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Razer Deathstalker Expert Review

Raichuboy17

Ok, I have had this keyboard for the past 6 months and I must say that this is the worst keyboard I have ever used for typing. The home row bumps are almost non-existent and the general typing experience is horrid. There are a number of moments where it will inexplicably just stop working or end up lagging due to software issues in Razer Synapse. Not to mention that the spacing of the keys is massive (3mm or around 1/8 of an inch) which wouldn't be that bad if the keys weren't also very large (15.5mm or around 5/8 of an inch). I mean i have fairly large hands (192mm) and i constantly struggle to hit the B key or right shift, which was never an issue for me on my old mac keyboard (closest thing i could compare to this keyboard). The wrist rest also isn't very comfortable, which wouldn't be a problem if it was detachable It also has a longer travel distance than the old mac keyboard I have.

Now to talk about it's gaming performance. This is OK if you don't move your hand around much. For MOBAs or FPS this isn't the worst keyboard you could get, but really has a lot more to be desired for it's hefty 80$ price tag new or 40~ used. If you are going to play a lot of MMOs then STAY AWAY FROM THIS KEYBOARD. Because of how much you move your hand trying to hit your skills or drink your potions you will almost always miss the WASD placement. Now if you use shift to run than i have more bad news for you; The left shift key is tiny. It is barely the size of 2 of the normal keys which caused my finger to slide of the edge of it on a regular basis. This might just be because my hand is so large but I am skeptical. Also the middle of the board has a lot of flex to it when typing (I am a very light typist). The edges, on the other hand, are made with very thick plastic which makes it twist very little when doing the traditional twisting rigidity test. The only real good thing about this keyboard is that the rubber feet are very sturdy, which is actually pretty nice to see. Sadly though the edges seem to be the only thing that are meant to last, I mean the cable isn't even braided!

TL;DR?

Pros:
-Very nice rubber feet
-Edges of the keyboard are very thick and strong
-Looks cool

Cons:
-Typing experience is horrid

-Lots of flex in the center of the keyboard

-far too big due to obnoxious spacing and size of the keys
-Fairly long travel distance for a slim profile keyboard
-Razer Synapse is still bad
-Home row bumps are very small

-No braided cable
-Uncomfortable and non-detachable wrist rest

Basically I would not recommend this keyboard to anyone. Get any other keyboard besides this one.

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I had one and I totally have to agree with you on the typing part! Glad I got my Logitech G710+ ! ;)

Haha I have a G710+ as well!  I'm glad I did.

Also, great review, OP.

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I have this keyboard since 2 days and the keys are NOT silent! Even if you hear music or something you hear the keys...

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Well the deathstalker does use membrane keys right? And the chiclet style of key would be more suited to laptop kids.

I like my blackwidow with my blues better. Although once the k70 rgb comes out, I'm ditching it.

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Well the deathstalker does use membrane keys right? And the chiclet style of key would be more suited to laptop kids.

I like my blackwidow with my blues better. Although once the k70 rgb comes out, I'm ditching it.

Yeah I am waiting for it too. But this keyboard is huge compared to a laptop keyboard. Each key is a full 1-1.5mm larger than the Mac chicklet keyboard, and the spacing is also a little bigger.

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Could you put pictures up?

 

 

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Thanks for the review, was seriously considering getting that keyboard but I guess I won't now. 

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I'm not sure how the Expert differs from the regular version.  I have the regular version and I find the typing experience to be more than adequate.  In fact, I do all my writing on it quite comfortably.  The wrist rest area is vastly more comfortable than my old Black Widow Ultimate for long typing or gaming sessions.  As for quiet...well... Maybe it's not the quietest keyboard on Earth, but it's a damn sight quieter than full mechanical, and that's all that mattered to my roommates. :P

 

That's the beauty of so much choice though... To each their own!

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I'm not sure how the Expert differs from the regular version.  I have the regular version and I find the typing experience to be more than adequate.  In fact, I do all my writing on it quite comfortably.  The wrist rest area is vastly more comfortable than my old Black Widow Ultimate for long typing or gaming sessions.  As for quiet...well... Maybe it's not the quietest keyboard on Earth, but it's a damn sight quieter than full mechanical, and that's all that mattered to my roommates. :P

 

That's the beauty of so much choice though... To each their own!

It just gets really bad once you start typing 60+ wpm. I type about 75 right now and it was unbearable.

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It just gets really bad once you start typing 60+ wpm. I type about 75 right now and it was unbearable.

 

Well I'm in the 80-100 range and it's not a problem for me.  Though I should also say that I only type with my two index fingers, I self-learned and was never taught the five or ten finger technique that's shown in my regional schools nowadays.  I can't really put myself in the place of another typing style but hey, if it's bad for you, it's bad for you!

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Picard II (2015-Present) Surface Pro 4 i5-6300U/8GB RAM/256GB SSD

LlamaBox (2014-Present) i7-4790k/GTX 980Ti/16GB RAM/500GB SSD/Asus ROG Swift

Kronos (2009-2014) i7-920/GTX680/12GB RAM/120GB SSD

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I'm not sure how the Expert differs from the regular version.  I have the regular version and I find the typing experience to be more than adequate.  In fact, I do all my writing on it quite comfortably.  The wrist rest area is vastly more comfortable than my old Black Widow Ultimate for long typing or gaming sessions.  As for quiet...well... Maybe it's not the quietest keyboard on Earth, but it's a damn sight quieter than full mechanical, and that's all that mattered to my roommates. :P

 

That's the beauty of so much choice though... To each their own!

Am I the only one that doesn't like silent keyboards?

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Only keyboard that is great in the razer lineup is the blackwidow(used almost all of them except for the anansi) >.>

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Am I the only one that doesn't like silent keyboards?

i dont like silent keyboard when typing it helps me verify that the key actuated i cant tell you how many times i thought i pressed a key and then had to back space  

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Why would a chiclet keyboard be $80?

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