After months of waiting after it was announced and pushed back multiple times after I had preorderd through there site. Was well worth the wait. If you do not like the sound of key clicks then I would look else where because it is not exactly quiet. If you remember what an old IBM keyboard sounds like that is what you will hear. Build quality is awesome and the lighting is top notch, three levels along with Pulse and Off. My only complaint is I can not change the music while the media player is in the background.
So for that I would have to knock off half a point if I was going to give it a score. If I ever have to get another keyboard for another build it will be this one.

I bought the normal edition one from Fry's and returned it to the next day. The quality was absolutely terrible. The switches were not equally made and the actuation on them were different. To add on to that, the switches were squeeking right off the bat too. The keycaps were not very well cut/made. It was not worth my money so I returned it.. going to look for MX brown switches instead.
 
I hope mine was just a dummy and that you get a good one!

stillborn07

I bought the Black Widow ultimate, and opened it in the parking lot of Micro Center.  I walked right back in and returned it for the Thermaltake Meka G1 mechanical.  I like the Cherry Black switches much better than the Cherry Blue switches on the BWU.  Although it was heavy , the build quality wasn't great.  Every Razer product I have ever bought has been returned at some point.  Never again.

 
Does the Thermaltake Meka G1 mechanical have back lit keys?  I wouldn't consider any keyboard if it didn't have back lit keys.  I am coming off of years of typing on my G 15, and back lit keys are a must for this hunt and pecker. I can actually type about 70 wpm if I can see the keys.  It's not fast, but much quicker than if I didn't look.
 
EDIT: I just watched a few reviews on the Thermaltake that you mention. It does look like a nice keyboard, and if it had backlit keys, it would  be a no brainer.  I like the build quality, and the weight.  In a world full of people wanting thinner, smaller, discreet items.....I like bulky heavy items. 

stillborn07

There are other more high-end mechanical keyboards with backlit keys like Das, and others.  But, I think most Das keyboards use the Cherry Blue switches.  I just like the taller more robust keys of the Thermaltake and Steelseries mechanical keyboards.
I would have bought a Das with the Black switches if anywhere around here sold them.

 
Das doesn't have backlit keys. They do have blue and brown switches though.

Wow, how much does this Black widow keyboard actually weigh?  I was looking at my UPS tracking, and it says 7.20 LBS??  Must be a box in a box with heavy packing peanuts?

i like the keyboard. the only think i wished is that the alt key symbols would light up. like the number 1 key will light up but the ! doesn't light up. aside from that i love my keyboard

If looking for cherry brown switches and backlit, check this one out: 
 
http://www.amazon.com/XAr...=1304360493&sr=8-2
 
Pretty solid contender, albeit a bit pricey.

Ok, my Black widow arrived today!!  It's everything I had hoped for.  I'm typing this reply from the new Black widow. I don't seem to have any of the key sticking issues that other people talked about. (Space bar causing alt key to press) I tried and tried to get it to stick, and it wouldn't.
 
The back lighting is phenomenal compared to my old G15.  I also love the girth of this keyboard.  My G15 would move all over the place when I gamed.  I will report back later after further use.
 
Oh, this keyboard looks awesome!!  I researched many different mechanical keyboards.  Out of all of them, I liked the look of the Black widow the best.  Had the Thermaltake keyboard came with back lit keys, I most likely would have had a harder decision to make.

Glad you like your new keyboard!  Wow, slow shipping, huh?
 
 
Here is a stupid little thing you can now do with your mechanical (if you have it plugged in via ps2:
Hold down both shift keys at the same time and type: "THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG"
Then type it with a standard rubber dome and usb keyboard.  Not all the letters will be recognized.
 
THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG : Meka G1
HE QUIK BROWN FO JUPS OER HE LA DOG: Rubber dome Dell keyboard

Yeah mechanicals are not cheap, but most of them are under $200 (just under).  But I didn't have any buyers remorse.  You can get an older IBM Model M mechanical for about $50 or so on Ebay. I think they use spring buckle switches.

Oh. thats not bad.  For some reason I thought the original post was from last week.  haha Same shipping time here from the Egg.
 
Are you addicted to typing yet?

Hmm...I'm still considering this purchase. Does the widow have the same buckling spring keyboard design as the IBM Model M?
 
From my experience, buckling spring keyboards are the best mechanical keyboards ever made (I still have mine and am considering the widow as a possible alternative) and were only produced by IBM, Lexmark and currently, Unicomp. I suspect the Blackwidow is not the buckling spring design.

laugher

Hmm...I'm still considering this purchase. Does the widow have the same buckling spring keyboard design as the IBM Model M?

From my experience, buckling spring keyboards are the best mechanical keyboards ever made (I still have mine and am considering the widow as a possible alternative) and were only produced by IBM, Lexmark and currently, Unicomp. I suspect the Blackwidow is not the buckling spring design.

 
I'm curious, why are you considering replacing your Model M? I was using mine from 1992-2007 when I got married and my wife decided that it was too noisy to be in our 1 bedroom apartment. I still miss using it, those keys between the ctrl and alt keys are pretty annoying. I guess I'd need a 3" long chain of AT->PS/2->USB connectors now if I wanted to sneak it back out.

Keizer

Since purchasing the Black Widow keyboard, my "A" key has become dim compared to the other keys.  Maybe burnt out completely, and only getting a little residual lighting from the other keys.  This is sad, as it has very little use.

I bought a daskeyboard when the light on my I key died. keyboard still works, and it eventually came back on. I just don't think it's as good as the das. Don't really need light anyways, my monitor gives plenty of it off. So currently, my BlackWidow Ultimate sits on a shelf as a back up.

My "A" key LED is completely burned out now.  I'm going to try and get an RMA from Newegg.  I have had this keyboard since May.  That's pretty sad.