hi , I'm quite certain there may have been a post reguarding this.. but i wasnt able to find it in the search box
Just wondering which would you guys recommend as a gaming keyboard for playing Starcraft 2 . And just the difference between the Blackwidow Ultimate and the Marauder keyboard ..
(seriously do some research, google is your friend) edit: Here is a start, the Black widow is mechanical. The marauder has coloured lights (and APM technology)
this is more a question of if you like the feel of mechanical keys or rubber keys. my advice is to go to the store and try it out. Razer usually leaves the arrow keys exposed so you can try them out. Also note that marauder is a smaller keyboard with no extra macro keys (as far as i can see). having bought a keyboard with macro keys on the left side, i can say that at least for me, its REALLY annoying. like constantly mistyping things and pressing the wrong things coz my spacial awareness becomes all wacked. you'd be surprised at how often you use the left edge of your keyboard to judge where keys are when you're touch typing or gaming. like when i play CS and i wanna buy a submachinegun a lot of the times i press 2 instead of 3 because the extra row of macro keys fuck up my mind lol
I recommend none of these. Black widows are not known for build quality. Marauders there are posts of lights going out and LED's failing. So really if you have the money consider something else. If I were you I would browse through the Mechanical Keyboard Guide and ask questions on there in order to see what kind of keyboard would fit your price range, and what kind of keyswitch you might prefer. There are many keyboards for the same price range that are 10x better build quality so think about it.
Warning, Razer has very shoddy customer service. I purchased Razer Blackwidow Stealth Ultimate when it was last available (about a month ago). Within a couple of days started having issues with LEDs. Customer service was awful.
Took almost a week for them to accept the issue and start rma process. They made me cut the cord and send pictures (which is reasonable), took almost 10 days for them to approve the pictures. Took 4, showing cord cut and serial number. They then couldn't figure out the serial number, said it didn't match. Finally they accepted it... another 3 days I e-mail them again to check status, only then they tell me they are out of stock. Still waiting on it, it is expected to ship today actually.
Also had minor customer service issues when I purchased the keyboard (along with 2 other items).
That being said, it was a really nice keyboard, very comfortable and pleasant to use. Didn't sit even on the table at first, which was odd and made me a bit annoyed, but it didn't bother me after a day or so.
So be forewarned, Razer does not take customer service as a priority.
Edit: Someone mentioned quality issues. I didn't have keyboard all that long, so beside LED issue I didn't notice anything. It is very well possible however. There are some youtube videos of people having similar LED problems, as well. Currently I'm using my very old Logitech G15, great keyboard, AMAZING customer service. Also use Logitech mouse and headset. If Logitech ever makes a Mechanical keyboard, I will buy it in a heartbeat.
One last bit of advice, many people will experience a sort of buyer bias/buyer remorse, especially when purchasing something expensive. So when someone buys a +$100 keyboard, they are very likely to exaggerate their experience with it, sort of justifying the purchase to themselves. So be careful taking advice from inexperienced users. (By no means am I an expert)
I've used both, the black-widow much more extensively.
The marauder is a membrane keyboard, if that doesnt rule it out for you then go try it out. its a small keyboard and for me it felt awkward and small.
The black-widow isn't particularly good either. Its one of the cheapest mechanical keyboards(the standard edition) you can get, but thats the only real upside.
I dont much care for the gimmicks of it, i dont use the macro keys and them being there has been an annoyance. I dont like the way it looks either as i much prefer the standard shape for my boards.
The build quality on black-widows is bad, I've spent a lot of time on 2 seperate black-widows and both have had broken switches.
I dont care for either but if you had to pick between the 2 i think you'd be much happier with the black-widow.
I'd recommend a leopold, filco, das etc as theyre of good build quality, have less gimmicky shit like macro keys (unless our into that sort of thing) and are of a standard shape.
I've used both as well and I feel that the Black Widow feels so much better since it's mechanical. Not to mention it looks better too. Anyway, I don't use the macro features that much but I know that there are probably a lot of other keyboards out on the market like Steel Series which are not only cheaper but also better in terms of quality, since both your options are pretty pricey.
Eww I wouldn't get any 'starcraft' products they are all subpar compared to any other product in their price ranges and die after a short amount of use. The fact you are considering it is because of the marketing, obviously. SC BRAND? MUST BE GOOD.
Pros might use the marauder because 1) They are paid to as a sponsor agreement, this is common. One year steelseries, the next some brand you've never heard of that paid even more. 2) Not every player is that well off or on salaries, if they get given a free marauder, they'd probably use it. Then why change when you're in a tournament? You wouldn't. 3) They just don't care + above. Not every pro needs a certain type of keyboard to perform well, a $2 keyboard can do just as well as a $200 keyboard.
They are so badly rushed to market it's insane. I wish Razer wouldn't lower their standards, then I Think back to how Razer isn't all that great actually. Megaldons etc are made with the cheapest plastic in the world, so they don't really care about the quality of their products either.
TLDR: Don't have to get a mech keyboard and if you do, get one of the better ones (there are 1000 threads on mech keyboards here, DO A SEARCH, same goes for any other keyboard).
I have used the razer blackwidow, deathadder mouse, and moray headphones for over a year and now and am a very satisfied customer, none of the products have caused me problems. I do like a mechanical keyboard for gaming so maybe blackwidow over marauder.
Keyboards and mice are avery personal thing. I use the Black Widow and I'm really happy with it. When I decided to switch from my old keyboard I first checked the web for reviews of popular gaming keyboards. When I was done with that I ended up with 3 that seemed like they could be something for me.
It was the Black Widow, The Steelseries 6gv2 and the marauder. I then went to a store that had all ov them and tried them out.
What made the Black Widow stand out was the switches. I liked them more than the ones on the 6gv2 and the ones on the Marauder were not my style at all.
On the other hand some ppl love the Marauders feel. So my advice is to go and try them out.
Razer's quality control is much to be desired. I would honestly look elsewhere for a keyboard. If you HAVE to choose between the two though, get the Blackwidow. It's a decent keyboard if you can find one that isn't faulty.
to anyone who has trouble with the macro keys and it throwing you off I suggest remove the keys on m4 and m5. after removing these two keys i was able to play most of my games again without feeling thrown off.
edit: well worked for me since i only played brood war and only had trouble with the macro keys being in the way of the CTRL key
There is the Black Widow, a Black Widow Stealth, and finally, there is a Black Widow Ultimate. All of these designs are built from a variety of different vantage points. First of all, let me begin..
If you play Starcraft 2, for more than 2 hours a day, and on a daily basis, you should ditch the idea of the maruader entirely, and get one of the black widow series. The reason for this, is that the mechanical keyboard allows greater ease with making keystrokes, and is therefore a less exhausting keyboard to use. If you ever suffer from hand(typing exhaustion) from playing SC2, try the Razer Blackwidow, it will definitely relieve this.
You said you were considering purchasing the Black Widow Ultimate. For what reason would you want this instead of the standard Black Widow? Unless you play for sessions during the night, or have extremely poor lighting in your gaming environment, you won't need LED backlighting at all. BTW ~ The standard Black Widow uses a reflective paint(white color) for the character keys, making them more visible when playing in dark environments. Just the room illumination from my monitor, makes it easy enough to see my keys. At first, I was uncertain of standard style keyboards as oppose to backlighting, though, since purchasing the Razer Black Widow, I have no use for my old back-lit keyboard.
The price is the difference, if that matters to you.
You are probably already aware of the keystroke silence on versions of the BlackWidow, after the first one, though, if you may, let me further coerce you as to why you should stay away from the ultimate for the time being.
You may not like the keyboard style of the black widow(in general), and dislike the height of it's elevation. The blackwidow, is already fairly elevated at base height, however, using the feet on it, cause it to raise a good inch higher off the table, than standard keyboards. This is just a note regarding the awkward features of the Black Widow.
Don't spend 100$ more on the ultimate, as oppose to the regular one for backlighting and keystroke silence. Spend the 80$ on amazon and see if you even like mechanical keyboards, the Black Widow product first of all, and from there on, you can decide on whether the Blackwidow style Cherry MX switch is to your liking(Team Liquid has a guide on mechanical keyboards) or if you need something more sensitive.
The stealth edition blackwidow and silent das boards use MX brown switches, and ive woken people up in my house several times with them. They are only quieter than blues, which are stupidly loud if you are bottoming out at all (which you will be often if you are typing at your max speed)
You just shouldn't get any of those. I would recommend Steelseries 6gv2 personnally or a Rosewill. (Rosewill is boss)
I use a blackwidow and it's quite cheap for a mechanical keyboard but.. you know... it's just a keyboard it won't make you gosu unless you already are y'know.
Marauder is completely terrible, and you look lame in lans (unless you're mma obv.)
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)
On January 28 2012 13:19 NuKedUFirst wrote: 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)
Filco's are for those who had a mechanical keyboard, but I wouldn't recommend for a first mech keyboard, Ducky, Rosewill, leopold are good first mechanicals, if you want to spend $150 out the gate then be my guest
I use blackwidow ultimate and although it takes some getting used to for a while ( if ur not coming from another mechanical keyboard set up) it grows on u. Not going to lie i hated it at first since i was not used to it but after a while it feels very smooth. I can not go back to a non-mechanical keyboard after using this one. I highly recommend the blackwidow
so after 1 year of using an black widow ultimate it finally broke i cant use the 4 5 and 6 key anymore dont know why but theyre just not working anymore ..... so baught a cheapo membrane keyboard and its much better think i just dont want to play with mechanical anymore
On January 28 2012 14:24 sLaaX wrote: so after 1 year of using an black widow ultimate it finally broke i cant use the 4 5 and 6 key anymore dont know why but theyre just not working anymore ..... so baught a cheapo membrane keyboard and its much better think i just dont want to play with mechanical anymore
The problem is because you got a Black Widow keyboard. Lol. Most mechanical keyboards are good. I've heard some really negative reviews about Black Widow on overclock/keyboard, geekhack, even on here.
blackwidow is fantastic if you can tolerate the clackclackclack. can't speak on behalf of the marauder, but it looks like a great keyboard as well. people are quick to shit on rubber dome but my favorite keyboard was a rubber dome razer tarantula until it broke after several years.
The Steelseries 6GV2 is in my opinion a much more reliable keyboard than the Blackwidow. The blue keys are not my preference, but the biggest issue is how the Black Widow's feel is just... how do I put it? It feels like plastic I would find in a beer cup -_-
I suggest that you buy SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard! I'm using it and its really working great for me. I've seen a lot of pro players use the same keyboard aswell!