Hot! Saitek Eclipse II $34.99 SHIPPED

[jcenters]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...vices-_-E4L-_-23175001

Regular Price: $59.99
-$15 Instant Rebate
-$10 Promo Code EMC1101XMDE03
Free Shipping!

EDIT: Expires 11/07/2007

 

[Tarindel]

I have this keyboard, and it's awesome.

Definitely worth $35.

 

[jlee]

Tempting...

 

[jcenters]

Yeah, I've heard good things, but I'm torn between it and the G11. The G11 has the nifty macro buttons and cable management, but at this price, the Eclipse is very tempting.

 

[Spurst]

i have one. i took back a G15 to buy it - i love it!

 

[imported_Husky55]

Thanks guys, been looking for a keyboard with LED, got one.

 

[Stoerm]

The promo code wouldn't work for me. I signed in, added to cart, entered promo code, then signed out and tried it that way, but still no go.

Any idea what I might be doing wrong?

I'm in need of a new KB and I like these Saitek models. They last me about 9-15 months each and my last one just broke 2 weeks out of warranty.

 

[Tarindel]

Try subscribing to their newsletter and see if it works then. The promo code came from the newsletter and says it will only work for newsletter subscribers.

 

[Onund]

I have the Red Eclipse 1. I spent some try to decide between red or blue and finally settled because the red was 50 cents cheaper. About a week later they came out with the colour changing II

Apart from that the Eclipse is a fantastic keyboard and I love every minute of it. I look forward to darkness when I can light it up.

Originally posted by: Stoerm
They last me about 9-15 months each

What do you do with your keyboards? I've never had one die on me either at work or at home and I've run into some pretty coffee grunged keyboards around the office.

 

[herm0016]

i have the old eclipse. is the new one better? i love the older one.

 

[Ctrackstar126]

Originally posted by: Onund
I have the Red Eclipse 1. I spent some try to decide between red or blue and finally settled because the red was 50 cents cheaper. About a week later they came out with the colour changing II

So what did you end up doing with the 50 cents you saved?

 

[uwannawhat]

Excellent deal.

Awesome price!

Free Shipping!

You definitely have to be signed up for their emails as it required to log in before I could use the code.

Thanks jcenters!

 

[konakona]

looked like a nice price, so I read some of the customer reviews.

Many people noticed the letters get scratched off very easily. Some didn't like how it typed, too mushy and not responsive. Keys are not bright enough even at the max setting, according to yet others. Worst of all seems that a sizeable portion of the crowd had the trouble with membrane getting off-centered resulting in keys not responding. No Linux or KVM support, it it matters to you.

The keyboard looks good (much better than G15 or tarantula IMO) but doesnt sound like much of a gaming keyboard in my book.

 

[uwannawhat]

I agree, the reviews seem a bit low especially for a gaming keyboard. They are supposed to be built to take a beating, which is why how I could see someone smashing a keyboard away in less than a year depending on how aggressive of a player they are or which type of games they play.

It'll do just fine for me though or I may just sell it. Either way, it's a popular name amongst gamers, that's for sure!

 

[Navid]

I bought this keyboard after reading many good posts about it on these forums.
Soon, letter r needed more pressure than the rest of the keys.

I contacted their customer service and received a reply that I had to send the keyboard back to them for repair.
I complained that I bought a new product a few months ago and now that it is malfunctioning, i have to pay even more to ship it back. This is the reply I got.

>>
I know its not convenient, but its the policy of this and most companies in the US, (apart from the very large major companies such as HP). Most goods returned to us are not defective, and this allows us to test the product and make sure its defective before issuing a replacement/ repair. We do cover our products with a two year warranty, so even though you have to send it to us, at least anytime up to two years if your product fails, unlike other products where you would have to throw it out, you can send it in for repair.
>>


I know that this may be normal.
But, what is not normal is that he claims that most of the parts returned to them are not defective! So, right there, I am worried they may ship the same keyboard back to me claiming that it is not defective.
So, I just forgot about it.

Customer service is an important aspect of a product. I just wanted to share this.

 

[Tarindel]

Personally, I love the way the keys feel on the Saitek. They're not too mushy at all, though they are certainly less stiff than most other keyboards I have used (including the Dell keyboard I'm using as a replacement since my Saitek just died after 11 months).

Saitek's have long had problems with keys rubbing off. It seems to happen most with people who play lots of WASD games and I presume have sweaty fingers. I play all sorts of games (including quite a few that have WASD control schemes) but my fingers are always dry, and I have not had the slightest problem in 11 months with that.

Note that the G15 is also on sale right now. That may be a good alternative if the Saitek doesn't meet your needs. I was originally going to buy a G15 until I realized it didn't fit in my keyboard tray because it was too wide. :|

 

[Stoerm]

Originally posted by: Onund
I have the Red Eclipse 1. I spent some try to decide between red or blue and finally settled because the red was 50 cents cheaper. About a week later they came out with the colour changing II

Apart from that the Eclipse is a fantastic keyboard and I love every minute of it. I look forward to darkness when I can light it up.

Originally posted by: Stoerm
They last me about 9-15 months each

What do you do with your keyboards? I've never had one die on me either at work or at home and I've run into some pretty coffee grunged keyboards around the office.

My wife and I do a ~lot~ of writing on my keyboards. We've gone through a number of the older models already. Mind you, I'm not complaining. The feel of these KBs is good enough that $35/year (If I find a hot deal ) is a bargain. It's just irritating when it runs out of warranty and I have to use some crappy Logitech while I get another. I don't want to buy two at a time for this reason. Off to join the newsletter and see if I can get one!

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: uwannawhat
I agree, the reviews seem a bit low especially for a gaming keyboard. They are supposed to be built to take a beating, which is why how I could see someone smashing a keyboard away in less than a year depending on how aggressive of a player they are or which type of games they play.

It'll do just fine for me though or I may just sell it. Either way, it's a popular name amongst gamers, that's for sure!

now that you mention it, durability (both from external and internal POV) can be quite important as well. when I think of a gaming keyboard, I imagine something that has good rollover characteristics and responsive keys. difference between some of the keyboards I have owned is quite striking. with that being said though, i feel keyboards are inherently inferior for games I play, and thus I am just getting a arcade stick instead.

as for lighting, I dont find it too useful myself. I rarely turn off lights at night and doubt I would have to be able to see keys even in the dark..

 

[Onund]

Originally posted by: Ctrackstar126

Originally posted by: Onund
I have the Red Eclipse 1. I spent some try to decide between red or blue and finally settled because the red was 50 cents cheaper. About a week later they came out with the colour changing II

So what did you end up doing with the 50 cents you saved?

I put it to work for me. Through the wonders of compound interest I figure that $0.50 has ballooned to at least $0.52 now

Originally posted by: Stoerm
My wife and I do a ~lot~ of writing on my keyboards. We've gone through a number of the older models already. Mind you, I'm not complaining. The feel of these KBs is good enough that $35/year (If I find a hot deal ) is a bargain. It's just irritating when it runs out of warranty and I have to use some crappy Logitech while I get another. I don't want to buy two at a time for this reason. Off to join the newsletter and see if I can get one!

I see. I don't doubt they wear out, I personally have never had it happen to me. I guess I find excuses to change my periphery before that happens. Then again, I've never seen a pen run out of ink either. I usually lose them before that happens.

 

[nc10]

Originally posted by: konakona
Keys are not bright enough even at the max setting, according to yet others.

That's exactly right. The Saitek II is a bit brigher than the original, if you use choose the purple setting, but if you expect the backlighting to help you find the $ or the & key in the dark, you'll be disappointed.

 

[Onund]

Originally posted by: nc10

Originally posted by: konakona
Keys are not bright enough even at the max setting, according to yet others.

That's exactly right. The Saitek II is a bit brigher than the original, if you use choose the purple setting, but if you expect the backlighting to help you find the $ or the & key in the dark, you'll be disappointed.

? Eclipse II is brighter than the original but hard to see in the dark? I have the Ecplise I (red) and have absolutely no problems seeing it in the dark even at the low brightness settings. Are the blue and red settings darker than the original?

Yes the stuff above the numbers are only half lit unless you look straight down on it but it's still pretty easy to figure out what half a $ looks like. Or maybe I already know where to look +/- 1 key so it's easy for me to find?

 

[imported_BS]

I like my Eclipse I, But as people have said the keys do rub off at some point, Ive probably had mine for over a year and am a game player and the S key is no longer readable. And it has nothing to do with grease or oil, It just wears off after a certain amount of use. Mine is the Blue version of it and I don't think the light is bright enough either.

 

[nc10]

Originally posted by: Onund
Eclipse II is brighter than the original but hard to see in the dark? I have the Ecplise I (red) and have absolutely no problems seeing it in the dark even at the low brightness settings. Are the blue and red settings darker than the original?

I have the Eclipse 1- BLUE, the number keys are dim, and the right 25% of the main part of the keyboard (the P, L, >, _, and the few keys to the right of those, and the the F9-F12 keys, are pretty dim, even on the brightest setting, and are very hard to read as long as my monitor is turned on. The number pad on the right is ok, the insert, delete, page up, page down keys are dim. The keys in the center are backlit well (around F, J, B, T, Y keys), I wish the rest of the keyboard was backlit as well as those keys.

My wife has an Eclipse II, its better, but still a bit disappointing.

 

[NamesDontMatter]

Guys I would not recommend this keyboard. I'm currently sending back my SECOND one to saitek. I must say their support is top notch, but the keys on this board are poor quality. The keys slowly die out needing more then normal pressure toregister a key hit. Good Price though!

 

[Tarindel]

I have heard in the past that people have gotten Saitek to send them new keycaps to replace ones that wore out.

That said, I have not heard of the G15 having any keycap wearing out problems. If longevity is of importance, the G15 might suit your needs better.

Incidentally, the lighting on the Eclipse II is definitely uneven. Some parts of the keyboard are brighter than others. Even so, it's a major upgrade from unlit keys.