Razer - DeathStalker

I have a Deathstalker V1 and love the flat laptop-style keys so much that I've had it for over 10 years. Times are changing and I need something smaller, but it MUST have flat keys. I went to Best Buy to get a feel for the new stuff, but even a lot of chiclet or low-profile style keyboards just aren't my thing. I know I know, "brand tax" and all that, but as inconvenient as it is, I only enjoy gaming on laptop keyboards. The Joro is pricey, no doubt, but if anybody has real world opinions on the Joro I'd love to hear them!

TL;DR at the end.. This is gonna be a long one. I really like it for a handful of reasons (in addition to me just being a picky fuck with peripherals). 1) feels like an Apple Magic Keyboard 2) it looks like something the Microsoft Surface team would put out 3) the keys are extra "clicky" as far as scissor switches go (like on a really nice laptop) 4) having wired AND Bluetooth is solid. More on this later. 5) the RGB works great 6) it's very compact, but doesn't feel like it compromised to get there 7) the battery seems to last a good while Okay, more on #4. I have a Galaxy Z Fold, but mainly use the Joro wired on my PC. I haven't done this yet, but part of the reason I chose the Joro was because if I'm ever at a hotel or a friend's place, I can plug my phone into the TV and use it as a full-blown Android PC. Having the Joro (and my Basilisk Hyperspeed) means I can do this from across the room with full M&Kb support.. And having the RGB set to low brightness means I won't lose them as easily. My only gripes with the Joro are: 1) the secondary key functions (shift & press) ARE labeled, but ARE NOT backlit. I have to be able to see what I'm pressing when holding the shift key to know what I'm typing. Some people have these all memorized, but I don't. Oh well, I just have to turn the light in. Doesn't matter while gaming, and it DOES look cleaner this way. 2) the Joro is touted as an ultra-portable mobile-gaming keyboard, and costs a whopping $140 new - which is crazy expensive for a miniature keyboard - and does not come with any kind of carrying-case. You may want to invest in a cheap universal soft-case from Amazon if you plan to take it anywhere without a safe place to store it. 3) the Razer app (Synapse 4?) absolutely blows. It's a load of flickering, glitching, jumbled up code packaged as a complete product... and which was launched as a "beta" and is exactly the same as it has been since day 1. It's a mess, and takes unreasonable amounts of patience to use. Luckily I'm an extremely patient guy, and I put some time aside to sort through Synapse so I could have the keyboard I love functioning exactly as I like. ---------- Anyway, I still have a special place in my heart for my Deathstalker V1. I've had it since I built my first PC in 2014, and it still works great. I WILL say: the key-press mushiness does feel a bit dated, and the Joro feels like a natural evolution/branch-out into what could've been one of two halves of a new Deathstalker V1-style lineup: a 100% size version (which we have in name, but not in spirit) - and a 75% version (which the Joro is). I would've taken a TKL DSV1, but this is the closest we have to that at the moment. The Joro is almost a portable, modernized take on the DSV1. It doesn't feel exactly the same, its a bunch smaller, and there is no wrist-rest - I bought a wooden one on Amazon for $10 and have been happy with the setup. This thing definitely isn't for everyone, but as a guy who would ONLY game on a DSV1, I'm exceptionally happy with the physical product itself. . TL;DR - only need one, but would buy another if I could

ha, i still have this one laying around on the attic. That keyboard had me gaming like a real pro in a game where i had to spam two buttons next to eachother. I could slide over them which made me superior. Good memories.

Not really. That's why I still have my og death stalker. It's one of my favorite keyboards. Still holds up incredibly well.

I used to use the SteelSeries Apex350. Absolutely LOVED IT. Used it for 10 years. It broke two years ago and I switched to a Logitech keyboard. It was fine but didn't feel like my Steel Series. Went to BestBuy while my partner was looking at stuff and found a Razer Death Stalker and fell in love. Have been VERY happy with my purchase since! A few things I like in a keyboard are -100% keyboards. I want every key. -Flat key layout. It's just more comfy. -Linear. I hate clicky keys. Tactile is fine, but not great. The most odd thing is that my Apex was HUGE. Big keys. My Death Stalker is really small comparatively. If my exact Apex 350 was still being produced I would 100% go back. But I am happy with the Death Stalker.