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The Best Things in Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2

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Bethany Walsh

Jun 23, 2022

In some cases, however, a pack-in wrist rest can be a flexible piece of plastic that works just as well. However, in the instance of the Ornata, this meant a chunk of soft, leatherette-covered foam that measured around an inch in thickness and was softly attached to the chassis employing magnets. This was the deluxe model of wrist rests, with an interior upholstered in leather, and it was connected to...a keyboard with a rubber dome.


Similar, But Not the Same


The design of the Razer BlackWidow Chroma has not seen many revisions other than the addition of a wrist rest. A little over two years ago, I did a review on a keyboard that is almost identical to this one. The original blocky lettering on each key was replaced at some time with a narrow sans-serif typeface, but other than that, the two are practically similar.


It is beyond my comprehension why Razer continues duplicating the media controls on the Function row of their keyboards, particularly the flagship model. A significant problem? Not, but because the market for keyboards is becoming more competitive and increasingly granular, the lack of that size serves. I am a big fan of volume rollers, but having dedicated volume keys would be helpful. This is something that I've come to appreciate while playing Divinity: Original Sin II because, in the context of the game, I need my Function keys actually to work as they would on a normal keyboard.


Wrist Support


It performs quite well. I can't emphasize this point enough. Your wrists will feel as if they are being held in a leatherette-covered cloud by the BlackWidow, which has roughly an inch of foam cushioning and is framed by a thin plastic chassis. Because it is merely magnetically fastened to the keyboard, there is also room for some creative play with it. Do you want it to be at an angle, or do you want to move it away from the keyboard? The number of available customizations is still restricted due to the nature of the product (it is, after all, a wrist rest). Still, they are an improvement over solutions such as Corsair's universal design. Once again, the primary issue is that there is now far more competition in this division.



Lightning-fast dexterity


The new Yellow switch from Razer, on the other hand, is completely up to date. In my review of the Corsair K95, I devoted a good portion of my time to complimenting its new Cherry MX Speed (known as Silver to third parties) switches. These switches are linear and have very low resistance. Imagine Cherry Red with a very sensitive hair trigger. Actuation may be triggered by simply resting your finger too strongly on a key for an extended period. To the tips of my fingers as well. In the past, Razer switches have always taken creative license with Cherry's designs. And you could feel it.


Razer's Switches


That is excellent news for Razer. In the past, Razer's switches have been given the same negative reputation as other "knock-off" Cherry switches. Although this is somewhat accurate, other characteristics such as longevity are more difficult to test for. But what about the very first thoughts that people get? The yellows may be fake Cherry MX switches.


Even though they are not. As a result, you may anticipate the same advantages as Cherry MX Speeds, namely, a highly quick and low-resistance typing experience, which is best suited for gaming but can still be gratifying for day-to-day usage as long as you are willing to tolerate it. I'll say this: after using the K95's Speed switches for a couple of months and then switching to the Razer Yellows, my accuracy has grown by ten just out of necessity.


However, it does seem like Razer is lagging more behind the competition, or more accurately, that the competition has caught up with Razer. The BlackWidow Chroma V2 was our highest-rated RGB keyboard back in 2014. . In the past, Razer switches have always taken creative license with Cherry's designs. And you could feel it.


Still, nowadays, it's just another also-ran in a growing, increasingly competitive market, where costs are always going down and where gimmick features are the only way to differentiate one product from another. Is a nice wrist rest enough to set you apart from the competition when so many third-party wrist rests are available? It's tough to say. You may deduct another half star from this score if you choose not to use the wrist rest or bring your own since you find that more convenient.



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