Keyboard questions - Razor Tarantula.

[Akucaen]

Let me put one thing forward: I have a original G15 gaming keyboard. Blue backlights, 18x3 macro keys (which I use 27 of on a regular bases varying from game to game.), and the useful as can be media display with great multimedia functions and buttons.

The G15 is my benchmark to all that is good and great with keyboards. It's a wonderful thing, end of story.

With all that said, it's showing its age. A few keys are rubbing off (left CTRL, ALT, shift, arrow keys.) I don't really want to go through the pain of finding a good first-hand keyboard nor dare to try and find a sealed one via ebay and pay twice what I did for this new. I was casually looking around online and the Razor Tarantula caught my eye.

Now, I'm a big fan of them already. I still have my Razor Diamondback, and I love this mouse to death on the same level I love my G15. The Tarantula looks to be a solid replacement. I have a few questions about it though, and this is the biggest:
Does the driver software allow a full string parse *at once*? Now, the Logitech software let's me save '/ma "Utsusemi: Ni" <me>[enter key]' as a string and when I press that respective key it dumps that exactly into the chatbuffer instantly with the return. This, more than anything, is the highest priority for me. I tried a Saitek backlit keyboard back in the day and no matter what you did, it would always type out a macro one letter at a time.

String-macro parsing is absolutely required - Does the Tarantula do this? I can live going down to 10 keys if it does. If it can't, that's the dealbreaker.

Another concern is tactile response. I've been gyped on so many keyboards where they appear nice and had a few extras I wanted (like the saitek), but it was AWFUL to type with. I've used a good variety of keyboards, and if anyone can say "oh, it feels like x," I would greatly appreciate it.

Now, I noticed the macro keys, logo, and the num/caps/scroll all light up, but the normal keys don't. Again, that's something I can live with. I'm home-row typing friendly and don't need to look at or see my keyboard to know where my hands are. With that said, I have to make comparisons again: That Saitek was fucking awful with the backlight on, it just vomited blue into your eyes and seriously distracted you, but the tactile response was so awful it was impossible to type in the dark with it. My G15, on the other hand, doesn't bother me at maximum brightness and I can easily tell where my hands are without the backlight. I can see the Tarantula uses a USB... lamp for the keyboard, and it *looks* okay. Does that lamp come with the keyboard, and how bad/good is it? It doesn't look like it sits more than a couple inches (literally) high, which shouldn't present a problem for my desk situation, buuuuuuut - if the tactile response is good, I shouldn't need/want it.

Also, the surface on a few of the sections looks glossy. Is that going to look like the back of my slim PSP where it's just finger-print city unless I wear gloves?

Finally: What's with the ins/del/home/end/pg up-down? I can't find a close-up US standard layout showing that at all. I found a UK layout with a vertical enter key and mini backslash key and that nearly sent me over the edge with a immediate no, heh. I can't stand that. The keyboard shown on razorzone.com shows a normal US layout, but I can't make out that huge button at all.

I just need opinions on it, basically.

Edit - That Saitek Cyborg, it's ugly as fuck, but something I'd consider if it can insta-type a macro without any key to key delay.like the G15. Anyone privy to know if it can?

[levish]

there are pads that do the same thing the G15 does freeing you to use a normal keyboard, just a fyi

Nostromo N52 for example

[Akucaen]

I don't have the room on my desk to mess with an additional pad. I'm not limited by a drawer, but if I want my keyboard home row in front of me while I sit directly in front of the monitor, I can't go 'larger' than a G15. This, like the macro-parse, is important to me. The Tarantula appears to be my best-bet alternative to my continued solving of this 'situation.' I'm aware of the alternatives that exist, but the ones I'd like are far too large.

I admired the G15 for its clever (or face-smackingly obvious?) way they arranged the keys for all the macros on the fly you can do.

[Stromgarde]

Logitech G11. Same thing as the original G15 minus the LCD screen.