The Razer Huntsman V2 is an updated version of the original Razer Huntsman. It is also Razer’s first keyboard with an 8000Hz polling rate, which should make the board feel more responsive. It has very low latency, and the Razer Linear Optical switches on our unit feel light and responsive thanks to their low operating force and short pre-travel distance.
But you can get it with Razer Click Optical switches if you want a different feel. Also, the RGB backlighting can be changed, there are media keys, and the volume is controlled by a multi-function knob. All of its keys can be set up to do macros, either by using the Macro key on the board or the Razer Synapse 3 software. Even though it seems to be well-made, some of the bigger keys wobble and sound and feel different than the rest. We tested the full-size version, but there is also a smaller version called the Razer Huntsman V2 TKL that only has ten keys.
1. DESIGN
The Razer Huntsman V2 seems to be made very well. Its body is made of plastic that feels solid, and its base plate is made of metal, which helps the board feel solid. Six rubber pads on the bottom of the board hold it in place, and another six are on the wrist rest. The four feet on the incline also have rubber grips, but they don’t keep the board as stable. The keycaps are made of doubleshot PBT, which is better than the ABS keycaps on the first Razer Huntsman. Most of the smaller keys feel stable, but the larger ones, like the Spacebar, Shift, Enter, and Backspace, move and sound differently than the smaller ones.
The Razer Huntsman V2 is a straight board with two angles and a soft leatherette wrist rest that make it easy to use. It has four feet that hold the board in place with rubber grips, but they aren’t as good as the six rubber pads on the bottom of the board.
The Razer Huntsman V2 has a few extra features that the original Razer Huntsman didn’t have, like dedicated media keys and a multi-function knob that controls the volume by default. All of its keys can be used to set up macros, and you can use the Macro key on the board to set up macros right away.
2. TYPING EXPERIENCE
The Razer Huntsman V2 feels great to type on, and the doubleshot PBT keycaps have a nice feel to them. The angle settings and wrist rest help keep your wrists from getting tired, and the low operating force and short pre-travel distance of the Razer Linear Optical switches on our unit make them feel light and responsive. You can also get the board with Razer Clicky Optical switches, which should change how you type. Some of the bigger keys, like the Spacebar, Shift, Enter, and Backspace, move a little bit, and some keys sound and feel different. If you have this board and have had a problem like this, please tell us about it in the discussions. We tried both the Typing mode and the Gaming mode in the Keyswitch Optimisation setting, but when typing, we didn’t notice any difference.
Our Razer Huntsman V2 has Razer Linear Optical switches, which feel light and responsive because they don’t require much force to work and have a short distance before they start moving. There are also Razer Clicky Optical switches for it. We tried out the switches in the software’s Gaming mode, but it looks like the settings for the keystrokes are the same in the Typing mode.
The Razer Huntsman V2 has a latency that is very low. We ran our tests with the board set to its maximum polling rate of 8000Hz and the Keyswitch Optimization mode set to Gaming, which likely helps reduce debounce delay.
The Razer Linear Optical switches on our unit are very quiet. This is because there is sound-dampening foam inside the board, which helps keep keys from making pinging noises when they are pressed all the way down. But Razer Clicky Optical switches, which should be much louder, are also available.
3. SOFTWARE AND OPERATING SYSTEM
The Razer Synapse 3 software lets you choose lighting effects, remap keys, set macros, and make profiles, among other things. There are also two Keyswitch Optimization modes: Typing mode adds a debounce delay to prevent extra inputs from a single keystroke, and Gaming mode has no debounce and should make actuation very responsive.
On Windows and Linux, all of the Razer Huntsman V2’s keys work, but on macOS, only the Pause, Scroll Lock, and Fn keys don’t. But the software is only for Windows, so you can’t change anything if you use macOS or Linux.
All View
The original Razer Huntsman has been improved with the Razer Huntsman V2. The V2 has more features than other recent Razer boards, like dedicated media keys, a multi-function knob that controls the volume by default, PBT keycaps, and a wrist rest. Also, it’s Razer’s first board with a polling rate of 8000Hz, and along with the Corsair K65 RGB MINI and the Corsair K100 RGB, it has one of the lowest latencies we’ve tested.
