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Conclusions
The
new Saitek Eclipse II is easily one of the most appealing keyboards on the
market. However, its high-tech style is most certainly not the only
thing going for it. The Saitek Eclipse series keyboards are also built
of the highest quality. I can attest to this, as my primary keyboard
prior to receiving this one was the Eclipse. I've owned it for many
months without any complaints whatsoever. The tactile feel of the
Eclipse II is excellent and a pleasure to type on it. The armrest is also an improvement of the original Eclipse.
As
far as features go, it does offer enough to please a majority. The
addition of the extra mult-media keys is a major plus. It is just
right, and they did not go overboard with a slew of buttons that many will
never even use. You have full control of your audio with the Eclipse
II, including muting, track skip and volume controls.
YOU choose your color!
Now, onto the backlighting! The Eclipse II now gives you the option to
choose not one, but three different backlight options, allowing the keyboard
to compliment your high-end system well. You also have the ability to
turn off the backlight with a press of a button, or use the dimmer switch to
control intensity.
So,
what did I dislike about the product? Well, there was only one minor
disappointment that was immediately noticeable. I found that the
laser-etched keys, formally referred to as "True-Vu keys", were not exactly
clear when compared to their first model. With the blue backlighting,
the light did not shine through as well as it did with the Eclipse.
However, switching to purple did the trick. I found that the
light intensity was higher when switching to purple, probably because it is
using a combination of both.
Its
excellent build quality, improved features and highly appealing design earns
our highest recommendation and "Extreme Excellence Award".
More information on the new Eclipse II can be found on the
Saitek USA Website.
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Pros |
Cons |
- Excellent build quality
- High-Tech design
- Excellent tactile feel
- Improved armrest
- Full-sized keys
- Standard layout
- Multi-media keys for full
audio control
- Three backlight color options
- The dimmer switch
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- Keys not as clear as their
first model.
- Light does not shine through
as well with blue backlighting
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Questions? Comments?
Discuss them here!
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