Best BlackWidow Elite Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

The Razer’s BlackWidow has been updated many times with an Elite version synonymous with new design and padded palm rests – certainly already present on the Tournament Edition versions. What confirm its leadership in the increasingly disputed gaming keyboard sector  ?

Presentation

The Razer BlackWidow keyboard is available with Razer Green (touch, click, Cherry MX Blue), Orange (touch, no click, Cherry MX Brown) or Yellow (linear, Cherry MX Red) switches. The official prices of these three versions are identical: € 179.99.

Best BlackWidow Elite Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

1. Razer BlackWidow Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard: Orange Mechanical Switches. Tactile & Silent – Chroma RGB Lighting – Magnetic Wrist Rest. Dedicated Media Keys & Dial – USB Passthrough

2. Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth 2014 Edition Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Orange Switch

3. Razer BlackWidow Stealth Edition Expert Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

4. Razer BlackWidow X Ultimate: Esports Gaming Keyboard – Military Grade Metal Construction. Durable up to 80 Million Keystrokes – Razer Green Mechanical Switches (Tactile and Clicky)

5. Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2: Esports Gaming Keyboard – Ergonomic Wrist Rest. 5 Dedicated Macro Keys – Razer Green Mechanical Switches (Tactile and Clicky)

Ergonomics

New look for the BlackWidow. In its Elite version, Razer’s flagship mechanical keyboard now opts for a frameless design , that is to say without a cover surrounding the keys, like the BlackWidow X Chroma . This design gives the impression that the keys are floating above the keyboard. Maintenance is also easier, since it is easier to dislodge dust and other dirt by simply blowing between the keys. In any case, there is an aesthetic break compared to previous BlackWidow ( Ultimate 2014 and Chroma), for a keyboard finally more in the era of time. The switches are therefore directly visible here, fixed on a steel plate for the most beautiful effect. No doubt, we are in the presence of a high-end keyboard, with excellent finishes.

In order to justify its designation “Elite”, this more advanced version of the BlackWidow is enriched with a very comfortable palm rest – already present on the Tournament Edition Chroma V2  versions – like the Huntsman Elite of the same brand. Comfort guaranteed by a thick layer of foam covered with imitation leather. This palm rest is just magnetized on the keyboard. Its maintenance leaves unfortunately to be desired, for lack of notches to prevent it from slipping, which can be disturbing if you regularly move your keyboard. 

The keyboard and palm rest set is nevertheless very stable on the desk thanks to the large rubberized pads distributed on the underside.

Inevitably, full keyboard – that is to say with numeric keypad – with palm rest obliges, the clutter on the desk is not negligible. It is thus necessary to count 23 cm deep by 44.6 cm wide approximately. However, this remains reasonable thanks to the edges of restricted width.

Hit

The BlackWidow Elite introduces new generation Razer switches. These benefit from a double side wall, supposed to improve stability. In practice, it is difficult to really notice this specificity, the usual switches already stabilizing the keys rather well

We tested the version equipped with Razer Green switches . Unsurprisingly, these are noisy due to the loud sound they emit upon activation. However, we appreciate their responsiveness and the good touch they provide. Their 4 mm stroke and 1.9 mm activation point are quite common and the Razer Green can be easily compared to the technically close Cherry MX Blue. Only the activation force of 60 cN of the latter distinguishes them from the less firm Razer switches (50 cN).

If you want an even more flexible touch and a quieter typing, you can opt for the version equipped with Razer Orange switches (45 cN of activation force, tactile touch, but no audible click).

For speed fans, Razer also offers its keyboard in Razer Yellow version. The switches are then of the linear type, without click, with an activation force of 45 cN, but their stroke is reduced to 3.5 mm and above all their activation is only 1.2 mm. In short, equivalent to Cherry MX Speed switches .

There is something to say for all tastes and we cannot therefore sanction the BlackWidow Elite on this point, especially since Razer is putting the endurance question package, guaranteeing its switches for 80 million activations.

The BlackWidow also benefits from anti-ghosting technology with 10-key Rollover, allowing you to press up to 10 keys simultaneously without risk of interpretation error.

CONCLUSION

Comfortable thanks to its well padded palm rest, very well finished and equipped with quality switches, the BlackWidow in its Elite version is undoubtedly one of the most advanced gaming keyboards. Only a few ergonomic features and a high price can harm it.

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