So i want a new keyboard, i have the razer blackwidow ultimate 2014 if im not mistaken. I adore this keyboard. My friend recently bought the razer huntsman, and now i want one too. Question is can someone here tell me the pros and cons with the blackwidow VS the huntsman? and i mean the normal huntsman not the elite one. And the major differences between the two
I actually own a Huntsman Elite (I know you're interested in the Huntsman) and a 2014 BWU, so I might be a good person to explain some differences.
Huntsman (non-Elite) Pros:
Very light switches
Very fast switches
Far superior lighting, even without the Elite's underglow
More premium feeling (metal top plate)
Much easier to clean (switches above the board)
Synapse 3 compatible (might also be a con, depending on the mouse you're pairing it with)
BWU 2014 Pros:
Green and blue switches might be preferred by some who want more travel and greater force requirements (totally subjective)
USB and audio pass through
Macro keys
Synapse 2 compatible (might also be a con depending on the mouse you're pairing it with)
With the exception of lighting, which makes a vast difference, they're actually pretty similar. I'd say the Huntsman Elite is a very clear step up functionally in addition to aesthetically, adding in the media keys and wrist rest (plus underglow if that's your thing). The BWU is also an enormous pain to clean. It takes me about 30 minutes to totally disassemble, clean with canned air and q-tips, and then reassemble. With a Blackwidow X, or Huntsman, you can basically just use the canned air and it takes 45 seconds.
So my advice is that if you're ready for a new keyboard, sure, consider the Huntsman (as well as the BW Elite, which costs about the same as a non-Elite Huntsman), but otherwise, you're not going to receive a big improvement, with the exception of RGB anyway.
On the cheap, you might also consider the Ornata. Its keys feel a lot like Greens or Blues (I'd actually say they feel greener than green), it comes with a nice wrist rest and great RGB, for about half the price of a Huntsman. It is, obviously, inferior in terms of quality, however.
I have the Huntsman Elite now, and though I have not owned any other Razer keyboards, the BW U has a similar feel to any other keyboard with Razer greens or Cherry blues, and I have 5 or 6 of those.
TBH the biggest benefit of a Huntsman is the switches - I decided to try this on reviews that people who like blues will love the lower activation force required on these laser switches, and I agree 100%.
The only drawback IMO (as @Solidstatepassive mentioned) is the lack of any USB or audio passthrough but I use a headphone amp for headphones now, and for solo gaming have surround sound encoded to DTS Connect going over optical cable to my AVR so neither of those are deal killers.
Hello, guys, I have a blackwidow ultimate edition from 2017-18ish and am finally getting a new keyboard. I have been reading some stuff about it, and there are some points to be taken into account: 1- All my life I‘ve only used full size keyboards (no macro keys), so anything different from this would be uncomfortable (I‘d be open to try tenkeyless tho); 2- I‘m used to yellow switch; 3- The keyboard could be either wireless or not. I‘d like to hear opinions about which one would be more suitable for me, considering I play competitive games in high MMR. Appreciate the attention.