Razer Optical Switches — Speed of Light ⌨️
THE SPEED OF LIGHT
Razer™ Optical Switches deliver the fastest performance you’ll ever experience.
Pushing innovation to elevate the gaming experience is something we constantly strive for. It was what drove us to create the first mechanical keyboard for gaming, then subsequently design our own Razer™ Mechanical Switches to meet the needs of different gamers. And with Razer™ Switches, we’re redefining the standards of speed once again.
HOW THE RAZER™ OPTICAL SWITCH WORKS
The swiftest actuation ever
Unlike traditional mechanical switches that have a lot of moving parts and actuate via metallic contact, Razer™ Optical Switch enables actuation via light. Imagine this: you press a key and a light beam instantly passes through the switch stem—which is when actuation happens—and sends a corresponding signal to your computer to perform the intended action.
IMPROVED PERFORMANCE
Instant actuation
Razer Linear Optical Switch
A linear switch that actuates at a 1.2mm actuation distance, 16.67% shorter than other linear mechanical switches. At a lightweight 45 g of actuation force.
Razer Clicky Optical Switch
The only clicky switch to actuate at a 1.5 mm actuation distance (30% shorter than other clicky mechanical switches). At only just 45 g of actuation force.
Rapid-fire input
Same actuation and reset point for instant reset, for both the Clicky and the Linear Optical Switch
ZERO DEBOUNCE DELAY
By using light to actuate, we eliminate bouncing found in traditional mechanical switches.
As a result, the signal is sent the instant you actuate the key.
DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE
| RAZER™ CLICKY OPTICAL SWITCH | STANDARD CLICKY MECHANICAL SWITCH | |
| Key Feel | Light and Clicky | Tactile and clicky |
| Actuation Method | Light Actuation | Metal contact point |
| Actuation Force | 45g | 50g — 60g |
| Actuation Point | 1.5mm | 2.0mm — 2.2mm |
| Durability | 100 million clicks | 50 million clicks |
| Stability | Cross Stem with Stabilizers | Cross Stem |
RAZER™ CLICKY OPTICAL SWITCH
STANDARD CLICKY MECHANICAL SWITCH
Key Feel
Light and Clicky
Tactile and Clicky
Actuation Method
Light Actuation
Metal contact point
Actuation Force
45g
50g — 60g
Actuation Point
1.
5mm
2.0mm — 2.2mm
Durability
100 million clicks
50 million clicks
Stability
Cross Stem with Stabilizers
Cross Stem
| RAZER™ LINEAR OPTICAL SWITCH | STANDARD LINEAR MECHANICAL SWITCH | |
| Key Feel | Light and Instant | Linear and Silent |
| Actuation Method | Light Actuation | Metal contact point |
| Actuation Force | 45g | 45g |
| Actuation Point | 1.2mm | 1. 2mm |
| Durability | 100 million clicks | 50 million clicks |
| Stability | Cross Stem with Stabilizers | Cross Stem |
RAZER™ LINEAR OPTICAL SWITCH
STANDARD LINEAR MECHANICAL SWITCH
Key Feel
Light and Instant
Linear and Silent
Actuation Method
Light Actuation
Metal contact point
Actuation Force
45g
45g
Actuation Point
1.2mm
1.2mm
Durability
100 million clicks
50 million clicks
Stability
Cross Stem with Stabilizers
Cross Stem
Razer Huntsman V2
Optical Gaming Keyboard with Near-zero Input Latency
Learn More
Razer Huntsman V2 Tenkeyless
Tenkeyless Optical Gaming Keyboard
Learn More
Razer Huntsman Mini
60% Gaming Keyboard with Razer™ Optical Switch
Learn More
Razer Huntsman Elite: Optomechanische Tastatur? Hä? Was?
Dass Razer seine Tastaturen schon seit geraumer Zeit mit eigens konzipierten mechanischen Switches bestückt statt mit der Standardware von Cherry oder Kailh, dürfte einigen bekannt sein.
Zur Computex kündigte Razer eine neue Schaltervariante an, nämlich optomechanische Switches. Zu diesen Schaltern gibt es nun erste Tastaturen. Die Razer Huntsman Elite ist mit den Neulingen ausgestattet, aber mit einem UVP von 209,99 Euro derzeit alles andere als preiswert. Ist die Huntsman den Preis dennoch wert?
Für den stolzen Preis sollte man einiges erwarten können und zumindest optisch wird die Razer Huntsman dem auch gerecht. Die 44,5 x 14,0 x 4,2 mm große und 1.351 g schwere Tastatur ist picobello verarbeitet und hinterlässt mit ihrer Aluminiumplatte einen durch und durch robusten Eindruck. Die Antirutschgummis leisten hervorragende Arbeit, egal ob mit oder ohne aufgestellte Füße.
Die beiliegende Handballenablage ist dank Schaum und weichen Kunstleders extrem bequem. Die etwas schärferen Kanten an der Unterseite stören nicht weiter, da die Hände damit nicht in Berührung kommen. Auch der magnetische Anschluss überzeugt. Er hält die Ablage sicher an der Tastatur und versorgt Erstere mit Strom.
Warum, dazu gleich mehr. Der Anschluss des Keyboards erfolgt über ein dickes USB-Kabel mit zwei USB-Steckern. Wer aufgrund dessen erwartet, dass die Huntsman über USB-Passthrough oder gar Audiostecker verfügt, sieht sich allerdings getäuscht. Schade, bei Tastaturen dieser Preisklasse ist zumindest ein USB-Passthrough eigentlich Standard.
Das Layout der Volltastatur überzeugt ebenfalls. Die Abstände der erhaben montierten Tasten sind genau richtig, die Ergonomie ist nahezu perfekt. Sondertasten gibt es nur begrenzt in Form dreier Multimediatasten und eines Drehrads mit Schalter. Letzteres dient in der Standardeinstellung dazu, die Lautstärke zu regeln oder die Lautsprecher stumm zu schalten. Alle Tasten können natürlich mittels Razer Synapse Software programmiert werden.
Schade: Während bei vielen Keyboards mittlerweile alternative Tastenkappen für FPS- oder MOBA-Belegungen beiliegen, hat Razer auch hier gespart. Immerhin nutzt Razer aber eine gängige Kreuzbefestigung für die Keycaps, sodass sich auch Kappen anderer Hersteller verwenden lassen.
So konnten wir problemlos die aufgerauten, roten Tastenkappen einer HyperX Alloy FPS montieren. Insgesamt muss man allerdings festhalten, dass die Ausstattung der Tastatur für diese Preisklasse ein wenig dünn geraten ist. Wer auf die Handballenablage verzichten kann, sollte daher über die rund 50 Euro preiswertere Standardversion der Razer Huntsman nachdenken.
Das Wichtigste an der Razer Huntsman steckt aber ohnehin im Inneren. Während normale Switches mittels eines mechanischen Mechanismus einen Kontakt bewirken, arbeiten die optomechanischen Schalter quasi mit einem Lichtsensor, der durch das Drücken einer Taste ausgelöst wird. Natürlich ein sehr verschleißarmes Verfahren, weswegen die Haltbarkeit des Keyboards mit 100 Millionen Anschlägen angegeben wird – eine halbe Ewigkeit also.
Eine Stabilisatorleiste sorgt für eine gleichmäßige Auslösekraft von 45 g. Der Auslösepunkt liegt mit 1,5 mm etwas niedriger als bei den meisten anderen Switches mit ihren 2,0 mm.
Der Tastenhub insgesamt beträgt 3,5 mm. Auf ein mechanisches Klickgeräusch wurde aber nicht verzichtet, sodass die Schalter ein wenig wie die Blue-Schalter anderer Hersteller oder die Razer Green klingen, aber weitaus leichtgängiger sind und schneller reagieren.
Das Ergebnis ist ein anfangs etwas gewöhnungsbedürftiges, weil sehr sensibles Tippverhalten. Hat man sich aber daran gewöhnt, ergibt sich ein hervorragendes Tippgefühl. Die Schalter reagieren enorm flink und präzise, ohne großen Kraftaufwand zu erfordern. Gerade wer viel tippt oder spielt, wird schnell glücklich mit den neuen Switches. Die Lautstärke des mechanischen Klicks muss man allerdings mögen, zumal gerade die Leertaste leider extrem laut geraten ist. Bei ihr wäre noch ein wenig Nachbesserung nötig, sie fällt im Klangbild doch negativ auf. Alles in allem aber klasse.
Natürlich hat Razer nicht auf die Chroma-RGB-Beleuchtung verzichtet, die ihr mit der Razer-Synapse-Software steuert.
Nicht nur ist jede einzelne Taste steuerbar, auch ein LED-Streifen rings um das Gehäuse ist mit an Bord, wobei auch die Handballenablage nicht ausgelassen wird. Darum auch der zweite USB-Stecker und die stromführende Verbindung zwischen Tastatur und Ablage. Das sieht schickt aus, muss man zugeben. Auch die Beleuchtung der Tasten ist nahezu makellos. Allerdings befinden sich die LEDs der einzelnen Tasten im oberen Bereich, sodass lediglich die Hauptbeschriftung beleuchtet wird, nicht aber die Symbole der Zweitbelegungen. Aber das ist kein Beinbruch.
Greift zu, wenn…
… ihr euch nicht scheut, viel Geld für das vielleicht beste Tippgefühl aller Zeiten auszugeben, und über die etwas magere Ausstattung hinwegsehen könnt.
Spart es euch, wenn…
… euch klickende Tastaturen auf den Keks gehen.
Fazit
von Andreas Philipp
Sauteure Tastatur mit starkem Tippgefühl
O weh, zwei Herzen schlagen in meiner Brust.
Das traurige Herz beschwert sich über den brachialen Preis, der so ziemlich die gesamte Konkurrenz in den Schatten stellt, zumal man für um die 200 Steine deutlich mehr Ausstattung gewohnt ist, wie USB-Passthroughs oder alternative Tastenkappen für FPS oder MOBAs. Doch dann kommt dieser Moment, in dem man die hochwertig verarbeitete Tastatur ausgiebig benutzt und das jubelnde Herz munter durch die Gegend hüpft.
Man muss sich zunächst ein wenig an das sensible Anschlagverhalten der optomechanischen Schalter gewöhnen. Das geht aber schnell und dann fällt es schwer, sich nicht in die Huntsman zu verlieben. Das leichtgängige, direkte und ungemein präzise Auslösen der Schalter ist ein Hochgenuss, egal ob beim Schreiben oder Zocken. Gleiches gilt für die mörderisch bequeme Handballenablage. Die Klickgeräusche sind allerdings Geschmackssache und eher etwas für Spieler, die mit Cherry MX oder Kailh Blue verbandelt waren, zumal die Leertaste etwas arg penetrant klingt. Andere Modelle sind derzeit nicht in Sicht.
Unterm Strich ist die Huntsman Elite eine hervorragende Tastatur mit genialem Tippgefühl, die aber unter dem hohen Preis und der dafür arg mageren Ausstattung leidet. Von der Konkurrenz bekommt man für weniger Geld teils mehr geboten, an das Tippgefühl kommen aber weder Corsair noch Logitech heran.
Überblick
Pro
- hervorragendes Tippgefühl
- sehr direkt und präzise agierende Schalter mit kurzem Auslöseweg
- hochwertige Verarbeitung
- praktische Multimediatasten und -regler
- sehr ergonomisches Tastaturlayout
- äußerst bequeme Handballenablage
- schicke LED-Beleuchtung von Tasten und Gehäuse inklusive Handballenablage
- Tastenkappen auch gegen die anderer Hersteller austauschbar
- sehr rutschfest
- keine Fingerabdrücke auf der Oberfläche sichtbar
Contra
- sehr teuer
- dünne Ausstattung gegenüber Tastaturen in gleicher Preisklasse: keine alternativen Keycaps, kein USB-Passthrough
- mechanisches Klicken nicht jedermanns Sache
- penetrant laute Leertaste
Razer Optical-Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review Huntsman / Overclockers.
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Mechanical switch technology is already quite ancient by today’s computer industry standards. And since its appearance, little has changed in it, except for a few exotic options for the implementation of mechanisms. And the most promising development for mechanics today can be considered the so-called «optical switches», the essence of which is that instead of closing the metal contacts, an interruption occurs in them, or vice versa, the transmission of a beam of light, which is used as a signal to actuate the key. Despite a number of advantages over classical mechanics, optical switches are still not widely used and devices based on them can literally be counted on the fingers. Of course, such a prominent manufacturer of gaming peripherals as Razer, could not stay away from such innovations and decided to start introducing them into their products. And the result was the appearance of «opto-mechanical» keyboards Huntsman and Huntsman Elite, the first of which we will talk about in this review.
Specifications
| Model | Razer Huntsman |
|---|---|
| Product page | razer.com |
| Connection | Wired |
| Interface | USB 2.0 |
| Polling frequency, Hz | 1000 |
| Type | Gaming room |
| Number of keys | 104 |
| Additional buttons | – |
| Keystroke resource, million | 100 |
| Key type | Opto-mechanical |
| Switch type | Razer Opto-Mechanical |
| Changing the angle of the housing | + |
| Built-in memory, KB | + |
| Macro recording capability | + |
| Rollover handling | 10 |
| Light | + (Chroma RGB) |
| USB cable length, m | 1. 95 |
| Braid material | Nylon braid |
| Integral display included | – |
| Material | Plastic / Aluminum |
| Color | Black |
| Software | + (Razer Synapse) |
| Removable palm rest | – |
| External interfaces | – |
| Dimensions (L x W x H), mm | 445 x 140 x 37 |
| Weight, g | 860 |
| Compatible with OS | Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 |
| Features | – |
| Average cost, $ | 150 |
Delivery set
The packaging of the keyboard is printed in black and green colors. On the front there is an image of the product, its name and the type of switches used. You can find out about the nature of the operation of the buttons by clicking them through a special window in the box.
On the reverse side, most of the information is devoted to how well these mechanisms work. In addition, there is a mention that they can withstand up to 100 million activations and are equipped with Chroma backlighting. You can read about the dimensions, layout language and system requirements of the keyboard on the sidewall.
The keyboard is protected from shipping damage by a transparent plastic cover, two polyurethane dampers on the sides, and two cardboard inserts at the front and back. Documentation is stored in a pocket under the top cover.
Includes instruction manual, congratulations tab from Ming-Liang Tang and a set of five stickers.
Appearance
Before discussing the appearance of the keyboard, I would like to make a short remark about its name. Traditionally, all mechanical keyboards from Razer were called BlackWidow, meaning the name of the black widow spider. And then suddenly — Hunstman (hunter). But everything will fall into place if you do a little research.
It turns out that Hunstman is also a kind of spider, and quite healthy and aggressive. So, about appearance. The design of this keyboard is made extremely simple, and this cannot but rejoice. The top panel is made of aluminum alloy, approximately 0.8 mm thick. It is completely flat, with small roundings at the corners. The keys rest on a metal plate in the best traditions of «skeletons».
Keyboard layout is ANSI standard 104 keys with long Shift and single row Enter. The F1 button is located exactly above the number «2». The shape of the keycaps is usual, with a cylindrical recess in the center. Large symbols of Latin engraving are laser-etched in the center at the top of the buttons, and the Cyrillic alphabet is halved and shifted to the right side of the cap. Instead of the right Win key, the Fn key is built in, in combination with which you can execute a number of additional commands, as well as record macros.
Numeric and pointer block look standard. In the upper right corner, instead of the usual Lock-indicators, only a subtle Razer inscription is applied.
A set of five dot indicators is shifted under the editor buttons. They are signed as «C» (Caps Lock), «1» (Num Lock), «S» (Scroll Lock), «M» (Macro), «G» (game mode), although the inscriptions themselves are barely distinguishable. All indicators are highlighted in an unobtrusive white color, except for the «M» which is lit in red.
The keycaps are removed upwards, as on conventional mechanical keyboards. They are made of ABS plastic and painted on the outside. All purple pin mechanisms have their own metal stabilizers. But the stabilization of long keys is performed strangely, in a manner more typical for membrane keyboards. The rod wire passes under the panel, and through the hole it is connected to the cap through a plastic hook. There is no reliable contact there, and given that the plastic constantly crawls over the metal at an angle, grinding it is only a matter of time.
Although the optical-mechanical switches are labeled Razer, it is very likely that this is the branding of A4Tech’s third-generation Light Strike (LK) Libra movement.
It is not true that this is their own development, and it is possible that the real manufacturer will become known only over time. In any case, this switch option, although new, is not unique. The principle of operation is that the movable pin of the mechanism in the raised state blocks the light beam. When the button is pushed down, light passes from the emitter to the receiver almost instantaneously, providing immediate signal transmission with a delay of no more than 2 ms. Such a speed is unattainable for conventional mechanics, because in order to eliminate the so-called «bounce of contacts», when metal parts rub against each other creating oscillations with multiple repeated operations, it has a delay of 8 to 30 ms, necessary for the signal to become constant. The second positive aspect of such a mechanism is its increased resistance to wear (there are no contacts that are erased and oxidized) and moisture ingress (nothing in the button can cause a short circuit), because their expected MTBF is estimated at 100 million activations. In terms of pressing force, these switches require only 45 grams, the operation occurs at a distance of 1.5 mm. By the nature of the work, they are most reminiscent of the linear Cherry MX, but with an overtone of operation. The activation point of the mechanism completely coincides with the click moment, and the spring reset moment is slightly lower, so the tactile feedback is felt very well. There is a dead zone (in which the switch can be reactivated without clicking) after operation, but it is so small that it can only be felt on purpose. Separately, it is worth noting a huge semicircular lens from an LED soldered on a printed circuit board. It perfectly scatters light and highlights all the symbols on the cap.
The keypad profile is noticeably lower than most standard mechanical switches. The height of 37mm with legs folded down makes it comfortable to work without a palm rest. In this position, all the buttons are parallel to the table, although due to the inclination of the three front rows, it seems that they are thrown slightly back.
Unlike BlackWidow, Huntsman does not have additional ports on the sides. The legs can be unfolded in two levels, raising the back of the device to a height of 42 or 47 mm. The plastic sidewalls of the keyboard have a wider part at the top and a narrower bottom, which makes it easy to grab them, if necessary, lift and rearrange the device.
The signal cord entry is moved closer to the right side of the case and is provided with a medium-sized rubber anti-kink protection.
The signal cable is 1.95 meters long and is completely covered with a nylon braid. In terms of thickness and level of flexibility, it is average, remembers well and retains the shape given to it. There is a protective cap for the USB connector, a reusable rubber tie is fixed on the cable itself, which allows you to remove its excess length. Plastic insert in green connector. There is no ferrite ring to eliminate interference on the cable.
The reverse side of the keyboard is plastic and straight.
In the center there is a sticker with a serial number. In the middle at the top and bottom there are two huge rubber feet, and four smaller square feet are glued to the corners of the case. This rubber area is necessary because the device is quite light, and if the grip area is smaller, sliding on the table would be difficult to avoid.
Two fold-out legs can be unfolded separately in two levels, both have rubber studs.
The keyboard has a beautiful individual RGB backlighting of all keys, with support for Chroma effects and the ability to customize each button. The color rendering looks correct. Latin and Cyrillic characters are read equally well. However, additional characters on the number keys of the second row are not highlighted. Lock-LEDs are not bright and do not cause irritation no matter what angle you look at them from.
Features
The Razer Huntsman has five profiles of built-in memory and most of its features require pre-installed software. However, by default, it can execute some commands without software using the Fn key (when pressed, the available combinations are highlighted in white).
Below is a list of commands that we were able to reproduce.
| Combination: | Function: |
|---|---|
| Fn+F1 | Mute/Unmute Sound |
| Fn+F2 | Volume down |
| Fn+F3 | Increase volume |
| Fn+F5 | Rewind |
| Fn+F6 | Start/Pause |
| Fn+F7 | Fast forward |
| Fn+F9 | Macro recording start. The «M» indicator lights up. Then you should type the desired key combination and press Fn + F9 again. The «M» indicator starts blinking. Press the key to which you want to save the macro. The «M» indicator will go out, the command is saved. Pressing Esc during recording will exit macro mode without saving |
| Fn+F10 | Enable or disable game mode. The Win key is disabled by default. «G» indicator 9 lights up0017 |
| Fn+F11 | Reduce backlight brightness |
| Fn+F12 | Increase backlight brightness |
| Fn+Pause | Sleep mode for PC |
| Fn+Menu | Switching four bead profiles |
Software
Razer Huntsman is supported by updated Razer Synapse universal software version 3.
3.1031.102917. If you are using Windows 10, the operating system will prompt you to download this driver automatically. In parallel, the Razer Central software hub will be installed, which controls the user accounts of this software. For the program, you can choose one of 10 languages, configure autorun settings, choose a light or dark interface theme, synchronize with settings in the cloud, or read the keyboard guide. You can also reset the product and software manuals to review them and force a driver update. The downside is still the need to register online to be able to run this app, although after the first login it can work offline.
On the start screen of the program, the user gets access to connected devices, installed modules and online services. In particular, the modules now include the Chroma effects studio and the macro editor, and you can additionally install a module to control the backlight effects of devices that support Philips HUE. From the home screen, you can also send feedback on the current software version, register your product, view a list of compatible devices, visit the Razer product store or game store, and look into the zVault e-wallet.
In the keyboard settings section, you can remap all keys except for the Win and Fn buttons. The left tab lists all current assignments, the central tab lists the options for available commands to assign to the current key, and the rightmost tab shows which command is currently assigned to the selected button. In addition, any button has two options for using it — standard and alternative Hypershift (which is activated when a certain key is held down). The mode switch is located in the center below the keyboard image. The left tab below is the choice of combinations that will be turned off when the «game mode» is activated. In addition to Win keys, you can also forcibly block Alt + F4 and Alt + Tab combinations. Through the tab at the bottom right, you can access the standard Windows keyboard settings. On the right, you can open a tab with access to on-board profiles (to save the current settings there, just drag the profile name). At the bottom right, you can look at the list of saved macros and estimate how much memory they occupy.
In the backlight settings, you can turn it on or off completely, adjust the brightness in the range from 33 to 100%, set the shutdown along with the display, and set the shutdown delay in the range from one to 15 minutes. In the effect selection window, you can use quick settings, in particular, select one of eight visual effects, adjust their speed, direction, duration, color and playback order. Or you can turn on advanced effects and get into the Chroma Studio to customize all the settings. You can also duplicate your backlight settings to other Razer devices that support them.
In the Chroma section, all keys can be configured as you like, with any effects, and even effect layers.
In the profiles section, all created settings options are stored in one shared library and can be linked to any application for automatic activation.
The advanced macro editor has its own library of macros that can be given individual names. Keyboard and mouse commands are available for recording, as well as recording the trajectory of the cursor movement and setting all options for time delays and ways to play commands.
Ergonomics and testing
The Razer Huntsman assembly, unlike the Razer BlackWidow Elite, cannot be called monolithic, it has play under lateral loading. However, the metal plate on the top panel gives it enough strength for active typing and gaming. The weight of the device is felt as small, it can be easily shifted to the right place. The keyboard can slide on the table, but Razer tried to smooth this out as much as possible by sticking large rubber feet on the case. Huntsman can be used quite comfortably without a palm rest due to the small height of the product as a whole. However, the Huntsman Elite comes with a palm rest and the ergonomics are at a higher level.
This is the first time I have encountered optical-mechanical switches of this type, as installed here, therefore my opinion about them can by no means be objective, due to too little time of working with them. However, on first impressions, the Razer Opto-Mechanical are mechanisms that managed to combine tactile feedback with linear motion.
That is, they sound similar to Cherry MX Blue or the latest iteration of Razer Green, but the striker drops linearly, without a significant dip after activation. The required pressing force is noticeably less, the click of the spring during operation is felt not only by ear, and the activation point is always linear, as well as the reset point almost coinciding with it. In general, the feeling from such mechanisms is positive, it is very pleasant to type on them precisely because the input of each character is extremely clearly felt. At the same time, I can’t say that this keyboard gives a significant advantage in games. The ultra-fast response time of optical switches is blurred by internet connection latency, user reaction speed, delays in the game itself, and so on. Therefore, in comparison with traditional mechanics, it is rather a placebo effect arising from the realization that it is your keyboard that is “the fastest in the Wild West”. For example, if such switches were used in gaming mice, then the first shot or strike often plays a role there, because this function is usually tied to the LMB.
However, everything has its time.
Among the negative points, I can note the dangling stabilizers of the long keys, and the buttons themselves are not very stable. And there is also a loud, and far from always pleasant, sound of the spring actuation. After all, in addition to the main click, there is a flickering sound from the return to the place of either the spring, or the wire holding the key.
On a positive note, I would like to note the standard layout of the keys and the shape of the lens, which provides uniform illumination of both Latin and Cyrillic characters. In addition, the lighting, together with the effects, in general looks beautiful and has the right color reproduction. And the Razer Synapse 3 software continues to improve and become more user-friendly.
The keyboard supports anti-ghosting in the form of any combination of ten simultaneously pressed keys in an arbitrary combination. In individual combinations, more can be achieved, but ten is a guaranteed minimum.
Results
The Razer Huntsman is an extremely standard mechanical keyboard, without extra features, on which the company is testing new opto-mechanical switches. This technology looks like a very promising development for mechanics, but it is not a fact that this type of switch is the best. After all, in addition to Libra clones, there are also Kailh optics (more similar to classical mechanics and with the ability to remove mechanisms without soldering), Flaretech optics, Aimpad analog switches (reading the pressing force). What prompted Razer to choose these mechanisms, and not others, one can only guess.
The undoubted advantage of the new optics is the speed of its operation and the absence of problems of «bounce» of contacts, which is often observed even on new mechanical keyboards. Whether this type of optics is more reliable, time will tell, therefore we cannot yet enter this parameter into an unambiguous plus. Another interesting point of the switches can be considered that they were able to combine linear travel and tactile feedback.
In other words, this type of keyboard can satisfy both gamers and those who have to work a lot with text. Well, about how well the backlight is made here, it has already been mentioned repeatedly.
However, it is worth remembering about the shortcomings. In particular, the stabilization of both long and regular keys leaves much to be desired. In addition, the sound from the operation of the buttons may not be to everyone’s liking. At least I didn’t like it. And, of course, the traditional price for Razer. It’s certainly not as refreshing as the Huntsman Elite, which is one of the three most expensive keyboards on our market, but $150 is not a small amount in today’s realities.
From my point of view, the most interesting Razer Huntsman keyboard may turn out to be not so much for avid players, but for those who need mechanics as a working tool for typing large amounts of text, since tactile feedback is implemented here much better than on classic Cherry MX Blue or Brown, or their clones from other manufacturers.
Overview of Dark Project KD1 and KD2 mechanical keyboards. Pioneering spirit
OK Google, what is the Dark Project? And to be precise, who are they? And the answer is silence. Not surprising, because this is our company, which appeared quite recently, right this year. And they set as their goal to provide our market with new, somewhat surprising, and most importantly, high-quality products at very modest prices, as far as possible. Do you know where the legs grow from? 😉 The task of ingenuity. The fact remains the same: the best filling, the lowest price. I call this the golden mean, and here it is important to find a balance between these two inextricably linked parameters. But that’s not all. Recently, I notice how the market is dominated by mechanical keyboards with the absence of any fundamentally new ideas. All manufacturers, as one, copy each other’s ideas, present very similar solutions, and all the differences mainly come down to minor visual changes and a nameplate printed on the keyboard case.
But I haven’t seen a truly breakthrough product for a long time. And there are two reasons for this: either such things do not get along with us, or they are expensive. And that’s why they don’t get along. As for the Dark Project, their cost is an order of magnitude lower than all well-known brands, if only because the latter take a huge markup for their brand, but the filling is completely different, and it compares favorably in the best sense of the word. So far, Dark Project’s arsenal is very modest — it has only a couple of keyboards and a few mice that are being prepared for release, however, due to the lack of price variation between different models, the company managed to focus on only a few truly important and somewhat unique products. And I honestly admit that what I saw is like a breath of fresh air for me. Because I have never seen anything like it before.
Keyboard boxes are extremely economical and environmentally friendly: they are completely made of unpainted corrugated cardboard, which has another «trough» inside for the best preservation of the keyboard.
The package bundle for both keyboards is modest, but also very unusual: in the case of the KD1, we have a keyboard with a non-removable cable, and it comes with three additional switches that differ from the switches on which the keyboard itself is built, as well as a tool for removing keycaps and a tool for removing switches. In the case of KD2, the internal space is divided into two zones, where in one part there is a keyboard, and in the other part there is a removable cable and the same accessories: three switches and a pair of extraction tools in addition. And there are no papers. Right! Down with useless waste paper! All other information can be found on the label pasted over the box.
Well, in order not to run twice, I will briefly go over other Dark Project accessories that are already available for sale. Firstly, these are 20 different keycap sets made of PBT plastic, 8 of which have Russian localization. And all these discussions are available in our group. Of course, all these keycaps can also be seen and felt in our store.
Next, changeable switches. There are 10 and 104 switch sets to choose from, and they are not limited to only four types of switches (Red, Blue, Brown, Black), but have in their arsenal no less popular analogues of Cherry MX Silver, and these Gateron switches have similar characteristics with the Cherry model, unless they have optical triggering technology. I took such a bag of 10 pieces for myself, and I will definitely test it.
Dark Project KD1 is a full size 104-key mechanical keyboard based on Gateron optical switches. There are 4 variations of switches to choose from and you can separately buy a set of ultra-fast linear switches, since the latter do not cost that much. To be honest, it’s quite inexpensive, given that, firstly, these are optical switches, and secondly, that no one else in Russia sells them in such sets and for such money. This, in turn, opens up an unprecedented scope for experiments with the keyboard, where you can not only poke on the tester how certain switches will feel, but also test the keyboard on any type of switches in a real battle, and simply understand which switches you personally like.
Of course, the keyboard is made in the classic American ANSI layout with all the correct proportions of the keyboard — there are no surprises here. The keyboard has RGB backlighting, its own keyboard customization software (which is currently being finalized and will arrive in time, so to speak, for release), as well as a set of various functions that are called directly from the keyboard using the Fn key.
But KD2 is a completely different story. Look what a little one! Just beautiful! This is not even a TKL format, which our market does not visit very often — this is a keyboard made in a 60% form factor. The main differences are immediately visible: there is no row of F-keys, there are no arrows and the usual navigation block with additional functions, and I generally keep quiet about the digital block. What is it, it turns out that the keyboard is only for those who type texts and only? Not really. You will be surprised, but all the necessary functions of this keyboard are present in place, and in terms of capabilities it is absolutely not inferior to keyboards in the TKL format.
Arrows, F-row keys and other functions that are so necessary for normal work on a PC are simply called through the Fn key. Tell me honestly: how often do you use the F-keys, or even more so the arrows? Maybe it makes sense to abandon them in favor of such a compact and convenient solution? I will leave this question open.
In both cases, the keyboards are not burdened with unnecessary elements, so no additional connection ports and other small joys are provided here. And this is a significant plus, as for me: the keyboards look simple, neat, concise and solid. But there are still some differences. First and foremost is the cable. The KD1 has a 1.75 meter long, non-removable, smooth-sheathed cable that can be routed through the center or one side of the keyboard. The baby KD2 has the same length, only the cable is removable and wrapped in a fabric braid. At the end of both keyboards there is a regular USB port, but KD2 is connected via Type C. This is very convenient: you can blindly plug in the cable without being afraid to plug it in the wrong way.
In addition, this cable has another non-obvious plus: compatibility with many current Android devices. One cable less on trips — a clear advantage.
But as for cases and materials, it turned out simply, but with a twist. Dark Project KD1 is a typical member of the bezel-less gaming keyboard family with a brilliantly polished top edge around the entire perimeter of the keyboard. Above — an aluminum plate, and, in general, nothing new. But it will be much more convenient to remove the switches from such a keyboard. KD2, in turn, is made in a closed plastic case, and it felt like I liked it much more. At a minimum, it looks a little neater and more collected, and even under the keys it has a white reflective backing. In addition, the design of the keyboard uses matte plastic with glossy inserts, which are especially noticeable on the bottom of the keyboard. The full-size colleague in this regard is a little less elegant: on top — metal, on the bottom — ordinary plastic, and there are no surprises for you.
Here I was also very pleased with the design of the retractable legs: they are removed with a clear click, and they have rubberized pads, as well as over the entire area of the keyboard, which allow it to stay very stable on the table. The miniature version is not inferior to the full one, but it has one difference: in the presence of rubber pads, it does not have retractable legs. This is offset by a slightly larger initial angle than the full version of the keyboard. And I believe that such an angle of inclination will suit any person working behind the mechanics, and therefore the legs of this keyboard are completely unnecessary.
Keyboard keycaps have a traditional OEM profile, except that the KD2 simply does not have a top row. And so, the keycaps of both keyboards are identical. They are made of slightly rough to the touch double-shot ABS plastic, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be very high quality and reliable: thick and hard plastic, a massive plastic core and an alloy of two plastics make these keycaps extremely durable.
However, like any ABS, these keycaps are subject to polishing, so that over time, the most frequently used keys will become smoother. Of course, this is far from a quality standard, since some other keyboards that come from China are also equipped with similar keycaps, but for most people this level of performance will be enough. Due to the thick translucent layer, the illumination through the keycaps is far from being the best, but in this case, both the Russian and the English characters are positioned so that they shine through equally well. Only one moment did not please: additional functions that are called through Fn are painted on top of the keycap, and in the dark they will not be visible.
But the coolest feature is hidden under the keycaps. Switches are what makes these keyboards unique. These are Gateron optomechanical switches, the characteristics of which in all main types repeat those of Cherry switches. That is, if these are Reds, then these will be linear switches with a pressing force of 45 grams and a total travel of 4 mm (from 2 mm to actuation), if Blue — then with a click and tactile feedback.
The differences lie only in tactile sensations, service life and the principle of operation. And if the first, as they say, tastes and color, then it is very difficult to decide on the second. In fact, the lifespan of switches is… forever. And all this thanks to the principle of operation of the switch.
The vast majority of keyboards use ordinary switches, where the operation occurs at the moment of closing the gold-plated contacts. Gateron optical switches have no contacts, but only a signal interruption that occurs as a result of pressing a key. Inside the switch there is a light emitter and a receiver, and when the cross of the switch lowers a certain distance, the light flow is interrupted, which the controller instantly counts as a key actuation. And since there are no contact parts here, the switch will serve until the emitter or receiver breaks. Therefore, if you do not throw the keyboard into the wall with rage after the merged rollers, it will most likely serve you for a good ten years.
Or maybe even more. Therefore, Flaretech claims 100 million clicks, while Gateron does not claim anything, but at the same time, their resource will hardly be less than that of the same Flaretech. And yes: there will be no double click.
But this engineering solution has some design features. Firstly, all keyboard LEDs are soldered directly on the keyboard board (SMD LEDs), so there are no LEDs in the switches as a class and they cannot be installed there, and secondly, the emitter and signal receiver are also located directly on the printed circuit board. Therefore, the keyboard electronics are more likely to fail than the switch to break. And here it turns out that the switches themselves are unlikely to ever break — in our case they serve as a kind of Lego constructor, with which you can assemble the keyboard of your dreams. These switches also do not have any additional fasteners (and even more so soldering). So you can safely experiment and put any switches on the keyboard at your discretion right on the fly.
Under the spacebar is a Gateron Brown tactile switch, on Ctrl, Alt and Escape — Gateron Blue, and on the WASD block — lightweight Gateron Red linear switches. Or even take the same Gateron Silver with even less travel until the key is actuated.
But working with such a constructor is very simple, convenient and extremely exciting. Where it’s been seen — create your dream keyboard on the go! In this regard, Dark Project is selling rather than a keyboard, but all those features that allow you to do whatever your heart desires with it. And no one else has these opportunities. To replace the switch, you first need to remove the keycap with a plastic puller, and then take the metal clip that comes with it, grab the switch from above and below and simply pull it up. In this case, you can not even disconnect the keyboard from the PC. We insert any other switch until it clicks, and voila! Ready. You can use. After installation, the switches are tightly fixed in the keyboard case, and then they do not hang out at all.
And there is no need to perform any disassembly of the keyboard, soldering-re-soldering and other complex actions. Now you yourself will feel like a real modder, who in a couple of minutes can masterfully reassemble the keyboard to your taste and color. And in general, changing the switches is much more profitable than changing the entire keyboard. This is a note to fans of the pursuit of sensations.
But that’s not all. As I said, as many as 20 sets of the most diverse keycaps in the craziest colors that can only be found on the market have arrived. Surely you have already seen it in our group and on Instagram. And in order not to miss such things — subscribe, and stay up to date with all the news. Let’s get back to the keycaps: 20 sets, 19 of them are for backlit keyboards (they show through the characters), and of them — 8 sets with Cyrillic support. And here is another one — a completely unique set with a very interesting color scheme. These keycaps have two undeniable advantages: firstly, they are all made of double-shot PBT plastic, so they will not wear off or polish over time — these are the most reliable keycaps that can be found in nature.
And secondly, they just look cool, so I’m more than sure that each of you will find a set to your liking.
Here, what I wrote about in every review on all keyboards came in handy, namely, that there are certain proportions of the bottom row and other little things that rarely anyone pays attention to. Only here it is critically important, because keycaps are not suitable for all keyboards. More precisely, the bottom row of some keyboards is simply incompatible with these keycaps. Here is a short list of those manufacturers whose keyboards these keycaps in the bottom row will definitely not fit: Corsair, Logitech. There are others, but this needs to be clarified. There is only one main rule here: all the keys of the bottom row (except for the space) must have the same size, that is, Ctrl, Win, Alt and the other four keys on the right side of the space must be equal to each other, otherwise the keycaps from the Dark Project set simply will not stand up into place. With Logitech, everything is more complicated: due to the inverted enter, even more keys will not work there, and with keyboards on Romer-G switches, these sets are simply incompatible due to a different keycap attachment.
But these keycaps fit most other keyboards just perfect! For example, they are guaranteed to fit on Cooler Master, HyperX (on all keyboards except HyperX Alloy FPS, as there are wire stabilizers), Asus, Cougar, QCyber and some others like Rapoo and Marvo. Of course, keycaps will not fit on all keyboards within one company, because each company has a lot of models, so carefully study your keyboard before buying such a set, and just use the simple rule that I wrote about above. It is also interesting here that almost all foreign eminent keyboards like Ducky, Leopold and Varmilo have an absolutely identical layout, so these keycaps will fit perfectly on them. Hello Razer? Why are the proportions of the bottom row so different? This still remains a mystery to me.
In general, custom keycaps on keyboards look just great and give the keyboard a special charm, being the final touch to the design of the keyboard. I hasten to note that nowadays no one sells custom keycap sets either, so here Dark Project became the pioneers.
These keycaps are also interesting because they have a slightly rougher texture, so that fingers cling to them perfectly. And the secret set codenamed KS-23 is extremely curious. The trained eye of an experienced mechanic immediately recognizes in it a very reliable replica of one very popular custom set in the geek community. Yes, this, of course, is not the Carbon DSA Keycap Set for you: here the symbols are applied in a different way, and the designations are simpler, and the Cherry OEM profile (and not DSA, so dearly loved by all the same inveterate aesthetes), but this whole set is very believable and , most importantly, these keycaps feel much more interesting than all other sets in the Dark Project line. Warmly recommend.
My version of the KD1 is built with Gateron Black switches, while the KD2 is built with Gateron Red switches. But what both of these keyboards have in common is that they are extremely linear, even, and accurate, so the typing experience on the linear switches is amazing! Once again, I am convinced that some alternatives to Cherry perform better and surpass, so to speak, the original.
The fingers feel like they’re sinking into small, bouncy pads, and these switches gently drop down and return just as quickly and forcefully to their original state. No friction, no discomfort when typing. Personally, these keys reminded me a lot of the softness and elasticity of the keys on the Flaretech switches in the Zowie Celeritas II, which, by the way, are also optical. As for Gateron Optical Silver, this is the purest analogue of Cherry MX Speed: a very short stroke before actuation (1.1 mm), the same pleasant, but light and elastic pressing, thanks to which fingers flutter over the keyboard with these switches. As for me, these are the best switches in general for any work, it’s only a pity that keyboards are not sold on these switches — you will have to buy such a set separately and sort through the entire keyboard from scratch.
But from an auditory point of view, things are not so smooth, and this is because when the keys are returned to their original position, there is a small plastic bounce — such is the price of linearity in Gateron switches.
It is due to the slightly looser internal layout of each switch that such a smooth and pleasant linearity is achieved, however, the sound qualities in this case had to be sacrificed a bit. The most unpleasant detail, as you probably already guessed, was the stabilizers, which are analogues of Cherry. And despite their separate lubrication (which is rarely done by any manufacturers other than foreign ones), they still clang quite noticeably when pressed, and, of course, the gap is most noticeable.
Backlighting, in my opinion, looks much nicer on KD2 — a closed case and a reflective backing make the backlighting of characters brighter, and the light across the entire keyboard is softer, denser and more saturated. But KD1, I must say, is not a miss — it has a very light backlight, airy and diffused. True, the symbols are visible a little worse in the daytime, but this is not so critical. And the backlighting of the Dark Project keyboards is very skillfully divided into two groups of different effects.
The first group is responsible for the whole keyboard backlight effects (the usual wave, color wheel, spectrum cycling), while the second group is responsible for point modes, which include the effect of divergence away from the pressed key, the wave effect and a few others. The older version has a couple more notable features like backlight pause, but they are united by the fact that each has convenient and obvious backlight, brightness, speed and adjustment settings in general.
But I got the most interesting impressions while working on KD2. This is a very bold decision — to release a keyboard that has literally abandoned everything that is possible. However, I still really enjoyed it. The first thing that is noticeable right away is the really increased desktop space, where the mouse with the carpet can be placed literally right next to the keyboard, and you don’t have to stretch on different sides of the table. I’m exaggerating, of course, but in any position — even in games, even during normal work — it’s more convenient to work with such a keyboard.
And then I went into a real stupor. Exactly before the first call of the “Del” key, I typed for a long time and with taste. But as soon as I needed to call an additional command, I froze for ten seconds and could not realize where I should poke in order to correct the last mistake. And after a few hours I discovered that absolutely all my usual operations are now called in a completely different way. And I will say that it is not very convenient. If you often use the arrows and the navigation block on the keyboard (Del, PgUp, PgDn and others, which is especially important when coding), get ready for the fact that you will have to completely and completely review all the habits that have been developed before. And in those moments where you need, for example, to use both a series of numbers and a series of F-keys at the same time (hello auto-buy in CS:GO!), you will have to choose between one or the other. And now we are talking not only about one game, but about such restrictions in general.
Of course, if this is a non-gaming situation, then you can safely look at the keyboard with one eye, press Fn, and then select the desired key, but you will definitely not be forgiven for such delays in an online game.
In addition, the keyboard has a very strange logic of operation if you switch to additional profiles — as I understand it, these are just a little unfinished undertakings with additional features that will fully open only after the release of the bundled software. In this light, I am most surprised by the release of 100% and 60% form factors, where for some reason there was no place for the much more popular TKL format in our area. It’s the one I’d like to see the most, since the TKL format is a compromise between a full-size keyboard and this stripped-down version.
But be that as it may, Dark Project are handsome. Their KD by KD keyboards are incredible. For the money they ask, you buy a full-fledged keyboard with absolutely the entire set of top-end chips (including RGB backlighting), which, in combination, is also a constructor for finding and creating your ideal keyboard.
