Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 247
 Excellent illuminated keyboard at this price November 20, 2009
csav
This is likely the best illuminated keyboard you will be able to find in this price range. It is constructed very sturdily--it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy and the keys have a very nice, firm feel to them. Even though the wrist wrest is made of plastic, it's shaped very well and is comfortable to rest your hands on.
The keyboard layout seems spot-on, they didn't get creative with the placement of anything and I find it's very rare than I key something I wasn't meaning to hit.
The back-lit keyboard is as useful as you would expect it to be. The keys are very readable in dim or very low lighting. If you look closely (especially when viewing the keyboard at sharper angles), you can see that the keys aren't all equally lit up because of how the back-lighting shows through the keys. However, they are balanced well enough so that this is hardly noticeable--the small differences in lighting never bothered me during use or prevented me from easily identifying keys in the dark.
If I could change one thing about the keyboard? The way the corners stick out, if you have a keyboard tray like me space is very valuable and I'd rather the keyboard take up less space instead of more. But this is just me nit-picking, I am really happy with the keyboard and would buy it again in a heartbeat.
Saitek Keyboard October 25, 2009
Kris R. Light (Winder, Ga USA)
I got this keyboard after my Logitech Media Keyboard quit working. I wanted a keyboard that I could use in the dark on those occasions where bedtimes don't coincide. This has been a great basic keyboard so far. You can't read the letters that well in the dark but if you know your keys that is not a problem. I read the reviews and looked at the pictures posted on Amazon before I bought this and appreciate the efforts people made in showing how the keyboard looks in the dark and the various problems they had had with it.
Great! October 7, 2009
Tony
Great keyboard, illuminated keys look great, button to switch them off at night is great to have. Keying action is smooth and fairly quiet. No fancy extras I don't need. Recommend to anyone.
If you have trouble outside of windows with this keyboard, don't forget to enable USB keyboard support in your BIOS!!!!
 Saitek Eclipse (blue) September 2, 2009
M Twain (Baltimore)
Illumination so dim as to be entirely useless, which was the reason I got the keyboard. Otherwise, the keyboard functions fine, but is no better than my stock Dell keyboard, and therefore not worth the price. I took it apart to replace the LEDs with brighter ones, and discovered that there are only FIVE tiny surface-mount LEDS on a strand lighting the entire keyboard. There should be at least twice that number. Decided not to bother and ordered a Firefly Borealis instead.
 Perfect for late night game runs August 26, 2009
Kenneth Higginbotham (Grand Rapids, MI)
I purchased this keyboard almost exactly six months ago with the desire of making late night/in-the-dark gaming sessions on the PC much easier. I have to say I was quite impressed. With a completely dark room the only things lit were my monitor and the blue, little letters on the keyboard.
Yes, I know. It's just a keyboard. It doesn't transform into anything cool or fire lazers, but, for what it is, it's rather cool. Its primary function is to provide an internal lighting for each key, giving a sharp blue glow for each character. There are three settings: High (best for pitch black rooms), Low (for mid to low lit rooms), & Off (for brightly lit rooms or to conserve power if you want).
Each key is painted with a silver coat with the characters left clear so the light comes through, so you may want to be a little gentle with the keys or stop eating those cheetoes so you're not rubbing the paint away with those greasy grubby fingers of yours (!!!). I'm sure some would prefer the paint would be a little sturdier for the hard-pecking type, but for the shiny it looks like you just have to play ball in their court.
I also was surprised over how quiet the little 'tic, tap, tak' sounds made with each key. So that's an added bonus. It almost makes it cute.
The only downer that I could never get over (and I can't tell if it's the fault of the keyboard or the computer) is that since the keyboard is set as USB rather than the standard keyboard 6-pin it can be a pain in getting the computer to recognize the keyboard on startup. As it tries to power on the lighting of the keyboard each time I turn on the computer, it won't register that there is a keyboard present. So I used a makeshift plan to have my old board plugged into the 6-pin hidden back behind the computer and then the pretty blue one that I acutally use plugged in a USB slot. So potential buyers beware to either update drivers or make sure your computer gives you enough juice to power the keyboard at startup.
All in all it's what I call 'shiny'; a cool toy or device that, while not necessary, gives that little extra 'umph' to life that makes things worth while. While there are some minor frustrations with the USB power and the delicate paint, it fulfills every (cheap) gamer or blogger's wishes to type away at night.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 247
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