I know you probably think you'll be lucky, but I've had 2/5 Razer products fail within a few months in the past which is unacceptable and dealt with their nightmarish customer service.
They are known for high failure rates of their products and terrible customer service. Put these 2 factors together and logic says you should stay away.
I have a blackwidow ultimate and have been really happy with it. I did have the "E" key go out on me (play protoss) but customer service was good and they had me send it back and they sent me a new one. I really like the ultimate having usb and mic/headphone jack make my set up really nice
I got the Black Widow Ultimate Mac version after doing some pretty extensive research on keyboards and I've been very happy with it. It was an upgrade from the normal Mac chiclet keyboard that comes with them. I read a lot of reviews prior to buying and it sounds like the keyboard did have some issues at some point, but the recent revisions of them have that fixed for the most part. I think there's different part numbers on them, so make sure whatever you buy is a recent one.
The things I really like about the keyboard are the "gaming mode" that you can switch the F keys between normal F keys and media keys (Play, Pause, volume, etc), and the macro keys on the side. On the Mac version they just serve as F15-F19 keys, but I have them bound to a few functions in SC2.
The Ultimate version is nice with the side ports for headphone/mic and USB, and the LEDs just look pretty awesome in my opinion, but it's all a question of whether that's worth it to you or not. The cost difference between the Ultimate and the regular is pretty substantial (about $50).
I recommend doing some research into the switches if you're thinking of going mechanical. I am satisfied with the Cherry MX Blues that come in the Black Widow Ultimate, but they can be quite loud if you're in an area where noise is important. Brown switches come in the Stealth and are a lot quieter, but feel different. I am pleased with the feel of the Blues when playing SC2 and it gives me a good amount of feedback on key presses.
Depends on what you're looking for in a keyboard. The blackwidow is a solid mechanical keyboard, and I've had no problems with mine in the year+ that I've had it. It's a pleasure to type on even when not playing games. The marauder has fancy "APM technology", which is kind of a gimmick. It also has a weird configuration, with the arrowkeys as secondary functions in the numpad, and other keys like home/end squeezed in random places as well. If you're only going to play SC2 on it, it probably works just fine. If you're going to do a lot of other things, it might not be the most convenient.
Love Razer mice, been using a Copperhead since it came out like 7 years ago and haven't been able to use another mouse since.
Keyboard though, I don't find anything in their lineup that impressive. If you're looking for flashy lights and stuff its cool, but there's better quality stuff out there.
What features are you looking for? Personally I like a smaller, tenkeyless keyboard since I don't have a ton of space on my keyboard tray at school and I need my mouse to go there too. I also find all the crazy macro stuff and whatnot silly, especially since the SC scene isn't too fond of such business.
Also look out for a lot of annoyances when looking at keyboards with extra buttons. Lots of times they screw with the layout of the rest of the keyboard. A buddy of mine ended up with a keyboard whose backspace button was only as wide as a letter key. Lot of random equals signs showed up when I typed on that thing.
I use a simple PLU ML-87, just a simple mechanical tenkeyless keyboard with no extra crazy lights or buttons. Still has media controls as alts on the F keys, and that's all I need.
I use a black widow. I love the blue keys. I write a lot of essays and papers, so the feel of the keyboard in long typing sessions is so important for me. And the audible click makes me feel like I'm writing on a type writer.
For sc2, i'm a bit of a spammy player, so i enjoy the rhythm of a mechanical keyboard.
Again, its all personal choice, but as a writer and as a gamer, i recommend the black widow.
I have the Marauder. It's very cmofortable; the keys have a rubberized finish on them, while the Blackwidow doesn't. To me, I honestly hate the sound of clicking everytime you press a key, which is what the Blackwidow has. It's quite loud too, I've heard it fromm videos. With the Marauder, you can change it to any colour you want, or you can turn it off. I'd say definitely get the Marauder.
I have a blackwidow and dont want to touch any other keyboards. From the reviews i read when i was actually searching for a keyboard i heard the marauder is terrible and i would opt for a mechanical keyboard over APM technology which you can get from sc2 gears. BUT google my friend the desicion is up to you
On January 26 2012 13:36 b4kill wrote: I have the Marauder. It's very cmofortable; the keys have a rubberized finish on them, while the Blackwidow doesn't. To me, I honestly hate the sound of clicking everytime you press a key, which is what the Blackwidow has. It's quite loud too, I've heard it fromm videos. With the Marauder, you can change it to any colour you want, or you can turn it off. I'd say definitely get the Marauder.
Does that actually stay on? I had that on my mouse, and there's now exactly 0% of it left. It's nice at first, when it starts to wear away it looks shitty/
On January 26 2012 13:36 b4kill wrote: I have the Marauder. It's very cmofortable; the keys have a rubberized finish on them, while the Blackwidow doesn't. To me, I honestly hate the sound of clicking everytime you press a key, which is what the Blackwidow has. It's quite loud too, I've heard it fromm videos. With the Marauder, you can change it to any colour you want, or you can turn it off. I'd say definitely get the Marauder.
Does that actually stay on? I had that on my mouse, and there's now exactly 0% of it left. It's nice at first, when it starts to wear away it looks shitty/
I've had this keyboard for about... 2-3 months? No problems so far. So unless you freaking chew on your keyboard, the rubber should not come off. Just take care of your things, and they will last long.
I was considering buying the black widow, but I eventually ended up ordering the steelseries 7g today as my first mechanical keyboard ever. When I get it, I'll let you know how it is if you're interested.
i bought a blackwidow ultimate and had one fail on me (the ctrl key would stick down) but dealing with customer support wasn't much of a hassle and i have a replacement. i think it feels great and you have a lot of agility on it, verses a rubber dome keyboard. Double tapping can feel a bit weird becuase of the mechanics of the button. however i strongly recommend that you have a read of this thread. http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide It describes all the different types of mechanical keyboards. i wouldn't recommend a rubber dome keyboard, once i went to mechanical i never went back XD
I do not under any circumstances recommend trash Razer keyboards at anytime. Not Now, not ever.
But in your case, i would choose the Black Widow over the Marauder, the Marauder has really squished and cramped keys which are just plain uncomfortable, and the Black Widow's M5 key will fuck with you for the 1st two weeks due to its proximity to the left control key. Both have pretty shabby build quality, but i'll give the edge to the Black Widow because of the Cherry MX Blue switches. Once you have typed on one of those babies, you will never go back on membrane keyboards (my first mech keyboard was the Black Widow, it broke in 2 weeks.)
But seriously, if you have a bit more money, go for one of the Rosewill Mechanical Keyboards or buy a Filco, dont skimp on quality just because the product is cheaper because you'll end up on regretting it fully
I use the Blackwidow Ultimate. I got it because I wanted tactile switches and the Stealth version wasn't available in the Netherlands at the time. Also I like pretty lights, so I went with the Ultimate over the regular version.
And so far it's serving me quite well. It's my first mechanical keyboard, so even though the dedicated mech-KB brands like Das and Filco will probably be better, I can notice the massive difference between this thing and my previous membrane-boards. I won't go back to membranes voluntary anymore.
The one thing to take into account though, is that the MX Blue switches are quite loud. If you have someone in the room with you, they may not like it. The BWU Stealth version uses MX Brown switches that are more silent (though still louder than membrane keyboards).
Razer mice and mouse pads are okay, their keyboards.. Suck.
Go with a Filco keyboard, I bought one with brown cherry switches and I love it. It's held up against my punishment and is really sturdy and high quality (unlike my lycosa which feels cheap)