The first thing you will notice is its weight; this is a hefty piece of hardware. The weight primarily comes from the fact that this is a fully mechanical keyboard, as demanded by hardcore PC gamers. Most keyboards sport a sandwich of circuit boards and plastic bubbles under their keys, and depressing a key will squeeze the layers together until a circuit is closed. In contrast, mechanical keyboards have an individual mechanical switch under each and every key. Every key on the BlackWidow has a smooth action, slipping down reliably, without sticking or jamming, until I hear that "clack" of the switch flipping. That's the next thing you will notice: the BlackWidow, like most mechanical keyboards, is loud. The noise is akin to an old fashioned mechanical typewriter, and while some might find it distracting, I actually enjoy it. While typing it gives me audible feedback that my keystroke is complete, and as I have been getting used to it, I have found my typing speed increasing. I can break down my PC usage into three broad categories: gaming, work, and leisure. My PC is geared to be a high-end gaming machine, but I also use it for writing, and for everything that is neither gaming or work: listening to music, internet browsing, watching video, and so on. Allowing for some tiny niggles that I will address later, this is a great keyboard for work purposes. Once I got used to the noise, I began to really enjoy using it. For gaming, the BlackWidow has been a breeze. Another benefit of mechanical keys is that having individual switches means the signal is clearer. This means that you can hold down a fairly ridiculous number of keys at once before the keyboard will start losing keypresses, a process called "anti-ghosting". I tested this feature as well as I could, but I don't think I pushed it anywhere close to its limitations. While playing Borderlands 2, I moved forward and right while crouching, and then brought up the in-game map, pressing W, A, Ctrl, and M all at once. Razer promises at least ten keys' worth of anti-ghosting, and there is also a gaming mode you can turn on that will disable Windows hotkeys and ramp up the ghosting even more.

The technicalities of hardcore gaming hardware are a bit lost on me, I have to admit. All I can say is that unlike my Logitech, which lagged, dropped keystrokes, and would sometimes forgot I was holding down a key (a real problem when you're playing a stealth game and it forgets you want to stay crouched) I have never suffered any lag, lost keys, or other technical difficulties. You can also record macros and assign them to five dedicated macro keys, but I never used this feature. Overall, I love this keyboard. It has a few minor issues, though, but only for non-gaming use. My main issue is ergonomics; as irritating as my Logitech was, it was extremely comfortable to rest my hands on. The BlackWidow has no wrist support, and no split or curve to allow an ergonomic wrist position. I plan to invest in a gel wrist rest which will help to some degree, but in terms of comfort, this is not a keyboard for anyone with RSI issues. Another minor issue is the lack of dedicated media control keys. I liked having one-touch buttons for controlling music playback or the volume level, and while the BlackWidow has these controls as alternates on the function keys, this makes using them a two-key process: hold the function key, then tap a function key to pause or mute. The function key is on the lower right, as well, so this is a two-handed job. The key design is also a little bit strange, which again takes getting used to. The green-backlit keys with adjustable brightness are fine (if a tad blinding at their default level) but the letters and numbers are presented in a stylised, futuristic font that can be hard to read. Also, the number keys are marked with the numbers above and the shift characters - exclamation mark, ampersand, and so on - placed below. I am not a touch typist, so for the first week or two I would look at the keys and momentarily forget whether you press Shift to get an eight or asterisk. All of these complaints are nitpicks, really, especially for users who just want a great gaming keyboard. Selling for between $130 and $150, it certainly isn't cheap, but it is reliable, tough, and solid, and I imagine it will last for years. Non-gamers should probably look elsewhere, though. For that price you will get a really nice typing action, but poor ergonomics and no dedicated media buttons.

If you're an in-betweener like me, though, the BlackWidow is a great keyboard if you can justify the cost. Its gaming performance is simply flawless, and the issues that make it less than perfect for work and leisure are matters of personal preference. If you're on the fence, I would certainly recommend trying one out at a friend's place or in the shop before you invest. Don't let the loud keys scare you off; this is a fantastic piece of gear. - James "DexX" Dominguez DexX is on Twitter: @jamesjdominguez

