Razer Keyboards Quality Control Is Slipping?

[skulkingghost]

I have been really annoyed with the quality of the new Razer keyboards, anyone experience anything similar?

Before I purchased this Blackwidow, I had the Logitech G19. I paid $200 for it right after it was released. When I read about the Blackwidow and tried the cherry switch keys I was hooked and decided to make the switch. I sold the G19 got the Blackwidow. Worst choice ever. I wish I could afford to get the G19 again... le sigh.

I am now on my FOURTH keyboard in less than a year.

1st keyboard died within 2 weeks of use.

2nd keyboard died under 2 months (amazon replaced it so I didn't have to deal with Razer since it would be a long time to replace)

3rd keyboard died after just under a year of use.

Now I am on the phone with Razer hoping for a 4th. Ugh

Anyone have any better recommendations for a keyboard? Thinking of going back to Logitech, but I love Cherry switches... Money is tight, expecting my first child next month, but I work from home a lot and having a keyboard randomly die is not helping me get the job done.


Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[KaOTiK]

I'm still rocking the original Logitech G15 from when it first came out and still loving it.

 

[JamesV]

I've had alot of problems with my Blackwidow Ultimate. So aggravated I didn't even try to RMA it, just use it on another PC I rarely touch. Having used a G15 previously, I tried the G710 which I'm using now.

Love it so far (2 months), and my worries about brown switches were unfounded... actually prefer them to the blues for feel. I assumed I'd like blue/red better from reading peoples experience, but I really love the feel of browns.

 

[Dankk]

I would never buy anything from Razer. All of their stuff is overpriced and ugly. From what I hear, their quality is extremely mediocre too; stuff wears out way too quick especially considering how much they charge for their products.

I haven't been familiar with the PC gaming landscape for a long time, so I don't know if they've ever been any different. All I know is: If Razer used to be a quality company, they're certainly not anymore.

I'm personally a fan of Logitech. There's like the Toyota of PC peripherals.

 

[smackababy]

I have used quite a few Razer products. My G15 died when the Blackwidow came out, so I picked that up and had 0 problems. I also bought the Naga on release and have had 0 problems with that. However, I did buy the SWTOR keyboard from Razer and have had nothing but problems with it. I am currently trying to deal with them to get some sort of discount or I am buying a new keyboard from some other manufacturer.


As far as other gaming mechanical keyboards, I think the Corsair K60 and K90 are the only other two out. Sadly, they both aren't fully mechanical.

 

[Pia]

Razer marketing wins again. They build the crappiest mechanical keyboards. If you manage to get your final replacement, you should eBay it before it has a chance to break down and pick up a more solid brand.

If you want another board that looks like a spaceship and has a zillion gaming macro keys, go Corsair. Otherwise you have plenty of choices from low to high price points. Leopold, Ducky, XArmor, Mionix, Rosewill, etc. depending on what kind of features, layout and looks you want.

My general bang-for-buck recommendations are a Leopold tenkeyless, or a Ducky tenkeyless if you want backlighting.

 

[Broheim]

My general bang-for-buck recommendations are a Leopold tenkeyless, or a Ducky tenkeyless if you want backlighting.

this, I currently have a Ducky and that is one solid keyboard, I could use it as a weapon in the upcoming zombie apocalypse and plug it back in at the end of the day and still have it work.

 

[skulkingghost]

@pia, any recommendations on one with the numpad? Are the full size okatu just as good. Been looking at Ducky but finding it hard to justify the $129. I dont need any macro keys or lcd screens / even backlighting.

 

[Karstein]

I've had alot of problems with my Blackwidow Ultimate. So aggravated I didn't even try to RMA it, just use it on another PC I rarely touch. Having used a G15 previously, I tried the G710 which I'm using now.

Love it so far (2 months), and my worries about brown switches were unfounded... actually prefer them to the blues for feel. I assumed I'd like blue/red better from reading peoples experience, but I really love the feel of browns.

The G710+ is a great keyboard, but bear in mind it's not without it's own quality problems. There's a well-documented issue with backlight failure that affects them, whereby lighting on whole sections of the keyboard can suddenly just die. I actually had the problem just hours after plugging mine in and RMA'd it (thank you Amazon return procedures). My current one is still holding up after a few weeks at least.

 

[Pia]

@pia, any recommendations on one with the numpad? Are the full size okatu just as good. Been looking at Ducky but finding it hard to justify the $129. I dont need any macro keys or lcd screens / even backlighting.

Leopold remains my first recommendation also for a full-size board. The value is very good; keyboards simply do not get much better even if you pay 3x as much. (Speaking from experience.)

I default to recommending the tenkeyless models because I believe they they are superior to full-size boards for the vast majority of people; the reason that majority keeps buying full-size boards is that they never thought about it further than "moar buttons = better" or possibly "full-size = normal = safe". The ergonomics for right-handed mouse users are superior with tenkeyless, and most folks get little to no benefit from a keypad. I'm in the minority that is able to touch type a keypad, but there's no way a keypad would be worth the shoulder pain on my mouse hand. I don't enter all that much numbers, and if I did, I'd buy a separate keypad. Filco makes a good mechanical stand-alone keypad, FYI.

 

[bononos]

I have been really annoyed with the quality of the new Razer keyboards, anyone experience anything similar?
.......
Anyone have any better recommendations for a keyboard? Thinking of going back to Logitech, but I love Cherry switches... Money is tight, expecting my first child next month, but I work from home a lot and having a keyboard randomly die is not helping me get the job done.

There have been complaints about Razer in general about its poor build quality. Razer mech keyboards iirc are oem'd from a subpar manufacturer ione.

Reputable brands for mech keyboards- Filco, Ducky, Steelseries... many others. Corsair and Coolermaster have their models also. Some of the Corsair ones are partial mechanicals with membranes for the esc+function keys. They aren't gaming type keyboards like the Razers with macro buttons though.

 

[Childs]

I bought a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth 2013, and out of the box some of the keys on the numpad fell out. I popped them on no problem, but that was kinda crappy.