Razer Huntsman V2 Tenkeyless Optical Gaming Keyboard

[VSG]

Razer's new Huntsman V2 TKL is an enthusiast product in a mainstream gaming keyboard skin, with two optical switches to choose from and doubleshot PBT keycaps out of the box. There is even sound dampening foam in the case, and individual switch stablizers make for an impressive typing experience.

Show full review

 

[Turmania]

I'm in the market for a TKL keyboard. Leaning towards MSI's version.

 

[VSG]

I'm in the market for a TKL keyboard. Leaning towards MSI's version.

Which one?

 

[Chrispy_]

£159 for a TKL and the buyer has to deal with Razer Synapse too? That's a one-two punch to the gut IMO.

I guess there's a market for this (I know Razer fanboys) and it's always nice to see the ISO layout catered for (i.e, around half the global population) but I always figured the point of optical switches was short travel and light actuation force; At 45g these seem to offer nothing over other linear-switch mechanicals at around half the price. My go-to recommendation for linear, short-travel MX reds is the CM SK630 which uses the incredibly well-stabilised Cherry MX RGB Low Profile switches for the exact same 45g force and 1.2mm actuation. The difference is that there's none of the Razer Synapse rubbish to deal with and the price is just £90.

 

[VSG]

£159 for a TKL and the buyer has to deal with Razer Synapse too? That's a one-two punch to the gut IMO.

I guess there's a market for this (I know Razer fanboys) and it's always nice to see the ISO layout catered for (i.e, around half the global population) but I always figured the point of optical switches was short travel and light actuation force; At 45g these seem to offer nothing over other linear-switch mechanicals at around half the price. My go-to recommendation for linear, short-travel MX reds is the CM SK630 which uses the incredibly well-stabilised Cherry MX RGB Low Profile switches for the exact same 45g force and 1.2mm actuation. The difference is that there's none of the Razer Synapse rubbish to deal with and the price is just £90.

What's the current mindset over Razer Synapse? Having used it here, I have little complaints tbh.

Also I don't think ISO caters to half the global population lol

 

[SerPiolo]

i'm new in mechanical keyboards and i have a question for you: is it true that commercial branded mechanical keyboard are trash compared with Varmilo, Ducky, ecc?
i'm asking because i'm familiar with iso standard and is little bit difficult find something good and also cool.

thanks for whom will answer me

 

[VSG]

i'm new in mechanical keyboards and i have a question for you: is it true that commercial branded mechanical keyboard are trash compared with Varmilo, Ducky, ecc?
i'm asking because i'm familiar with iso standard and is little bit difficult find something good and also cool.

thanks for whom will answer me

Absolutely not trash. The average mainstream keyboard is still extremely good in quality, and often has more stringent quality assurance checks than a smaller brand can afford. What you typically get with the likes of Varmilo and Ducky are more custom color options, different keycaps and switches, potentially better build quality for the money. It used to be that a typical mainstream flagship keyboard a couple of years ago was more customizable via software than hardware, but things have rapidly changed since.

Also, as you said, because these larger brands tend to stick with one design for a SKU then they can afford to support different layouts and languages. If you can't find the ISO layout with a smaller brand, why even do the comparison? If you do, then decide on what appeals to you more and buy based on that.

 

[Sybaris_Caesar]

i'm new in mechanical keyboards and i have a question for you: is it true that commercial branded mechanical keyboard are trash compared with Varmilo, Ducky, ecc?
i'm asking because i'm familiar with iso standard and is little bit difficult find something good and also cool.

thanks for whom will answer me

Subjective tbh. All about how one feels. The keycap plastic, keycap texture, stabiliser feedback on larger keys (space, shift, enter/return etc.), noise when keys are pressed and the corresponding components that change the volume and tune of keypresses like metal, epoxy or plastic face-plate or inner skeletal plate, the outer body case/housing material and quality, noise-dampening material inside, the switches lubed or not. Then finally the switches themselves. The quality and material used, the spring used for weight needed, the technology used etc. etc. I could go on and on. I'd advise you to just stick with the first mech keyboard you are comfortable with and forget about the rest unless of course you've got money and time to burn.

 

[Gmr_Chick]

I'm in the market for a TKL keyboard. Leaning towards MSI's version.

HyperX Alloy Origins Core. It's probably one of the most underrated TKL boards on the market right now. I've owned mine for about a year now and I still love it to bits. I got mine with the HyperX Aqua switches and bought the pudding style keycaps for it. But anyway, the value for money of this keyboard is amazing - the entire body is made out of aluminum, the switches are great, the board itself is very compact. It's just a fantastic keyboard that I wish would get the love it deserves.

 

[Operandi]

£159 for a TKL and the buyer has to deal with Razer Synapse too? That's a one-two punch to the gut IMO.

I don't like the brand image associated with Razor with their hygienic gamer finger condoms and gum infused with game enhancing dope but this keyboard looks really nice and frankly a pretty good deal for a TLK with a AL deck, PBT keycaps, stabilized switches, sound dampening foam, and a wrist rest. Its also one of the best looking TKLs I've seen, super clean looking, no shouty branding, no gimmicky buttons to clutter the design, and a decent looking type face on the keys.

Even the Synapse software seems to do it right; you only install the components you want and don't need an account just to use the software.

 

[Mussels]

Owning the V1, it's like they genuinely listened to feedback and fixed every flaw.
The lack of wrist pad, ABS caps, the louder keys vs the full sized boards...

I wonder if its worth opening my two V1's to add my own "sound dampening sheet" - pity there seems to be a need for so many various cutouts and holes in it
Oh and the V1 works at max brightness directly connected to my android phones, so the actual power consumption is quite low and works fine on USB 2.0 ports.

On the software, it's important to note you can control the lighting *without* synapse by pressing Fn and the ctrl to its right, followed by a number key 1-7. Fn-Ctrl 2 is solid colours, tapping it again changes the colour (same goes for the various themes and animations installed internally, tapping again changes the colour)

 

[Turmania]

I'm in the market for a TKL keyboard. Leaning towards MSI's version.

Vigor gk70 silver or red switches. Want to try silver switches this time.

 

[Chrispy_]

What's the current mindset over Razer Synapse? Having used it here, I have little complaints tbh.

Also I don't think ISO caters to half the global population lol

Razer Synapse? It's hated for the same reason there was so much backlash when Nvidia threatened to force account-based drivers just like they already have account-based features locked behind Geforce Experience. Nobody wants to give a company their credentials, link to other accounts and connect peripherals to the cloud when there's no need to do that. It's just a basic driver and GUI, there's no place for cloud telemetry and user tracking just to access features that should be covered by a 100% offline driver, and ideally saved to memory on the device.

As for ISO, I guess I meant ISO+JIS as the double-height return key is the defining feature. Quite often ISO/JIS are the same baseboard layout with ISO just using the extra key in JIS for a function modifier that handles macros/lighting/programming presets etc. Between ISO and JIS you have almost all of Europe/Africa and significant Asian markets like Japan and SK. Whether that's half the global market or not I don't really know but it's definitely a very significant chunk of around a billion people and I know from staff that China is split between ANSI and JIS depending on various factors, there's potentially another half-billion right there but I won't pretend to fully understand the keyboard layouts of such a complex script/language mess, nor presume that the 50 or so Chinese people I work with are an unbiased representation of Chinese users as a whole!

 

[Mussels]

What's the current mindset over Razer Synapse? Having used it here, I have little complaints tbh.

Also I don't think ISO caters to half the global population lol

Current synapse is worlds better than it used to be, and makes corsairs software look like a joke.

Low resources, can be used offline or online (it can make offline guest accounts) - and 99% of current gen razer hardware works without the software, with saved settings and profiles
(The chroma ARGB controller is one exception, rainbow spew only without synapse)