Razer Huntsman V3 HE Review: Jumping on the Bandwagon

Hall effect switches. 8,000 Hz polling. In-depth software-based customization done Razer Synapse. Great RGB functionality. Aftermarket power compatibility. Easy customization and repairs. Simple, no-frills design.

Wired-only connectivity. Plastic bottommost case. Inconsistent power feel. Occasional bugs during use.

It yet happened. After years of lasting by optical power technology, Razer has yet jumped connected the bandwagon and made its ain Hall Effect keyboard.

Razer inactive stands by its optical switches, astatine slightest according to its PR representatives. In the eyes of Razer’s engineers, optical power exertion is inactive superior to magnetic switches. According to Razer, an optical power inactive has greater accuracy and is little apt to look interference from extracurricular forces (such arsenic electromagnetic fields oregon a metallic desk). But, apparently, the request for magnets has go truthful beardown that Razer simply can’t disregard lawsuit request anymore. As a result, Razer’s archetypal Hall Effect keyboard, the Hunstman V3 HE, came into existence.

Being its archetypal attempt, Razer didn’t effort to bash thing crazy. No screens, dials, oregon divided spacebars. Instead, it offers a elemental and basal Hall Effect keyboard that does precisely what it says connected the box. And, arsenic overmuch arsenic I similar the caller and bizarre, sometimes that’s each a keyboard needs to be.

Smooth to a Fault

The astir important portion of a keyboard volition ever beryllium however the keys really consciousness during use. In this regard, the Hunstman V3 HE is simply fine. The switches are creaseless erstwhile pressed, and the smoothness is accordant crossed astir of the keys. Though immoderate switches consciousness somewhat overlubed, to the grade that the bottom-out of the keystroke feels mildly tacky. Because this keyboard uses a tray-mount system, determination are besides flimsy differences successful the stiffness crossed the keys: switches person to mounting screws volition consciousness little flex erstwhile typing, and vice versa. The typing acquisition has aggregate flimsy differences crossed keys that marque it consciousness inconsistent, but these aren’t large capable to beryllium irritating—or adjacent peculiarly noticeable—during regular use.

Each power has a 40-gram spring, which feels comparable successful value to a Cherry MX Red erstwhile typing. They’re reasonably airy and person constricted wobble, but are slightly dilatory to instrumentality aft being pressed. It’s not a large issue, they inactive instrumentality comparatively quickly, but a much snappy outpouring would person been preferable.

The typing dependable tin champion beryllium described arsenic comparatively “clacky,” with a clean, afloat code and a important midrange. The dependable is cleanable overall, without immoderate extraneous scratchiness, pinging, oregon different unusual frequencies. There are noticeable differences successful code crossed the keys, particularly connected immoderate of the outer ones, which extremity up taking connected a noticeably deeper and duller sound. Compared with the rattly and atonal optical Huntsman V3, these improvements are nighttime and day. But compared with the gasket-mounted Razer BlackWidow V4, there’s decidedly inactive country to improve.

The spacebar poses the largest issue, successful some dependable and feel. There are 2 strips of foam connected the underside of it to forestall a hollow dependable erstwhile typing. While this does work, it besides results successful a little “thump” sound that’s importantly deeper than immoderate of the different keys. More important, due to the fact that the foam strips connected my portion are excessively adjacent to the power underneath, they collide with the lodging erstwhile pressed down and marque the extremity of the keystroke consciousness distinctly squishy and muted. The spacebar is besides importantly heavier than immoderate different key, weighing astir 10 grams (comparatively, a modular spacebar is astir 7 grams, portion a modular single-unit keycap is astir 1.5). This makes the power consciousness noticeably lighter than the others, and astatine little actuation distances, this tin adjacent effect successful immoderate mis-inputs.

I recovered that swapping retired the spacebar for a nondampened 1 (thankfully, it’s a modular 6.25-unit length, which is incredibly casual to find) results successful an improved keypress and a dependable that’s acold much successful enactment with the remainder of the keys, arsenic opposed to the distinctly deeper code it produces retired of the box. For those OK with a much destructive fix, it would besides beryllium casual to region the foam from the archetypal spacebar.

Conversely, the stabilizers connected this keyboard are issue-free. All of them are creaseless and quiescent with zero rattling, indicating Razer has figured retired its mill lubing methods, thing rather a fewer manufacturers inactive conflict with.

Typical Plastic Shell

Like astir of Razer’s keyboards, the latest Huntsman has a precise straightforward build: an integrated metallic apical sheet and a integrative bottommost ammunition successful a tray-mount assembly with sound-dampening foam. The screws holding the 2 halves unneurotic are counter-sunk into the apical housing, which has Razer’s emblematic achromatic brushed finish. Thankfully, determination are nary fragile integrative clips holding the 2 halves together. The shell, adjacent with the metallic top, has a flimsy magnitude of flex in-hand.

Inside the case, determination are 2 printed circuit boards: A main committee that screws into the metallic plate, and a daughterboard that screws into the bottommost shell. These 2 boards are connected by a three-pin JST-style connector and a heavy ribbon cable. There is simply a portion of sound-deadening foam betwixt the sheet and PCB, filling the bare abstraction betwixt the switches, and different wrong the bottommost shell. While the usage of a secondary daughterboard is nice, the bottommost integrative ammunition feels reasonably thin. This seemingly contributes to the underwhelming dependable illustration of this keyboard, and it yet results successful a little robust and sturdy plan compared with an all-metal (or adjacent thicker plastic) construction.

This keyboard uses a modular tray-mount assembly. The apical fractional screws straight into the bottommost ammunition of the keyboard, utilizing aggregate evenly distributed enactment posts. This plan is casual to disassemble, making some modifications and repairs straightforward. Because the bottommost fractional is made from plastic, though, determination is simply a greater hazard of the threaded posts stripping oregon getting damaged during assembly and disassembly.

Compared with modular mechanical keyboards, which person hundreds of chiseled power options that tin beryllium freely swapped out, 1 of the largest issues with Hall Effect keyboards is constricted customization. The switches and sensors person aggregate competing standards, meaning it tin beryllium hard (or impossible) to find aftermarket switches that are compatible with immoderate fixed keyboard. I was initially told that third-party switches wouldn’t beryllium compatible with the Huntsman HE lineup, but I was amazed to find that the switches from the Wooting 60HE seemed to beryllium afloat compatible. I easy pulled 1 of the switches from the 60HE, and popped it straight into the Huntsman with zero issues. While I can’t definitively confirm, this indicates that different aftermarket switches utilizing the aforesaid standards could besides beryllium compatible.

Finicky Functionality

While investigating this keyboard, I ran into a fewer issues. The astir salient was cardinal repetition: Within a fewer hours of use, the N cardinal ended up creating a changeless input whenever I would property it (namely, nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn) until I pressed different key. When I swapped the power with another, this caller power refused to registry immoderate inputs. The lone solution was to afloat reset the keyboard.

During regular typing, I besides ran into rather a fewer moments wherever an input would beryllium missed during typing. These were sporadic and seemingly random, and it’s wholly imaginable that I was simply not pressing a cardinal down acold enough, but the frequence was important capable that it didn’t consciousness similar idiosyncratic error. Beyond this, the contented occurred astatine respective antithetic actuation distances with seemingly-similar frequencies.

The standout diagnostic of this keyboard is the polling rate. Much similar the erstwhile optical-powered Huntsman V3 Pro, the Huntsman V3 HE features 8,000 hertz polling. This means the keyboard communicates with your machine 8,000 times per second. This is the golden modular for peripherals today, but it’s honestly overkill for the mean idiosyncratic (or really, anyone extracurricular of the highest levels of competitory play). In reality, specified a precocious polling complaint is much of a information nett against mis-inputs than an existent show improvement, since it drastically decreases the chances of a keypress happening betwixt messages.

While 8kHz polling is impressive, it’s not exclusive to analog switches (both Hall Effect and optical switches are considered analog, portion mechanical switches aren’t)—there are mechanical keyboards that besides diagnostic the technology. Instead, the main payment of an analog power is the quality to observe however acold the power has been pressed down. Through this, the actuation region of the power (how acold it needs to beryllium pressed to registry an input) tin beryllium adjusted. On the Huntsman, the actuation region tin beryllium adjusted betwixt 0.1mm and 4.0mm, practically covering the full question region of the switch. Using this mechanic, the keyboard tin besides admit aggregate inputs implicit the duration of 1 keystroke, oregon respond otherwise based connected the absorption of a key’s movement.

This functionality is besides utilized successful different features, specified arsenic Rapid Trigger, which is the astir utile of these features. In essence, Rapid Trigger allows for much contiguous inputs by tracking the absorption of the switch’s question alternatively of waiting for it to walk a predetermined actuation constituent (typically 2.0mm of travel). This means if you merchandise the cardinal partially and property it down again, the keyboard volition registry a caller input careless of whether it returned to the “resting” presumption supra the actuation point. In practice, the Huntsman HE performs comparably to immoderate different system, allowing for much accelerated inputs erstwhile gaming.

Alongside Rapid Trigger, the Huntsman besides has assorted different customization features with varying levels of wide appeal. While astir of these volition apt spell unused by the mean player, it’s ever amended to person much customization options. The astir noteworthy are the Dynamic Keystroke feature, which allows for antithetic inputs to registry erstwhile a cardinal is released, and Snap Flex, which allows for simultaneous inputs erstwhile a cardinal is pressed oregon released. These some person the astir entreaty for immoderate benignant of precocious techniques, with the cardinal illustration being precise fume grenade throws successful Counter-Strike 2. I could besides spot these features being utile for frame-perfect inputs for speed-runs oregon exploits.

Along with these, determination is besides the quality to emulate the inputs of a crippled controller connected your keyboard. This is chiefly done to replicate the analog inputs of a controller joystick, which allows for much good controls of question velocity compared with a modular key. It tin besides beryllium utilized to replicate the pedals and steering of a racing game, oregon immoderate different inputs that necessitate much good inputs than a modular cardinal tin provide.

These settings are each incredibly casual to acceptable up and adjust, arsenic well. Razer Synapse presents them successful an intuitive and straightforward way, with tooltips and built-in animations to explicate antithetic settings. Really, this is 1 of the largest benefits of the Huntsman: Customization done the bundle is incredibly casual and quick, meaning you tin swap betwixt keymaps oregon marque different adjustments betwixt matches, oregon adjacent betwixt rounds, without having to wade done unnecessary menus oregon confusing interfaces.

While determination are immoderate unusual details, this is simply a perfectly serviceable Hall Effect keyboard, particularly for buyers who privation to enactment successful the Razer ecosystem oregon who are specifically looking for 8kHz polling. With bully switches, in-depth bundle and large specs, it’s a coagulated gaming-focused workhorse that manages to inactive dependable beauteous good, adjacent if the physique prime and typing acquisition aren’t quite what they could be. Plus, the barebones attack is ever preferable to immoderate of the unusual choices different manufacturers person been making.

The Huntsman V3 HE is disposable successful either a 65 percent oregon Tenkeyless (TKL) configuration, retailing for $120 and $140 respectively. Currently, some layouts are lone disposable successful black. The keyboards diagnostic Razer-branded linear Hall Effect switches.