Saitek Eclipse Keyboard ( PZ30AU )
by Saitek
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List Price: Category: Personal Computer See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Saitek Eclipse Keyboard ( PZ30AU )
Customer Review: Works Great With a Mac!
Summary: 5 Stars
This looks really slick next to my blue death adder and my belkin n52te, and I love that all three of these devices work perfectly on a mac.
I got a Mac Pro a few months ago, and I've been going through keyboards like I were making a living testing keyboards. A little background into my needs/preferences: I'm a big gamer, heavy into World of Warcraft, and I like laptop style keys. The macbook pro keyboard was perfect, in my opnion.
This keyboard works perfectly with mac. No issues whatsoever. There's no software to worry about compatibility issues over, and no extra hotkeys. No frills! That's good! The backlighting is adjustable, and beautiful. I can't imagine anyone buying this computer if they were NOT looking for a keyboard with backlighting. Nice and bright. I like playing games in the dark, and this has really helped my game. I hate not being able to see the keyboard in the dark more than most things in life.
I find the keys nice and soft, like my hands glide across the board. I'd call them delicate, though I don't mean they aren't durable. Some people say the lettering wears off after a while, but I really don't see that being a problem even if it happens. One of the biggest complaints I read about this keyboard is the uneven lighting. Sure the backspace key reads Ba Spa, but what the heck else could Ba Spa mean? It isn't confusing at all, people are just nit-picking.
Recently I've played with the Razer tarantula, which I didn't like AT ALL for a number of reasons. I also played with Apple's new aluminum keyboards- both wired and wireless. I really don't like wireless mice or keyboards in general, and I rely on number pads, so the wireless really didn't do anything for me. The aluminum one however, feels great. I can type so quickly on that thing, and make very little, if any, mistakes. The Saitek strikes me just the same, performance wise. I've never taken anyone saying something like their fingers "glide across the keyboard" seriously, but that's exactly my experience. This this really kicks butt.
My ONLY complaint is that it doesn't have USB ports!
I'm looking forward to my Everglide DKTBoard coming in the mail next week. If the DKTBoard isn't any better than the Saitek Eclipse, then I have definitely found my favorite keyboard ever. Hands down. No, I haven't played with the logitech gaming keyboards.
Customer Review: Best keyboard I have ever owned, my customers love it
Summary: 5 Stars
I build computers as a side job, in addition to owning several computers of my own. I have owned the Saitek Eclipse keyboard since it first came out. I ordered it as soon as it was available many years ago. I am currently still using the one that I bought then. In fact, I have had the keyboard so long that the finish on some of the keys has just recently started to come off (a,s,d,f,l,n,m, and shift keys). I have spilled water and soda in the keyboard. Still works perfectly.
The NEW version I have ordered for many of my customers, since I recommend the keyboard (especially when it matches the case lighting, since blue is the most common color...Saitek also makes a red eclipse for red cases). The NEW version is even better, with a "bubbled" windows logo on the windows keys for easy recognition of the key without looking, and the finish on the keys is better and does not come off like the first version of the keyboard.
The Zero-Slope of the keys is very comfortable for long typing sessions (still comfortable after writing 7-10 page papers). The keys have just the right amount of recoil on them, and are not too loud or too soft when typing (making it perfect for the office or home use).
The keyboard works perfectly on all Windows OS's (including Vista, even though the specs don't say it supports Vista), as well as Linux (Have never tried it on OS X or any other MAC OS though).
No drivers or instructions are included BECAUSE all you have to do is plug it into the computer. It would be a waste of paper to include a sheet that said "Step 1: Plug in keyboard." because that is literally all you have to do.
The other reviewers of this keyboard who have mentioned lag between key-presses and onscreen output must have a problem with their USB ports or their operating system, because this keyboard works perfectly, just like any standard 104-key keyboard.
In summary, this is a great keyboard for the price. The back-lit keys are perfect for turning out the lights at night and gaming in the dark, and the zero-slope nature of the keyboard is great for long typing sessions. Overall, this is the best keyboard I have ever used, and will never stop using or purchasing them.
Customer Review: Great Keyboard!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've only had this keyboard for about a week now but it is an amazing keyboard, exactly what I was looking for. I was looking for 2 things while searching for a new Keyboard to replace my old Logisys mulitmedia illuminated keyboard. I wanted something simple and something with some backlighting so this keyboard really fit the bill as it is like most any other generic keyboard as it has minimal multimedia and doesn't require any special software, the backlighting on it is great, the brightest setting is perfect in my opinion, not too bright but light enough to see the keys perfectly in the dark.
Possibly the second best thing about this keyboard is the feel and sound. Wait... that's two thing, oh well, this definitely is not the most quiet keyboard I've ever had, my Logisys was even more quiet but I had to pound the keys for them to register sometimes. The keys on this keyboard, like other reviews have said, are textured and they feel great when typing and gaming.
My biggest concern with this keyboard was the wrist rest, looking at it in the pictures, I was under the impression that the curvy design to it would be a huge problem with trying to type but as soon as I received the keyboard and tried it out I found it was actually very comfortable. My second biggest concern with it was the paint on the keys, from all the reviews I've read about it, it sounded to me like I should be expecting the paint to wear off after time, it hasn't worn off yet but it's only been about a week so I'm still expecting it to happen, even if it does, it really isn't a big deal to me because I bought it knowing there was a good possibility of it happening and besides that, I'm a pretty good typist so I don't need to look at the keys while I'm typing something.
Highly recommend this keyboard if you are looking for something with some good illumination and you are on a budget. I personally got this when it was on sale for $37, I checked back the day after I had bought it and it went up to $42, that does seem a little pricey to me but I would probably still buy this keyboard even if it was $50, anything higher and I don't think I would consider it a budget keyboard anymore.
Customer Review: Good keyboard action, blue lights are a bonus
Summary: 5 Stars
This review won't be very useful for gamers, as I'm a professional translator/writer looking for keyboards that allow me to work for long hours and, in this case, small enough for me to carry with my notebook.
I've been dealing with computer keyboards of all sorts for the last 20 years or so. Right now I use (not at the same time, though I'm trying!) three MS keyboards, the ACER laptop kbd and I sometimes use a laptop style Kensington kbd (BTW, the Kensington is recommended for those lost souls who think laptop keyboards can be used for anything more than typing mails or doing web search).
I still think the MS kbds, specially the split designs, are the best for prolonged use at fast typing. The Eclipse, however, feels very comfortable, being quite precise and not too heavy.
The blue lights under the keys can be dimmed or turned off using a special key - no software needded!! I like them and they do look stylish, but there's too much glow *around* the keys for the lights to be really useful under low lightning conditions.
Again, might be just enough for playing Quake or whatever, but if you're a touch typist you don't look much at the keyboard and, when you do, only the keys right beneath your eyes can be easily read on the Eclipse. The rest of them are angled in relation to the light coming from below, so they are actually easier to see if you turn the lights off (right, provided you're not in complete darkness).
It's a sturdy keyboard, rather on the heavy side, and it looks like it can take some beating and dropping. Construction appears to be very solid and there's nothing "cheap" to it. Since I hate any short action, small keys laptop-like keyboard (I think I've already made my point about this, sorry...), this is a great alternative for me to put in the backpack with the laptop and lug it around.
I don't see anything bad about this product - higly recommeded. You might not be looking for this kind of action / weight / key response - quite good for my standards - but there are no design flaws, it's just a matter of taste and usage.
Customer Review: A solid keyboard
Summary: 5 Stars
A solid keyboard. The keyboard stays put with the oversized soft rubber pads. This contributes dearly to the feel of the keyboard. Solid. You pretty much have to lift the keyboard to re-position it when it's not in the raised position and all four pads are on the desk.
The lighting of the keys, unlike a couple reviews I've read, is uniform. The one exception to this is the keys that have two lines of writing on them. For instance the Scroll Lock, Number Keys (both the key pad and the top row of number keys), Page Down keys etc. are not lit evenly. Actually I found that I really don't need the keys lit up. My keyboard is in front of my moniter. The light from the moniter reflects off the keyboard. With the silver keys and the the dark laser cut letters the reflection contrasts ideally off the keys making it appear that the keys are white and the letters are black.
I also read of an issue where the keys were loosing their silver coating making the letters hard to read. I've only had this keyboard a couple of months and have not found this to be the case as of yet. Having said that, I use the keyboard for typing, not for gaming where one would continuously hit the same key over and over again. As this is a "basic" keyboard, not specifically geared towards gamers, I suspect this would not be an issue.
I could only come up with 2 insignificant drawbacks with this unit. The 3 led indicator lights at the top of the keyboard for the Number Lock, Cap Lock and the Scroll Lock are a bit bright. (A black magic marker dimmed those lights quite well). Also, the Volumn and Light Intensity buttons could use an indicator light of somekind. In my case, this is not an issue. I don't use the volumn buttons once they were set and the Light intensity button is at the top right of the keyboard where I use the Minus key for a reference.
I would recommend this keyboard for anybody who needs to see the keys in the dark.