Razer's next trick: dust and water-resistant gaming keyboards

By Chris Burns/Nov. 14, 2017 10:21 am EST

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboard is officially water resistant and dust resistant in its newest iteration. This keyboard is certified IP54, which means two things. The 5 represents Ingress of solid objects, a 5 rating meaning "Limited protection against dust ingress. (no harmful deposit.)" The second number, 4, means this keyboard is "Protected against splash water from any direction."

The keyboard Razer's selling today can be used in dusty conditions. That does not mean it's recommended a user brings this keyboard to a Las Vegas motorcycle rally in the desert – but using said keyboard in an especially dusty house will probably be fine. In the IP rating scale, a 4 is the first to protect against dust and sand, while lower ratings are all about tiny tools and such.

SEE THE LAST ONE: BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 Review

The first question most gamers will probably ask about this keyboard will be with regard to Mountain Dew, Red Bull, or other similar AWAKE-infusion liquids. The IP rating here suggests that a spill will be fine – the keyboard won't be trashed after one accident. BUT – you'll still want to clean it.

Razer keyboard keycaps can be removed rather easily, making cleanup a relatively painless activity. This keyboard is not oleophobic – the liquid isn't going to just leave the keyboard if you tip it upside-down – but a nice clean with a damp paper towel will fix a spill up real nice-like.

This keyboard is also highly decent in the gaming keyboard keys department. It's mechanical, rolling with Razer Mechanical Switches. These gaming-aimed switches are such that we've found the satisfaction in clicking to be above and beyond the average key in satisfaction, both with levels of contact and with sound with which it clicks.

Whether this keyboard is worth the full $110 (approximate price), we'll have to see. This keyboard is likely rather similar to the BlackWidow Ultimate 2017 – a version of this keyboard which you can see a review in the link above.