I wrote my initial review of the UtechSmart Saturn Gaming Keyboard last week, after just opening the box. I've been using the keyboard consistently for a week now, and wanted to give an “updated” review on how the Saturn continues to perform.
To start, I want to address the problems that I noted in my last review. The issue I noted right out of box was how sticky the backspace key seemed to be. Unfortunately that has not been a problem that has improved at all – the key remains rather tricky to push successfully. It seems to work well enough when pushed directly downward, but that's not always possible when you're reaching for the key, and just catching the edge of it. The spacebar seems to have a similar resistance to it, but I'm still holding out for both of those keys to ease up a bit with use.
The other issue that I didn't notice until I had shut my computer down, was the hard reset the Saturn keyboard experiences when it loses power. The default lighting setting is the scrolling marquee that the “updated” Saturn boasts (see the photo above), which, is definitely a neat function. However, it gets rather old changing the keyboard lighting back to my preferred settings to match my UtechSmart Venus Gaming Mouse each time I boot up my computer. Hopefully a future keyboard will address that issue.
Alright, enough ragging on the keyboard, because truthfully, I do really like it. Yeah a few keys stick, and yeah the keyboard turns into a disco club each time you turn your computer on, but the Saturn is undeniably a nice keyboard. It's one of the few multimedia keyboards whose extra buttons – buttons like sleep, function, and media controls – work without monkeying around in Windows. My old backlit multimedia keyboard never functioned properly when using those buttons, so it's really nice that when I press the sleep button, my computer takes a nap instead of switching songs. Another feature is the series of water pass through holes on the bottom which in theory, make the keyboard resistant to spills. It's not a feature I intend to try out, and knock on wood, I won't have to find out if they work.
Another huge selling point for me that I mentioned last night was the braided cord. Having owned four UtechSmart Gaming mice and now the Saturn gaming keyboard, I cannot thank UtechSmart enough for including their signature braided, gold plated USB cord. Despite my best efforts, my desk is consistently cluttered with cords for every sort of computer peripheral. It's so great to not have to worry about my mouse and keyboard getting tangled in that mess.
Final thoughts on the Saturn gaming keyboard. It's light, it's well made, it's waterproof, and it's got fun lighting features to play with. For the price, I would argue it would be difficult to find a better product. For a few more bucks, you might be able to solve a few of the issues I've mentioned, but as a basic gaming keyboard, the UtechSmart Saturn Gaming Keyboard is a great product.
