The Razer Huntsman is an amazing full-size gaming keyboard. It features unique Razer clicky optical switches that feel responsive and are great to type on. This board is very well-built and looks sleek, and it offers full RGB lighting. Unfortunately, a nice and comfortable wrist rest would have been nice to have, as it's not the most ergonomic keyboard to use for long periods. Nevertheless, its design is great, but some might not like the clicky switches. This board has been replaced by the Razer Huntsman V2, which comes with a wrist rest, dedicated media keys, and a multi-function wheel.
Our Verdict
The Razer Huntsman is an excellent gaming keyboard. It features unique Razer clicky optical switches that are fairly light and feel very responsive. The board is very well-built, and you can also customize the full RGB lighting easily. You can also set macros directly on the board or in the software.
- Very well-built.
- Full RGB lighting.
- Great typing experience.
- Responsive switches.
- Macro-programmable keys.
- Not the most comfortable to use.
- Can be loud for some.
The Razer Huntsman is a decent office keyboard. It offers a great typing quality thanks to its nice switches and nice feedback, but it might be a bit loud for some due to the clickiness of the switches. Also, its ergonomics aren't the best as it doesn't have a wrist rest or any ergonomic characteristic.
- Very well-built.
- Great typing experience.
- Not the most comfortable to use.
- Can be loud for some.
The Razer Huntsman keyboard is wired-only and isn't designed to be used for mobile devices.
The Razer Huntsman is a great keyboard for programmers. It offers a great typing quality, and its design should last you a while. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the best ergonomics and might not be the best option to work on for long hours. On the other hand, you can program macros on all the keys, which is very useful.
- Very well-built.
- Full RGB lighting.
- Great typing experience.
- Macro-programmable keys.
- Not the most comfortable to use.
- Can be loud for some.
- Wired-only.
The Razer Huntsman is inadequate for use with home theater PCs. It's wired-only, which means you might have to run a cable across the room. Also, it lacks a trackpad, so you need a separate mouse for navigation.
- Full RGB lighting.
- Great typing experience.
- Not the most comfortable to use.
- Can be loud for some.
- No trackpad.
- Wired-only.
- Great typing experience.
- Not the most comfortable to use.
- Can be loud for some.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 29, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3.1, which adds a new estimated PCB latency test to the Single-Key Latency section and a new Analog test to the Switches section of this review. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Oct 30, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3, which overhauls how key input is evaluated. We've added new tests for Single Key Latency, Multi Key Latency, Data Transmission, and Chord Split. We've also introduced a new Raw Performance usage and adjusted how the Gaming and Office usage scores are calculated. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Jun 21, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update introduces new Backlight Features and Backlight Clarity test boxes. We've also added a new Switches test box, added additional test comparisons to our Hardware Customizability test box that we introduced with our last Test Bench. For an in-depth look at our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
- Updated May 31, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.1. This update adds several new tests addressing Hardware Customization, Macro Keys And Programming, and Wireless Mobile Compatibility. We've also added new objective evaluations to the Typing Noise test, and we've simplified several tests and removed several others that were no longer relevant. For an in-depth look at all our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This keyboard is available in black, mercury white, and quartz pink, but there shouldn't be any differences between those models. We reviewed the black model and expect our results to be valid for the other colors as well.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
This keyboard features Razer clicky optical switches, which offer a unique overall experience, and can feel a bit different than most typical mechanical switches. The board is very well-built, feels durable, and also features full RGB lighting that doesn't bleed out too much like some other brands. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best keyboards, the best gaming keyboards, and the best mechanical keyboards.
The Razer Huntsman is better than the Razer BlackWidow. The Huntsman has Razer Optical switches which offer a quick and responsive gaming experience and a better typing quality, and it's also better-built. On the other hand, the BlackWidow has clicky switches that offer audible feedback.
The HyperX Alloy Origins and the Razer Huntsman are both outstanding full-size gaming keyboards with full RGB backlighting and programmable keys. The Razer's Clicky Optical switches have a shorter pre-travel distance but a slightly higher operating force than the HyperX Reds. They provide tactile feedback, which the HyperX Reds don't; however, they're also much louder, making them less ideal for quiet office environments. The Razer has onboard memory to save custom profiles, but on the other hand, the HyperX has a detachable USB-C cable.
The Razer Huntsman Mini is essentially a compact 60% version of the Razer Huntsman. The Mini provides a better typing experience because it has PBT keycaps as opposed to the Huntsman's ABS keycaps, but the Mini's layout feels a bit cramped and can cause fatigue over time. Other than that, the Mini has a detachable USB-C cable, and it offers more incline settings. The smaller version is also available with Razer Linear Optical switches.
The Razer Huntsman and the Razer BlackWidow Elite are fairly similar overall. The main difference is that the Huntsman uses optical clicky switches, while the Elite that we tested uses Razer's Orange switches, although it's available with Razer Green and Yellow switches as well. The Elite has more features, like dedicated media keys, a USB passthrough, and it comes with a comfortable wrist rest. Typing feels better on the Elite mainly because the Huntsman's keys wobble and feel slippery.
Test Results
The Razer Huntsman is a full-size keyboard that takes a decent amount of space on your desk. It's quite larger than the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition due to its numpad.
The Razer Huntsman is very well-built. It has an aluminum plate on top of a solid all-plastic body, which results in very little flex. The keycaps are ABS plastic, but they still feel decent. The weaker point of this build seems to be the small incline feet that are wobbly and loose.
This keyboard has acceptable ergonomics. It has two different incline settings, which can help you find the best angle for you. Unfortunately, it can get slightly fatiguing to type on during long periods, and a wrist rest would have been helpful. If you prefer a keyboard that comes with a wrist rest, check out the Razer BlackWidow V3.
This keyboard supports full RGB lighting, and each key is individually-lit.
This wired keyboard has a long cable that should easily reach your computer.
This wired-only keyboard can't be used wirelessly.
The Razer Huntsman has a few extra features. While the media keys aren't dedicated, it still offers useful features like onboard macro programming and a Game Mode hotkey to stop your game from minimizing by disabling the Windows key. For dedicated media control and a volume wheel, check out the Razer Ornata V2. If you want a USB passthrough, look into the HyperX Alloy Elite 2.
The overall typing quality of this keyboard is great. The switches feel nice to type on and offer good feedback, both tactile and audible. Unfortunately, the keycaps wobble a bit and since they're quite easy to actuate, this can lead to more typos. The keycaps also feel a bit slippery and the Razer BlackWidow Elite's feel slightly better. These switches seem to be better for gaming than typing, but do a good job at both. If you want a similar keyboard that provides a better typing experience, check out the Razer BlackWidow Lite.
Due to the clickiness of the switches, this keyboard can be loud when typing. It's better suited to use in an environment where you're alone, as it could bother surrounding colleagues in an office setting. If you want a keyboard available in a wide variety of switches, including quiet Cherry MX Brown switches, check out the Ducky One 2 SF.
The clicky optical switches on the Razer Huntsman gaming keyboard are unique. These are a tactile and clicky variant of the switches found on the Huntsman Tournament Edition. They have a short pre-travel distance and low operating force, making them incredibly light and responsive. If you like optical switches, you can check out the Wooting one , which also allows you to have analog inputs where the input depends on how much force you apply on the key, just like a controller.
The Razer Huntsman's latency is superb. You shouldn't feel any delay when gaming.
This keyboard is compatible with the Razer Synapse 3 software. You can easily control the lighting effect, record macros, and create multiple profiles. It even has onboard memory so you won't lose all your preferred settings if you switch to another computer.
This keyboard has decent overall compatibility. While it's fully compatible with Windows, only a few keys don't work on macOS. Also, the software isn't available on both macOS and Linux, so you'll have to customize everything on a Windows computer first.