The Razer BlackWidow Lite is a good mechanical office keyboard. It features proprietary Razer Orange switches, which are rather similar to Cherry MX Brown switches. It offers a good typing experience with a light tactile bump, and without a clicky noise. It feels responsive for gamers, but its click latency may be too high for some. Also, the keyboard feels too high to type on comfortably during long periods and some may quickly feel some noticeable fatigue after a while. On the upside, the board is very well-built and it comes with O-rings to dampen the sound of the keys.
Our Verdict
The Razer BlackWidow Lite is an excellent gaming keyboard. Its proprietary Razer Orange switches are very similar to Cherry MX Browns and provide a rather light operating force with low pre-travel distance. Unfortunately, the click latency is just decent and may be a bit too high for gaming.
- Macro-programmable keys.
- White backlighting.
- Light typing experience.
- Click latency a bit higher than other keyboards.
The Razer BlackWidow Lite isn't designed to be compatible with mobile devices and tablets.
The Razer BlackWidow Lite is a good keyboard for an office environment. The Razer Orange switches offer an excellent typing quality, but aren't too noisy and won't disturb surrounding colleagues. However, some people may feel like the keyboard is a bit too high to type on comfortably during a full workday.
- Light typing experience.
- Quiet typing noise.
- Limited ergonomics.
The Razer BlackWidow Lite is a very good programming keyboard. The typing quality is great, but some may feel some fatigue after a while due to the high profile of the keys, which aren't the most ergonomic. It doesn't have dedicated macro keys, but you can easily reprogram any of the keys.
- Macro-programmable keys.
- Light typing experience.
- Limited ergonomics.
The Razer BlackWidow Lite is a poor keyboard for entertainment/HTPC use. It's not designed for this because it's wired and you'd have to sit close to your TV. It also lacks a trackpad. Luckily, it has white backlighting and media hotkeys.
- Media hotkeys.
- Can't be used wirelessly.
- No trackpad.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 12, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jan 20, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Razer BlackWidow Lite in white, and it's also available in black and a Stormtrooper Edition. It's only available with Razer Orange switches, so we expect our results to be valid for the other variants.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Razer BlackWidow Lite is a good mechanical office keyboard with excellent typing quality. It's good if you work in the dark thanks to its white backlighting. However, because it's a wired keyboard with no multi-device pairing feature, it isn't as ideal for work on-the-go. If you want a similar keyboard with wireless connectivity, check out the Razer Pro Type. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best mechanical keyboards, the best gaming keyboards, and the best RGB keyboards.
The Razer BlackWidow Lite is better overall than the Razer Ornata Chroma. The Lite is a TKL keyboard with mechanical switches that are quiet and offer good tactile feedback. It's better built overall and offers a much better typing experience. The Ornata is full-sized, has full RGB backlighting, and comes with a plushy wrist rest.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro and the Razer BlackWidow Lite are very different. The SteelSeries is a full-size keyboard with more features, like an OLED screen and a USB passthrough. It also has full RGB backlighting and comes with a wrist rest. The SteelSeries uses linear Omnipoint switches that let you adjust the pre-travel distance to your liking; however, they don't provide any tactile feedback like the Razer Orange switches on the Razer. The SteelSeries' latency is much lower, and it has better compatibility because it has software support for macOS.
The Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition is a better gaming keyboard than the Razer BlackWidow Lite, which is more geared for office use. The TE has one of the lowest pre-travel distances we've measured and feels very quick. The Lite offers a much better typing quality but only has white backlighting, while the TE features full RGB lighting.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL and the Razer BlackWidow Lite are wired TenKeyLess mechanical keyboards with several standout differences. The SteelSeries features lower latency, full RGB backlighting, an included wrist rest, and companion software compatible with Windows and macOS. The unit we tested has tactile SteelSeries Brown switches, but it’s also available with linear SteelSeries Red and clicky SteelSeries Blue switches. The Razer only has white backlighting, does not have an included wrist rest, and its companion software is only compatible with Windows. It has tactile Razer Orange switches that have low pre-travel, require light force to actuate keystrokes, and are very quiet. There are no other switch types available.
Test Results
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