so he had to throw it out in the garbage where it belongs


----------



## blodflekk

Just had to add that I have this board and absolutely love it.


----------



## Wr3ckin_Cr3w

I also own this plus the regular and both are working great.


----------



## ripster

Well, I'm just curious because he DID get it for free after all.


----------



## johnnyw

Just received my bw ultimate today and not so happy tbh. Seems like razer:s famous build quality has striked again, main wire getting of from keyboard is really loose and tilted and not attached to keyboard like it should. Anyway probably wont bother to rma it as it is working normally apart from that. Quite stupid really that big company like razer still cant get their build quality issues sorted









Taked short vid to show what i mean: http://youtu.be/pKY6A-hRFpk

That "blop" part supposed to be inside the and keep the wire there. Quite big cockup if you ask me.

Does anyone know if that part what keeps the wire there can be removed without breaking anything? If that can be done it would be easy fo to put wire there as it should be.

That part:


----------



## ripster

It shipped that way?

Anyway do you have a camera? I've always wanted to see a good pic of the PCB. I could only find one here of the cable attachment the way it SHOULD be (which isn't bad engineering if they had just manufactured it correctly).








this pic needs better lighting

You start generally with these for looking for the screws, normally they are easily visible on the bottom of the keyboard. In the case of Filcos one is hidden under a OK sticker.


----------



## johnnyw

Quote:



Originally Posted by *ripster*


It shipped that way?

Anyway do you have a camera? I've always wanted to see a good pic of the PCB. I could only find one here of the cable attachment the way it SHOULD be (which isn't bad engineering if they had just manufactured it correctly).








this pic needs better lighting

You start generally with these for looking for the screws, normally they are easily visible on the bottom of the keyboard. In the case of Filcos one is hidden under a OK sticker.


 Yup it was like that out of box







I did some research and there is no way to put that wire in without ripping whole keyboard to parts, and not gonna do that as would loose warranty. I think i just return this to shop next week and get steelseries 7G or 6Gv2 instead.


----------



## ripster

Probably a good idea.

To answer my own previous post I just did a search and the OP did sell the review sample for $70.

I'm sure money wouldn't have influenced his review though.


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;13823500*
> Probably a good idea.
> 
> To answer my own previous post I just did a search and the OP did sell the review sample for $70.
> 
> I'm sure money wouldn't have influenced his review though.


That link just shows newegg selling boards for $70, nothing about manyak. Unless Manyak owns newegg. I'm guessing if that was the case, $70 wouldn't be a big enough deal to him to influence a review







.


----------



## ripster

Oooops. I blame the search engine.

Well good then, he must have kept it. So why all the Razer Black Widow hate here?


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;13827976*
> Oooops. I blame the search engine.
> 
> Well good then, he must have kept it. So why all the Razer Black Widow hate here?


Looks like he sold a filco. We should start hating them.


----------



## flyingsaucers

*edit* nevermind, answered my own question









Just got a brand new BW Ultimate and it has a defective backlight. Pretty disappointing, but RMA'ing for a replacement.


----------



## Sheira

Quote:



Originally Posted by *flyingsaucers*


*edit* nevermind, answered my own question









Just got a brand new BW Ultimate and it has a defective backlight. Pretty disappointing, but RMA'ing for a replacement.


Thats what i thought too. Then i realised i dont have ultimate version.


----------



## flyingsaucers

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sheira;13833606*
> Thats what i thought too. Then i realised i dont have ultimate version.


Lol I definitely have the Ultimate. Kinda irritating calling it the "Ultimate" when it shipped broken, but oh well.


----------



## Uncle Dolans

I really like the font. It has a very modern blocky look to it.


----------



## claymanhb

Can someone tell me a good nkro keyboard for around ~$100?


----------



## matrix2000x2

I have the Regular Blackwidow, it's basically the same thing without the LED lit keys and USB, and audio jacks. Gosh I really wish Razer had another model just $5 more than the base model and with LED lit keys. That's all I want.


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote: 
   Originally Posted by *claymanhb*   Can someone tell me a good nkro keyboard for around ~$100?  
Ducky DK9008-G2 is $110 + S&H 
Das Keyboards are $108 + S&H if you are student 
Unicomp keyboards (IBM Model Ms) are between $70 and $100 + S&H; they are some of the best built keyboards you can buy (Especially for the price) and use great switches (for typing) the Buckling Springs.

Zowie Celaratis is on sale for $100 + Free Shipping; it's an MX-Brown keyboard, and very well built. Though the keycap material (Nylon) may not last long (enough info isn't present to make an accurate assumption)

SteelSeries 6Gv2 is $100 right now (+$8.50 for Shipping), it's the only MX-Black keyboard in that price range

  XArmor U9W  is the only wireless option for (for any mechanical right now, also $100 + S&H)

Your best options are either the Unicomp (if you feel like you're gonna be typing a lot) or the Zowie if you feel like you're gonna do a lot of gaming & typing.


----------



## Sheira

I have a question.

Can i assign the media keys to the macro keys?

Like for example, when i press M1, it would make an action of FN + F5.

I tried this via the Razer software, but it seems to be unable to assign FN key to anything.


----------



## [email protected]

Did you read the manual? The FN key is for setting up a macro if i am correct. You cannot ASSIGN it to that key.


----------



## Crazy9000

You can't set it up to press the FN key, as that key doesn't really exist as a key. However, you should be able to get it to go to the corresponding function, I.E play, pause.

I'm not familiar with Razer's software, so not sure how to do it though.


----------



## Varrkarus

Wait, does that mean Ctrl+Alt+Delete won't go through due to the two-key rollover?


----------



## RallyMaster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Varrkarus;14166094*
> Wait, does that mean Ctrl+Alt+Delete won't go through due to the two-key rollover?


It does go through. I use it every day to log in at work.


----------



## Tator Tot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Varrkarus;14166094*
> Wait, does that mean Ctrl+Alt+Delete won't go through due to the two-key rollover?


No, it only means certain key combinations won't go through.

Something like K X Y most likely wouldn't go through as this keyboard is designed to accept mutiple inputs from the WSAD sector of keys, but not the opposite side of the keyboard.


----------



## ch_123

*coughs*

Told you the rollover section of the guide needed fixing


----------



## edplayer

this is at Fry's for $80 till July 28th

http://www.frys.com/product/6373171?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG


----------



## jpm804

Quote:



Originally Posted by *edplayer*


this is at Fry's for $80 till July 28th

http://www.frys.com/product/6373171?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG


Thats the normal black window...and $79.99 is the normal price. Sometimes it goes on sale for $59.99

The blackwidow ultimate is on sale this weekend for $89.99 but is not listed on sale on the website.


----------



## SirWaWa

lov'n this keyboard
dislike the "r" and "m" font, doesn't even look like "r", arrrrr


----------



## RallyMaster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SirWaWa;14317820*
> lov'n this keyboard
> dislike the "r" and "m" font, doesn't even look like "r", arrrrr


Why are you looking at the keys when you type?


----------



## Varrkarus

Quote:



Originally Posted by *RallyMaster*


Why are you looking at the keys when you type?










ikr. The font looks awesome, who cares if you can't read it.


----------



## [email protected]

If you had read my previous posts, it turns out i may have spilled quite a bit of tea on it.. now it's been a month and i know Razer won't rma it and i decided to plug it in and see if it'll work anyways and i had doubts. I plugged it in and my keyboard magically came back from the dead. What gives? The tea didn't short the parts?  I guess i will switch my keyboard later. I need to be more sure it's not working before getting something else while i am still using Lycos lmao. Lesson learned! Now i have 2 razer keyboards lmao.


----------



## SirWaWa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RallyMaster;14317954*
> Why are you looking at the keys when you type?


i don't look


----------



## [email protected]

Me too


----------



## EarlZ

The LED on my F12 key just got dimmer about 15mins ago... This aint such a big issue but really, this fast?


----------



## ripster

Yeah, the OP sold his bribe "review sample" long ago so the problem with these reviews is you rarely get a long term view.

Time dims all Memories.
And LEDs.

And this part of the review is QUITE obsolete.
Quote:


> And while no keyboard is perfect for everyone, at the end of the day this keyboard has one major flaw, and that's the lack of NKRO and PS/2 support.


At least the PS/2 part.


----------



## pcfreak

There's one aspect of this keyboard that stopped me from buying it. I'm not sure if this has been covered or not, I just don't have the time right now to go through 32 pages in this thread.

What irritates me about this kb is the backlight feature. Half of the characters are not lit when the backlight is on. What I mean is, for instance the top row of number keys, when the illumination is on only the numbers are illuminated and not the characters , same with other keys that have 2 characters on them, only the top row is lit, what's the point of a backlit keyboard when half of the character's aren't illuminated?
What an utter letdown.


----------



## Varrkarus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pcfreak;14717148*
> There's one aspect of this keyboard that stopped me from buying it. I'm not sure if this has been covered or not, I just don't have the time right now to go through 32 pages in this thread.
> 
> What irritates me about this kb is the backlight feature. Half of the characters are not lit when the backlight is on. What I mean is, for instance the top row of number keys, when the illumination is on only the numbers are illuminated and not the characters , same with other keys that have 2 characters on them, only the top row is lit, what's the point of a backlit keyboard when half of the character's aren't illuminated?
> What an utter letdown.


It's been mentioned, but yea, its stupido :\
Still a sexy keyboard though, it doesn't really bother me.


----------



## claymanhb

I just went out and picked one of these up and man it's a crazy feeling keyboard. It'll definitely take some getting used to for sure. Making tons of errors as I type.


----------



## Kithro

I am pleased with mine. May not be the greatest, but it gets the job done and it looks smexy.


----------



## Varrkarus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kithro;14839470*
> I am pleased with mine. May not be the greatest, but it gets the job done and it looks smexy.


I don't understand keyboard "quality"...
Looks are more important to me, as long as the keyboard allows me to type characters


----------



## EarlZ

Yes time does DIM the leds but less than 1 year of usage and now the F12 is back to normal but 3 and letter e is dim..


----------



## inanity

Just want to say, in case anyone else is thinking of getting a Razer Black Widow, it's the worst keyboard I've ever owned. And I've owned a LOT of keyboard, many of them extremely cheap. The one I'm using instead of my new Black Widow only cost $10 and is infinitely better than the Black Widow.

As soon as I started using my Black Widow, keys were sticking. It was almost impossible to type. I'm an excellent typist, but the Black Widow was registering double keystrokes when there was only one, or not registering the keystrokes at all, or in some cases, a key would stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick, causing < that < kind of thing.

Stay away from Razer! This is one of the five most expensive keyboards I've ever bought, but by far the poorest quality.


----------



## inanity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Varrkarus;14839935*
> Looks are more important to me, as long as the keyboard allows me to type characters


Yeah, well the black widow doesn't let you do that. Not easily, anyway.


----------



## inanity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *claymanhb;14830217*
> I just went out and picked one of these up and man it's a crazy feeling keyboard. It'll definitely take some getting used to for sure. Making tons of errors as I type.


It's because the keyboard sucks. I thought at first maybe I wasn't "used to it", but in fact the keys stick and knock into each other. I don't understand how anyone can give this piece of crap a good review.


----------



## inanity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pcfreak;14717148*
> What irritates me about this kb is the backlight feature. Half of the characters are not lit when the backlight is on. What I mean is, for instance the top row of number keys, when the illumination is on only the numbers are illuminated and not the characters , same with other keys that have 2 characters on them, only the top row is lit, what's the point of a backlit keyboard when half of the character's aren't illuminated?
> What an utter letdown.


I didn't even get the backlit version (don't need it), but it's still complete crap. It looks pretty, but it doesn't type. Or it does, but 50% of my keystrokes are backspaces to get rid of the extra keystrokes the stupid thing thinks I made.


----------



## inanity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SirWaWa;14317820*
> lov'n this keyboard
> dislike the "r" and "m" font, doesn't even look like "r", arrrrr


Who cares??? I'd be happy if it just registered the keys I strike, no more an no less, instead of inserting extra keystrokes.


----------



## inanity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *matrix2000x2;13870823*
> I have the Regular Blackwidow, it's basically the same thing without the LED lit keys and USB, and audio jacks. Gosh I really wish Razer had another model just $5 more than the base model and with LED lit keys. That's all I want.


Yeah, ***? Who needs USB and audio on their frickin keyboard??? Not that I will ever buy Razer again. I'm completely appalled at the quality of this keyboard. What a waste of $80.


----------



## inanity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ripster;13827976*
> Oooops. I blame the search engine.
> 
> Well good then, he must have kept it. So why all the Razer Black Widow hate here?


Because the keyboard effing SUCKS!!! Two hours after I bought it I switched back to my $10 keyboard, so I could type at my normal 90 wpm instead of 10 wpm allowed by the crappy Blackwidow. Only thing good about it is it looks nice. CAN'T USE IT FOR TYPING,THOUGH. Isn't that what keyboards are for? I'll keep mine by the front door to use as a bludgeon on intruders.


----------



## Crazy9000

inanity, did it ever occur to you that you may have gotten a dud and need to rma?


----------



## Shub

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crazy9000;15139023*
> inanity, did it ever occur to you that you may have gotten a dud and need to rma?


This. The BlackWidow is a fine keyboard and only a tiny minority of people have had problems.
Also if you could stop making strings of posts replying to single posts, that'd be nice... Welcome to OCN.


----------



## soulvengeance

Quote:



Originally Posted by *inanity*


Because the keyboard effing SUCKS!!! Two hours after I bought it I switched back to my $10 keyboard, so I could type at my normal 90 wpm instead of 10 wpm allowed by the crappy Blackwidow. Only thing good about it is it looks nice. CAN'T USE IT FOR TYPING,THOUGH. Isn't that what keyboards are for? I'll keep mine by the front door to use as a bludgeon on intruders.


Perhaps you should stop typing with your elbows. I've had mine for over 2 months, no problem whatsoever.


----------



## RallyMaster

inanity is just upset he hasn't gotten used to the Blackwidow yet. Give it a couple of weeks. After that, you will never want to go back to a rubber dome ever again.


----------



## Varrkarus

OCN is pretty much 80% Razer haters.
I think it's just because many people here don't have their own opinion.

I don't really like the Blackwidow, but that is because I find MX Blue switches too clicky...


----------



## Rainstar

I have two razer black widow ultimates, both perform the same and i love them both, only one problem is the second one i bought the font size on certain keys etchings seem to be in lower case. The first one i have is perfect. I love typing on them. I have my own office space at home and noise is not a problem, still very happy any way second keyboard was 60 dollars new from a craigslist deal. No imperfections of key rubbing or key size. But i have heard different stories.


----------



## Varrkarus

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Rainstar*


I have two razer black widow ultimates, both perform the same and i love them both, only one problem is the second one i bought the font size on certain keys etchings seem to be in lower case. The first one i have is perfect. I love typing on them. I have my own office space at home and noise is not a problem, still very happy any way second keyboard was 60 dollars new from a craigslist deal. No imperfections of key rubbing or key size. But i have heard different stories.


Yea, on the Razer Store the Blackwidow Ultimate's font is in lowercase in the image.
The one I used had all caps...


----------



## Prugor

Bought one and haven't had a problem with it. Though, its my first mechanical keyboard. Been using the standard no frills bs dell keyboards for years.


----------



## ArtistDeAlec

Does anyone know if you can change the key caps on the Razer mechs? I was hoping on adding some blank key caps to my stealth but couldn't seem to find any info on this.


----------



## dklic6

There are a whole bunch of keys you can add/replace on a mech keyboard. If you want blanks/otaku search for blank cherry keycaps. There are also a lot of custom keycaps that can be had at a reasonable price. I replaced all my keys with clear keys.


----------



## ArtistDeAlec

Thanks for the info! I'll look up some decently priced blank cherry keycaps and a puller along with them tonight


----------



## dklic6

PM sent


----------



## warakawa

"But what this keyboard has that's unique is that it has on-the-fly macro recording, from the keyboard itself! The last time I saw a keyboard with this capability was the Gateway Anykey, which came with my old 486DX2 machine back in around 1990. And I loved it."

Are you sure? I am currently reading the Master Guide, it indicates to me that software is needed to program macro.


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *warakawa*
> 
> "But what this keyboard has that's unique is that it has on-the-fly macro recording, from the keyboard itself! The last time I saw a keyboard with this capability was the Gateway Anykey, which came with my old 486DX2 machine back in around 1990. And I loved it."
> Are you sure? I am currently reading the Master Guide, it indicates to me that software is needed to program macro.


I believe the software is needed to program the macro keys originally, but once programmed to what you want, you can plug it into a different PC and the macro will still work. I have never had a black widow though, might want to get someone with one to verify.


----------



## General Crumples

Is this keyboard really a piece of junk? 50% say it is and the other 50% say its great. This makes me afraid because I ordered the expert edition a few days ago. If it can last me until May where I can probably get a Das or Ducky at least.


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *General Crumples*
> 
> Is this keyboard really a piece of junk? 50% say it is and the other 50% say its great. This makes me afraid because I ordered the expert edition a few days ago. If it can last me until May where I can probably get a Das or Ducky at least.


It's fine.


----------



## un1b4ll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *warakawa*
> 
> "But what this keyboard has that's unique is that it has on-the-fly macro recording, from the keyboard itself! The last time I saw a keyboard with this capability was the Gateway Anykey, which came with my old 486DX2 machine back in around 1990. And I loved it."
> Are you sure? I am currently reading the Master Guide, it indicates to me that software is needed to program macro.


http://www.razersupport.com/master-guides/Razer%20BlackWidow%20Ultimate%20MasterGuide.pdf Page 10


----------



## scriz

Attractive? Sure.
Built well? Double sure.
No NKRO or even a semi-sufficient anti ghosting? Instant killer.

Thanks for the review


----------



## clemsq

IMG-20120317-WA0006.jpg 75k .jpg file


2012-03-17 00.24.14.jpg 157k .jpg file





I would like to point this out because this is the keyboard i have and I feel dissapointed about it.

For the first pic:
I bought Razer BW Ulti around February 2011. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a very annoying appearance from the keyboard. the Blue LED of number "2" is dimmed.... soon after that, the light from "J" and "7" are dimmed as well... However, the light was back to normal after 2-3 days and dimmed 2-3 days afterwards (it seems the blue LED is trolling me lol)

For the second pic:
Sorry for the blur image, the point is the black area is wore out a bit, resulting a white blur around the "S". This also happens around my "D" button as well since I play MMO only, I mostly use WSAD as primary buttons.

I assume that mechanical keyboard are generally sturdy and to be honest this is a very good board in terms of quality, appearance, and most importantly comfortability. But after ONLY around 13 months of use, this keyboard shows sign of defects.
I feel that Razer need to double recheck their quality control









and in my country, the warranty only last for 1 year. so yeah ....


----------



## Crazy9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *clemsq*
> 
> IMG-20120317-WA0006.jpg 75k .jpg file
> 
> 
> 2012-03-17 00.24.14.jpg 157k .jpg file
> 
> 
> 
> I would like to point this out because this is the keyboard i have and I feel dissapointed about it.
> For the first pic:
> I bought Razer BW Ulti around February 2011. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a very annoying appearance from the keyboard. the Blue LED of number "2" is dimmed.... soon after that, the light from "J" and "7" are dimmed as well... However, the light was back to normal after 2-3 days and dimmed 2-3 days afterwards (it seems the blue LED is trolling me lol)
> For the second pic:
> Sorry for the blur image, the point is the black area is wore out a bit, resulting a white blur around the "S". This also happens around my "D" button as well since I play MMO only, I mostly use WSAD as primary buttons.
> I assume that mechanical keyboard are generally sturdy and to be honest this is a very good board in terms of quality, appearance, and most importantly comfortability. But after ONLY around 13 months of use, this keyboard shows sign of defects.
> I feel that Razer need to double recheck their quality control
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and in my country, the warranty only last for 1 year. so yeah ....


All the backlit boards people I know have had this happen eventually, with the exception of my Deck legend fire.


----------



## EarlZ

I have the same issue, it started with a few other keys dimming and would just return to normal but right now my Z key is totally out, its been like that for a couple of weeks already, I've had the keyboard for about 14 months or so, Im not aware if these LED sizes are standard ones that I can just buy off some electronics store. It doesnt bother me that much but I wish it lasted longer..


----------



## sofia

i love blue LEDs, beautiful at night!!!
if i have enough money, i will buy one!


----------



## claymanhb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sofia*
> 
> i love blue LEDs, beautiful at night!!!
> if i have enough money, i will buy one!


I really wish they were amber ....much better for your eyes. Still a great keyboard.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk


----------



## Svedge

*Do not clean the Blackwidow with alcohol (ethanol / Isopropyl) without removing the keycaps first. The alcohol will make the keycap plastic brittle and cracked.*

I had to order a full set of new keycaps from eBay


----------



## barkinos98

how big are the leds? and also is it possible to de-LED every key and instead install white leds? did anybody try this/any other color?


----------



## EarlZ

So the LED issue I had fixed it self, but now the keyboard either inputs letter "A" twice,thrice or does not accept the key press at random times. Im extremely disappointed that the warranty for the keyboard is only 1 year.


----------



## SemperfiMorder

I just got done trying to wash mine, then let it dry out for about 6 days, didn't fix my issue.

So today I soaked it in hot water for about an hour, and I will blow dry it to air it out faster and see if that fixes my issue. Otherwise this 130 dollar keyboard can't take a beating at all. Barely got some OJ in the keys when I spilled my cup shaker cup, and it ruined a few keys ability to register keystrokes without mashing them.

Anyone suggest another way to try and clean it effectively?


----------



## EarlZ

I didnt realize its safe to water soak the keyboard, its safe for the PCB? I wonder if the key chattering issue I have can be fixed by cleaning it.


----------



## General Crumples

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SemperfiMorder*
> 
> I just got done trying to wash mine, then let it dry out for about 6 days, didn't fix my issue.
> So today I soaked it in hot water for about an hour, and I will blow dry it to air it out faster and see if that fixes my issue. Otherwise this 130 dollar keyboard can't take a beating at all. Barely got some OJ in the keys when I spilled my cup shaker cup, and it ruined a few keys ability to register keystrokes without mashing them.
> Anyone suggest another way to try and clean it effectively?


Thats really weird. My friend spilt a whole cup of water on his once and it started acting funny after. He unplugged it, used a blow dryer and compressed air and let it stand for 6 hours and then plugged it back in and everything worked except that one of the keys lost the 'click' sound


----------



## ripster

Just don't use the dishwasher.

And ONLY do it as a last resort!

http://imgur.com/a/AqhIZ#4

Pic from the now defunct Geekhack Ripster Keyboard Cleaning Guide.


----------



## EarlZ

So I just open up my black widow ultimate and soak up the PCB with distilled water and let it try for like 3-4days and thats it? Could that also fix the chattering issue or do I need a switch for that?


----------



## 3930K

Great review. I think you missed something though, the fn key is sticky which is annoying. I uninstalled FF thinking it was ff







had to redownload it which took ages on British telecrap's adsl2+ line.


----------



## xxgamxx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *inanity*
> 
> It's because the keyboard sucks. I thought at first maybe I wasn't "used to it", but in fact the keys stick and knock into each other. I don't understand how anyone can give this piece of crap a good review.


How common is this now? Has razer upped their build quality since release for the same exact keyboard?


----------



## Red119

Great review! I also got this keyboard and is so nice for you who types alot. I just got one problem. It's the gaming mode light the "G" do'esnt show up. But i still have the warranty and if i have to i will change with a new one. But if anyone know how to maybe fix it please comment


----------



## GuyTheMod

I think this keyboard is good, but the keys wear off really fast. Also, great review.


----------



## ripster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuyTheMod*
> 
> I think this keyboard is good, but the keys wear off really fast. Also, great review.


Need pics!


----------



## kcuestag

Hello guys,

I am a happy owner of a BlackWidow Ultimate since early June, and I am a bit dissapointed at how the space bar is already wearing off by the left side (Where I press it) while any other key is fine...

Is it possible to actually remove the whole key and turn it around so I can use the better side? If so, how? I am afraid of breaking it.









Thanks!


----------



## pent

pretty. problem i got is on my black widow ultimate 2013 in the logo of the razer light up LED i see some small marks inside it! I EVEN Disassembled my keyboard and took out that piece and it seems to be inside it! it is so annoying!


----------



## kcuestag

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kcuestag*
> 
> Hello guys,
> I am a happy owner of a BlackWidow Ultimate since early June, and I am a bit dissapointed at how the space bar is already wearing off by the left side (Where I press it) while any other key is fine...
> Is it possible to actually remove the whole key and turn it around so I can use the better side? If so, how? I am afraid of breaking it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!


----------



## kbfreak

Very nice write up! I like how you started with the history of PC keyboards and building a case for mechanical keyboards. Great photos too!


----------

