Ducky Shine 5 (Cherry MX RGB Nature White switches)

[reihen]

It's been 8 years since my last mechanical keyboard purchase and this one was so exciting that I just couldn't resist the urge to write a thorough review. I wasn't able to find any reviews for the Shine 5 posted elsewhere so I decided to make my own.

If I have made any factual errors, typos, or if you have any additional suggestions, please let me know!

http://www.reihengaming.com/random-words/2016/1/21/duckyshine5-review

[tinymakesthings]

Wow, this is an extremely thorough and informative review! Thanks for sharing

[iLLucionist]

This must be one of the most thorough reviews I have EVER seen.

Do you like the switch?

[reihen]

I do, I really like the MX Nature Whites.

I'm a big fan of Cherry's linear switches over the tactile and clicky switches. Having used MX Blacks exclusively for the last 8 years, the MX Reds that I have tried on various keyboards throughout the years were always too soft for my tastes. I can understand the draw that many people have towards MX Reds but I like the pressure required with the MX Black switches. I feel that the the MX Nature Whites nail the perfect balance between the MX Black and the MX Red switch.

[SpAmRaY]

Thanks for sharing this review I really enjoyed reading through it. I'm not in a position to buy right now but if I was I think I would get one of these boards.

[exime]

Awesome review!  I have the Ducky Shine 2 and that thing is built like a tank. I've heard that they don't make them like that anymore.  Lighter plastic now etc.  I personally love the feel of a heavier keyboard.  I'm not sure I like the bigger bezels either.  The Ducky Shine 2 & 3 have nice thin bezels.   I guess they thought the bigger bezels give a more modern look? Maybe so.  I guess it's not a big deal.  It looks like they also stopped providing the Red WASD alternative keys.  I also don't like the change of the legs from attached to detached as it's just another thing to store/lose.  Finally, I am really disappointed that they changed the Windows key from the Ducky Logo to a Windows Logo.   Not sure why they felt the need to do that but huge thumbs down on that decision.

Brightness:  I am really surprised the brightness cannot be changed anymore. Something to do with the new technology or RGB?  My DK2 has 5 brightness settings and it's a very nice feature to have.

I really want to get an RGB board and this fits the bill despite the changes I don't agree with. But I was dead set on the White Year of the Goat board and totally devastated to learn that it was a limited run. The pastel-like color the RGB gives the white YOTG is really amazing.    So it feels like this purchase is a compromise now.  Will they ever make a keyboard exactly like the YOTG again? Probably not.  I'm sure the Year of the Monkey will be quite different. I would have bought the YOTG without even a second thought.

Although I don't really like the direction DK is going with some of their decisions that I noted above, the DK5  would still be my #1 choice (technically #2 to YOTG edition ) if I do get an RGB.  It's just not a slam dunk.

[reihen]

@exime
Thank you and thank you for the feedback as a Ducky Shine 2 owner.

The plastic used for the housing is exactly 1.80mm thick. For comparison, my ol' trusty Steelseries 7G uses plastic that is 1.3mm thick.

Personally, I am okay with there ever only being just one Ducky logo (on the two different spacebars). I feel that a Windows key should be standard on ANSI keyboards and for those that don't prefer it, there is always the option to swap it out. That being said, it wouldn't have hurt for Ducky to have included an 'optional' Ducky key.

The brightness levels for each individual color can be changed 64 different levels. There are also 7 quick brightness presets for each color.
However, when using the color modes, that brightness cannot be adjusted as far as I know.

[falkentyne]

The only way to "adjust" brightness in the FN F10 color modes is to put the keyboard in USB 2 power mode (which just limits the amount of current) by holding left alt+spacebar while plugging it in.  Makes it around 25% dimmer but that's it.

I'm assuming this is a difficulty in that RGB LED colors are created by adding RGB Brightness levels to create the color.  If you notice in raindrop mode and reactive mode advanced, when the color is fading out, sometimes a single pure color (R, G, or B) remains later on.

Note: In raindrop mode there's a tiny bit of voltage on all the LED's for some reason, so RGB is always lit to a very very low level.  Not sure why.  Didn't notice that in the Shine 4's raindrop mode at all.  Wonder if the Disco is the same way.  Raindrop mode on the Shine 5 and YOTG has less simultaneous keys lit at once, which seems to be a more spread out random pattern, than Raindrop mode on the RGB Disco and the Shine 4.

BTW update the firmware if you haven't already.
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=3EF835CB73592A44%21134

[reihen]

falkentyne, I wanted to personally say thank you for all of your feedback and wisdom. Ducky happened to feature it on their Facebook Page and your feedback has been invaluable to creating such an in-depth review.