Razer Huntsman V3 HE Review: Jumping on the Bandwagon

It finally happened. After years of standing by optical switch technology, Razer has finally jumped on the bandwagon and made its own Hall Effect keyboard. Razer still stands by its optical switches, at least according to its PR representatives. In the eyes of Razer’s engineers, optical switch technology is still superior to magnetic switches. According to Razer, an optical switch still has greater accuracy and is less likely to face interference from outside forces (such as electromagnetic fields or a metal desk). But, apparently, the demand for magnets has become so strong that Razer simply can’t ignore customer demand anymore. As a result, Razer’s first Hall Effect keyboard, the Hunstman V3 HE, came into existence. Being its first attempt, Razer didn’t try to do anything crazy. No screens, dials, or split spacebars. Instead, it offers a simple and basic Hall Effect keyboard that does exactly what it says on the box. And, as much as I like the new and bizarre, sometimes that’s all a keyboard needs to be. Smooth to a Fault The most important part of a keyboard will always be how the keys actually feel during use. In this regard, the Hunstman V3 HE is merely fine. The switches are smooth when pressed, and the smoothness is consistent across most of the keys. Though some switches feel slightly overlubed, to the extent that the bottom-out of the keystroke feels mildly tacky. Because this keyboard uses a tray-mount system, there are also slight differences in the stiffness across the keys: switches closer to mounting screws will feel less flex when typing, and vice versa. The typing experience has multiple slight differences across keys that make it feel inconsistent, but these aren’t major enough to be irritating—or even particularly noticeable—during regular use. [Image text:] c9 M F10 prtsc tp enter shift ctrl home dr end