i keep pressing the macro keys but actually this keyboard is fucking nice

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i’m the type that likes to try out all the possible different switches and keyboards that i can. one of the keyboards i purchased recently for trial was the razer blackwidow v4. let’s see how this keyboard stacks up to the others i’ve tried.

razer blackwidow v4: at a glance

keyboard	razer blackwidow v4
price	$169.99
tier	premium
switches	razer yellow (linear)
keycap profile	oem
keycaps	abs
interface	wired, usb-c, usb-a
layout	usa ansi
hot-swappable?	no

razer blackwidow v4: my thoughts

Overall, this is a very solid keyboard, but is it worth that hefty price tag? let’s assess.

price

i hesitate to say that this keyboard is truly worth $170. it’s nice, there’s no doubt about that. however, it’s really not that much different from any other keyboard that i own besides being really expensive. the integrated software for the keyboard is not only not really worth an additional $100, but, as i’ll cover more in-depth below, it kinda sucks in terms of functionality.

construction

okay, this keyboard is nice. it doesn’t feel cheap at all. it’s weighty in the hand, feels sturdy, and looks sleek as heck. the only real complaint i have is that the keycaps are made of abs plastic instead of pbt. i don’t like the feel of abs plastic under my fingers as much as i like pbt. i think it feels slimy and greasy, especially after a period of long-term use.

keycaps

the keycaps are an oem profile, abs plastic set of standard keycaps. they do have shine-through legends, which is nice with the per-key leds. again, i will lightly complain about the choice to ship the keyboard with abs keycaps. i would have much preferred a pbt set for the price i paid. however, since that’s a preference thing more than anything, it’s not a real downside unless you prefer pbt like me.

the keycaps use standard cross-stem input. so, if you happened to really like them you could put them on a different keyboard. conversely, you can use any cross-stem keycaps on this keyboard if you don’t like the keycaps.

switches

the keyboard uses razer’s proprietary yellow switches. you can also get it with razer’s green switches, which are their clicky-type switches. very notably, you cannot purchase it with razer’s orange switches, which are their tactile ones. it’s actually quite hard to find a keyboard with razer orange switches compared to the yellow and green ones. by comparison, very few of their keyboards offer them as an option.

sound profile

in terms of sound, this keyboard is pretty unique. despite being a linear keyboard, i would hesitate to describe the sound of the keyboard as “creamy” which is what most people have come to associate with linear switches. similarly, it isn’t really “thocky” like a softer tactile keyboard either. i would describe the sound the switches make as more of a soft “thump” which is unique and unusual in the current landscape of keyboards. i don’t typically like creamy-sounding keyboards. so, the sound being neither creamy nor thocky doesn’t bother me.

problems i encountered using the razer blackwidow v4

let’s look at the issues i had with the keyboard that go beyond simple metrics.

the biggest issue i had with the keyboard was its accompanying software. i’ve had several razer keyboards in the past and i’m accustomed to the way their software works. however, this keyboard adamantly refused to work with razer synapse 3. i downloaded the new razer synapse (that’s what it’s officially called. don’t come for me.) and got marginal success in using it. however, there are some major issues with the software.

firstly, the keyboard cannot maintain a connection to razer synapse, regardless of the version. it would not connect to razer synapse 3 at all, and will disconnect from the new razer synapse every time i restart my computer. is it a sort of small thing to have to unplug my keyboard and plug it back in every time i restart my computer? in the grand scheme of things, yeah. however, when i pay $170 for a piece of hardware that has accompanying software, i expect them to work together with at least a 95% fail-safety.

secondly, it will not default to using my “advanced” effects. i don’t need fancy lights, per se, but if i paid for them, i want them. every time i restart my computer (which is daily!) i need to navigate through razer synapse after unplugging the keyboard and plugging it back in. then, i need to wait for razer synapse to register the keyboard as plugged in, which can take as much as 5 minutes. only then can i go into the settings and change it to my “advanced” effects.

the earliest report of this issue that i could find dates back over two years. so, i don’t expect it to be fixed any time soon, if at all.