Saitek Eclipse II Backlit Keyboard (PK02AU)
by Saitek
List Price:
Our Price: $43.08
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Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: CE
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SaitekAudio: German (Subtitled); German (Manual)
Format: CD
Release Date: 2011-12-12
Platform: Windows XP
Model: PK02AU
Color: Silver black
Product features:
- Key characters and keypad illuminate through laser-etched keys
- Media keys for volume control, play/pause and skip tracks
- Variable backlighting adjusts through dimmer mechanism. Blue, red and violet.
- Angle adjustment and extendable wrist rest for maximum comfort to suit the way you type
- Weighted base with large area rubber feet to keep keyboard securely planted to the desk
- Familiar 104 key layout
- Quiet, cushioned keys for hours of stress-free use
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- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (3.3 Feet/1.0 Meter)
- Typing Instructor For Kids 4 [Old Version]
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Saitek Eclipse II Backlit Keyboard (PK02AU)
Customer Review: Sucktek
Summary: 2 Stars
Ah, the Saitek Eclipse II. They're still selling these. It was a year ago I purchased mine without a second thought, absolutely assured it would be all I ever needed. My options at the time were the Logitech G-15 and an Eclipse II, and the purple backlight option of the Eclipse had been more alluring than all the features the G-15 boasted.
It was a week into owning the Saitek Eclipse II that I encountered my first issue with the product. My mind was on the little problem that owners of the Saitek Eclipse II experienced - the keys wearing, the letters blotching into indistinguishable blurs - and I figured my compulsive, clean, careful nature would be 'above' that problem. I didn't even imagine the chance of a more serious issue being possible within such a short period of time of ownership. However, half the lighting system on the keyboard ceased to work except for one color. I emailed Saitek in somewhat of desperation, explaining the issue fully, and a few days later got a snide reply. To Saitek's credit, I did get a LED matrix mailed to me - But I'm pretty sure the only reason I even got that was because the tech who answered my e-mail got a laugh out of the length of the e-mail.
Even with unparalleled care and cleanliness over the next two months, eventually even that LED matrix proved faulty (Half blue and half purple keyboard!). Several short and sweet e-mails later over the course of a few months, I never saw any form of reply or hint 'customer service' still existed. By then my WASD had began the short trek of full-on, Saitek-genetic balding.
6 months into ownership, a good half of the keys were blanked. Today, when I retired my Saitek Eclipse II, it looked like a cheese grater had been ran along each key. Admittedly, I'm a gamer with longer nails, but I don't generally tap the keys with them. Thankfully backlighting for me is a vanity thing and I type through key placement memorization.
----
Some things you need to be aware of if you're hesitant enough about buying this product to read the comments:
1) The keys are clear plastic with black paint on them. They WILL wear very fast and the keyboard WILL become very unsightly. No matter how casual you are you will not get around this issue. Good backlight keys are black plastic and, while some eventually may wear, still will look decent. Imagine a key with black sides and a clear top you can look into and see down into the guts of the keyboard - that's the Saitek Eclipse II.
2) The keystrokes are very loud. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't used a Logitech keyboard.
3) Servicing the keyboard is bothersome and you will have to do it at some point. It would be cheaper and less stressful to buy a $5 keyboard and take it apart if you want a crash course in keyboard anatomy. Be prepared to take the keyboard apart - Feel free to youtube "Saitek Eclipse II" if you'd like several videos of people having to do so. Maybe that'll save you some effort, watching /other people/ take out ~10 tiny screws.
4) Be prepared to do a song and dance or humiliate yourself for customer support, if it still exists.
In closing:
When I got the Saitek Eclipse II keyboard, I had been accustomed to the standard issue non-descripts you get from white-box PCs. With that said, it was a dream for a little while. The keys seemed so quiet, the keyboard seemed so high quality, and you wouldn't have been able to convince me I made the wrong choice. A week before I retired that keyboard, I took out a backup keyboard I owned, never touched - a Logitech 510, 520, something like that - And I felt like an idiot. The sheer quality of it to the Saitek, the quiet keystroke, the spill-resistant design - I realized I had really tricked myself and had been royally screwed, when a modest $10 non-multimedia keyboard felt more comfortable and pleasant to use than my Eclipse ever felt. The only reason I used my Saitek again was because it had volume control buttons (standard on most keyboards, of course) - It felt like a tease to have to use it again for that reason, even if for another week or two.
I've had friends with G-15s who found the problems I had with my Eclipse absolutely unheard of. I'm typing this review on a G-19, and I implore you - if you're a gamer, or you want a reliable, quality keyboard, period - do all you can to avoid Saitek.
I would venture to suggest you turn around and run away from this page, and try other brands of keyboards instead (especially Logitech!). If the G-19 is too expensive for you and the last generation of G-15 is too unsightly for you, there are still nice Logitech keyboards that you can get for around the listed Amazon price of the Eclipse II or cheaper that cover the same features but are more reliable. Most keyboards at the fraction of the cost of this one sport similar features, actually, and are made much better. Logitech or not, please resist this product and avoid Saitek!
I'm actually appalled this keyboard has a 4.5 star rating on Amazon, but it just goes to show you people rate it before giving it adequate test time. A good keyboard will stay in decent shape for years, not months, and that includes the appearance - even with heavy use. Seriously, do not buy. Saitek does not deserve your money.
1 star because the marketing of the product makes me smile. Wow-wee, it has elevation feet and backlight! Another star because I learned how to gut a LED keyboard and put it back together.
Description of Saitek Eclipse II Backlit Keyboard (PK02AU)
True-vu key illumination in 3 colors blue red & purple 104-key keyboard features patented blue led key illumination & backlighting zero-slope design & adjustable wrist rest for ergonomic comfort features plug-&-play design with usb connector variable lighting levels compatible with windows 98/se/me/2000/xp silver & black finish features black keys with laser-cut lettering.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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