GUIDE TO COMPUTER KEYBOARDS

Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard ( PK02AU)

Manufacturer : Saitek
In Stock : 54

List Price:	$69.95
Price:	$43.60
You Save:	$26.35 (38%)

Features

Key characters and keypad illuminate through laser-etched keys
Media keys for volume control, play/pause and skip tracks
Variable backlighting adjusts through dimmer mechanism
Angle adjustment and extendable wrist rest for maximum comfort to suit the way you type
Weighted base with large area rubber feet to keep keyboard securely planted to the desk

Product Description

The Eclipse II keyboard gives you a choice of purple, red and blue backlighting colors, which are adjustable via a dimmer mechanism. Key characters and keypad illuminate making the Eclipse II ideal for use in any lighting environment. Solidly constructed from high quality materials and stylish silver casing (included), the Eclipse II's weighted base and large area rubber feet keep it firmly planted to the desk while cushioned. Silent keys mean hours of fatigue-free use.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.50 out of 169 reviews

Rating :
Adequate but not great - Donald L. Davis, May 09, 2008

The lighting part of the keyboard is very cool. It funtions OK. The rest is just average. I'm going to upgrade to one with more features and give this to the kids who LOVE it.

Rating :
Very nice for general use - G. Day, May 06, 2008

I have owned this keyboard for about 6 months and I still like it. I am a hardcore gamer, and was initially attracted to this keyboard because I frequently found myself typing in dim lighting while gaming. I also liked the fact that the red backlighting LEDs matched the LEDs on my tower. The three colors you can change to have varying degrees of intensity, beyond the dimmer switch. The purple is very bright, while the blue is a lot lower. Red is right in the middle, which I find perfect. It performs as well as any keyboard I have used in terms of feel and keyboard over all quality.

The one downside is that the silver frame of the keyboard started to 'wipe' off after about a month. Three of my fingers consistently rest on my "W A D" keys with my thumb near the spacebar, and I found that where my pinkie finger and thumb touched the outside silver frame, the color has kind of wiped away. This leaves 2 widening spots of gray plastic along the edge of my silver keyboard. I am suprised that the plastic isnt simply silver rather than painted silver in anticipation of this.

Ultimately I am looking for a new keyboard, though I have no serious issues with this one beyond aesthetics. I think that it is a very good product, but hardcore gamers should look elsewhere, for macro keys and all the other knick-knacks that 'gaming' keyboards offer. Too bad none of the curent good ones have red LED lighting to match my tower :p

Rating :
Shoddy with unresponsive and unevenly lit keys - Petur O. Jonsson, Apr 27, 2008

The lighting of the keyes is extremely uneven. Even at the brightest setting the keys on the number pad would not light up at all and thus could not be read in dim light. A bigger problem is that some of the keys are not responsive. When I just typed normally some of letters just did not register at all. In particular, I generally had to hit the "t" key several times before the letter would show up on the screen.

In short, this keyboard seems to have been strictly made for looks. I am sure that the flashy look appeals to kids; but, unfortunately, the keyboard seems shoddily made and the one I bought was not really functional. I have now returned the keyboard back to Amazon.

Rating :
Good feel. - S. Roy, Apr 26, 2008

The best feature of this keyboard is not the lights, which are useful, its the feel. When I set it up, I immediately appreciated the feel of typing on a real keyboard as opposed to my laptop. When it gets dark out sometimes I'll flip on the lights just for the fun of it, but the keyboard has some keys that don't show well. That being said, the adjustable dimmer is a nice touch.
From what I can tell, if you don't mind contacting Saitek, you can easily have new keys sent so it shouldn't be a major deterrent unless you are too lazy to call up Saitek (like I currently am).
My suggestions to the developers would be to add a dimmer switch for volume instead of buttons, maybe add some programmable keys somewhere, and at risk of demanding too much- make it wireless/ bluetooth. I understand the power implications would require the keyboard to be charged more often, have batteries replaced often, or be able to dock... but it would be a nice option.

Rating :
Good keyboard, could be slightly brighter. - Eric Buckner, Apr 21, 2008

I purchased this keyboard in hopes of being able to type in the dark. Also I had used it before and liked the feel of the keys. So with that being said it does allow me to type in the dark now and I still like the look and feel of the board as it is nice and sturdy. My only complaint is the light is not bright enough, parts of the keyboard light up more intensely than others. Overall though I like it.

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