Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard (PK02AU) Reviews

• splendid keyboard

  
  By A1SMHIPICUSIFP on 2006-09-11
  Highly recommended, and the price on Amazon is more reasonable than many brick & 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 it's 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.
  
  

• The best keyboard I've ever owned.

  
  By A1RFZGWX46N8H7 on 2006-11-18
  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...
  
  

• Keys Wear Out Quickly and Often

  
  By A36A1ZYZH8568P on 2007-11-16
  This is my third backlit Saitek keyboard, and I'll give Saitek a "B" for sending one full set of keys, and three sets of specific keys when the letters blurred and then "disappeared." It's hard to articulate, but the letters just plain wear off. After the W, E, N, U, I, and H wore out for the third time, Saitek sent me a whole set and told me to install the new "board." That was too much trouble, so I've been picking them off one at a time and replacing them. Today, I replaced the B, C, U, and H. I have to admit that the E, W, and N have lasted longer.
  
  Second, the blue back lighting is difficult to read. I would think white or yellow would have been better. During the day, I turn off the backlight. At night, I really have to squint to see what keys are what. I'm not a touch typist, but with an old IBM typewriter, I can still do 65-70 wpm. And I've been typing for 50 years, so this should have been the dream keyboard. It isn't quite a nightmare, but it's no dream either.
  
  Am looking for a replacement. Suggestions welcome.
  
  

• Great Keyboard with One Minor Flaw

  
  By A3P82ZMSDPHY0G on 2007-02-05
  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.
  
  

• Saitek Eclipse II is a major disappointment

  
  By A20BOUQVBXM5KW on 2006-09-13
  Saitek's Eclipse II is an updated version of the Eclipse illuminated keyboard. The original design was a decent keyboard with blue lighting, a 3 step brightener/dimmer and a better than average key touch. The Eclipse II improves on the basic design by having a much better wrist rest, and three colors of light: red, lavender and blue. It fails miserably, however, in actually having the keyboard being legible while lit. The original Eclipse's lighting, while not outstanding, was adequate enough to read the keys in low light. The Eclipse II, however, is virtually unreadable with the blue light, and the red and lavender lighting is not much better. The keys appear not to have been properly etched for the light to penetrate. Stick with the original if you want one, or step up, spend a little more, and get a Deck illuminated keyboard, which is what I did.
  
  
• Eclipse for Non-Gamers
  By A1EFVTUYCEZEK on 2007-06-15
  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.
  
  
• Great but back light needs work
  By A299FN4JOL3FAX on 2007-02-01
  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).
  
  
  
• I LIKED IT BUT.......
  By A1YFFKGCMI8F4F on 2007-02-13
  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.
  
  
• UPDATE! THE W,A,S,D KEYS RUB OFF
  By AWSD1RI7NZXQN on 2006-10-22
  Had this keyboard for a few months and was loving it for the 1st month. Its SOLID, keys are quiet yet firm. By the second month I started to notice the S key was showing wear, by the third month the S was rubbed off, and the A key began to show wear... Here I am 4+ months later looking for another keyboard because the W in now rubbed off, and D is next (W,A,S,D).
  I had a cheap $19 M$ keyboard thats been going strong for 3years and even though you can see the WASD wear the letters are not faded in the least. A keyboard manufacturer clearly marketing to gamers, should anticipate someone was going to game with it. I find it inexcusable that the paint rubs off the most popular keys in the gaming industry, and you should to.
  
  SAITEK, being a stand up company did send me replacement WASD keys however I'm not sure if this is gong to be a Yearly thing with them.
  
  
• Okay Looking, Bad Spendy Keyboard
  By A1A9WXPQVE7D87 on 2006-12-29
  Let me start by saying I have two Eclipse I keyboards *office and home) and have put them through their paces. They keys feel as solid and tight as they did the dirst day. The lighting has held up well.
  
  I was super excited about the II coming out. Better media keys, color choices, a dimmer knob...
  
  Only thing is if you want a keyboard you don't have to type on the Eclipse II is the one to get. The keys are mushy and cheap feeling. The glossy black platic is a finger print magnate (which given fingers are all over it...). The media keys are cheaper feeling. The dimmer knob on mine was loose and felt very cheap. The backlighting itself... the red and purple were acceptable, but the blue was too dark and too dim to be of use. Given my rig has blue lighting, this was a sticking point.
  
  I would look at the first Eclispse or the Logitch well before goign witht he Eclipse II. It is not worth it for looks or performace.
  
  
• Very nice keyboard...
  By A1YEPFLLH42OU1 on 2007-07-12
  I'd seen many glowing recommendations for this keyboard, and since I moved to a very dark part of the office, I decided to pick one up on impulse. I certainly don't regret the decision- it actually makes typing quite fun.
  
  The Eclipse 2 is clearly a well-built piece of hardware. It looks and feels solid and impressive, the backlight is attractive and functional (has 3 colors, if you feel like changing) and the keys are both quiet and have a very nice feel. It also has a detachable palm rest that serves the purpose well. About the only possible complaints I can see with the device are that the folding feet don't elevate it very high, and the lighting is not uniform across the board (seems largely centered on the main board, not much gets to the keypad). This hasn't bothered me overmuch.
  
  So, why not the top rating for it then? The main problem is pricing- the Eclipse 2 is nearly as expensive as a Logitech G15, which I also own and use at home. However, the G15 has a lot of additional functionality with its 18 programmable macro keys, supporting software, LCD, etc. My general opinion is as follows: the G15 is clearly better for a hardcore gamer or someone that uses a lot of macros. Its lighting is also a bit brighter, but it only has 2 brightness settings rather than the Eclipse's variable dimmer. It also has two USB ports built-in, which is somewhat useful (though the board eats up so much power they can barely run mice). The Eclipse is more compact and generally easier to move around. Its lighting looks cooler (the G15 only does blue) and the keys have a better feel. I would say it's better for everyday use and non-gaming activities like word processing.
  
  The only problem in that assessment is that I suspect most Eclipse buyers are gamers. Additionally, Logitech just put out the G11, which is pretty much the same cost as the Eclipse and has all the G15's functionality minus the LCD screen. I must admit, if the store I'd went to had stocked a G11 as well, I'd probably have gotten one. However, I still like this keyboard for office use, even if it might be a bit expensive and overkill for such purposes.
  
  
• OK, but not for me
  By A3GLX6MQEVZRWR on 2007-01-09
  Well, it's an OK keyboard, but the color wasn't as bright as I thought, plus the space bar on my unit didnt work. I ended up returning it for a refund.
  
  
• pretty lights.... poor quality
  By A1G4X6EYXVOPT2 on 2007-02-21
  I purchased my keyboard about 2 months ago and am very disappointed. Only a few choice numbers on the upper row work... and I am discovering more that are faulty everyday... They worked fine when I bought it, and it has received no physical damage.. it stays at my desk in my keyboard drawer. I haven't moved it once... it makes no sense that they stopped working. I may have just gotten a lemon, but it will be my lesson learned that just because it looks cool doesn't mean its the best one out there.
  
  
• This is THE Keyboard
  By ANNHJND2MHUI3 on 2007-03-12
  this is the BEST keyboard EVER!!! the keystrokes feel great and lighting OMG the lighting its just perfect.
  
  i would recomend this to anyone gamer or nongamer.
  
  
• Paint wore off keys after just a few months, poor backlight
  By A35WINR58PK2NS on 2007-08-23
  I bought this keyboard mainly because I wanted a backlight feature, but it turns out the backlight is very weak and BARELY shines through the keys themselves. So that's strike #1 against this product. Strike #2 came a few months later when I noticed the frickin paint wearing off the most used keys. What kind of POS keyboard is this?? Best Buy told me to email or call Saitek tech support and they will send replacement keys. The saleman seemed to be aware of this complaint. So, my advice...stay away from this keyword. You might like it the day you buy it, but a few months down the road you will be >:(
  
  
• Faulty keys after 1 year of use
  By A1GNAMSTXC1BWZ on 2007-12-06
  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.
  
  
• Good Keyboard - Paint wears off the keys!
  By AXV8QWIP5C7M8 on 2008-04-18
  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!
  
  
• Great Keyboard
  By A3N62RM6DQD49 on 2006-12-21
  I read most of the reviews here before deciding to purchase this keyboard. My take on most of the reviews was that the keyboard was decent but could have brighter lights. I'm sitting in a dimly lit room (light from kitchen) and I can see all the keys fine. Now I'm turning out all the lights... Still looks good to me.
  
  Having to use my keyboard of choice for 8+ hours a day, I've been pretty picky. Right now, though, I love this keyboard. Like another reviewer, Peg, said, the keys have a sort of leathery feel them, not hard plastic. The keyboard feels solid and well built.
  
  One question I had before buying it (and couldn't find the answer to) was whether or not it had any USB ports on it. My previous keyboard had 2 and I used one for a wireless mouse. But no, this keyboard does not have that. Not a biggie, I think most keyboards don't.
  
  Otherwise, this is your basic, but well built and illuminated, keyboard. It has your basic 104 keys plus a few media controls in the upper right. There is a knob, and at first I thought it was a volume control knob, but it's not- it a dimmer for the keyboard illumination. To the left of the knob are media buttons for Previous Track, Next Track, Play/Pause, and Stop. To the right of the knob are buttons for Decrease Volume, Increase Volume, Mute and Illumination. The keyboard starts up in Blue. Pressing the illumination button will cycle between Blue, Red, Purple and Off. Finally, the Num Lock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock lights are at the top of the keyboard, below the "Saitek" logo/name. Some might be bothered by the placement, but I hardly care. I'm usually conscious of whether I'm in caps and num-lock mode or not.
  
  No CD/software comes with the keyboard; no drivers needed. (Good.)
  
  The wrist-wrest comes detached; attach it if you want. Optional.
  
  Would I buy it again? Yes
  
  
  
  
• Great keyboard, but a little dim
  By A3SX1K1N7VR310 on 2007-05-14
  This keyboard has solid build quality feel to it. The keyboard is narrow like it is described, but that does not really affect your typing habits or speed. The heavily weighed base prevents the keyboard from wobbling or sliding around. This is a pretty standard keyboard and everything works as advertised. The multimedia control is good. The multi-colored backlit light is pretty cool. The keys are placed in standard location and all the keys are there... there is no missing CTRL key or arrow keys, etc.
  
  Now for the negative, since this isn't the perfect keyboard. The backlit light is a bit dim in the dark (main reason why I wanted to purchase a backlit light). Out of the three colors (blue, red and purple), purple is the brightest and blue is darkest. You can not see the number 0 (zero) very clearly and the . (period) from the number pad is completely dark. The light brightness knob is not very useful since the light isn't that bright in the first place... but it's neat to play with.
  
  The placement of the F1-F4 keys are a bit far from the ESC key. The reason why I say that is because most other standard keyboards have the F1-F4 keys placed a bit closer to the ESC key. The only reason why I mention this is because I am an online gamer and I use the F1-F4 macro keys a lot... very handy in conjuntion with the numbers 1-3 keys right below. It's not a BIG issue since I just have to adjust a bit.
  
  Overall, great quality keyboard. The reflective cover finish is nice to look at and if you tap the plastic around the keys, you will notice the build quality is much better than most other keyboards out there. The two feet that props up the keyboard is adjustable with two heights, which I am using the lower leg prop of the two options. It doesn't have as much fancy gizmo keys as the Logitech G15, but it's smaller than the G15 and less than 1/3 the price... almost half the price of the G15 depending on where you buy it. I don't use a lot of macros anyways. The keys do not click with any annoying noise, which is the way I like... it is soft to press and does not have a deep rebound, but it is not as short to press as a notebook keyboard. The Eclipse II does not take up a lot of surface space but the four corner sticks out a bit, which may prevent flush fitment with a palm rest. I use a gel palm rest so it does not feel too out of ordinary.
  
  If backlit under the dark is extremely important then you might check to see there is another keyboard that lights up brighter. I had a Eluminx keyboard that displayed much brighter keys, but that keyboard's light went out after two years of usage (otherwise it was a pretty good keyboard that had notebook keyboard feel).
  
  
  
• Best keyboard ever used
  By AIZ59A4T2KI04 on 2007-05-22
  Been using this thing for over 6 months now, love it. Was skeptical about paying that much for a keyboard, but have no regrets about it.
  People complain about the brightness of the LEDs, could be brighter, but works well enough and much better than no LEDs at all. The brightness knob is useless and should have been a volume knob. This thing is heavy, with good rubber feet, does not move around, even under heaviest gaming actions. Three colors of LEDs to choose from, purple works best for me in the dark hours when playing WOW. Buttons have good solid feel to them, not too noisy when typing at full speed. The media buttons work well for controlling sound, would've preferred volume knob instead of volume buttons.
  Overall this is a great keyboard and would recommend it to anyone looking for a solid keyboard for gaming or working.
  
  
• Not what I had hoped for
  By AS8XUPZQRC5ZL on 2007-07-01
  I have been looking at various ways to illuminate my keyboards, never seeming to find that perfect effect - illuminating the keyboard with just enough light to see the keys easily, without wasted dispersion. I had hoped this would be the answer, it didn't quite fit the bill. It does look neat, but is probably better suited for gamers - just not enough light for typing needs. My multimedia buttons do not work, even though I downloaded the drivers from the website. There is no documentation in the box or on the site. I least I could't find anything. I still do not know what the light (which never lights up) above the F10 - F11 key is...
  I have trouble typing, either the keys are too close together, or my fingers are getting real fat.... I get so many typos, I spend half my time just backspacing. I amsick and tired of readjusting the light color to purple every time I boot up... It just doesn't seem to be a "typist's" keyboard. Doesn't feel right to me. Wish I could add a soft white color to the other colors. Or maybe black keyboards are harder to use than white keyboards, I don't know..
  But I'm looking for another keyboard.
  
  
• Not what I had hoped for either
  By A2555SJN9MJ81P on 2007-07-04
  We've used it for about six months. The lighting is a little dim against the num pad, and now one of the keys doesn't always work. I wouldn't have such heartbreak with it except for the cost and the problem letter is a 't.' The keys are stiff and don't seem to get much better with use. Overall disappointed especially considering the price.
  
  
• Too Squishy
  By A3DF2RIXV8DRJN on 2007-09-18
  With this purchase, I was looking for an attractive, illuminated USB keyboard with a standard 104-key layout. I love the glossy black finish and illuminated keys of the Eclipse II. Unfortunately, I can't type very well on it. A keyboard I can't stand typing on is useless to me.
  
  The problem is that the keys have a squishy feel. I prefer my keys crisp and tight, not squishy or springy. I have to apply a lot more pressure than I'm used to for the keyboard to recognize my key presses. I make many more typos than usual with this keyboard. The problem is exacerbated when I try to type very quickly (like during a heated World of Warcraft session). It really slows me down because I'm forced to go back and fix typos all the time.
  
  If you prefer a crisp feel, I advise against against purchasing this keyboard. If you're a slower typer who prefers squishier keys, the Eclipse II might be for you.
  
  
• Shoddy with unresponsive and unevenly lit keys
  By A2D7PWKNB7A85O on 2008-04-27
  The lighting of the keys 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.
  
  
• What I say has been said.
  By A1ZOS9L5M95CS1 on 2006-09-23
  The keyboard is very solid, with a very nice feel. It took minimal re-programming, using Mac OS X Tiger's keyboard tool, to get the extra keys (option, command) working as I expect them to. The multimedia keys don't work, as expected, and so far they are difficult to re-program even using a sophisticated program like ControllerMate. Part of the problem is that Controller mate sees multiple controls pressed for most of the buttons, so it's difficult to control. However, a keyboard does not consist of multimedia buttons! The backlighting is good - very adequate for me, and I have three displays, so I would think glare would be a problem, based upon other reviews, but it's not. The three colors (and off) are easily selected, and the dimmer knob works as expected. It makes a nice addition to the glowing blue mouse, glowing blue mouse pad, griffin PowerMate, etc.
  
  
• Great Keyboard
  By A3RQL6E73DMJAV on 2006-11-09
  I was looking for a replacement for my Logitech G15 and this is alot better. First off, the G15s keys started wearing off within a week of purchasing the keyboard. It had nice features, but the fact that there didn't seem to be much QA on the product made me look for something else. This is a great keyboard and I've had it for about 3 months and the keys are still intact. It's nice that there are 3 color choices available. This is better than the 1st Eclipse keyboard. You won't be disappointed.
  
  
• Wonderful keyboard!
  By A2VYJIEZDU6PY2 on 2006-11-13
  I have tried many keyboards and own 4. Just bought this one and love it! The draw for me was the purple backlighting (blue and red are the other options), but the feel and placement of the keys is ultimately more important. There is a slight leathery texturizing to the keys that is very pleasant. Also, I'm working from home on a ThinkPad (external mouse, flatscreen monitor and keyboard homeoffice setup) and this keyboard sufficiently mimics the key layout, which is not true of Logitech and others (i.e. backspace, arrows, Ctrl, etc. are where I need them to be). I also own quite a few mice (including wireless/Bluetooth) and wanted to avoid a keyboard/mouse set, which are becoming ubiquitous.
  
  This keyboard was a very pleasant surprise that I enjoy constantly.
  
  
• Great keyboard, could be brighter though.
  By A3IFFOSIKTJ819 on 2006-12-10
  
  I really love this keyboard but I would have liked the lighting to be a bit brighter. The photos online show the dimmer turned to it's highest setting which looks very bright but the glow from my monitor definitely diminishes the lighting on the keyboard (even with it sitting below on my keyboard shelf). I've found the purple to be the brightest color and the easiest to use for general typing. The red is nice but the number keys don't show up as well. The blue is my favorite but unfortunately it's the dimmest color and you really have to strain to see the number keys at the top.
  
  Note To Saitek: It would be great if you got rid of the opaque white and just outlined the letters in bright white leaving the center of the letter clear for the light to show through, I think it would help reduce the fading effect making the keys much easier to see.
  
  I've found that the keys have a louder click than you normally find on the newer keyboards. I've become accustomed to my "quiet key" soft thuds so it's somewhat surprising to hear the light clicking while I'm typing. The keys also have a firmer resistance to them and are not as touch sensitive as my Logitech or Microsoft keyboards. This is not a bad thing, you just have to use slightly more pressure when typing. The surface of the keys have a light texture which is nice for gripping and the "Esc" and "F" keys are slightly smaller in size but still comfortable to use. I also love that you don't need to install any drivers, just plug the keyboard in and a "New Hardware" window pops up, very simple and easy. The plastic palm rest is fully adjustable or you can remove it completely, it's a wonderful little feature that should be standard on all keyboards. The base is heavy and stays put, no sliding backwards. I would definitely recommend buying these keyboards as gifts for friends and family, it has that "wow" factor that makes the inner child in you want to plug it in and play with the colors.
  
  
  
• Its ok but not great
  By A1UVT8X26S1CFU on 2007-02-02
  My hubby got this for his self but he gave to me because he did not like we find it of of slick deal for $10 it go for $70 most place the only thing i hate about is the space broad the pin under it keep come off
  
  
  
  
• Busted "r" key
  By A2VBXKEJ4UYGUY on 2007-03-12
  Love the keyboard, but after 2 months the "r" key only works if I some of the time. Other keys only wok (I mean work!) with a solid press.
  
  

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