Razer's Pro Click mouse and Pro Type mechanical keyboard aren't for gamers

Gaming may be growing faster as people spend more downtime at home but there are also a lot more of us working from home now. If that's you and you're ready to upgrade the "good enough" keyboard and mouse you're using, gaming gear maker Razer has released its first wireless mechanical keyboard and mouse made for productivity. 

The $140 Razer Pro Type mechanical keyboard and $100 Razer Pro Click mouse were designed in collaboration with Humanscale, a leading designer and manufacturer of ergonomic workplace products. Unlike Razer's gaming keyboards and mice, which would look out of place in a typical office environment, these devices will fit right in but they'll still live up to Razer's performance standards.  

If you're coming from a laptop keyboard or a typical slim office membrane keyboard, the Pro Type mechanical keyboard might take some adjustment. But once you get used to it, you won't want to type on anything else. Razer's orange switches are tactile, but not clicky, so you feel the actuation but they're relatively quiet; you'll just hear a muted clack when the keys bottom out. (You can get an idea of what they sound like on Razer's site.) With 45 grams of actuation force, they're not so light that you'll make mistakes and they don't require so much force that your fingers tire out. Razer says the switches have an 80-million keystroke lifespan. 

The keycaps have a soft-touch coating, so you won't be tapping on straight plastic all day. There's no RGB LED lighting here: The Pro Type has only white LED-backlit keys. With the backlight off, the key legends are easy to read and the same goes for when the LEDs are near or at their brightest. In between, however, the legends can be tricky to see. Also, secondary key functions aren't illuminated, meaning the symbols on the number keys and media controls are difficult to read. And so, oddly enough, are the backlight brightness controls. 

The keyboard connects via Bluetooth to up to three devices. It can also be used with a 2.4GHz USB receiver. It can't be used corded, although you can use it while it's charging and connected wirelessly. Battery life is rated at up to 84 hours over Bluetooth without the backlight, but a mere 12 hours with it on. Basically, don't leave the backlight on or you'll be charging it daily. 

The Pro Click mouse, while noticeably different in design than Razer's gaming mice, it still offers high-performance features, including switches good for 50 million clicks, eight programmable buttons and Razer's 5G advanced optical sensor. Like the Pro Type, the mouse can be connected to up to three Bluetooth devices and a 2.4GHz receiver. A button on the bottom lets you switch between connections. And unlike the keyboard, the Pro Click can be used corded with the power off and it has great battery life at up to 400 hours.

Humanscale seems to have had more input on the Pro Click than the keyboard. It's made to support the entirety of your hand and is contoured to keep your wrist at a neutral 30-degree angle. Extended thumb and pinky zones with a rubberized texture help with support and grip, and Razer said the overall shape minimizes contact stress with your desk. It's definitely easier to move the mouse using my arm and shoulder than just my wrist. 

Rounding the collection out is the Razer Pro Glide, a $10 mousing surface with a textured microweave fabric that matches the keyboard and mouse's color scheme. It's not magical but it looks and feels nice. And at about 14 by 11 inches (360 by 275 mm), it's spacious. 

The new Razer Pro Click, Type and Glide productivity suite is available today direct from Razer and will arrive at authorized resellers starting Aug. 27.