Elite typing
Still expensive, I know, but these switches are just that good.What is the average typing speed on the keyboard? Who types the fastest? How can your typing speed help you get a better job offer? You will get the answer to all these questions and more in this infographic. If you can forego the wrist rest and media controls, you can score the Huntsman for $149.99. Coming in at $199.99, it’s an ostentatious option reserved for deep pockets. I never thought I’d encounter a clicky switch that could dethrone a Cherry MX Blue, but Razer’s opto-mechanical switch has done just that, though at a premium price. The new Hypershift function temporarily unlocks a secondary set of functions at the touch of a button, giving me convenient access to a few custom hotkeys. I especially like how you can outline an area on the keyboard and apply a different lighting effects to that region. With that said, I must admit that it’s easy to use. Cycling through the tabs is laggy, and some settings take a while to respond to changes. As feature-rich, intuitive, and functional as it is, it’s about as responsive as a sedated sloth. Over the years, Synapse has grown into a bloated 240MB download.
ELITE TYPING SOFTWARE
The Razer Synapse software used to customize Razer's products could use a diet.
ELITE TYPING FREE
If you have an abundance of free USB ports, definitely activate both lights the RGB illumination is even and gorgeous. You actually only need one plugged in for the keyboard to function the second port is used solely to power the light rings on the underside of the chassis and wrist rest. The lack of passthrough is especially disappointing since the keyboard can hog two USB ports. It isn’t outfitted with macros or USB passthrough, common feature on high-end gaming keyboards.
The Huntsman Elite's feature list ends at dedicated media controls. Though I enjoyed the convenience it offered in controlling media, I didn’t find it practical in games as it required me to take my hand off of my mouse. Its function isn’t restricted to just adjusting volume you can customize it to perform a set of pre-programmed functions like adjusting zoom in Microsoft Word, changing music track, and even swapping weapons in games. It’s pronounced enough to be used comfortably, yet subtle enough not to throw off the board’s sleek aesthetics. The dial at the top right corner of the keyboard is another bit of smart design. The wrist rest attaches via magnets at the bottom edge of the keyboard and is gripped in place using six rubber feet. If it was larger, you could use it as a pillow. Cupped inside its durable case is a block of soft, pleather-covered memory foam. I’ve always appreciated the Razer BlackWidow Chroma’s comfortable wrist rest and I’m glad to see the same design being applied to the Huntsman Elite. After hammering out a page of text using the altered keyboard, I was unable to pinpoint which ones had the bars removed. To test out whether it has a purpose, I asked a friend to remove the stabilizers on a random set of keys. It doesn’t reduce key wobble all that much compared to a standard Cherry MX switch. It’s clear that the new switch construction works beautifully, but the stabilizer bar feels like a gimmick. I do appreciate the relatively silent clacking of the spacebar since I spam it a lot in StarCraft. The Huntsman Elite is equipped with Cherry stabilizers, perhaps as a means to avoid adding any more noise on top of the already loud switches. Hysteresis occurs when the reset point is located above the actuation point, which forces the user to let the key rise further before it can actuate again. This is a key feature, as it eliminates the hysteresis problem present in the Cherry MX Blue switch and its clones. Despite being a clicky switch, the mechanism used to generate the click is completely decoupled from the switch’s actuation mechanism. The second nifty part about the opto-mechanical switch is its physical design. Razer claims that each switch is rated to last 100 million keystrokes versus Cherry MX’s “measly” 50 million. Foregoing the metal contacts eliminates switch debounce and greatly extends the lifespan of the switch. To my fingers, the opto-mechanical switch feels absolutely phenomenal.Īs its name suggests, the opto-mechanical switch melds together elements from both optical and mechanical switches: Instead of using metal contact leaves, the opto-mechanical switch registers a keystroke when a laser under every switch is interrupted by a blocking fin.