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http://www2.razerzone.com/blackwidow/
Ultimate edition:
http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/pd/productID.211651300/categoryId.35156900
It is a mechanical keyboard made for gaming. The switches have 50g actuation force which is actually standard. Both cherry mx blue and brown switches have 50g actuation force and only black switches are higher at 60. Buckling spring and other mechanical boards may be higher, I have no idea. The keys are also all flat as opposed to most mechanical boards where the keys are at different heights which is generally considered to be most optimal.
That said it is actually (amazingly) a very good deal. $80 for a mechanical keyboard is quite a steal and is the most cost effective mechanical keyboard I know of.
It has macro features but those are only for scrubs so who cares.
Looks like a very solid item overall. The ultimate edition adds:
Audio-Out / Mic-In Jacks
USB-Passthrough
Individually backlit keys with 5 levels of lighting
for an additional $50. up to you I guess.
elitekeyboards seems to no longer be selling the 87 key FILCOs at the $80something price they were at so this board is really an extremely strong value right now. I would bump this thread when some official reviews come out but I don't remember ever reading any gaming peripheral getting a bad review from anyone. Don't even bother reading professional reviews aka advertisements. Hopefully someone orders this board and can give some feedback to the community. I'm thinking of doing it myself if I can't find that $80 FILCO that I was looking at before.
I have e-mailed the FILCO retailer to try and find out what happened to their budget board, and also Razer to try and find the manufacturer of their switches. Will post back with updates.
MX Blue switches confirmed:
Thank you for contacting the Razer Store. The Razer BlackWidow is using Cherry MX Blue switches. Sincerely, Oliver Customer Care The Razer Store http://www.razerzone.com/store/
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I bought Lycosa and the keys stop to work ocassionally. Hopefully this is better.
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hmm I wonder if this will be a change to Razer's previous history of making very bad and overly expensive keyboards. I have never used a mechanical keyboard before, does anyone know of any other keyboards out there that are popular and mechanical?
I just picked up an Enermax Aurora premium because it has a slick, aluminum look to it and the keys are scissor-type like a laptop, but not crappy like most of the other scissor-type keyboards out there. Too bad the backspace is small, but thats my only complaint.
My beef with this razer keyboard actually is the macro keys. I hate those, it really throws me off having extra keys on the side of the keyboard where my left hand is. I align myself according to the standard left-most keys, that is Escape, tab, ctrl.
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On August 21 2010 06:58 aPsychonaut wrote:
I bought Lycosa and the keys stop to work ocassionally. Hopefully this is better.
Same here(lights also), went back to lovely UltraX Premium which lasts around 6 years & costs like 1/8 of the price of razers. Anyways, this one looks very sweet thou. 
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the F keys seem oddly placed
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I use a Tarantula and it's one of the best keyboards I've ever had, one of the strongest too (I'm used to break keyboards and mice pretty fast).
So I'm looking forward for the blackwidow (and the marauder too, more for the "starcraft goodies" aspect though).
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United States22883 Posts
Nobody actually knows what switches are in them until someone buys it and checks. It's likely the Blues, but Razer's PR stuff says they've been designing their own and I think the actuation distance is a bit off, plus their pictures look totally different. It probably is Blues though, with Razer PR crap blocking the way.
I'm skeptical of the build quality based on the price. The switches might be fine, but that doesn't mean the caps and everything else will be.
That said, I'm still interested in it.
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alright nice deal but wtf...the most bottom left key is not ctrl!!!!!! i use ctrl like crazy in sc2 and I've tried boards with FN on the bottom left corner and also Mac boards with the Apple key on the bottom left.
for me that is a dealbreaker.
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On August 21 2010 07:07 zak wrote:
alright nice deal but wtf...the most bottom left key is not ctrl!!!!!! i use ctrl like crazy in sc2 and I've tried boards with FN on the bottom left corner and also Mac boards with the Apple key on the bottom left.
for me that is a dealbreaker.
It's the same as any other keyboard except there's a column of macro keys on the left side. Your ctrl key is still going to be where your fingers are used to feeling it. There's an extra column
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Ugh I wish it had an LCD like the logitech g-15 I currently use. I really need a new keyboard and it looks tempting but I might just try to buy another old-style g-15 instead.
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@Phrost can you make any good use of the display in sc2? I always wondered myself if its worth it.
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Ugh... a good mechanical keyboard but I can't buy it because I have a brand new one. Sad =(((
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Hmm I am going to buy either the Blackwidow or the SS 7G, Help me out TL!!
Poll: Steelseries 7G or Razer Blackwidow / ultimateSteelseries 7G (150$) (43) 49% Razer Blackwidow (80$) (32) 36% Razer Blackwidow Ultimate (120$) (13) 15% 88 total votes Your vote: Steelseries 7G or Razer Blackwidow / ultimate (Vote): Steelseries 7G (150$)
(Vote): Razer Blackwidow (80$)
(Vote): Razer Blackwidow Ultimate (120$)
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Looks pretty nice. A little pricey but nice.
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haha ok i cant find it but whats the diference bettwen the normal one and the ultimate?
btw got a 7g and absolutlu love it :Dhad a Logitech G 15 before and i will never go back to standart keyboards.
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the abs m1 mechanical keyboard is like 40~USD and its pretty awesome
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Anybody thinking of buying the ultimate should (after a thorough CAT scan) look into a Filco instead. Similar price, far superior quality, no macro shitkeys, super badass elegantly simple design instead of cheesy glow-in-the-dark gimmickry.
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I'd have to agree with that , although the regular version may be good. I'm excited that a mainstream peripheral manufacturer is recognizing the features that actually make a quality board. It's funny how Razer is on both extremes of the spectrum with some of the most ridiculous items in the world (sc2 line), and some of the most sensible (salmosa, abyssus).
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On August 21 2010 07:07 zak wrote:
alright nice deal but wtf...the most bottom left key is not ctrl!!!!!! i use ctrl like crazy in sc2 and I've tried boards with FN on the bottom left corner and also Mac boards with the Apple key on the bottom left.
for me that is a dealbreaker.
Apple keyboards have "Control" in the same spot as PC keyboards. "Alt" on a Mac keyboard is the "Apple" key.
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EPT
