So I finally got my first mechanical keyboard after debating over what kind of keys to get, and then which keyboard to go for.
In the end, I went with a Razer BlackWidow Ultimate because it looked like the best backlit mechanical available.
There are definitely things about it that I do like, but also things that I don't like at all, and I'm not sure if some of that is Razer's implementation, or if it's just that I don't like MX Blues.
I like the click sound of the keys, though I wouldn't miss it if I went with something else. I
love how much less force it takes to press the keys compared to my old rubber dome keyboard or the (Apple) notebook keyboards I've been using all these years.
The keyboard is a nice weight and feels very solid, always a good thing.
I didn't think it would be much of an issue as I can remap the symbols, but I don't like the huge shift and American style return key - I keep hitting \ when I mean to hit return. Didn't realise that I must always be hitting the top of the ISO return when typing.
Not keen on the way that Razer has changed the layout of some other keys even from the standard ANSI layout. The F1-F12 keys along the top are shifted to the right and grouped much closer together than normal. The Esc key is no longer at the top left of the keyboard due to the Macro keys down the side.
My big problem is with keys sticking and the way the keys actuate, which I think is an MX Blue issue rather than anything specific to the BlackWidow.
1. Keys have a tendency to stick, particularly the spacebar and larger modifier keys.
When I press the spacebar for example, it seems to be catching on the tactile actuation point of the switch on the way
up and so it feels like you have let go of the key enough that you are just resting on it, but you're actually holding it down and need to take your thumb completely off the key for it to stop.
Is this normal for blues? Should there be a tactile bump on the keys going up
and down?
2. It's
incredibly easy to bottom out on the keys. Perhaps it's just me, but when I'm typing quickly, I'm finding it difficult to
not bottom out on the keys due to the actuation of them. It seems like there are three different pressure points on the keys.
- Medium force on the keys for 1mm or so before the switch actuates.
- High force to actuate the switch.
- Low force after actuation, letting the key bottom out very easily due to the higher pressure require to actuate the switch.
If you didn't have that initial 1mm or so of 'flex' in the keys, and it took less force to actuate the switch, I think I'd have a much easier time not bottoming out on it.
3. It's tough to double-tap the keys quickly. Because there seems to be a tactile bump on the way up
and down with the keys, I'm finding that if I try to double-tap a key, it isn't actually letting it go up all the way first, unless I completely remove my finger from the key and so it ends up either not registering, or it registers as if I had held the key down instead.
The only way to double-tap quickly is to lift my finger completely and bottom out hard.
I'm not sure if the problem here is that the actuation point is much higher up than I am used to compared to a membrane keyboard, that the tactile bump interferes with it, or a combination of the two.
I had initially planned on getting a keyboard that used MX Browns, but the only backlit option there was a Deck and I really can't stand the font they use on the keys. I don't much like the Razer's either, but I can tolerate it. Unfortunately if you want a backlit mechanical keyboard, your options are severely limited.
Does it seem like what I actually want is a keyboard using MX Reds with linear action rather than blues?
I don't mind a tactile bump on the way down, but don't want one on the way up, as that seems to cause me to hold the key down without meaning to.
Anything people here more familiar with the various switch types would suggest/recommend?
