Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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96 of 101 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Be the ENVY of your IT department!, September 26, 2005
Aside from a few volume and brightness control keys above the number pad, the Saitek Eclipse has a standard 104 keyboard layout. No fancy swoops, loops, or "enhanced" layouts. Except for the space bar being fatter, and the function keys being shorter, all keys are the proper size in the proper place with no frills. That is EXACTLY how you want it to be!
"Ergonomic" devices often tend to look futuristic, and have exaggerated design accents. But in the end, they don't interface well with human hands, and are mostly marketing gimmicks. Like most people, the last truly ergonomic thing you used was the finger molded handlebar grips on your tricycle.
The casing design does have some fancy swooping in the corners, with a molded-to-fit wrist rest. This "modular "X" form" absolutely does NOT interfere with function of the keyboard, and only enhances its' black and silver charm. Extreme enough for gamers, high-tech enough for enthusiasts, yet practical enough for serious work. The wrist rest is sleek and tapers down, but it wasn't very functional. I am happier with my black silicone one.
Even though the Eclipse is heralded for the stylish design, typing comfort, and hefty weight to prevent sliding, that is not enough to have the average person spend 50 bucks on a keyboard. Trust me, unless you prefer the joyful chuckle of clicking keyboards, you may not love the sleek silence without prejudice. If not, look elsewhere.
The real selling point here is, of course, the blue back lighting flowing in-between the keys and key caps. Thus giving the impression of "liquid cool" pulsing beneath your finger tips. Ahhhhh, definitely a fun keyboard to use, even without the bells and whistles. That can't be said of my Microsoft ergonomic keyboard which is being trashed! I am keeping the Microsoft Mouse because the black and silver wireless design perfectly compliments the Eclipse.
The blue light effect is better on the high setting, in my opinion, and could be brighter. It's also nice how the letters dim to black when you turn the light off. The full impact is most appreciated when you stand directly over the keyboard, and naturally, in the dark. The silver keys do seem to go black as the room goes darker, which provides great contrast.
There is a superior feeling one gets typing on something only sci-fi offered a few short years ago. That is not something most other keyboards do. This is hotter than the light up "desk keyboard", used by CEO Dillinger, in the movie, "TRON". You need not be a fan of TRON, like me, to enjoy basking in the soft glow of electronic light "eclipsing" through the crags. In fact, this is THE keyboard to have for players of the TRON 2.0 PC game. Star Wars fans may prefer the night-vision red model when fighting with Aniken Skywalker and Yoda over a pit of molten lava.
Cons: USB only with no compatibility with PS2 adaptors, or KVM switches. I suppose there is no way around needing the 6v USB ports to juice the lights. The only other option is a separate power plug, and and who wants that? Well, I might if it means a brighter keyboard and ability to use the PS2 connector. This would rock if it lit up as brightly as the number, caps, and scroll lock keys.
It is a quite and soft keyboard to type on. Maybe a bit too soft and quite for my tastes. But I am using this at work and quickly adapting to it. There is more room above the cursor keys to include a few more hot keys. Or maybe as a strip down the left side of the keyboard.
No instructions were included, at least not in my box. But it quickly was recognized by windows and I am typing away without any lag as reported by some users. Perhaps it depends on how many USB ports you have active. Expect to restart the computer a couple of times for the driver to get fully settled in. No CD software included or needed. There is an option under device manager that lets the keyboard take the computer out of standby mode.
I use mine at work, and the IT department will never be the same. So far everyone I show it to, stands in awe of the beauty - THEN I PUT THE LIGHT ON. Sure, I am one of those people who would like it brighter, but this is lovely to behold.
Even when powered down The Saitek is a simplistic piece of "form meets function" to admire and enjoy. Now if I can just convince the guys to work with the lights off. |-p
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Everyday Keyboard, November 17, 2005
I decided to own this keyboard for a few weeks before writing my review.
First, you have to understand how old my other keyboard was - it was a keyboard by Compaq that I have had since BEFORE Windows 3.1. I kept it because it did not have the Windows and Task Bar Keys built in (I have never liked those keys on my keyboard). The Compaq keyboard was built like a tank! It has held up perfectly over the years. But it was time to find something new.
I have owned the Saitek Eclipse keyboard for about a month. I am going to break this review into two parts - a keyboard for gamers and a keyboard for normal typing.
Since this keyboard is marketed towards gamers, I will address this issue first. What makes this a "gamers" keyboard is the blue glow around the keys and through the symbol on the actual key itself. However, even at the brightest setting, the glow is far from perfect. As most reviewers here have stated, it is not bright enough to see immediately. The reason I have a hard time seeing the keys is that I have a 19" LCD monitor that sits in front of the keyboard - this means the glow from the monitor is also illuminating the keys, causing the blue glow to have less of an effect. Also, not every key glows equally - there seems to be part of the plastic molding underneath the key that stops some of the blue from glowing (my delete key for example is only showing the "de" and the "te" clearly). In addition, when compared to other keyboards that claim to be for "gamers," there are no additional programmable buttons. The Logitech G15 for example comes with an entire set of additional buttons on the left side. I liked the simplicity of this keyboard, so I don't mind the lack of buttons, but from a "gamers" perspective, there might be better keyboards out there. For this reason, I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
However, as a typing keyboard, this thing is fantastic. When compared to my old keyboard, these keys are supper soft and require very little effort to press. I like the fact that they are somewhat quiet (no keyboard can be truly silent) and I like the fact that they have a nice feel to them (have you used a cheap keyboard? You can tell a difference with how these keys are made). Because less effort is needed to press the key, I have actually increased my typing speed. I like the fact that the keyboard is straight forward (no extra buttons I will never use), full sized and aesthetically pleasing to look at. I do like how the keyboard looks in full light compared to low light - the keys change from grey to black depending on the light. The glow is just enough to see the buttons at a glance. If you type without looking at the keyboard, then this won't matter. I keep the glowing on in all types of light - I just like the way it looks. The keyboard feels solid - like my old one, I hope it lasts just as long. As an everyday, typing keyboard, I give this 5 out of 5 stars.
The bottom line is that the keyboard is less of a "gamers" keyboard and more for everyone who wants a simple and functional keyboard that has the added benefit of a cool blue glow to help type at night. If you are like me, you large monitor will output enough light to see the keys anyway, making the blue glow less important. Regardless, it is still a cool feature. I really like the way the keyboard feels and how my fingers move quickly between the keys. Overall, I recommend this keyboard and I think people who use it will be happy with it as an everyday keyboard.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally they get it!, April 25, 2005
I purchased and returned the previous Saitek "illuminated keyboard". The main problem was that the illumination was behind the keys and the letters themselves were not transparent. Not only could you not see the letters in the dark, in the fading afternoon light you actually had better visibility with my old cruddy black with white letter keyboard. Very cool looking but not terribly useful. An addition appears to be the volume control which is just a gee whiz not an essential and gone is the standalone number pad. Another cool idea for recording macros and extra command strings for games but just not the easiest thing for me too use. The key board is already very wide and to ask for more room on my already crowded keyboard tray was not happening. Most of the performance mouse surfaces already take up a ton of space (remember this was supposed to be a gaming keyboard so performance mousing is a consideration) and placing this somewhere other than the tray made it WAY too slow for first person shooter type games. If you have to look at the keys, you're already dead. One problem here is the price in the store. The Amazon price is not outrageous so that's my suggestion. In summary this keyboard drops the non useful items and picks up the most important (see through keys!). Check your desk space though as it is very wide and not as tall as a normal board. Shallow trays = yes. Narrow trays = no good. This makes it look even "cooler" but it kept me from a 5 star rating along with the keys that like to pick up and show finger grease.
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