Customer Reviews

Saitek PK24 Eclipse III Wired Keyboard

5 star:		(301)
4 star:		(118)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

Highly recommended, and the price on Amazon is more reasonable than many brick and mortar stores too. This keyboard has wonderful keys that are neither too springy nor too soft, great for typing, and great for games too. It's a pretty sturdy piece of kit too, and requires no extra drivers.

So, of course its main 'selling factor' is that it offers three different illumination colors - blue, red, and purple - and these can be dimmed or brightened. Worth noting is that the areas around the keys and the keys themselves are lit, so perfect for a darker environment. I like the blue color best, but that's probably the darkest, but I still find it's illuminated adequately. The purple color really shines though, and there's side strips that light up your desktop too.

Very blingin'? Yes, for sure. Overkill? Perhaps, but I don't think this keyboard looks too tacky, in fact I've found it super useful to have a comfortable and durable keyboard for those late night gaming sessions.

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Nov 2011 update: This keyboard is still serving me well after five years, but here's a couple of things to note. First off, the lettering on the most used keys (W,A,S,D) has started to wear off a bit. This took a long time to happen, with constant use, so that's not so bad. I contacted Saitek (who are now owned by MadKatz I think) and a guy wrote back to me to say he'd send spare keys if he ever came across any. That was a nice thought, but I never heard anything back after that email.

Also, I've noticed the lighting is quite a bit dimmer than it once was, making it harder to see in the dark. However, the keyboard still works really well after all this time and shows no sign of any mechanical wear/problems.

Still recommended thoroughly, and I'm almost tempted to buy another one new just like it.

Quick summary and a little about me to let you know where I'm coming from, in case people don't want to read the full review:

I'm a 20 year old college student (male), who plays games quite frequently, and is pretty particular with his keyboards. I loved my previous keyboard, the Eclipse I, which I had for about 2 years, and decided to buy this on a whim as a replacement (I spilled soda on my previous one).

APPEARANCE (cool factor): 9/10
-LEDs look great, laser etched keys are high quality

FUNCTIONALITY: 7/10
-a little on the long side, but I've got plenty of desk space
-hotkeys aren't especially useful
-touchpad with updated drivers works great and is very convenient
-headphone/microphone jacks are just pass-throughs from your sound card, meaning that if you want to use the feature, you'd have to plug your speakers into the keyboard (though you could buy extra splitters/audio cables)

QUALITY: 9/10
-Saitek still makes great keyboards. everything about this board looks like it was made with care.
-The keyboard feels like its going to last years

PRICE: 6/10
-Way expensive compared to the alternatives. Its a great keyboard, but only like $50-60 great. Not worth the $80 retail price, unless you've got the extra cash lying around. My advice is to wait for it to go on sale, if you're not in a hurry.

OVERALL(not an average): 8/10

PROS:
-Recently released drives from Saitek fixed all issues regarding the functionality and sensitivity of the touch pad: volume indicators work, media control works better, visual notification when touch buttons are being pressed (the buttons flash a few times when pressed), and no more accidentally activating touch keys (they're less sensitive but still functional)
-The quality of the keys and the feel of the keyboard is the same, if not better, than the Eclipse I (I wouldn't know how to compare it to the Eclipse II as I've never used one)

CONS:
-Yes the size is mislabeled as 18" instead of the actual 21" (but the original Eclipse I keyboard was 21" also)
-The $80 price point is a little steep; wait for the price to drop or for it to go on sale. I'd say a fair price would be in the $50-60 range.

IN DEPTH REVIEW:
First off, let me say that this keyboard isn't as bad as the other review(s) say. I've previously owned a Saitek Eclipse I keyboard, which this keyboard replaced after I accidentally spilled soda on my Eclipse I, and it's way better in construction, feel, and functionality.

The keyboard is in fact 21", not the 18" listed, but now that you know, if it isn't a problem, I'd recommend it. Sure, the Eclipse II was a compact 18", but the Saitek I never was, and it got phenomenal reviews despite its size.
[...]

The soft-touch keys feel great, and the two height adjustment is a very nice little feature to help you get the proper typing angle. With the updated drivers, the touch pad functions like it should, with a "lights off" button (turns all LEDs off until it is pressed again), 5 four-stage LEDs for the volume indicator to show current volume level, 4 media buttons (mute, pause/play, prev, next), and buttons to control the 4 brightness levels and 5 different colors (blue, purple, magenta, pink, red).

On the note of the LED colors, I don't find the touch pad being constantly blue, or the numpad/caps lock/scroll lock being green an annoyance. I think it actually looks pretty cool, since the LED colors provided contrast nicely with blue (especially red). Though if you find it an annoyance, I could understand.

To be honest, I don't use the hotkeys much, since I got pretty familiar with the windows equivalent of the hotkeys, though I'm sure someone would find them useful. To my knowledge there isn't a way to reprogram them, though I'm sure there's some software out there which would let you do that.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
In all, its a well made luxury keyboard with lots of good, convenient features. If you know your desk can't fit it comfortably, look for an alternative, like the more compact Eclipse II. The price point is high, so I'd only pick it up if it was on sale, or if you extra cash burning a hole in your pocket. If you're worried about how it feels, I'd see if a local store has it so you could try it out.

I've been typing on various keyboards for 20 years now, and nothing is comparible to the old IBM mainframe keyboards, which had a great feel to them. I've hated every lightweight generic keyboard I've encountered, and this one stays put. On a whim, I purchased this keyboard from another site, at a great price. Well, my only regret is not purchasing another to use at work. The lighting is adequate if you're simply typing to the light of your monitor, like I frequently do at home. I wish it were a little brighter, but overall, I love this keyboard, and when the price is right, I'll get another. I prefer the purple, dislike the red, and can deal with the blue. When the computer is rebooted, it automatically reverts back to blue, which I don't consider an inconvenience whatsoever...

What? Wears well in a little over a month of use? HAHAHAH!

That isn't a sign of wear at all! Try TWO YEARS! I've been using my Eclipse 2 for over two years with games such as BattleField2, Battlefield 2142, Unreal Tournament 2004 and Unreal Tournament3, Quake Wars, etc.

Please don't post that it wears well when you've had the keyboard for less than three months because you've barely used it long enough to even talk about how it wears.

I have seven keys that you can no longer read because the black paint has worn off of them! You can barely read the key letters with the blue light on at the highest setting. Red and "purple" allow for better readability with the "Purple" color being a bit more readable.

Other than the keys wearing out and the poor light transmission through the keys, this has been a great keyboard for me for gaming and other use. It's been over two years and I haven't had a single key malfunction and I use this keyboard a lot. Hours and hours of pretty heavy gaming.

I'll be looking for replacement keys.

I'd recommend this keyboard but I'm a bit disappointed in how the keys paint has worn off.

UPDATE!

I just got off the phone with Saitek customer support. The warranty on this keyboard is 2 years! I called and told them about my seven keys with the paint worn off and they told me as long as I had a receipt they'd completely replace it with a new one! It's an exchange. My receipt says I purchased this keyboard on 1/04/2007 so it's under warranty.

Not only that but they said that when I receive my replacement keyboard the replacement receipt gives me another two years! You can't beat that!

So, just keep your receipt and when something fails or the paint wears off, fill out the form and get a replacement for free! That's what I call good customer service!

I'm not a gamer, but I benefit from all the things the Saitek offers gamers: fluid keystrokes, solid and weighty base, lighted keys.
Some notes:

-What are the keystrokes like? Not as shallow as a laptop, not as deep as the logitech g15 or the ibm model m. Its a very comfortable medium depth especially if you type on a laptop as well as your desktop, the transition will be refreshing but not disruptive.
Keystrokes and feedback (both tactile and sound) are very fluid; you'll hear a very very low-level 'snip snip snip' as you type; and you'll feel little resistance on the downstroke, followed by a solid stop (there's no doubt that you've pressed the key, therefore), and when you release, the upstroke pushes back on your finger (so there's no doubt that you've released). Not much resistance at all, the dominant experience is the solid stop at the bottom of the (medium-depth) stroke.

-As a non-gamer, I *love* that it has an absolutely standard key layout, with the two alt keys on either side of the space bar, and the two windows keys on either side of that. No suprises whatsoever in the layout. This is helpful also because I have a ton of macros in autohotkey, and I would hate to have to readjust them all.

-The lighted keys are obviously one of the bigger draws here. 1) they are *neat*. Would this keyboard be as special without the lights? Without the lights it would be a weighty-solid keyboard probably great for office work because of the relatively quiet and fluid keystrokes. The lights however push it over the top. Three colors, dimmer, can even turn the the key lighting off.

-How effective is the lighting? Effective enough that if you're not sure where a key is you can glance down and figure it out, even if leaning back in your chair. However when you lean back like that, the topmost row (numerals and symbols, including the backspace key) is NOT visible. You have to bend over the keyboard to see the lighted keys there.
What others have said is true - the purple light is the brightest; also, on startup it always defaults to blue, which is a bummer. It should remember your previous choice. Maybe in the Eclipse III.

-Media and volume keys are handy, if rudimentary.

-Someone mentioned that after a year of use, the keys wore down to the point where additional light was shining thru the center of them and one could no longer make out the alphabet marked on the key. I've decided to head off that potential future problem by buying a roll of "clear vinyl tape" (avail on amazon, few bucks; look for manufacturer JVCC). Take a strip, lay it across a row of letters horizontally, take a small sharp scissors like a sewing scissors, cut the strip to length. Then, snip the length of tape between the keys, and take a pencil eraser and rub/press the tape in between the keys. Repeat for the other 2 rows of keys. Presto, a 2-minute "keycap cover" made of vinyl- durable, cheap and replaceable. I dont know if it was worth doing, but if it means my keyboard will last two years instead of one, then thats fine.

All in all, even non-gamers should buy gaming keyboards - they're better in every way for a writer or anyone who types a lot. The logitech g15 even has built-in macro keys where writers can store their snippets of text or other useful things. I went for the eclipse because my macro needs are taken care of with autohotkey and I just wanted solid normal keyboard that lets me type in the dark or in dim light. This one was absolutely perfect. Love it.

I bought this keyboard over the weekend and think it's great. I had been struggling for awhile to try to type in the dark while my wife is sleeping, so I finally needed to invest in a lighted keyboard.

This one feels great, and fits perfectly on my slide-out keyboard tray. The lighting is really effective and certainly makes it easy to type in the dark or under the light from the monitor.

The only minor flaw I could find (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5) is the fact that while having 3 colors to choose from is really nice, the keyboard always reverts back to blue when the computer is rebooted. Unfortunately for me, I prefer the red color, which causes me to have to switch the color every time I boot up. I think it should have been easy for them to design the keyboard to "remember" which color setting you used last.

Regardless of that, this is an excellent keyboard and I would highly recommend it.

I bought this keyboard because I already owned a Saitek Eclipse I and was totally satisfied with that, having used it for more than two years daily at work with absolutely no complaints. Anyone who sits down to use my keyboard comments on how good the keys feel, and how solid the keyboard itself is.

Anyway, I bought the v2 so that I could synchronize my keyboard layouts between home and work --- big mistake. Just under a year into using the Saitek Eclipse II, several of the keys (o, u) have started working only intermittently. If you check out the reviews on Newegg, and maybe on Amazon as well, you will see others reporting bad keys with the Eclipse II.

Meanwhile, the Eclipse I is still going strong; although I must report that I accidentally got a drop of hand sanitizer on one of my keys, and apparently the back-lighting is accomplished via a silver coating (black on the v2) on transparent plastic keys. As a result, my 'c' is now a smudged blue blob, the silver having slightly worn off from the alcohol in the hand sanitizer.

I wouldn't recommend buying the Eclipse II, though the tri-color lights are nice (though a bit dim), and audio controls are handy, but I would suggest buying the Eclipse I instead.

I bought this keyboard after trying the Logitech G-11. I really liked the G-11 because the back light only lit up the letters/numbers on the keys and not the back ground behind the keys. But the G-11 (and G-15) are big keyboards. The space to the left has extra keys and most keyboard drawers/shelves won't hold it plus a mouse pad.

The Saitek Eclipse II's keys have a very nice feel to them as you type. They don't feel cheap at all. The keyboard is a good size and the colors are good too. It has a detachable wrist rest. It isn't soft but still feels comfortable.

As for the back light: On the plus side you can press a button to change the color from red, blue, purple, or off completely. The color defaults to blue when you turn your computer on. There is also a knob to control the brightness of the light.

On the negative side the keys are lit up with LEDs from under the keyboard. The tray the keys sit in is silver and reflects the light. So, the underside of the keys are lit as well as the letters/numbers on the keys. In the dark this tends to drown out the letters/numbers and for me is very annoying. You could turn down the brightness but then it's harder to see the letters/numbers.

The keys are easily removed by just poping them off. All I did was take off all the keys and paint the silver tray under the keys and the key posts mat black. I put the keys back on and now the light only comes up through the letters numbers. When I did this I just masked off the keyboard and stuck cotton into the key post holes to keep paint out of the inside of the key posts. This only took about 1/2 hour and it worked great!!

I love this keyboard now and highly recommend it (with this mod).

There are many well written reviews about this keyboard so I won't repeat what you have previously read. I had the Saitek II keyboard and loved it. Once you have an illuminated keyboard there is no going back. I'll be the first one to admit that I am hard on a keyboard. Spilled drinks, cigarette ashes,(I quit) food crumbs etc. The Saitek took all of this abuse but after 4 years of heavy use the space-bar key broke. There was no fixing it. Having had a good buying experience I ordered the Saitek III. This keyboard is very impressive looking with many bells & whistles that you may not need. It does take up a lot of real estate on your desk top so make sure you have the room. It's about 6 inches longer than the compact Saitek II so if space is an issue you may not want this. Most desk tops should accomadate this without a problem. The most noticeable difference is the "Feel" of the keyboard. The Saitek II keys feel hard with short strokes. The Saitek III keys feel much softer allowing faster typing speeds. Your fingers float over the keys as opposed to banging them. Bottom Line: This is one impressive keyboard that I highly recommend. You will not be disappointed.

I just got my eclipse II one month ago and the letters are wearing off. So far the E, A, N,S, U ARE WORN. When the letters wear off it is clear , so the black is wearing off. I thought they were lazer etched from underneath? Well this is horrible cause the light shines up through and you can not see the letter. I am the only one who uses the keyboard and do not abuse or over use it. strange, because it seems well built otherwise. The leg keeps falling off too. Personlly I would like the light to be stronger on high, but others may not care.