Saitek Eclipse II Black & Silver Wired Illuminated Keyboard

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This could have been an awesome keyboard but missed a 5 star approval because I have to RMA it so soon.

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This keyboard is not so bad. I don't regret buying it, but I would try other keyboards if I were to get another keyboard in the future.The lighting is inconsistent througout the entire keyboard, and the worst is how the volume buttons don't have any light at all. I would of liked this keyboard better if it had a calculator button as well.This keyboard is standard size so it doesn't take up too much room like the Logitech G11 and G15. But if keyboard width isn't a concern, a G11 would be a less expensive alternative.

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En général, j'ai trouvé que ce clavier était bien. Celui-ci devrait ravir les pures gamers (ce que je ne suis pas). Le choix d'avoir 3 couleurs est bien, mais est-il vraiment nécessaire ? Je l'ai trouvé un peu cher pour un clavier qui n'offre pas le même type d'outils multimédia qu'un clavier logitech...

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This review is very similar to that of Stephen_M from January 12, 2007. I found his review mirrored my own feelings almost exactly.I had never used a backlit keyboard before and decided to go with the Eclipse II because of its positive reviews, relatively small size, and media functions (though limited). I’ve used the keyboard for a couple days at this point.I am very disappointed with the backlighting on this keyboard. This was the main reason I bought this model and it is quite unsatisfactory. The vast majority of the light bleeds around the keys rather than through them, making finding some keys in the dark comparable to looking at an object with the sun behind it. You can’t see anything.Bleeding of light is not this keyboard’s only problem either. That brightness of said light is also inconsistent from one point to the next. For example, the “V” and “B” keys are noticeably brighter than those around them, the spacebar is only lit for ~1/4 of its length, and everything to the right of the 'Backspace' key is barely lit at all. The LED brightness level is controlled by a single knob for the whole keyboard, so the disparity is present no matter which color you use or how bright/dim you set it. Purple does seem to be marginally better for contrast, but this is VERY slight. My main reason for getting the illuminated keyboard is to make key identification easier in a dimly-lit environment. This keyboard utterly fails in this department, as I still revert to moving my head closer to the keyboard, hover it over the keys (light from my monitor caused a sheen to appear over the keys when viewed at an angle, making them even more difficult to see) and identify the one I'm trying to find. This is the same thing you’d have to do with a $15 non-backlit keyboard.

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This is a nice simple keyboard. For late night gaming it is great. The keys are well lit and the colour options are a bonus.

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I work all day long on computers and I am very picky on keyboard. When I decided I would build the ultimate home computer, I selected this keyboard based on fantastic reviews I read in magazines and on the web.I am extremely happy with my purchase and would buy again.Even my wife love it --- that says it all!

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I purchased this keyboard for use on my wife's desktop in the family room. My only other experience with a backlit keyboard is the G15 Logi, which I use on my own pc. Thought I'd go with the Eclipse II due to its smaller form factor, unique design and similar backlit functionality. I just plugged the keyboard in an hour ago and here are my thoughts:My biggest beef is the amount of bleeding around the keys and the inconsistent light levels. This bleeding 'feature' makes actual key recognition very difficult, to the point that u can't read the characters that are etched into the key. The light coming through the etching is very poor and inconsistent accross the keyboard. This is most obvious on the 1/3 of keys located on the right of the keyboard (everything to the right of the 'Back space' key. Even within the same key the light being passed through ranges from none to poor. One Example of many: On the 'Delete' key, the 'D' and 'ete' are almost completely un-illuminated, while the 'ele' is poorly lit. And this is at FULL illumination in a darkened environment. The brightness level of the led bleeding between keys and the led coming through the lazr etched key characters is controlled by the same dim switch. So it does not matter how strong/weak you set your illumination at - the contrast is consistently poor at any setting using any of the 3 colors (with Purple color being marginally better). My main reason for getting the illuminated keyboard is to make keyboard key identification easier in a dimly lit environment. This keyboard utterly fails in this department, as I still revert to moving my head closer to the keyboard, hover it over the keys (< 10") and identify the one I'm trying to find. I am not ruling out that my pariticular keyboard is faulty, as there have been so many other positive reviews of this device. It may be that there are a number of leds not powering on, the illumination is that poor. But I will research that angle over the next few days. If this board's poor performance is a result of a h/w malfunction, I will post an update to this review.In summary, I would not purchase another Eclipse II. If this board is deemed not faulty, I will consider returning it and swapping for another G15, which imo is a wayyyyyy better device for virtually the same price.

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This is the sequel to my favorite keyboard and it has in fact became my favorite keyboard now. Would recommend it to anyone looking for a keyboard with backlight because it is the best. The logitech G15 might seem nice but the backlight hurts my eyes after a while and its large size was problematic to me because my mouse and keyboard are on a tray and that tray wasn't large enough for letting me have a comfortably large mouse pad with the G15.

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The unit when function correctly boots properly from the usb keyboard connection(they provided no ps2 adaptor anyhow) and you can enter cmos without the usual possible issues.make sure the usb legacy stuff is on in cmos.The keyboard has a couple front angle positions available. Very secure!! rubber positioning feet.This unit won't "walk" by itself.The backlighting has 3 colours available: blue(default) red and purple then none.Red of course has been used by the military for years due to the way the eye responds to it for darkly light situations that need to be backlit for good vision eg:submarinesA round continuously variable control near the upper right above the numeric keypad gives variable backlight intensity(adjustable by user of course)to the keyboard.the unit boots "blue" always(here anyways) The upper right key adjacent to the user adjustable backlight level intensity control changes the colour backlight options.Unit has a volume control(flat push sw) for say media player function.The unit has very excellant quality "feel" to the keys and does its job quite well.Its doubtful that the characters on the keys will visibly degrade anytime soonIt will sit under traditional a keyboard roll out shelf as well.All in all even if not into serious gaming but you enjoy a good solid backlit keyboard, that fits into traditional spaces without the usual resplendent hot keys then this one fills the bill. This review was modfied by poster f 12-24-06 07:02 AM This review was modfied by poster @ 12-24-06 07:17 AM

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I've been using my new Saitek Eclipse 2 all day now, and I'm very happy with the purchase. I have a limited amount of deskspace, so I knew the Logitech G15 (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16370) wouldn't fit. I really wanted a keyboard that allowed the backlighting through keys, but not by using entirely transparent keys, so the Eclipse 2 seemed like the best choice. It feels incredibly solid and satisfying to type on, quite a nice upgrade from the old el-cheapo $20 Logitech keyboard I was using before. It's a very attractive design as well, I find, whether or not the backlight is on. Speaking of the backlight, it's a very slick setup, with a very wide range of brightness options available via the dimmer switch. I just wish the amount of light that came through the keys was a little brighter, but I guess it was a tradeoff between making them bright and making them durable. The keyboard also includes some very unobtrusive media control keys (play, pause, mute, etc.) around the dimmer switch, which worked automatically out of the box, no drivers required. For $50, this would be a 5-star product, but you have to be pretty into the aesthetics to shell out the $75 this is currently going for, so 4 stars is what I'm saying. This review was modfied by poster @ 12-12-06 02:07 PM

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This keyboard is perfect for gamers, 3 optional heights and 3 different colors pink for the ladies. Awsome just Pure Awsome!!