Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition Keyboard Review

“An overwhelmingly solid peripheral, the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition keyboard is as close to a must-have product as a gaming keyboard can be.”

Mechanical is dead. Long live the optical age. Alas, a great revolution in the way we game is upon us, and who better to bring about said renaissance than the paragons at Razer. The Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition is a remarkable tool through which PC gaming will likely change forever. Faster, lighter and more durable than those keyboards that have come before it, the Huntsman Tournament model packs a whole lot of bang for its buck; packed into a small but powerful package that is well worthy of the mighty Huntsman title that it has been awarded.

Design

Out of the box, the Huntsman Tournament Edition is of tangibly high quality. The weighty, metal build is well suited to the power-packed into the keyboard, whilst its intentionally small form factor ensures that the keyboard fits into even the lowest profile setups without causing intrusion. Exceptionally high-quality PBT keycaps have a rough feel at first but demonstrate notable durability versus alternative materials. Razer claims that their Doubleshot moulding techniques will ensure the key labels will never wear off, too. Of course, this was impossible to test in the short time I have had to use the peripheral, but the feel of the keyboard certainly gives off a durable vibe.

Naturally, the Razer brand means the best RGB lighting in the business is included, and the veritably upgraded Synapse software from Razer allows you to customise the lighting to your own preferences. Whether you want a light show or a simpler, sleeker setup, Synapse is not only effective at providing for your desires but easy to use as well. On-board memory allows you to take your custom lighting and strategic profiles with you wherever you go so that your setup comes with you. Other, smaller features of the keyboard which make their own little difference include a detachable, delightfully braided USB type-c cable for ease of mobility and adjustable feet which can be set at multiple different levels for your personal comfort. In essence, Razer has thought about everything when it comes to design in order to make their product the best on the market. The continued endorsements from gaming’s top e-sports competitors surely seal the deal in confirming the quality of the design of the product, too.

Features & Tech

As Razer boasts, the Huntsman Tournament Edition has been built in collaboration with top e-sports professionals with one key factor in mind; speed. The company claim that this is their fastest, most responsive keyboard ever, and using it only makes that claim feel more believable. Whilst it is strictly impossible for any human to tell the difference between the various milliseconds of response time, the 1mm actuation of the Huntsman Tournament Edition’s is very, very noticeably fast. Often before I have even responded to pressing a key myself, my action has already taken place in the game. The rapid response is remarkable, and it is all down to Razer’s new linear optical switches.

 

Traditional membrane and mechanical keys have a higher actuation point than the new optical keys, owing to the necessity for a physical mechanism to be activated and, often, the delay caused by the need for a bounce back after a key has been pressed. Razer’s use of optics ensures that each key is activated as it moves downwards, purely by breaking the fine laser that the button press quickly breaks. What’s more, the technology also makes your keyboard last longer. The lack of a need for a complex physical mechanism means the Huntsman Tournament Edition has been tested to handle up to 100 million keystrokes; an easily industry-leading figure.

For Gamers By Gamers Razer, you can purchase the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition here for £129.99.

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