Razer has long been one of the premier creators of gaming peripherals. One of their marquee products has been their Huntsman gaming keyboard, one that many have argued is one of the best gaming keyboards on the market. However, not resting on their laurels, Razer has officially released the Razer Huntsman V2. With the Huntsman V2 focused on “keyboard fundamentals,” Razer looks to improve on its already amazing design.
However, is the sequel as good as the original? We got our hands on the Razer Huntsman V2 to see if it is worth your hard-earned money.
Razer Huntsman V2 Specs
- Razer Optical Switches
- Doubleshot PBT Keycaps
- Ergonomic Wrist Rest
- Hybrid On-board Memory and Cloud Storage
- Razer HyperPolling at 8000 Hz
- Up to 5 keybinding profiles
- Razer Chroma RGB customizable backlighting
Pros
No matter what, the performance of any gaming peripheral comes first and foremost. In that regard, the Razer Huntsman V2 delivers. The switches on the V2 have given us some of the fastest response times we have ever had with a keyboard. The latency on the V2 is practically non-existent. Though it may be something that is not perceivable to some of the audience if you are looking to game at the highest level, those fractions of a second matter.
When looking at the keycaps themselves, the craftsmanship is second-to-none on the Huntsman V2. The PBT materials used have stood up to plenty of abuse from angry fingers playing League of Legends and still show no signs of fading or developing a shine. The choice of using a doubleshot keycap pays off, as it ensures that there will not be fading of the characters over time.
One of the biggest additions to the Huntsman V2 is the sound dampening foam. For many users, myself included, the acoustics of a keyboard are make-or-break. Nobody wants to hear your keyboard clacking away as you’re trying to shotcall in a game or just writing down notes for work. The new sound dampening foam ensures that this is never an issue with the V2. Typing and not giving yourself a headache because of the loud keyboard is genuinely a godsend. There are some that may like the louder keyboards, but, we feel as though the V2 offers just enough auditory effects to register that you are hitting keys.
Finally, the new wrist rest is one of the best we have ever used packaged with a keyboard. It supports and cradles your wrist without ever being a nuisance. It manages to do so while also retaining its shape and not forming grooves in the material. That may be something that happens over time, but, through our extended usage, that was not an issue.
Cons
As far as cons go with the Huntsman V2, they are hard to come by. There are some choices that Razer made in creating the V2 that fans of the original may prefer. The V2 has no underglow lighting, the USB cable is set on the left side rather than the middle and the wrist rest is different. Personally, we don’t see any of these as any real issues with the V2, but there are some reasons why a fan of the first Huntsman might prefer that model.
Conclusion
The Razer Huntsman V2 is one of the best keyboards we have ever used, without question. Many of the improvements from the previous iteration to the V2 may seem small, but they make a world of difference. The improvements to the latency and wrist rest plus the addition of the sound dampening foam take the Huntsman series from the A to the S tier.
