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View Full Version : Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard


Enlightened Fool
07-25-2008, 12:58 AM
http://www.saitekusa.com/usa/images/product/eclipseii.jpg
Manufacturer's Product Page (http://www.saitekusa.com/usa/prod/eclipseii.htm)
Newegg Item Page (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175001&Tpk=saitek%2beclipse%2bII)

59.99$ MRT
Purchased in Feb.

Looks:
Even when lights are off, the keys look great, as well as it's silver finish.
This KB is slim, reminded me of the iMac KB's in terms of size. The four corners (that are black) are actually fancy places for the non-slip pads underneath.

When you turn the lights on, even in the daytime, this KB looks awesome. No need for lights on at night time, unless you're going to do something other than gaming or whatever on your computer.
There are lights on each side of this as well, not just to illuminate the keys. This (can be, or) is good for smokers. Keep your ashtray nearby, you can see where to flick.


Pros:
- Lighted keys of 3 colors- blue, purple, and red. Also a dimmer switch.
- HEAVIEST KB I have ever used, except say some old metal ones I've looked at. Combine that with the four pads, and this KB hardly moves once you set it down.
- Excellent quality manufacture/build, sturdy.
- Comes with a detachable wrist pad.
- Can be adjusted to two other heights/angles.
- Media control buttons.


Cons:
- Well I'll just get to my biggest problem with this KB... after 1-2 months the keys slowly quit registering most the time. One by one for 10 keys same thing after another month-ish. Another week or so 8 more all at once. This sucked in TF2, jerky movement.
- Eventually red became pink. Blue faded halfway. Red stayed the same.
- Media controls only worked with windows media player.
- The whole plastic key is transparent, and the character itself is just not painted. Other reviews stated wearing, and on the silver for the wrist-rest.

For me another con is the fact that it was laptop size keyboard. This is really just a user-familiar thing, but since I wasn't used to it it did take some adjustment.


Rating:
With the pros and cons weighed: 4/10
If the keys would have worked: 8/10


This was an expensive KB to begin with, so it should have functioned for at least a year, not 4 months.
All in all this KB was exactly what I was looking for, except the keys not responding 100% of the time and the lights fading(well, they will sometime) so soon. Upon reading pretty much every review at newegg and some on other sites, I knew this was going to possibly happen, like a roll of the dice. Some customers sent them back and have got long(er) lasting ones.

Buy it at your own risk of getting a faulty one. Hopefully Newegg has gotten a new stock, and these issues have been addressed by Saitek(for when I return this).

hOoLiGaN
07-25-2008, 10:30 AM
I have the original Saitek Eclipse. I can tell you that I've owned in for almost 3 years now and its done its job quite well. The keys are loose to the point where typing is smooth, but keys still register. I would have liked to see the multi-color capability of this, but my LED's are bright as ever, so no complaints there. Perhaps just a bit of bad luck man.

yum yums
07-25-2008, 05:05 PM
I recently upgraded to a G15 from the original Eclipse because my left control key was going in and out. This is another review from another peer that says the Eclipse II just doesn't come close to the original.

The original Saitek Eclipse is one of the best keyboards I've ever used, and from the sounds of it, it's still the best! I wish my left control key wouldn't have crapped out, because honestly that was the only thing wrong with it. The Eclipse II just sounds like it has lots of problems, including a "cheaper" encoder that will only let you press 3-4 keys at once (my original Eclipse let me press 5 or 6).