I recently bought the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboard, and have since been very happy with it. The main feature of the keyboard is that it is a mechanical keyboard, meaning that it uses individual switches under each key instead of a membrane. The type of switches used in the BlackWidow Ultimate (and its non-backlit cousin the BlackWidow) are the Cherry MX Blues. They offer tactical feedback and a distinct click sound when half depressed. Each key activates after being depressed only 2mm (half that of the total 4mm travel). This means that you don’t have to bottom out the keys to activate them. This allows for much faster typing, and for better gameplay. I have found that I can type much faster and with much less effort than I could on my old membrane board. Gaming took a little getting used to, but I think that I will come to like it over time.

The keyboard is fully backlit by very nice blue LEDs, and there are 5 different settings: off, low, medium, high, and a pulsing fade on and off. The second (shift) functions of the keys are not illuminated, and they are also drawn below the main key function on the key cap, which takes some getting used to, but its not the end of the world. The indicator lights for the caps lock, num lock and scroll lock are very discrete blue outlines. The order is unconventional, in the fact that the indicators from left to right are caps, num, scroll. Directly below them are the red and green indicators for the game mode and the on-the -fly macro recording.

Speaking of macros, the keyboard has 5 designated macro keys on the left side of the board in one column. They are slightly separated from the rest of the keyboard, having the same amount of space between them and the left edge of the main keys as the distance between the function keys and the top row of the main keys. I am very glad for this space, because on an HP laptop I have, there is a row of special keys in the same place, but without a space. I always hit them instead of the tab, shift, or control keys, and it annoys the hell out of me. The macros can be set by either the GUI (for Windows only), or by the built-in macro recorder. The recorder still utilizes the driver, so Linux users won’t be able to set any macros at all. (Game mode is the only function that works without the driver) When game mode is enabled, the keyboard itself disables the use of the Windows key. The function keys double as media and settings keys, by using a function (Fn) key, such as what laptops have. The keyboards extra functions include volume controls, playback controls, and a sleep button.

The keyboard itself seems very sturdy. It weighs 1.5kg, so it stays nicely in place on my glass desk. It has 2 retractable feet that allow for an inclination of the keyboard, which I thoroughly enjoy. The BlackWidow Ultimate has a USB passthrough (not a hub), as well as sound out/in passthroughs as well. The key caps are very smooth, and they feel very good to type on, not overly plasticy, or sticky/rubbery. The bezel of the board is a very high-gloss polished plastic that does seem to gather oils and show fingerprints, but they are only visible in strong light.

I would recommend this keyboard to anyone who is in the market for a mechanical keyboard, just make sure that you understand what that means in terms of the noise it produces.