Mad Catz PK02AU Eclipse II Keyboard

Colorful Keyboard

Strengths: Three color choices for illumination of keys. Glow goes through the keys and not just around them. Compact design.

Weakness: None

The keys on the Eclipse II have a great feel to them. The glow is nice for gaming in the dark since you can still look down at the keyboard and easily see the key you want. You have the option of three colors: blue, red, and purple. There is a knob on the keyboard to adjust the brightness of the glow or you can turn it off completely. Great keyboard, recommended.

By OpTiMaLhUnTeR - Jul 2, 2007

Great for Astronomers

Strengths: Red light and be set very low to preserve night vision. Relatively small footprint. USB allows easy use with laptops

Weakness: A side USB connection for a mouse would be nice. Key lighting is a little uneven.

I purchased to use with my laptop for controlling a telescope and camera for taking astronomical images. I have a red screen cover so my night vision is not effected when viewing the display but needed to use a red headlamp to see the keyboard. This was a pain. I was waiting for a reasonably priced red illuminated keyboard for years. Now with the Eclipse II (even has an astronomical name!) I can...
Read Full Review

I purchased to use with my laptop for controlling a telescope and camera for taking astronomical images. I have a red screen cover so my night vision is not effected when viewing the display but needed to use a red headlamp to see the keyboard. This was a pain. I was waiting for a reasonably priced red illuminated keyboard for years. Now with the Eclipse II (even has an astronomical name!) I can use the keyboard with no extra light source. The red light can be turned down very low to preserve night vision. Highly recommend for those needing a keyboard that will preserve night vision.

By tuckeg - Apr 30, 2007

Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard

Strengths: Hefty stay-put keyboard.

Weakness: Not all keys are well lit.

I like the quiet keys. They have a good touch to them as well. It's a good looking keyboard too. I like the keyboard, but maybe there could be more backlights to cover all the keys better. For gaming, it still beats other non-lit keyboards. I do recommend this keyboard to others.

By KODY88 - Feb 18, 2007

Saitek Eclipse 2 Keyboard

Strengths: Great looks, nice feeling keys, quiet, sturdy, choice of illumination colors, USB connectivity, no software driveras needed, reliabilty of hardwired keyboard, no batteries needed, and night vision.

Weakness: Lack of PS2 connectivity may pose problem of keyboard not being found on start up. Black and silver finish shows every speck of dust. USB cable too stiff...it will not lay flat and straight.

Simply put, I just love this keyboard!!! An extra port on the side of the keyboard would have been nice for the mouse. As it gradually gets darker, the better the backlit keyboard looks. My desktop is definitely looking high-tech! I would recommend this keyboard to anyone, short of the blind. Definitely one of the best keyboards out there...five stars! *****

By BigNinja - Dec 26, 2006

One of the best keyboards out there

Strengths: Very nice design, high quality, quiet keys, extra media buttons.

Weakness: Backlighting not as bright as it should be, color defaults to blue each time keyboard turns off

I love this keyboard. I was going to get the first Eclipse version because I like the all-black look, but I decided on this one. I'm pretty satisfied for the most part. This keyboard has the standard 104 key layout, which is superb, and a few additional media control buttons: Play/Pause, Back, Forward, Stop, and volume controls. They don't work with all programs (can't get them to work with...
Read Full Review

I love this keyboard. I was going to get the first Eclipse version because I like the all-black look, but I decided on this one. I'm pretty satisfied for the most part. This keyboard has the standard 104 key layout, which is superb, and a few additional media control buttons: Play/Pause, Back, Forward, Stop, and volume controls. They don't work with all programs (can't get them to work with Winamp, but can with WMP), but not sure if that's the keyboard's fault or the software's fault. Then there is the dimmer, which is an awesome feature for the backlights, except for that the highest brightness isn't always bright enough. And the light color change button. There is Blue, Red, and Purple. I thought I'd be only using blue, but the others are great too, even purple. It comes with a wrist rest thingy, which isn't a big deal for me, but some may enjoy it. And the overall feel of the keyboard is excellent. The main part has a nice looking glossy look to it. Very good keyboard overall, can't imagine finding a better deal for such an awesome keyboard anywhere else.

By Xijar - Sep 26, 2006