Razer Huntsman V2 (Analog Switch) - Optical Gaming Keyboard with Near-Zero Input Latency (Analog Optical-Mechanical Switches, Doubleshot PBT Keycaps, Detachable USB-C Cable) UK Layout | Black

The V3 pro is a premium keyboard with a superb finish and very nice keys. I have compared this to the Corsair K70 Pro, Das Keyboards (Prime 6, Prime 13 and the 5QS), Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro and Roccat Pyro.In my opinion this keyboard has the best quality finish, followed closely by the Corsair. The lighting is excellent and plenty bright for me, but this is not one of the brightest keyboards and there are reasons for this.The lights are enclosed in a black plastic under the keys which minimises light bleed. In fact, there is hardly any - just a shadow really. From right above the keyboard you can see some bleed but not for day to day use. Some manufacturers use a bigger key font. This is different from the majority of RGB keyboards out there, where the lights are enclosed in a translucent plastic to maximise the brightness, or have bigger gaps between the keys. For me, this keyboard has the best lighting as the lights just add to the premium finish.The Das keyboards also have minimal light bleed as the keys are enclosed in the case. If you only want a white backlit keyboard, then consider the prime 6 or 13. My partner has the 13 and she prefers it to the V3 Pro.For me, I dislike the light bleed and find it annoying, especially when I set the keyboard to white and end up with a horrible blur of whitish/blue/red/green dependant upon the manufacturer. The white on the V3 Pro is very good, but from above there is a hint of red.Other positives - being able to set the keypress distance is nice. For me that's a set and forget and I've just left it on default. The other features are not really worth it for me. High quality volume wheel. Haven't noticed any ping from the keys when typing, unlike some others I've tested.The negatives - A little coil whine when cycling colours. I have noticed this with other manufacture keyboards as well, but maybe not as much with them.Either the laser etching on a few of the keys isn't perfect, or the light just doesn't quite reach the corners. This is really minor, however.Software. Had problems getting the software to work and ended up reinstalling several times. Kept on losing the colour profiles I'd set up. It will not save your colour profile to the keyboard, so you will need the software running unless you are happy with the colours cycling.All in all, a great keyboard and worth the money.

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro is an incredible keyboard. The optical switches are super responsive, making every key press feel smooth and precise. It’s well-built, and the RGB lighting really stands out, with plenty of customisation options. The wrist rest is also a great addition for comfort during long gaming sessions. However, the Razer Synapse software can be a bit of a letdown – it’s not the most user-friendly, and can be frustrating at times. That said, it’s worth persevering with Synapse 4 because once it’s set up, the performance and customisation options are fantastic!

If you're someone who divides their time between typing and gaming, and prefers tactile feedback compared to linear/mushy switches, I've tried plenty of keyboards and the Huntsman V2 with Purple switches is the one I've stuck with. The wrist rest is a plush leatherette, super comfortable and it sits in a good place so it's actually supportive. The switches themselves aren't too loud which is a bonus as it won't get annoying to hear the "click click click" over time. No gimmicks with this keyboard either - you can turn off the lighting if it's something you're not bothered about and everything serves a useful function. To be honest, I didn't think the Purple optical switches could mimic the feeling of a "true" mechanical tactile Cherry MX or Razer switch, but I stand corrected. If you like clicky/tactile mechanical switches but also like the idea of keys that are far more responsive, Purple switches are the way to go.

This review is for the full sized Huntsman v2 with the red, optical linear switches. The keyboard is particularly solidly built and feels very high quality. The key action is really smooth and, in the case of the red switches, very quiet. The internal sound damping works well and there are no odd noises or pinging from any of the keys. It comes with a thick, comfortable wrist rest. It's also highly customisable but has one drawback which is not clear from the user manual or Razer website and stops me giving it 5 stars.It uses the Razer Synapse software to programme the keys and change the lighting. The software is functional but not the best I've tried. Although it has programmable on-board memory slots which don't need the Synapse software to be running in the background, these can only be used for storing macros and NOT for the lighting settings. If you customise the lighting (which has an almost infinite number of possibilities), you must keep the Synapse software running or the keyboard reverts to a slowly cycling, fixed brightness colour scheme which it's not possible to change. This has been confirmed by Razer as a deliberate decision and is not just a problem with the keyboard. On my system, the Razer software uses about 310 MB of RAM and only a tiny amount of CPU time - 0% most of the time, occasionally increasing to 0.1% so really not intrusive.That said, this is still an excellent keyboard for both gaming and general use (the best I've tried so far) and I would highly recommend it as long as you're happy with having to run the Synapse software.