Overall and Final Verdict
The Razer Huntsman Mini is noticeably different from other Razer keyboards I have taken a look at in the past. It’s almost as if one of the keyboard enthusiasts from r/mk or geekhack infiltrated Razer to spearhead this one. Doubleshot PBT keycaps which are also thicker than standard OEM keycaps are near the top of the list of what I wouldn’t expect from a Razer keyboard. But of course, the 60% form factor is the biggest surprise. This small of a keyboard is typically nitch, even in the enthusiast keyboard communities not everyone is a fan of the smaller size. But I personally have been a big fan because of their minimalistic design, small footprint, and portability. Which the last two are perfect for LANs or eSports where you rarely get the same space you have on your home desk when a lot of people still like to have a huge mouse pad.
The Huntsman Mini having thick doubleshot PBT keycaps adds significantly to the overall durability. I wish they had gone with a metal backplate to help with that as well. But I suspect that these will hold up significantly longer than the older Razer mechanical keyboards. Though only time will really tell for sure. The Razer optical switches are amazing to type on when paired up with the PBT keycaps. The linear version that I tested is extremely quiet, even when bottoming out key presses. The switches having built-in stabilizers and the square bodys also helps with leaning and twisting keeping the movement stable. They are also surprisingly smooth as well. MX Cherry support as well as a proper traditional key layout mean swapping to custom keycaps will be easy. Which goes well with the detachable Type-C cable that will be easily sleeved or replaced if you want the customization.
The Huntsman Mini wasn’t perfect. There are a few things I would change. They have memory to have easily swappable lighting effects but no memory available to save at least one custom effect meaning even a simple single color will require running their software all of the time. The software has improved a lot, you don’t even need to sign in anymore if you don’t want the cloud features, but I would still prefer to be able to set my preferred color and not have to run it all of the time. I did have a few of the PBT doubleshot keycaps with thicker legends that stand out, but those may be defective keycaps. I also put the lightweight of the Huntsman Mini as a potential con. On one note it means less weight if you are transporting it often. But I would still prefer a metal case and backplate and the extra strength that it offers as well as the extra weight helping keep the keyboard in place. But I can completely see others might feel the other way around and want a lighter weight.
As for pricing, Razer has the Huntsman Mini listed with an MSRP of $119.99 which if you were to only compare with the few 60% keyboard options on Amazon looks very high. But the Anne Pro 2 comes in at $109 and a Vortex Poke3r RGB is $139 putting the Huntsman Mini right up in with the enthusiast-focused models. Especially when you also consider it has optical switches and the doubleshot PBT keycaps I think it is priced about right or even a value compared to the Pok3r. Right now it is my favorite 60% board and I’m digging the direction that Razer is going with their keyboards.
Live Pricing: HERE
