First thing you notice other than the color change when you pull this out of the box, is the weight. Most keyboards I have owned over the years have been pretty lightweight. I have owned generic keyboards and a couple Logitech Elites. Needless to say I am used to having a lightweight keyboard with a lot of extra buttons and dials. The weight and the lack of excess were a welcome change. The weight makes a considerable difference because it does not move at all and it feels of excellent quality and craftsmanship. That is something I have never felt with any keyboard. Most keyboards feel cheap and easy to break.

Another great thing about this keyboard is its lack of frills. Keyboards like the Zboard and the Logitech G15 have a significant amount of features and buttons that while helpful, are unnecessary. I am not saying those features aren’t convenient, but as far as standard operations go in a game, they are unnecessary. The Saitek Eclipse keeps it simple. The only extra buttons other than the standard layout is a mute button, volume controls (+ / -), and a button to switch the key lighting from off, low, and high. The 4 small buttons in the top right are useful to have and the simplicity keeps the look of the keyboard clean and sleek.

A few other features worth mentioning are the adjustable feet and wrist wrest. The adjustable feet make it easy to lower or raise the keyboard itself. One problem I saw with this is that if you slide the keyboard forward, the feet may flip in on you. This is not so much a problem as it is annoying. The adjustable wrist rest, however, is great. Not only does it allow you to detach the wrist rest for traveling, but also allows you to adjust it to a custom position, which helps people with large hands or what have you.

Overall, Saitek has done an amazing job in bringing the lit keyboard genre into the mainstream. To the day this keyboard was released, everyone had failed to light a keyboard properly. This keyboard has excellent lighting, excellent construction, and excellent appeal. This is a great keyboard.

Pros:
+ Features patented TrueVu Lighting
+ Adjustable wrist rest
+ Simple, clean, and attractive

Cons:
- Feet fold up too easily

Rating:
10/10


Saitek Eclipse - $46.95 at Newegg.com