Conclusion

On paper the Razer Tarantula is an excellent keyboard which has everything that a high end product should. From application specific function buttons to extra USB ports and audio connectors the product really does not leave anything out. In addition, the ability to change keys and program the board to almost any level is excellent, we also like that the firmware can be updated to add features and fix any minor bugs which occur, although the update process could do with being simpler.

Macro options will come in handy for most users whether it is to act faster in a game or take the place of keyboard shortcuts within a Windows environment and we found the image manipulation buttons very useful.

Build quality of the board is very good and it has a nice weight to it as well as not feeling flimsy, additionally the finish is very nice on both the glossy main section and the more rubberised hand rest. Light up keys and logo also adds a nice feel to the overall style and match in well with several of Razer’s mice.

We do have one overall concern with this product and that is its usability as a general use keyboard. Usually it is possible to go to any keyboard in any office and type away quite happily. Some are more clunky than others and do not feel wonderful, but generally people just sit down at them and type without issue. In our experience the Tarantula is sadly lacking. To me the keyboard felt wrong, alien in some way,  when sitting in a normal typing position the keys felt like they were not in the right place and typing ends up littered with mis-keys, this improves with time but this should not even be an issue.  To be sure that it was not an isolated (personal) problem I passed the keyboard to various people in the Driver Heaven offices and not one was able to use the board without some adjustment to the way they typed.  We also have no idea why Razer felt it necessary to change the order of Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause Break. This has been industry standard for years now and should stay that way!

Despite the difficulties with general typing we still felt that the keyboard actually functioned reasonably well for gaming which obviously requires less hand and finger movement although expect to spend some time familiarising yourself with the location of all the extra buttons.

UK: Overclockers £75
US: Newegg $79