Review: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate

So, I just picked up my first mechanical keyboard, and I gotta say, I'm very impressed.

The Blackwidow Ultimate is the "better" of two identical models; the actual keyboards are the same, but the Ultimate model has backlit keys and USB/audio pass-through ports, while the regular model is pretty minimalist.

The first thing I noticed when I took this thing out was how freaking heavy it was. My previous keyboard, a pretty average Dell USB rubber-dome keyboard, felt like pure plastic by comparison (which is probably not too far from the truth). In terms of design, it's pretty much what you'd expect from Razer. All black, with the frame of the board glossy and the keys themselves (thankfully) not. There is one single backlit Razer logo at the bottom center of the keyboard, on the palmrest, virtually invisible if you don't illuminate the keys. In the upper right are the indicator lights for Num/Caps/Scroll Lock, Gaming Mode, and pass-through ports.

The keys themselves are labeled in a very stylized font, and every single one is individually backlit. The lighting is controlled by Fn+F12, and works out of the box without any Razer software installed. There are five levels of lighting; off, low, medium, high, and glowing. The glow mode sort of looks like the DeathAdder's light, if you've ever seen that; the light slowly pulses between maximum brightness and off. I generally just leave it on the highest brightness.

Gaming Mode is another useful out-of-the-box keyboard shortcut, Fn+F11. This basically disables the Windows key and Menu key so you won't accidentally minimize your game by nudging one.

Other shortcuts include Fn+F1 through F8, which are media and volume control keys. I haven't tested the media controls, but the volume and mute shortcuts also work out of the box without the Razer driver software.

Now that I've established that it's pretty, it's time for the part that actually matters: how it fares as a keyboard.

The Blackwidow uses Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches. This is a tactile, clicky type of switch. With every stroke you can feel very obviously when you've reached the point of actuation, and it makes typing an absolute breeze. The audible click is very satisfying as well, although you should consider a quieter switch if you live with noise-sensitive people. They do make a Blackwidow Stealth Edition, which uses Cherry MX Brown switches, i.e. non-clicky.

The keystrokes are very consistent; every key feels like it goes down as smoothly as all the others and with the same force, including the spacebar. Typing on this thing took me the better part of yesterday to get used to, after being with my Dell board for several years, but I'm touch-typing as fast as I ever have with any other board.

I've heard some people complain about Razer's choice of MX Blue switches for a "gaming" keyboard, claiming that Black switches are the best choice, as they have no click or tactile actuation. That may be true, but personally, I don't have any trouble with these keys. They take surprisingly little force to actuate, and I prefer having some sort of tactile feedback rather than a perfectly smooth key that I have to bottom out to ensure that it works. That said, I've read that most people tend to consider Blue switches better than Black for actual typing, perhaps even the best type. Now, gaming capability is nice, but honestly, who buys a keyboard with typing as a secondary consideration?

(Disclaimer: I have never used a keyboard that uses MX Black switches, so maybe it really is much more awesome and I'm just talking out of my ***)

The Blackwidow also comes with 5 programmable macro keys vertically along the left side of the board, M1 through M5, just left of the tilde-Ctrl column. I haven't even installed the software yet to make use of these, so I'll update later when I've had a chance to play with them. I also have a few photos, but it turns out somebody yanked my camera's SD card, meaning they're stuck on the camera's internal memory, so I'll have to figure out a way to get them to my computer.

Overall, this is by far the best keyboard I've ever owned. Typing is simply amazing, and gaming is just peachy. I've had one other "gaming" keyboard before this; a Logitech G15 rev. 2 with rubber domes and orange backlighting. While the little display on that board was a neat idea, as a keyboard that cost almost as much as this Blackwidow, that thing was a piece of crap. The keys were so mushy, I could never tell when I was pressing hard enough to actuate, and the backlighting looked like it was one single orange bulb at the middle of the board; it was very uneven and some keys were almost totally dark. Also, orange sucks. It discouraged me from gaming keyboards for a handful of years; this is the first one I've tried since then, and I gotta say, I'm quite impressed.

EDIT - got a few photos up, pardon the crappy quality of my camera and the sloppy state of my apartment.

Spoiler

 

I would think that a company that only makes "gaming periphials" would have used black switches on their flagship keyboard. Sorry but in my opinion, if I'm going to buy a "gaming keyboard" it would have to utilize the blacks. I have used both and can confirm.....Once you go black...You never go back.

 

That is really subjective though. Weirdly, many people hate the Blacks and prefer using Blues, Browns or Reds that I have known of. I know some hardcore gamers who don't like Blacks and use Reds or Blues instead and love them. Your prejudice on what a "gaming" keyboard should have is merely your own opinion as you said, but it is not the majority preference.

Personally, I prefer Blue and Browns and I think Razer has gotten that right to many of us that do. However, I dislike the BlackWidow in general for other things, including their use of glossy acrylic and some well know hiccups on various batches of their keyboards.

 

Post some pics!

+1

It's all preference, they are simply "different".

 

Nice first impressions.

Though ergonomically and in terms of response where you have to overcome the click to make contact (the break required is more than a decent rubber dome - and e.g. I don't consider any iteration of the G15 a decent rubber dome, especially after some wear), blues on a gaming keyboard doesn't make much sense to me. Me = Blue, Brown, Black, Red and Capacitive owner.

If I had to have a mechanical gaming / main keyboard (my gaming / main keyboards are the MS Sidewinders), it'd be reds - browns at a pinch. I do quite like both of the new Corsairs as mechs go (even though the M90 is kind of a hybrid).

 

I agree w/ the thought with do most (mainstream) gaming keyboards come with MX Blue.

Technically speaking its pretty much the worst switch type for gaming. I am typing on blues right now I use them daily and I love them but not for gaming.

It has the largest distance between activation and reset point making multi activation of a key harder.

The clicking serves no purpose for gaming as your not speed typing or anything your mashing down a key and usually holding it down in the case of fps and other games with the wsad cluster.

Not to mention most games these days people use voice chat, and nobody wants to hear your click, click, click, every time you say something (I know from experience lol)

As a former owner though this review inspires me to write a review as well since I owned one and have owned many other mech keyboards to compare it against. So I have some baselines that I can use that you have not experienced yet as far as overall build quality compared to similar priced keyboards, the formfactor, the switch type, etc.

 

Well, i guess we'll have to create a repository of mechanical gaming keyboard reviews. I have a black widow ultimate stealth awaiting review as well as a mionix zibal 60. I plan to do a comparison of the two. I have all the pics i need for the black widow stealth, only need to do pics for the zibal unboxing redux and write the comparison. I was planning on doing this for a while, but i kinda lost all motivation at some point.

The stealth uses brown switches while the zibal 60 uses black switches. The black feel great, but for long typing sessions, i prefer the browns which is why the black widow has been relegated to office duties and i use the zibal 60 for gaming.

Also, as some people said, typing feel is something very subjective and a well made rubber dome keyboard also feels quite good to type on. I wouldn't mind a lycosa for example, but i still prefer the feeling of the mechs even though the price is prohibitive if you want backlit. I use the backlight often since i like to work/game in low light conditions and i can't blind type yet.

When i get to writing my comparative, you'll see that like Vicious in his review of the black widow ultimate dragon age edition, i have a few complaints about it, but it still remains a nice keyboard, i will say this in advance though, i find the zibal to be better overall.

 

Hmm...so no problems with this keyboard? I like that the Razors have USB hubs, and that they have media keys, BUT from Amazon reviews it seems like tons of them ship with major problems with keys physically hitting each other or something.

I'm assuming I don't want Black, as I do more typing than anything, and I think anything would probably work okay for games.

I assume I want either Brown or Blue. I don't want my keyboard super loud, and I don't want a TON of resistance, so...I don't know.

Good to hear Blues work fine for gaming though. I play games all the time, but almost never online, and never competitively, so that part doesn't matter to me.

 

If you don't want your keyboard super loud then stay away from the Blues. hey also have the farthest travel from press to activation.

 

These Blues are pretty clicky, so you might want to go with the Stealth Edition that uses Brown switches instead. Mine has no issues of keys running into each other, and the spacebar is perfectly even.

As for actuation distance and time, Blues may have the longest, but it's still way less than any rubber dome keyboard I've ever used. I'm barely tapping on these keys and cranking out 100 words per minute.

 

Then you've been using the wrong rubber domes

I only have 5 mechanicals I keep at home, a few more - maybe a dozen or so left - at the office and elsewhere. Can't really find even an occasional use for blacks so the one or two I have are packed away somewhere.

I'm not into big reviews but I can certainly talk about the merits of each from a non-purchase-justification point of view, and why I still prefer the Microsoft Sidewinders to any of them.

 

why do you like the microsoft ones better? And I sure hope they're better than this horrid 3000 series Microsoft one

 

Good to hear you haven't had issues-hopefully they got fixed! Is your keyboard physically smaller than normal though? Like the keys? One Amazon review acted like it was.

 

Consistent, and responsive key break - the break is more or less immediate (unlike a tactile mech), then consistent low resistance to contact within relatively little travel - and then a good landing feel - even if you are jabbing-not-to-bottom in the mechanical way. You can (and many do) try to replicate the last part of that feel with o-rings but I personally think it's not a successful attempt - and makes those make mechs worse in the process. The amount of physical travel required to make contact is similar (to mechs) to the extent that it makes no difference in the speed of reactions, or in high speed typing.

Also, in comparison to e.g. the Logitechs, relatively immune to wear, in that the Logi's performance degrades quite noticeably as you wear them in (or out, you could say), not that they're spectacular out of the box. The Sidewinders slide smoothly and predictably since I've had them, the oldest of which is fairly shortly after release. Key legends not immune to wear of course much like any other backlit keyboard - and my oldest ones are looking pretty worn around the usual keys.

In the case of the X6, I also like the swappable numpad/macropad.

 

Huh...well I HATE this 3000...wish I could try all these keyboards out...

 

Are you guys using these keyboards with your notebooks or are you using them with desktops?

 

All desktops bar a couple. I have all of my non-reserve Z2's up on stands with keyboards attached to the PMD's - all Filco's.

 

The zibal 60 with my desktop, the black widow stealth with my G73. Vogel is spot on about well made rubber domes, they do feel great. Whether you prefer the sidewinder or the feel of the mechanicals is something personal. I haven't tested the sidewinder, but i can say i prefer my mech to the razer lycosa (the lycosa would be fine for me though), i won't even begin to describe how bad my logitech mx3200 feels after going mech.

 

Oh, undoubtedly the rubber domes don't have the 'snick' of the mechanicals, but the real question is the practical benefits of that 'more mechanical' action when you're hammering down on it at speed as opposed to pressing down very slowly as I notice many people do to judge switches.

 

Well, i can say for a fact that i tend to hit the keys on my black widow stealth rather lightly, even when i type fast, but on my zibal, i tend to bottom out the keys at least half the time, typing this on the zibal right now . I still like the stiffness and linear feel of the blacks when i play games very much though, i like it when i type too, but not as much as the browns.

That being said, the prices for mechs is so high, and those are minor things that from a financial point of view, i can't justify getting a mech , i'd still buy them, but they aren't keyboards i'd recommend to people without a certain amount of disposable income.

 

More a need to be 'leet' in a rather niche way I feel, in terms of the driving force behind the purchase.

I definitely have the disposable income and beyond perhaps the Corsairs which I don't mind at all, and maybe a Topre or two for the extended typing bouts (they actually slow me down a little, but I like the way I can 'ride' the keys, as well as comparatively - to Cherrys - speaking the key feedback), if I were to buy the Razers, Filco's, Leopolds, Noppoos, etc all over again - I probably wouldn't. As for buckling spring - no. Just no.

 

Oh, there was definitely some "bragging rights" involved in my decision, but it wasn't the only or main factor when i made my decision.

 

Thanks for the review! Very helpful

 

Seems like a pretty normal sized keyboard to me.

Desktop. I never quite understood the point of an external keyboard with a notebook, unless it's a really tiny 9" netbook.

I aim to please.

Anyway, I got a couple photos up in the first post. Pardon my camera and its awful quality, and my awful apartment.

 

I dont like the backlight at all. Eventually it gets dirty and i have no use for backlight itself since i never look on kb when i am typing.

 

Dirty? I've had a couple of backlit keyboards in the past, one built in to an old laptop, and the G15 I used to have. Even after over a year of use, they weren't any dirtier than any keyboard would be by that point.

Also, they do make the Blackwidow in a "normal" edition with no backlights or pass-through ports for about half the price.

 

One of the advantages of a standard-spaced Cherry keyboard is that you can exchange the keycaps. Don't want backlight? Just swap them for solid keys.

Even on a backlit keyboard - though I never actually bothered doing a swap with the Razer, and neither did I begin to bother with the Corsair until just now so I can't vouch this working for every Cherry-based backlit.

That's also the other reason people choose Cherry-based mechanicals, from what I see on the 'totally can't see the wood for the trees' guys at Geekhack - Nerd Barbie.

But in fact, on a Cherry keyboard this makes a lot of sense since it's pretty likely that your particular vendor won't be around or offering replacement keycaps when your keys starts wearing through completely in 2-3 years time, and it's not cheap enough to say "OK, I've had my money's worth out of it" and toss it out then like a dome (assuming also of course, the switches haven't failed outside of warranty).