Honestly I'm disappointed.
So my first Ducky is a Shine 7 Blackout edition. And it does some things very well, and others ok, but it also makes a quality misstep of the lowest order.
Some of this is perhaps still early days (2nd day with the board and this is the most I've typed with it), so the feel for instance may improve a little after I've written a 1000 page novel or two. And yes some of it may be a little nitpicky, but that's something that becomes a concern when confronted with what is constantly termed as 'quality'.
First let's cover the stuff it does well:
1. The double foot system is amazing, almost worthy of recommending Ducky for all by itself, especially if you are unhappy with the height levels of your current keyboard. This allows a level fine-tuning you just don't usually get and elevates the comfort of the keyboard a lot.
2. USB-C is a huge plus as it means I can hot-swap the Ducky with my MK850 or any future gaming keyboards I might get using the same cable setup. So on a whim I can reach over and grab either one and switch them as needed or wanted.
3. The dust cover is really nice and unlike the one provided with the MK850 it's one can I actually use whilst the keyboard is plugged in because it doesn't extend so low as to be stopped by the cable like that one does. And it's moulded to all the individual keys rather than key areas.
4. The top metal zinc alloy plate is nice and solid as all hell, all keyboards should have metal top plates. It would be better if it was sanded though a not so rough-feeling.
5. The Year of the Pig spacebar is fun and I appreciate the extra key caps, even if they're much more pinkish than I'd prefer.
6. A Calc button is appreciated.
7. Software to control RGB is appreciated and works well.
8. The included keyring I got features what appears to be a full MX Blue switch and that's really nice because it automatically lets me demo the switch and gives me something to fiddle with on my desk whilst I'm watching something.
9. The RGB is hella strong. I prefer a more subdued brightness which on most keyboards is dimming to around 50-60% but on this it's almost just before turning it off.
And now it's already time to head to the neutral and negative zone.
The typeface is ok, doesn't look as odd as Corsair's, but could definitely be a lot better, I'll talk more about this later.
Typing feel is indeed premium feeling. However no more premium than the two other keyboards I've owed with metal top plates, the Redragon Yama and the CoolerMaster MK850. And it seems a little scratchy at the moment, that may still change, but who knows.
The keys, the PBT double-shot plastic they make so much of, feel good, but again no better than on any new premium boards. Could be they'll retain this feeling for longer and end up superior that way but I own another PBT item and I was expecting to like it as much as that but I just don't. The CoolerMaster MM830 mouse is also PBT and is the nicest electronic thing to touch I've ever owned , I just about don't want to take my hand off it and if I didn't own other mice I have more fun with I wouldn't. So I was expecting a keyboard that feels like that because the material is supposed to be the same but they're just not as good, they feel more like regular new keys than the premium feel of that mouse.
And for all the talk of how premium Duckys are, the keys are no more solid than on any other board I've owned. They still wobble just as much on the switch....actually maybe the switch is more to blame for that, but either way it's not premium. Not that any other keyboard does better, but they also don't do worse.
The included key puller is worthless as the keys are so solidly holding onto the switch that it's just completely incapable of removing them. I had to resort to my old method of popping them out with a pocket-knife.
Even the foot system unfortunately has a problem with it as well. Because the Shine 7 is so heavy the feet are not rigid enough to allow intentional pushing of the keyboard around the desk. If you push it back they simply fold back in and the keyboard falls down. Sure this may be unique to the crazy heavy Shine 7 but I'd expect a company where the word 'quality' gets thrown around so much to realise that and make the foot system more rigid, Cooler Master did on the MK850 (even if they screwed up the heights).
This next one is super nitpicky but the demo RGB mode and speed is frankly schizophrenic. If you bought the keyboard because you thought it looked cool you should be shot.
The Num/Caps/Scroll lock notification lights, which mind you are a listed feature on this keyboard, are utterly pointless. Yes they're bright but they also hidden behind keys so unless you're hovering over your keyboard when you type you will never seem them. Something different should have been done there.
And now it's time to engage rant mode.
First let's talks about a keyboard with tons of features having software to control the RGB but not all the other features of the keyboard. Why? That's inexcusable! Yes I appreciate being able to manipulate a keyboard without software but if you are making software for your keyboard you have exactly zero reason to offer less control through that software than the keyboard itself. Companies turning out cheap garbage can do it so why not you a supposed pantheon of the keyboarding world?!
And now get the really big one. Something that infuriates me the more I think about it.
Ducky's are supposed to be quality right? That's why people keep telling others to get them. So why then is there so much shadowing in the typeface? It shows an inexcusable lack of quality in my opinion. The key shadowing on my Redragon Yama isn't great either and easily what I'd identify as what most defines it as a keyboard from a cheap brand...and it's still miles better than this.
Let's look at just the 60% section
Shadowing on the @ symbol, ampersand, hash, exclamation mark, dollar sign...actually let's stop there and just say on basically every symbol key. Also wtf is up with that dash/minus + underscore key? That looks beyond daft. Shadowing on Caps and the B key.
It's not so clear on the pic but they even managed to give me one perfect Alt on the right and shadowed one on the left.....what in the actual fuck...
And you're going to take the time to create this fancy ass 2nd-spacebar and then allow shadowing on your own name?!!!! (Look at the Y)
Oh and that's not even the worst of it:
Just look at that SHIT.
That level of shadowing I expect from a cheapass nasty gamerified 150 buck fart of a keyboard, not something classed as quality. Look at whatever keyboard you have on your desk and I guarantee it looks better, all of mine certainly do, including my very first shitpile gamer keyboard I've had for over a decade. What's the point of keys that will last 1000 years if they already look worse than a 100 buck keyboard after 2-3 sweaty summers???
That shit is the equivalent of a wannabe Rolls using smoky acrylic for all the windows/screens.
Quality my arse...after I've taken an explosive diarrhoea shit and not wiped yet.
So eh, let's see overall. I'm glad I got the Ducky, it is mostly nice. But I'm also glad it's supposed to last better than anything else because I certainly don't want to be buying another one. It's good that it comes with a dust-cover because it will be using it a lot whilst I try out more innovative keyboards of comparable or better quality, even if they be gamer keyboards. I suppose if I was in the habit of typing out novels, or coding, I'd have a much more favourable view, but for a general user like me it's best to stick to "gimmicky" gamer keyboards that actually push the usability envelope whilst still supplying sufficient quality levels...and less shadowy keys.
I'm also extremely glad I got the Shine 7 and not the One2 because that would have been almost entirely disappointing without the metal top plate.
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and i tend to look at my screen more than my kboard.
