With the Razer Huntsman keyboard series, Razer has recently launched two new mechanical keyboards – the Razer Huntsman and the Razer Huntsman Elite. Both keyboard variants are designed for gamers and have new switches, the so-called “opto-mechanical switches”, which were developed by Razer.
Scope of Delivery
Depending on which of the keyboards you get, you can expect a different scope of delivery. The Razer Huntsman Elite includes a comfortable palm rest in addition to the keyboard, which is omitted in the cheaper version. The media buttons in the upper right corner as well as the underbody lighting in the cheaper version of the Razer Huntsman are also omitted.
Design
The design of the mechanical keyboard matches the other products from the house of the big peripheral giant. Like most peripheral devices, this one comes in a matching black color. The special thing about the keyboard for me are the stylish multimedia keys, which you can find in the upper right corner. With a knob you can easily turn your music louder and quieter.
There is also a knob on the knob that lets you completely mute your sound. Once you have muted your sound, this will also be shown on the knob’s keyboard, because the knob will then have a red background.
Since the multimedia keys occupy the entire upper space, the status LEDs of “Num-Lock”, “Scroll-Lock” and “Caps-Lock” have been moved using the arrow keys. I had to get used to it personally and rarely notice it if I accidentally activated the Caps-Lock button.
In the dark, the design or the illumination of the keyboard comes into its own. With the backlighting of the keyboard and the illumination of the keys, the keyboard looks really chic.
Workmanship
The case and wrist-rest of the Razer Huntsman Elite are made of matt aluminium, which ensures high stability compared to other keyboards. In addition, the palm rest is covered with imitation leather and is simply attached to the keyboard by a magnet. Thus, longer gaming sessions are much more comfortable than with other palm rests that are only made of plastic or plastic.
In addition, Razer’s mechanical gaming keyboard features proprietary opto-mechanical switches with a metal key stabilizer on both sides. A built-in light barrier in the opto-mechanical switch significantly reduces the triggering time.
Here you can find a table showing the differences between Razer’s opto-mechanical switches and other mechanical switches:
| Opto-Mechanical Switch from Razer | Clicking standard mechanical switch | |
| Trigger Method | Optical | Metal contact point |
| Trigger force | 45 g | 50 – 60 g |
| Trigger point | 1.5 mm | 2.0 mm – 2.2 mm |
| Life time | 100 million Trips | 50 million Trips |
| Stability | Cross shaft with stabilizers | Cross shank |
| Tip feeling | Light and click | Tactile and clicking |
Writing Sensation
For me personally the writing feeling of the Razer Huntsman Elite is unique. Please note that this is my personal opinion and may of course differ from others. However, I have the feeling that I can write texts much faster with the keyboard than with the Nanoxia Ncore Retro, which is my current keyboard. Since I have already switched to mechanical keyboards for several years and have been able to try different switches, the self-developed Razer switches are something special for me, as they withstand more tripping processes and feel much different from the typing feel of the previous Cherry MX switches.
The volume of the keyboard also plays an important role for many. An open backdrop creates a loud clacking noise.
Software
With the relatively new software “Razer Synapse 3”, which is currently still in beta and will replace the old program “Razer Synapse” in the future, but does not yet support all devices from Razer, you can customize your Huntsman Elite perfectly. Whether lighting, macros or keyboard functions. All settings are made here.
The Razer Huntsman Elite also comes with a “gaming mode” that you can switch on or off in the software. You can decide whether it should be switched on for the entire time or activated in the game. You also have the option to set three checkmarks to deactivate the “Windows key”, “Alt + Tab” and “Alt + F4” in gaming mode.
Furthermore you have the possibility to create up to five profiles with different settings, which you can link to a game. For example, if you have connected your Profile 1 to the game World of Warcraft, Razer Synapse 3 will automatically load the profile when you start the game. This allows you to set up different profile settings for different games beforehand, which can include macros or other lighting effects.
With the Razer Hypershift technology you can put your computer into energy saving mode by pressing the “FN” key. As with other keyboards, additional key assignments are enabled.
With the Chroma Studio you can give your keyboard a unique look, with effects such as a “wave” or “star sparkle” that you can apply to each area. This way you can give the undercarriage lighting a star sparkle effect and assign the “wave” effect to the keys of the keyboard. Up to eight different effects are available, which can also be applied to eight different areas of the keyboard.
Unfortunately I am not satisfied with the software program Razer Synpase 3. Even though we have had good experiences with the beta version on other devices, I had errors and problems all the time. So I had to do without the Chroma Studio while using the Huntsman Elite, because it simply didn’t take over the settings. Even with the normal lighting settings, which apply to the entire keyboard, an error often occurs that prevents my settings from being adopted. Also a new installation as well as several restarts of the software could not solve the problems. This is definitely a work in progress.
Razer Huntsman Elite Review Conclusion
The Razer Huntsman Elite comes with a proud price of € 147.70 * and you have to ask yourself if the keyboard will do this price justice. In my opinion the price is justified because the case and the wrist-rest are of high quality. Not every wrist-rest is covered with artificial leather, which makes longer gaming sessions much more pleasant. The housing is also made of matt aluminium and therefore provides a good stability. According to Razer, the switches can withstand up to 100 million tripping operations, which is twice as much as with Cherry-MX switches.
In addition, there are the quite stylish multimedia keys that are located at the top right of the keyboard. The whole thing creates a unique look. The individual chroma lighting as well as the different settings you can make in the software complete the whole thing.
In addition, a new type of switch has been installed, which is supposed to be 30 percent faster than is usual with conventional keyboards. This shortens the actuation travel and the keys react more quickly.
The software allows you to create many settings such as macros, lighting and multiple profiles. If the Chroma Studio would work, you could customize the keyboard lighting. By creating different profiles that you can tune to different games, it is very easy to set macros or other lighting effects for the keyboard.
I can’t recommend the Razer Huntsman Elite yet, despite its great design and high quality workmanship. As soon as the software problems are fixed, however, this changes.
Razer Huntsman Elite
Design
Workmanship
Writing Sensation
Software
Value for Money
The Razer Huntsman Elite is a mechanical gaming keyboard that can offer you a lot if the software weren't spinning around. With the self-developed switches the keyboard has a unique writing feeling. Since the software doesn't work properly yet, I can't recommend the keyboard yet.
