Well, the tide, as they say, has turned. We're seriously thinking about taking our loved, key-worn and remarkably trustworthy Microsoft X6 keyboard and replacing it with a new, shiny, and oh so responsive Black Widow.

Mechanical keyboards are also incredibly durable, and will outlast any membrane based keyboard by a long margin; the switches are just that much more durable. This durability and tactile feedback comes at a price though, it is loud.

The hardware is all as it should be, but a few cosmetic design flaws put this keyboard with potential down on the typing and gaming food chain.

Programmable keys; on-the-fly macro recording; USB and audio/mic jacks; multi-level backlighting

Slightly confusing typeface on keys; backlighting doesn?t apply to Shift+ keys; no light customising to go with macros

Razer is known for its top-of-the-line gaming products, with the tagline, 'For Gamers. By Gamers.' Compared to earlier offerings from Razer, the BlackWidow Ultimate makes us believe all the gamers at Razer went on holiday while they drew up the plans for this one.

Programmable keys; on-the-fly macro recording; USB and audio/mic jacks; multi-level backlighting

Slightly confusing typeface on keys; backlighting doesn't apply to Shift+ keys; no light customising to go with macros

Mother of all mechanical gaming keyboards. Very good tactile feedback and features. Not roommate friendly.

Razer, long known for its high-end gaming mice, has had sort of a slow start when it comes to gaming keyboards. Its offerings haven't been bad, but the company hasn't had a must-have product yet. The BlackWidow is Razer's first.

Great key mechanisms; strong build; just the right number of features

Attracts fingerprints; noisy; doesn't offer many more features than $50-cheaper basic model

At $125, the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate is a competitively priced mechanical gaming keyboard in its range. We just wish Razer had done more to set this "Ultimate" edition apart from Razer's more affordable standard BlackWidow.

Cherry MX Blue mechanical-key switches offer one of the most satisfying typing experiences available; backlighting helps you game in the dark; on-the-fly macro recording; intuitive driver software

Backlighting and a few spare ports don't justify the $40 premium over the non-Ultimate BlackWidow

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comfortable Design; Great Features; Highly Compatible; Reliable Performance

The Final Word: The responsiveness of the keyboard and its efficient behavior is more than satisfying, extending an almost excellent experience. Its 1000Hz polling rate engineers accuracy into gaming actions while the other features add to the overall result.

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Great Features; Sleek Design

Noisy