Razer Orbweaver

[threadysparrow]

Hey guys, I spend hundreds of dollars on peripherals because I think they'll help me win at my games. 

 

Actually, I buy hundreds of dollars worth of peripherals because I'm developing arthritis in my hands and I need everything to be ergonomic. That's why I have a Razer Naga with the side buttons and a Corsair K70 keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are easier for arthritis people (not "people with arthritis." We have no soul so we are called "arthritis people").

 

I bought the Orbweaver after having a Nostromo for a few years. I liked the Nostromo but the rubber domed keys were getting too hard to push down. They were also becoming less responsive. I decided to use my Newegg credit because for some reason they agreed to give me a line of credit. I paid $100... they paid $100 for this thing and I like it, but there are some things that I wish were different. First, what I like:

 

I like the feel of the keys. They are not MX blue, but rather Razer's own design. They still work fine though. They click like MX blues. The palm rest is rubber and feels nice. The palm rest angle, the thumb buttons, and the heel rest can all be adjusted to fit small or large hands. But the default adjustment will probably work for everyone. The thumb area has 10 buttons. It has an 8 way directional button, the left alt button, and the spacebar. The spacebar is different from regular keys. It's basically a mouse button. I like this because I can hit it quickly with minimal movement. Moving your thumb side to side is hard when it hurts, so if it had an actual key that I had to depress all the way, this would be a problem. Some people might not like this but I do so I'm considering it a plus.

 

Cons: I don't know why they couldn't just put the letters on the keys. The keys are numbered. Nobody is ever going to reference the numbers when making key bindings. They should have just put the actual letters and names on the keys. Also, the W key is the home key but the S key is the one with the bump on it. They should have switched this. The W key should have the bump on it. They have little arrows but you have to be looking directly at the thing to see them and that kind of defeats the purpose of having one. It's supposed to be to the left of the keyboard where your hand can reach it. So why even put the arrows on there then?

 

things I don't really care about but you might: It lights up green... K? K. The cord isn't braided. I don't have a cat so I don't care. It uses Razer Synapse. This software is a memory hog and it's unholy, but you don't even need it. If you're fine with it being the left third of your keyboard then it will work as a keyboard. If you're into macros and stuff then you have to use Synapse. It's plug and play and it works fine with Windows. It might want you to install Synapse but just ignore this. 

 

UPDATE: They are actually Cherry MX Blue. I did my research wrong. Razer introduced their own key switch a while ago and since these keys feel different than MX Blue keys I just assumed without looking into it. I apologize for this error in judgement.

 

Gary, my Hanzo sword please...

 

*thrusts sword into stomach

 

ANYWAYS!

 

Here's a picture:

 

 

4 and 1/2 stars. minus 1/2 star for key numbering and home button bump.

 

DONE!

[Syntaxvgm]

Hi, thanks for your time to review this. What did you think of that basket-ball like material on that palm rest after long hours of gaming? Does it get sweaty and uncomfortable? 

Also, the switches. How do they feel for repeated fast presses in comparison to blues? Do they have to be completely up to depress again, or can you hold and depress them halfway?

[threadysparrow]

you probably won't be able to hit the keys in a seizure like motion, but if you bring your finger up past the actuation point and then hit it quickly it'll register fine. I use a MX brown keyboard and they have a very similar actuation point and responsiveness. You have to bring them back up to press them again, but only about 3/4 of the way back up. The rubber of the hand rest stays cool and feels nice.

[Syntaxvgm]

you probably won't be able to hit the keys in a seizure like motion, but if you bring your finger up past the actuation point and then hit it quickly it'll register fine. I use a MX brown keyboard and they have a very similar actuation point and responsiveness. You have to bring them back up to press them again, but only about 3/4 of the way back up. The rubber of the hand rest stays cool and feels nice.

That's good to hear. I like browns. I am strongly considering this simply becuase there are not a lot of keypads to choose from. 

[APrettyCoolWalrus]

That's pretty! To note on your "arthritis people/people with arthritis" comment, do people actually say "arthritis people?" It doesn't sound correct, grammatically and it doesn't seem kind to say. 

[Swndlr]

im still lost on the point of this.

[Syntaxvgm]

im still lost on the point of this.

Hotkeys. Also people with laptops. Portable. fit anywhere on desk. Easier to set up than keyboard anywhere. 

Personally I tend to use keypads in 3d editors. 

[Swndlr]

Hotkeys. Also people with laptops. Portable. fit anywhere on desk. Easier to set up than keyboard anywhere. 

Personally I tend to use keypads in 3d editors. 

i use a mouse. #properipheralstatus

[threadysparrow]

That's pretty! To note on your "arthritis people/people with arthritis" comment, do people actually say "arthritis people?" It doesn't sound correct, grammatically and it doesn't seem kind to say. 

 

... people just say arthritis... I have arthritis. I'm a person who has arthritis.............

[exyia]

unless they changed production recently, they ARE MX Blues...can you confirm they switched to their Kaihl partnership like they did on the keyboards? (like on the box or something?)

 

also does your thumb portion wobble slightly? I tried two of them (thought I got a defective unit, exchanged in store) and both would rock up and down a little bit. maybe they did small updates to build quality...

 

I'm still happy with mine and I think more people should try this peripheral (made a thread in peripheral section) - if people actually thought about it, a keyboard is terribly un-ergonomic for gaming

[APrettyCoolWalrus]

im still lost on the point of this.

MMOs, size, comfort, macros and hot keys for callouts and such.

[Horrorfull]

I use the powerglove.

[threadysparrow]

unless they changed production recently, they ARE MX Blues...can you confirm they switched to their Kaihl partnership like they did on the keyboards? (like on the box or something?)

 

also does your thumb portion wobble slightly? I tried two of them (thought I got a defective unit, exchanged in store) and both would rock up and down a little bit. maybe they did small updates to build quality...

 

I'm still happy with mine and I think more people should try this peripheral (made a thread in peripheral section) - if people actually thought about it, a keyboard is terribly un-ergonomic for gaming

I messed up :'(  and yeah the thumb area wobbles but that's because it sits on an adjustable frame so it's no big deal.