Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2 Tournament Edition

Razer’s best is still overpriced

To keep things simple I’ll start by saying that I love this keyboard. It is the best we’ve seen from Razer to date, combining the excellent performance and feel if the standard Chroma V2 but fitting it into a tenkeyless package. The model we reviewed featured Razer Yellow switches, the silent, linear switches with a shorter throw and actuation distance than the more common Orange and Green switches. They feel similar to the excellent Cherry Speed switches if slightly firmer – an odd fact given that both switches feature a 45g actuation force. At any rate, the Yellow switches feel great and fast, for both gaming and typing. Making the keyboard feel even faster is a technology Razer calls I.T.T. Instant Trigger Technology sends the key activation to the PC without the need for debounce timing. It sounds impressive and as a technology it is, but unless you’re on the absolute top end of professional gamers you probably won’t really notice the difference.

In addition to the excellent performance, the Blackwidow TE also comes with a large, wellcushioned and very comfortable wrist rest that attaches to the keyboard magnetically. The only real complaints that you can level at the Blackwidow TE is that the legs feel a little on the flimsy side and will fold in if you shift the keyboard around too often, and that as a whole the price is pretty extravagant. It’s a great keyboard to be sure, but it’s priced in the same range as a number of full-sized keyboards with dedicated AV and macro keys. DANIEL WILKS