UPS delivered my BlackWidow a couple of days ago, and here are my first impressions so far.
I had an alarming out-of-the-box experience. Key caps were falling off the number pad, and the cardboard housing that cushioned the keyboard looked like it had already been opened a couple of times. I suspected that I got a re-boxed keyboard that someone had already tried. Once I clicked the key caps back in place, I couldn't get them off again, so maybe it was a manufacturing snafu. Either way, moving on.
For reference, I've used an IBM Model M for years, and sent back a Scorpius M10 or whatever that scorpion-sounding blue cherry keyboard was that seriously disappointed me.
First off, I noticed that the keys on the Black Widow seemed really wobbly. Compared to the rigid Model M that had maybe 1 mm of give in any horizontal direction (at most), the BW's keys had at least double that. Which is odd, because whatever grip or coating that people are talking about, my BW doesn't seem to have. The spacebar, however, is as firm as my Model M with regards to horizontal play.
The numeric keypad keys seem flimsy, but the rest of the keys on the keyboard feel more solid to me. I never use the keypad, so I didn't care. I would've jumped at a tenkeyless version.
After a few minutes of use, I got frustrated. The lighter touch (what isn't lighter compared to a Model M, right?) let me type faster, but my fingers skidded all over the place, catching nearby keys. Typos galore. I was ready to package up the keyboard and send it back, when I realized that I was really slamming the keys to type. So I decided just to stick with the BW for a couple of days and see what happened.
Long story short, I woke up the next morning, and started flying. 10-20% typing speed increase with almost no errors. Apparently, I just needed the time to adjust my muscle memory and stop treating the keyboard like a Model M. Now, when I use the Model M, it feels like I have to strain to press the keys. This was a big lesson for me: I can try a keyboard for a few minutes, but if it's different enough from what I'm used to, I need a day to adjust.
Overall, I quickly grew to like this keyboard a lot. The BW is a bit stiffer and has slightly more resistance than the Scorpius I hated, and that's a major win for me. I can flow better with this keyboard compared to a Model M, which shocks me. The five macro keys along the left side still throw me off, because apparently I use my awareness of the left edge of the keyboard to keep my left hand on the home keys. Multiple times I found myself sitting down to my keyboard, begin typing, and instead of an "A", I hit the capslock and start typing gibberish in all caps.
I don't use F keys consistently, so their weird placement doesn't bother me. I haven't installed the software yet.
I'm glad I stuck with the BW. I'll give it a couple more days, but I'm pretty sure I'm keeping it. The jury's still out on the Tron mouse I bought at the same time (it ended a years-long wait for a mouse that has two buttons on each side fender instead of just one), but I haven't had a chance to play much this week.
