Background:So, I had originally ordered a CM Quickfire TK as well as a Logitech G602 from Amazon this week for work. When those packages were supposed to arrive, I had to take the dog to a vet appointment, so as I normally do, I left a note on the door for the FedEx driver to leave my package at the leasing office. Well, the driver decided to ignore my note, and my package with those items and another $200 worth of glorious PC tech were stolen from in front of my apartment! So, after speaking with Amazon support and getting a refund on my purchase (I only purchased through amazon because I wanted it to arrive over the weekend so that I could use everything at work on Monday) I decided to take a stroll to my local Micro Center (that I did not know existed until a coworker told me where it was.*)
So, strolling through the aisles of the wonderful tech mall that is Micro Center, I happened upon their Keyboard section. I was given the option of the slightly above amazon priced Shine 3 with blues (which would annoy the living hell out of my coworkers) or the slightly below Amazon price because it was on sale Shine Zone with blacks. Black switches and I have a long relationship with one another. They were my first switch in a Shine 2, and they're the primary reason I continue to use mechanical keyboards to this day. Knowing the reliability of the Ducky name first hand, I decided to go with that over a Razer or Corsair variant which were my only other real options at that location.
Unboxing:The unboxing experience with these keyboards is about the same as it has always been. Upon opening the box, you are presented with the typical Ducky Lasered ABS caps that feel nice to the touch, but inexplicably cheap. Inside of the box was an included Ducky keypuller and a grey WASD set. This is where I got confused. Expecting the normal USB cable with a Ducky velcro wrap, I pulled out a cable...it did not come freely...and it was wrapped with a wire tie...This was when I found out that the Shine Zero does NOT come with a removable USB cable. This is not a problem for me because as I previously stated, this is going to be my work keyboard, and it will not travel much, but I can't help but feel a little betrayed after having boards with a removable cable for so long. Maybe I'm a little spoiled by all of my customs at this point, but I can't stand nonremovable cables because a) I cannot route them away from the back of the keyboard if I'm using my laptop and b) If the cable needs replacement at all, it becomes a process.
Pros/Cons:Pros:
-Standard Layout
-Same PCB as the Shine 3 minus the DIP Switches
-FULL LED SUPPORT
-Calculator Shortcut (Seriously, I didn't know how much I missed this until I got rid of my Shine II, and I missed it so much that I've macroed it to every mouse I've had since I sold that board)
Cons:
-Nonremovable USB cable
-No LED modes. LEDs are either On/Off or breathing. I surprisingly miss some of the lighting modes of the Shine series.
Summary:For the $129.99 I paid for this board, I'm very happy with it. It's the sturdy Ducky quality we all know and love, with simplistic design/features to cut down on cost. If I had to pay any more though, I would definitely go with the Shine series. I'm being picky at this point, but I miss the lighting modes and removable USB cable, but since this is a work board, I'm not going to dock points for those. I'm also very excited that I am finally able to throw my Toxic set on a keyboard as I've been waiting to do so for a very long time.
PicturesI apologize for the picture quality as I took them with my S6 rather than my camera because I'm being lazy at the moment.
*Living close enough to a micro center or any actual computer dedicated store gives me a raging nerd boner, the likes of which cannot be described with words.
