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Equipped with new mechanical switch technology, this keyboard is the fastest around.

Razer was one of the first in the world to introduce mechanical switches in keyboards way back in 2010. In 2014, they designed the world’s first mechanical switches specifically for gaming. There’s even a neat YouTube video on it. Now, Razer has released the Huntsman, with its new Opto-Mechanical™ Switch.

What even is a Opto-Mechanical™ Switch?

After Razer first introduced the mechanical switch in 2010 on their BlackWidow, mechanical switches soon became industry standard. The new Opto-Mechanical™ Switch introduces a new way to utilize optical light technology. On a normal mechanical switch, metallic contacts are used inside of light. When you press the key on your Huntsman, light passes through the stem and sends the signal to the computer. It’s essentially using the speed of light. You can’t get much faster than that! In terms of performance, it’s the fastest keyboard around and has super high durability. Unless you use this keyboard more than 100 million times, you won’t have to buy a new one for a while. And on top of that, the Opto-Mechanical™ Switch is equipped with a key stabilizer bar that reduces key wobble and makes every push feel much more consistent.

Razer Huntsman review: Using Opto-Mechanical™ Switches Razer Huntsman review: Using Opto-Mechanical™ Switches

Left to right: light beam passing through the switch stem, and additional key stabilizer (Images: Supplied)

But what does it mean as a gamer?

Great, the Huntsman is super fast! But what does it mean to you? For one, this keyboard is super slick. It’s neat and has a feeling of awe about it. You’ll notice the slightly increased speed, and each key feels “softer.” Next, it’s a little more “clacky” than the usual mechanical keyboard. If you’re gaming or streaming, those in chat will be able to hear your superior keyboard through your mic. We suppose this could be good or bad depending on how you want to be seen. Regardless of what you’re doing, you still have that nice satisfying “click” sound. But we definitely wouldn’t use it in an open office environment, unless you want to annoy all your work colleagues!

One of the best things about the Huntsman is it comes in two types — the standard version or Huntsman Elite. The standard has all the fancy features mentioned above. The Elite has an added plush leatherette magnetic wrist rest. This is super cool and can be attached or removed if needed. It has Chroma lights underneath and is super comfy! The Elite also comes with additional audio control keys.

The only thing we think this keyboard is missing is a Chroma backlit Razer snake logo. Perhaps on the spacebar would have been cool. Or even the R Λ Z Ξ R word splashed across the space key! That’s just us being super picky. Speaking of picking, if you like different choices, you’re in for a treat with the Huntsman. The Huntsman standard keyboard comes in all three colors – Razer’s classic black, the pink Quartz, or the white Mercury. Whatever your style, there’s a color for you. The Razer Huntsman is available to purchase at $149.99 US ($249.95 AUD) for the Standard edition or $199.95 US ($369.95 AUD) for the Elite version. If you liked this review, check out other Razer reviews for the Basilisk Essential, and read up on some plans Razer has for the future.

The Razer Huntsman Standard comes in three awesome colours (Image: Supplied)
The Razer Huntsman Standard comes in three awesome colors. (Image: Supplied)