- Jun 27, 2005
- 6,010
- 1
- 76
I'm very picky about my keyboards and mice. I've been using the same logitech mx-510 for years because I can't find another mouse that has the same feel and DPI that I'm so used to. Keyboards were less of an issue, until recently when all the keyboard manufacturers stopped making non-gimmicky standard keyboards. So, after many store credits, I finally found one that I like.
What I wanted in a keyboard was a standard key layout (no missing-insert key/ compressed home key area, no stupid f-lock functions, no dumb media controls that just get in the way), and, important for me, high-profile tilt feet so that the front of the keyboard would fit over the base of my LCD's stand without having to push the LCD screen back. Here's my review of the three I tried most recently:
Microsoft Reclusa:
This keyboard has excellent feeling keys, similar to other Microsoft keyboards. The keyboard itself was much heavier then it appeared, which gave it a sturdy feeling. It probably has the best key feel of the keyboards I've tried, the key presses are nice and crisp without being too mushy, but are still quiet. The Reclusa has very nice blue lightning that is well distributed to all of the keys, however there is no adjustment for brightness. This keyboard did not work out for me however, because the tilt feet were not tall enough to go over my LCD's stand.
Furthermore, while the keyboard has a nice padded wrist-rest, the shape of the rest is much too short on the edges where you wrist would actually lie, and as a consequence my wrist would hang over the hard plastic end of the rest and my desk. This was pretty much a deal-breaker for me, aside from the height requirement. If you use your keyboard's wrist rest, I would definitely recommend against this keyboard. Furthermore, the useless volume control knobs on the keyboard would rattle a bit, and the bumper buttons on the side of the keyboard were too easy to accidentally press.
Saitek Cyborg:
This keyboard I had never heard of until I saw it in the store, begging me to try it out. It looks pretty crazy, but I thought it might be novel. This keyboard has adjustable multi-colored lighting for different areas of the keyboard. So, you could make the w-a-s-d keys green, the main keys red, the arrow keys orange, and the numpad amber. The effect was pretty neat looking and I liked it. There is also a button to disable the windows key. Unfortunately for me, I do use the windows-key, and the customized ligthning colors only work when the windows key is disabled. With the standard mode activated, all of the keys are one color of your choice.
The w-a-s-d keys, the space bar, and the arrow keys have a different material on them. The box advertises that they are "metalized", but they aren't really metal. They have a thick metallic colored paint on them. This gives these keys a smoother feel which is slightly different from the rest of the keys. The feel of these keys was nice, however I thought it looked very garish.
The feel of the keys was similar to the saitek eclipse 1. They were silent, but too mushy for my taste. After typing for some time, my fingers would tire from the lack of tactile feedback. The form factor of the keyboard was fairly large, but not ridiculously huge, and included a nice wrist rest. The big plus of this keyboard for me was the tilt feet. The feet at the front of the keyboard have two selectable heights, and in addition there are feet at the back of the keyboard too, so you could have the entire keyboard floating above your desk with the wrist rest at a steep angle.
Saitek Eclipse 2:
The Eclipse 2 shares many of of the qualities of the Cyborg above. It has a small, thin and light profile, and the same adjustable front tilt feet as the Cyborg. The lightning is bright and evenly distributed, and you can select blue, red, or purple coloring. The key feel was similar to the other Saitek's, however they were not quite as mushy. I prefer Microsoft's keyboards in general, but the new Eclipse 2 has an acceptable feel as well. If you are looking for a standard form-factor keyboard with good key feel, a sizable wrist rest, well-adjustable tilt feet, and lightning, this is the keyboard for you. If you want more macro buttons, crazy lightning, and the ability to disable the windows key, you may prefer the Cyborg. I liked both, but the Eclipse 2 has less mushy-feeling keys and a more traditional appearance, so I kept it.
What I wanted in a keyboard was a standard key layout (no missing-insert key/ compressed home key area, no stupid f-lock functions, no dumb media controls that just get in the way), and, important for me, high-profile tilt feet so that the front of the keyboard would fit over the base of my LCD's stand without having to push the LCD screen back. Here's my review of the three I tried most recently:
Microsoft Reclusa:
This keyboard has excellent feeling keys, similar to other Microsoft keyboards. The keyboard itself was much heavier then it appeared, which gave it a sturdy feeling. It probably has the best key feel of the keyboards I've tried, the key presses are nice and crisp without being too mushy, but are still quiet. The Reclusa has very nice blue lightning that is well distributed to all of the keys, however there is no adjustment for brightness. This keyboard did not work out for me however, because the tilt feet were not tall enough to go over my LCD's stand.
Furthermore, while the keyboard has a nice padded wrist-rest, the shape of the rest is much too short on the edges where you wrist would actually lie, and as a consequence my wrist would hang over the hard plastic end of the rest and my desk. This was pretty much a deal-breaker for me, aside from the height requirement. If you use your keyboard's wrist rest, I would definitely recommend against this keyboard. Furthermore, the useless volume control knobs on the keyboard would rattle a bit, and the bumper buttons on the side of the keyboard were too easy to accidentally press.
Saitek Cyborg:
This keyboard I had never heard of until I saw it in the store, begging me to try it out. It looks pretty crazy, but I thought it might be novel. This keyboard has adjustable multi-colored lighting for different areas of the keyboard. So, you could make the w-a-s-d keys green, the main keys red, the arrow keys orange, and the numpad amber. The effect was pretty neat looking and I liked it. There is also a button to disable the windows key. Unfortunately for me, I do use the windows-key, and the customized ligthning colors only work when the windows key is disabled. With the standard mode activated, all of the keys are one color of your choice.
The w-a-s-d keys, the space bar, and the arrow keys have a different material on them. The box advertises that they are "metalized", but they aren't really metal. They have a thick metallic colored paint on them. This gives these keys a smoother feel which is slightly different from the rest of the keys. The feel of these keys was nice, however I thought it looked very garish.
The feel of the keys was similar to the saitek eclipse 1. They were silent, but too mushy for my taste. After typing for some time, my fingers would tire from the lack of tactile feedback. The form factor of the keyboard was fairly large, but not ridiculously huge, and included a nice wrist rest. The big plus of this keyboard for me was the tilt feet. The feet at the front of the keyboard have two selectable heights, and in addition there are feet at the back of the keyboard too, so you could have the entire keyboard floating above your desk with the wrist rest at a steep angle.
Saitek Eclipse 2:
The Eclipse 2 shares many of of the qualities of the Cyborg above. It has a small, thin and light profile, and the same adjustable front tilt feet as the Cyborg. The lightning is bright and evenly distributed, and you can select blue, red, or purple coloring. The key feel was similar to the other Saitek's, however they were not quite as mushy. I prefer Microsoft's keyboards in general, but the new Eclipse 2 has an acceptable feel as well. If you are looking for a standard form-factor keyboard with good key feel, a sizable wrist rest, well-adjustable tilt feet, and lightning, this is the keyboard for you. If you want more macro buttons, crazy lightning, and the ability to disable the windows key, you may prefer the Cyborg. I liked both, but the Eclipse 2 has less mushy-feeling keys and a more traditional appearance, so I kept it.
Facebook
Twitter