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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: policymaker on Wed, 04 January 2012, 08:06:29

Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: policymaker on Wed, 04 January 2012, 08:06:29: (http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5205/p1408040112.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/p1408040112.jpg/)

So I got my first keyboard delivered and I though I d contribute to the forum, since those cheap keyboards got a lot of people interested, and no1s really showcased his new black alps 1008. Let me just make this clear: This is my first mech keyboard, I have no other point of reference other than the occasional black widow display at my local store.

I will start the presentation just by saying this: if you consider buying the black alps edition because of the loud greens, like I did, well, don't. If you think you will enjoy the satisfying clicking of a green alps/blue cherry switch, absolutely go for it. People here already stress that alps switches are LOUD, and they are totally right. Unless you hate the clicking, absolutely go for it. I wouldnt mind a satisfying clicking sound in all this loud mess my desk has become! And that says some1 who likes to get physical with the keyboard a lot( that didnt sound right at all...). Current sound Im hearing, is like a really loud rubber keyboard with "hollow" keycaps, if thats of any indication to you. Videos posted below.

(http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/16798/b077f4167975612.jpg) (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b077f4167975612)

Unfortunately im too much of a noob to disassemble the black switches for you to see- I dont have the needed tool. However I can feel how light the keyboard is, compared to my cheap rubber dome, its like writing on air. I dont find myself generally misstyping a lot, althought it really is delicate and light. I used to actually REST my hands on my previous cheap keyb, which I hadnt NOTICED till i plugged this one in(I actually typed like 100 "a" in google search and thought my keyb was defective, only to realise I was resting my finger on my keyboard, something a cheap rubber couldnt feel). Compared to the gifted keychain which is clicky and tactile, this keyboard must be tactile(apart from caps lock and scroll lock-linear) but not clicky, im not sure whether the keychain is alps switch or cherry though.

The bigger keycaps, like enter shift and spacebar, sound differentely than the smaller ones. Not sure if thats normal, but left shift sounds a lot more "metally springly" than the other one, it does look like its working fine nevertheless.

(http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/1657/p1420040112.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/408/p1420040112.jpg/)

To end the review, I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying typing on my new "toy", and cant w8 to play starcraft with it. My words per minute test jumped by 10 words- on my first try! It came shipped for 45€ and I had to pay another 4€ for customs I think, I live in Greece, so customs aside, for 45€ it should be worth it.

I hope this post is of any help to any1 in need, like I did when I was searching for my first mech

[video=youtube;sCc8SSQjT8c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCc8SSQjT8c[/video]
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: policymaker on Wed, 04 January 2012, 08:20:33: btw, does any1 know whether I should confirm that I received my package in pchome, or am I ok ?
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: demik on Wed, 04 January 2012, 08:38:59: You're fine, thanks for the review.
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: policymaker on Wed, 04 January 2012, 09:42:36: Quote from: demik;483065
You're fine, thanks for the review.

No, ty. Do you know whether I should be worried for my left shift? It feels more metally and like a spring, more than the others. Im just too worried cause left shift is really used in starcraft
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: Reptile on Wed, 04 January 2012, 09:52:33: Quote from: policymaker;483103
No, ty. Do you know whether I should be worried for my left shift? It feels more metally and like a spring, more than the others. Im just too worried cause left shift is really used in starcraft

In the Ducky's with the green alps there was a black switch for some of the modifier keys (shift and I think scroll lock)

Thanks for the review I was wondering about the black alps boards. Also your keychain is most likely a cherry blue switch. You can pull off the keycap but the switch will probably come out of the housing too. Just snaps back in :-)

Good luck if you want replacement keycaps!
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: policymaker on Wed, 04 January 2012, 10:09:07: Quote from: Reptile;483107
In the Ducky's with the green alps there was a black switch for some of the modifier keys (shift and I think scroll lock)

Thanks for the review I was wondering about the black alps boards. Also your keychain is most likely a cherry blue switch. You can pull off the keycap but the switch will probably come out of the housing too. Just snaps back in :-)

Good luck if you want replacement keycaps!

ty very much, but i have the black alps, i think some keys had a clear white(?) switch? maybe left switch and caps lock too ? And yeah they keychain is probably blue cherry, definately sounds and feels like a black widow key(which ive tested)

Quote from: ripster;483114
Thanks for the mini-review. If you want to measure the Black ALPS on that Ducky you can use this thing called the RipOmeter (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6189).

Last I heard Greece is still on the Euro. Euro dimes at 4.1g is what I recommend. Or ask around at Deskthority.net what they use.
Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=20324&d=1310304092)
Measure it for what purpose ? Is there a way to check whether my left shift is defective? It just feels and sounds a bit a different than the others, but it seems to register normally, and tactily.

EDIT:Just for the record, The f button needed 9(around37g) dimes, both the shift buttons 10 dimes
(around 41g), and the caps lock 12 to register once(really tricky though since its a modifier anyway). But I was really sloppy with my dime-pillars...
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: NorrisB on Wed, 04 January 2012, 11:38:54: Dude does that extra orange ducky key even fit? Mine looks like its made for cherry switches
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: policymaker on Wed, 04 January 2012, 14:56:10: I dont think so and I cant try it tbh- but yeah, its a cherry blue
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: NorrisB on Wed, 04 January 2012, 16:59:47: I think its a decent board but Im still lusting over cherry switches
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: policymaker on Wed, 04 January 2012, 21:04:52: Quote from: ripster
Hmmm... maybe these ARE new XM ALPS with weaker springs.

Thanks for doing the test. Normal Black ALPS is around 60-70g.

I just used the 10cent dimes like u suggested. I mean, I am probably one or two dimes off a real calculation, but I did try to run the test a couple of times for each button. I just wanted to make sure my shift button is working ok cause it sounds and feels funny. After a many-hours session today, I can safely assume that I love the feeling of the mech keyboard, even this cheap one. you can tell its build quality wont match a filco's(like the funny clicking shift perhaps?), but still cant beat the price. I mean why spend 50$ on a weird, funny looking LED macro rubber dome gaming keyboard which just doesnt feel this good? Not to mention I had a long session of starcraft 2 today and I can assure every gamer on a budget here, that even a cheap mechanical is TOTALLY worth it. You buy one to test the waters and you can always invest more later, and give this one to a friend, or ur brother. I mean seriously, its the first time I play sc2 in one and a half year and I feel on steroids(winning streak shows too). I didnt feel this good even when I purchased my deathadder mouse, back in my cs:source "prime"!

EDIT:

Ive gone all the way and downloaded aquakeytest, lined up the keyboard and run the test again: looks like all the black alps buttons need 10 dimes(around 40g) with really slight differences due to the test(eg shift buttons being more precise, whereas F and C had some different readings because of sloppy angles and smaller space for the dimes), but looked sort of accurate this time. In any case its deffinately way less than the 60-70g alps u mentioned.
Title: Ducky 1008 black alps mini review, for any1 interested
Post by: policymaker on Sun, 22 January 2012, 10:14:40: I cannot understand whether this board is tactile or linear... Even though its not clicky, should I be feeling a click if it is tactile? Cause I dont feel any sort of click, but they do register the stroke before bottoming out.