RAZER’S “BY GAMERS, for gamers” tagline has always held true in its keyboard offerings, which have focused almost entirely on bright RGB lighting and maxed-out spec sheets. It’s why I’ve always felt its keyboards were about as far as you could get from a premium, enthusiast-oriented typing experience—they never felt great to type on, nor did they sound satisfying. Razer also typically discouraged user customization.

But its latest hardware, the BlackWidow V4 75%, shows a company that understands what makes a good mechanical keyboard. Razer’s first foray into the world of custom keyboards checks off all the boxes. The BlackWidow V4 looks classy and sleek on a desk, feels fantastic to type on, can be customized without much effort, and manages to perform well for gaming. The tactile switches it ships with aren’t ideal for fast-paced games, but they function well as a hybrid gaming and typing solution—a welcome improvement to Razer’s classic clicky Green switches.

My black review sample came fitted with Razer’s Gen 3 Orange tactile switches, the component underneath keycaps that tell your PC what keys you are pressing. They’re shockingly nice here, delivering a balance of tactility and smoothness that makes them feel responsive to type on without being too aggressive or harsh.

The switches have a large, rounded, tactile bump that occupies most of the travel distance, starting immediately at the top of a keypress and continuing almost to the bottom, with a small amount of additional travel afterward. Their tactility (the strength of this bump) is about on par with something like a Glorious Panda switch, more distinct than a Cherry MX Brown, and less so than a Durock T1 or a Zealio—all of which to say it’s a middle ground I find satisfying and comfortable in day-to-day use.

Person removing they keys on the Razer BlackWidow V4 keyboard

Razer lets you swap out the switches using hot-swap sockets manufactured by Kailh. A hot-swap socket connects the switches to the keyboard without soldering, allowing you to swap out components on your keyboard in a matter of seconds with hardly any risk. Kailh is probably the largest and most reputable manufacturer of hot-swap sockets, so I’m glad to see Razer went with it instead of something proprietary.

My gripes with the switches are minimal. They have north-facing LEDs, which makes sense with the included keycaps as it allows for brighter shine-through RGB. However, it also means the lights face away from the user, which can potentially cause interference with certain switch and keycap combinations if you plan on swapping them out.

The stabilizers—wires that connect either end of longer keys for a smoother keypress, like the space bar—are plate-mounted instead of being mounted on the printed circuit board (PCB), which means they will likely rattle over time. My test unit ended up having a slight rattle after a few weeks of constant use. That said, Razer includes mounting points for PCB-mounted stabilizers in case you want to make the upgrade later on.

In terms of ergonomics, this keyboard does everything right. The mostly aluminum build quality is exceptional, the layout is simple and intuitive, the flip-out feet can be adjusted for three typing angles, and the case’s high profile doesn’t obstruct the typing experience. The included wrist rest uses magnets to attach to the keyboard, which is a nice way of ensuring it will stay in place and remain comfortable at any angle.

Razer BlackWidow V4 keyboard opened up to reveal the inside hardware

The bottom case of the keyboard is made from plastic, presumably as a cost-saving measure, but this doesn’t result in any noticeable impact on the keyboard’s sound or rigidity. It has zero flexibility and a reasonable heft without being inconvenient to move, weighing nearly 2 pounds without the wrist rest. However, because it’s wired-only and fairly thick (like most mechanical keyboards), I can’t imagine it being practical to tote this around. On the underside, the screws are easily accessible, and the keyboard can be disassembled with a standard Phillips-head screwdriver, making modifications and repairs a breeze.

The BlackWidow V4 75% is more than serviceable for most gaming applications. Slow-paced shooters like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and fast-paced games like Destiny 2 and Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon all fared well, even if the included tactile switches aren’t ideal for rapid inputs. I also found the benefits of tactile switches in gaming—more awareness of keypresses and a lower likelihood of accidental inputs—to balance these issues out.

The compact 75-percent layout allows far more mouse space than a full-size or tenkeyless keyboard, and the side bar and function row means there aren’t any keys I was missing in my day-to-day use. These two aspects combine to make the BlackWidow V4 just as good for writing, video editing, and daily use as it is for gaming.

Razer BlackWidow V4 keyboard

The RGB is, expectedly, bright and full of character. Razer’s Synapse software allows for broad and deep customization, and the switches are specifically designed to both spread out the lighting underneath the keycaps and project it directly behind the shine-through lettering using clear plastic diffusers inside each switch. While these keycaps look brilliant with the lighting enabled, the lettering fades to a dull and foggy gray when it’s disabled. It looks pretty uninspiring compared to regular white-on-black keycaps, but as long as you’re a fan of the RGB, this will likely never be an issue.

Synapse also lets you customize how fast your keyboard sends information to the computer, known as the polling rate. This is measured in hertz, representing how many messages are sent every second. Most mechanical keyboards sit between 125 Hz and 1,000 Hz, but the BlackWidow has a range of 125 Hz to 8,000 Hz. I didn’t find the 8,000 Hz polling rate to have any noticeable benefits compared to 1,000 Hz; it at least removes a potential excuse as to why you’re at the bottom of the leaderboard.

There’s one important detail to note: Razer says opening the case of this keyboard will void the warranty. It’s frustrating to see Razer discouraging owners from customizing a keyboard that’s clearly designed to be modified.

Outside of that, the BlackWidow V4 75% finds an ideal middle ground between gaming keyboards and premium custom options, both in terms of user experience and cost. (The black version I received is $190, and the white model is $200.) The switches, build quality, sound profile, and layout are fantastic for the money. It doesn’t quite stack up to fully-fledged custom mechanical setups, but it’s leagues ahead of most other gaming keyboards.