Wooting 60HE v2 review

There's no doubt in my mind that the Wooting 60HE v2 is the best keyboard that Wooting has ever made. I've used the lot, from the original Wooting One through to the Wooting 80HE I use today, and while each one has improved on the last, the Wooting 60HE v2 is the first that can truly go toe-to-toe with the thockiest—or any other made-up term we all seem to like—keyboards around.

I'm the sort of dork to enjoy building my own gaming keyboard. You might not be, and that's okay, as Wooting offers the 60HE v2 two ways: in parts or pre-assembled.

It's nothing short of a dream to set up yourself from parts. With the case, Module (PCBA), switches, and keycaps in hand, each component is push-fit onto the last. First, the provided foam inlay goes in the case. Then the Module, pushed gently into place. Then the switches—there are a few options available but the latest Tikken switches make the most sense—and onto those, the PBT (or half-price ABS) keycaps.

As far as DIY keyboards go, it's as easy as it gets.

There's a choice between a silicone block, EPDM Foam or providing your own bottom case dampening, which sits between the case and the Module. I ended up going with the silicone option for a more muted sound profile overall, though you could ditch it altogether if you enjoy seeing furrowed brows and menacing eyes peering over the top of monitors all day long.

The bigger decision, however, is whether you opt for a split spacebar. Not something I've used much outside of ergonomic keyboards, I had to go for it myself for this review, and I'm really glad I did.

Turns out there's a lot of untapped potential in the area taken up by, traditionally, a very long spacebar. Wooting includes two halves of a spacebar, the left-side slightly longer than the right-side, and an extra fully-programmable key in its stead. Combined with the Wooting's wonderful Wootility—the application that lets you customise its many features—this three-for-one deal adds a lot of potential for customisation.

For example, as someone that types at my desk for eight hours or so a day, I have a profile set up in the Wootility specifically for typing. The sensitivity isn't anywhere near the lowest it could be, at only 1.6 mm, though a little more pressure to activate each key helps prevent mistypes. I've set the right-side space bar to space—I've found that I always use my right thumb for space while typing, never the left—and the left-side space bar to delete. That's because, as a 60% keyboard, there's no dedicated delete key on the 60HE v2. It's either function + backspace or my newly-programmed key, which saves a keypress.

Or you can leave both halves as spacebar and be none the wiser for the most part. You still gain that extra key—which is a handy function key for accessing the arrow keys with just your left hand. And if that's not your bag, go for the standard non-split option.

The typing feel is excellent. It sounds superb and balances a weighty feeling keypress with a responsive one very well. The new Lekker Tikken switch plays a big part in that, cited as a "slightly muted, deeper-sounding alternative to current HE switches" by Wooting, I'd totally agree with that assessment. They offer significantly less wobble to this compared to the Lekker L60 switches used in the Wooting 60HE, which I liked back in 2022 as a marked improvement over previous switches, but by comparison, have a lot more rattle.

The construction of the 60HE v2 plays a big role here, too. The aluminium case on the 60HE v2, as opposed to the plastic one on the 60HE, along with the FR4 plate and Poron foam, make for a rock-solid foundation for the new switches.

The only issue I've noticed on the 60HE v2 during my time typing on it is a slight ping on some of the larger keys. It happens rarely, but enough to notice it, mostly on the right-side space bar.

Historically, yon't buy a Wooting keyboard just for typing in the office. That's not its forte, nor what it's built to do, though there's a good argument for just that with the 60HE v2. It's certainly one of the best-feeling keyboards I use regularly for typing. That is saying something, as I use the ROG Azoth Extreme and Keychron Q3 Max at home and in the office, respectively; two extremely high-quality keyboards.

But let's get to the main focus here. Gaming is, of course, the primary reason to pick up a Wooting keyboard, and the company's kit is used by esports pros the world over. I am not one of those, but it's easy to see why they're keen on these, specifically.

Hop into the Wootility and you'll find a number of desirable features and settings for any would-be competitive gamer. The actuation point for any key on the board can adjusted in 0.1 mm increments, down to the lightest available at 0.1 mm. I like to set mine a little higher, to avoid strafing left and right by accident in Arc Raiders or Deadlock, but I tend to rest my fingers on the A and D keys so I'm pretty susceptible to that. But that's how sensitive you can get here, which is similar to a range of other Hall effect keyboards.

Rapid trigger is one of the better-known and easy to use features of a Hall effect keyboard such as this. Turn it on and you no longer need to fully release a key to actuate it again, making for more reliable key presses when you're spamming a key quickly. You don't need to think about it once it's set, so it's very much set-and-forget.

8 kHz polling can be enabled in the settings tab, though Tachyon Mode is by-word for 8 kHz polling with a couple extras. Essentially maximising the rate in which your keyboard's MCU communicates with your computer for minimal latency while disabling RGB lighting and lowering brightness. I don't tend to use this, simply as the keyboard feels snappy enough without.

Remapping keys is made easy with a simple interface—one of the Wootility's strongest features as I've noted previously. I've set up a gaming profile to go along with my typing one, and for this, I prefer to have the right-side spacebar act as a spacebar, with the left-side and middle function key offering more per-game customisation. Melee is a good one to have on the middle key if not already assigned to a mouse shortcut in a load of games.

Switching between profiles is easy, just hit the function key and hit the pre-assigned shortcut key. In my case, O is for typing, P is for gaming. You can add more easily enough, too, with pre-configured profiles available for racing and analogue movement.

Of course, being a Hall effect keyboard means this keyboard can track the entire range of a key press, so analogue functionality is available. Personally, I use this less, as I've tried a good few times over the years (mostly when reviewing Hall effect keyboards) and never quite find a consistent use case for this sorta functionality. But it's there, and you can set it up to act as a controller input for more granular movement control in FPS games. Also, there is a range of 'Advanced Key' settings for a little more flexibility if you want it.

There's Mod Tap, which lets you set two inputs based on how you press a key. A short press for one, a long press for another. Or Dynamic Keystroke, which lets you add up to four bindings on a single keypress, depending on how far you depress the key. Snappy Tappy (SOCD) and Rappy Snappy work by activating a key press depending on how you press them—the latter by a few options, but namely the last key pressed is activated, and the former by which is pressed the furthest. You can be banned for using Snappy Tappy (SOCD) in some games, like CS2, so I'd generally not recommend using that one without caution or setting up a specific profile for it. You don't want to leave it on and end up with a ban.

You can set up the RGB lighting to your taste in the Wootility, or turn it off if you prefer, though it is some of the better-looking RGB lighting for the white FR4 plate the switches are mounted onto. It's a more diffused look than some and no individual RGB LEDs are noticeable from above. Though if you spill anything on the keyboard, or end up with cat hairs under the keys, you will notice them.

If you do build this keyboard yourself, you'll notice the Module is covered with little drawings and logos beneath each key. A little nod to the people who made the board. Similarly, the underside of the Module has annotations for all the components, which is a nice touch if you've ever wondered what is required to make a gaming keyboard.

The 60HE v2 is available with a few cases. It uses a standard 60% size and allows for any aftermarket case of the same size to be fitted with similar ease to the official ones. There are a few of those to choose from: black ABS being the cheapest, black and silver aluminium after that, followed by the Alumaze60, Optimum version (from the YouTuber of the same name), and OwLab. The Owlab is an immense £350, but it's a custom design for the 60HE with a clever suspension system that switches between bouncy or stiff. Sort of like the Azoth Extreme, but to the nth degree. It looks lovely, but it's more than the cost of the Wooting 60HE v2 alone.

The 60HE v2 is $240 for the pre-assembled model with an aluminium case. The most expensive 'standard' Wooting keyboard to-date. Though the 60HE v2 with an ABS case is $180. That's still more than its predecessor, the 60HE+, which is still available to purchase for $155.

The Wooting 80HE is $200, with a larger number of keys and the same benefits for gamers. However, that shoots up to $300 with a zinc alloy case and Lekker Tikken switches, which would be required to match the feel of the 60HE v2. Undoubtedly, though, Wooting is now in the premium keyboard game with the 60HE v2.

Compared to the competition, you can pick up similarly slick-feeling keyboards with Hall effect switches, such as the Keychron Q5 HE, at $230; or Asus ROG Azoth 96 HE, which is offered at stratospheric pricing; or NZXT Function Elite, which is $190. Or cheaper options with plastic shells such as the NuPhy Air60 HE for $110.

Having used a bunch of the alternatives for our best Hall effect gaming keyboard guide, I'd still go with the Wooting. Though only if you're looking to spend that bit more—you can get most of the important features on more budget boards, though without the excellent construction or software.

After using the Wooting 60HE v2 for the past month or so, it feels the most well-rounded and impressive keyboard the company has put out to date. I've said that for every new arrival from the company, which goes to show the positive trajectory it's enjoyed over the past decade.

Provided you don't mind a smaller layout, which requires some use of layers to reach all the keys you'll likely require during use, the 60HE v2 is an excellent choice for anyone looking to invest some money into their gaming setup. The feature set is unrivalled, not in function, as many other Hall effect keyboards do something similar, but in how straightforward and accessible all that functionality is. As I mentioned earlier, the true talent of Wooting's keyboards lies in its software, and combining that with its first truly top-tier typing experience makes for a very desirable keyboard in the 60HE v2.