Razer is not typically the brand you think of when you think of workspace products. But, that’s changing. Back in August Razer announced the Productivity Suite, a trio of peripherals that it designed in partnership with Humanscale to level up your workspace, your home office, or both.
This includes the Pro Type keyboard, the Pro Click mouse, and the Pro Glide mouse mat. All of which work together in tandem to help you boost your productivity. While also fighting the negative impacts of working long hours in front of a computer screen by designing the keyboard and mouse with many ergonomic features.
The Pro Type retails for $140, while the Pro Click retails for $100, and the Pro Glide is available at a very affordable $10.
Razer expands beyond gamers with the Productivity Suite, and it was a smart play
Razer has and always will be mainly a company that provides peripherals and other products for gamers.
The company is expanding beyond just gamers now though. And with the Productivity Suite that includes the Pro Type, Pro Click, and Pro Glide, it’s attacking the work space and/or home office crowd. And quite honestly it was a smart play.
Razer makes some pretty damn fine PC peripherals. And over the years it’s really perfected the art of fusing together advanced engineering with gorgeous designs. It’s taken all that experience and applied it to the three products here.
Of course the partnership with Humanscale definitely helps. While Razer doesn’t have any problems with design, Humanscale specializes in ergonomic workspace equipment.
And the two working together on the Productivity Suite has given Razer a trio of well-placed peripherals that it can use to bring in new customers. Even those who might not be gamers.
That influx of new customers could translate to loyal, returning customers that purchases some of Razer’s gaming-related products.
The most comfortable mouse you’ll probably ever use for work
I normally use Razer’s Naga mouse for all my PC use. Including work. And while that mouse isn’t uncomfortable, it’s not really designed for work.
That’s where the Pro Click mouse from the Productivity Suite has the advantage. The ergonomic design really makes it extremely comfortable to grip for extended periods of time. And if that time for you is 6-8 hours or more, you’ll appreciate the design a lot.
It has dedicated thumb and pinky rests in addition to a larger palm rest. Which means your whole hand is supported while you’re using it throughout the day. This does make a big difference over time. Even by the end of one day your hand will feel less fatigued and strained.
Razer and Humanscale also designed the mouse to have about a 30-degree angle from the front where the left and right click buttons are. Which is supposed to be the ideal angle for most people during extended hours of mouse use.
The only downside is that the mouse seemed to disconnect once in a while. Though, this could be due to the distance between the mouse and the 2.4GHz wireless dongle that was plugged into the USB port on the PC. This disconnections weren’t a problem when using Bluetooth.
One thing to also keep in mind is that battery life is longer via Bluetooth connection than 2.4GHz, at up to 400 hours vs up to 200 hours. The programmable buttons are also a nice touch.
You might not have a use for all of them (or perhaps any of them), but they do provide a great way to streamline different parts of your work flow. So long as you’re willing to take the time to configure them in the Razer Synapse software.
An almost perfect keyboard for typing all day
Razer knows how to make a great keyboard. And the Pro Type from the Productivity Suite is almost the perfect execution save for one thing.
The battery life. Razer rates the battery life on the Pro Type at up to 12 hours. That’s with the backlit keys turned on though. I found that with the backlit keys at their brightest, the battery was lasting me about 9 hours before I needed to charge it. Which is sometimes before the work day is over.
The way around this is turning the backlit keys off. When you don’t need the backlighting the battery life is up to 84 hours via Bluetooth, or up to 78 hours via 2.4GHz. So it’ll probably last you most of the work week before you need to plug it back in.
Battery life aside everything else about the Pro Type is fantastic. First off it uses Razer’s orange tactile switches. These are super comfortable to type on partly because of the feel when you click them. But also because Razer layered the key caps with a soft-touch coating that makes them easier on your fingers with each key press.
The keys are also quite a bit quieter than Razer’s other mechanical keyboards. Which can be less distracting.
The feet on the underside of the keyboard set it up to be used at multiple angles. Razer accomplished this by using two different sets of feet.
One is shorter than the other, and rests within the inner part of the larger set. So you can use either depending on how much of an angle you want the keyboard to have. You can also flip the feet down if you want the keyboard to sit flat should it be more comfortable for you personally.
A fine mouse mat that brings the entire Razer Productivity Suite together
This is a mouse mat. So there’s not much to say about it. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to say about.
It’s made of a thick high-density foam (3mm thick), which Razer says helps to both stand up to longer periods of use, and provide your hand with a comfortable cushioning while you work.
The material on the top is made of a textured microweave cloth that is supposed to be perfect for the mouse to glide across. Hence the name. Lastly it also has an anti-slip underside that basically ensure the mat isn’t going anywhere.
I found all of these things to be as described. In the end, it’s a mouse mat. It costs $10 and it worked as Razer intended. If you don’t care so much about the mouse mat specifics in terms of features and functionality, it ties the whole aesthetic together if nothing else.
Giving you a cleaner and most stylish workspace.
Should you buy the Razer Productivity Suite?
If you work from home or in an office where you sit in front of a computer for extended periods of time, yes. Yes you should snap up all of the products in the Razer Productivity Suite.
It definitely will help boost your productivity and on top of all that your wrists and fingers will thank you at the end of each day.
You’re looking at $250 all-in if you get all three peripherals, but that’s a solid investment in your health as the suite can help prevent the effects of long-term use like carpal tunnel and tendinitis.
You can pick up the Pro Type, Pro Click, and Pro Glide from Razer.com individually, and you can also find a large selection of Razer products on Amazon.