Author Topic: Ducky thoughts (Read 11732 times)

Phaedrus2129 · « **on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 00:59:23 »

Er, I mean

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=8103

Saw some pics of this keyboard and my first thought was "shmexy". It looks very well built, like a Filco but classier. The keys may or may not be double shot, but I think they look nice regardless. It isn't annoyingly glossy like the Das. I think that with MX blues or browns might be a very good fit for me... So

What are y'all's thoughts? Any problems with the Duckies? Are they better than a Filco? Are they a better value than a Filco? If a Geekhacker were to make a pilgrimage to the land of the rising sun, how much do you think the total cost would be for them to bring one back? And where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Otterclock · « **Reply #1 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 04:17:02 »

The Filco seems fancier to me. Plus there's some piece of mind buying it from a domestic company, in case anything goes wrong. Unless the Ducky is a ton cheaper, but I thought it was about the same. ? Ducky is a cool name, though.

Half-Saint · « **Reply #2 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 05:32:29 »

Just had an idea.. why don't we call rubber domes rubber duckies instead?

Phaedrus2129 · « **Reply #3 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 09:39:11 »

I like that the keycaps are lasered or whatever, so they won't get shiny. I know that Filco keycaps don't always get shiny, but when they do it looks awful. Plus I'd hate having to wipe fingerprints off a Das constantly. Plus I like the white/beige WASD keys more than lavender.

It all depends on how much it would cost to get it from Japan. Buying it on eBay would be $215-$240 shipped, which is a bit much. If I could get it for ~$150, and there's nothing bad about it that I don't know, I think I'd seriously consider picking it up. Assuming I had $150.

itlnstln · « **Reply #4 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 09:43:53 »

I want a whole keyboard with the "ghost-etched" caps. Those are awesome. They kinda serve the same purpose as the black-on-grey caps from Topre. They're almost blank, but there's a legend when you need it.

Mental Hobbit · « **Reply #5 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 09:58:12 »

Quote from: Phaedrus2129;177249

I like that the keycaps are lasered or whatever, so they won't get shiny.

All keycaps wear and get shiny over time. If they use the same crappy plastic and the same texture as Filcos, they'll get shiny just as fast.

itlnstln · « **Reply #6 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 10:01:34 »

The Ducky (KBC) keys use a more resilient plastic than the Filco caps (PBT, IIRC). That said, Mental Hobbit is correct. No matter what plastic (or almost any material, for that matter) is used, the keys will go shiny.

itlnstln · « **Reply #7 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 10:14:28 »

That chair is amazing.

Phaedrus2129 · « **Reply #8 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 11:00:08 »

That's freakin' awesome.

Anyway, since Japan seemed to be mechanical keyboard heaven I assumed that's where Ducky boards would be.

So are they still available, or what?

As for shiny keys, my Model M would disagree.

I'm thinking it would at least take longer. From what I've heard it's the coating on the Filcos that makes them go shiny so fast.

itlnstln · « **Reply #9 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 11:13:52 »

Quote from: ripster;177295

The coating is there to keep your precious bodily fluids from dissolving the lettering.

This. The coating is a red herring. The plastic is what goes shiny; it has nothing to do with the coating.

Phaedrus2129 · « **Reply #10 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 12:46:24 »

:shrug:

Still curious. I'm guessing they cost around the US$100-$120 range in China, right? Then call it $30-50 for someone to stick it in their suitcase on the way back (the greedy bastards

). Sound about right?

TheSoulhunter · « **Reply #11 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 17:20:54 »

Quote from: itlnstln;177252

I want a whole keyboard with the "ghost-etched" caps. Those are awesome. They kinda serve the same purpose as the black-on-grey caps from Topre. They're almost blank, but there's a legend when you need it.

Link...

muchadoaboutnothing · « **Reply #12 on:** Thu, 29 April 2010, 19:50:51 »

Quote from: TheSoulhunter;177404

Link...

Show Image

Will order 2 or 3 next month and post a review! :)

I have a better idea. Why don't you order 1 or 2 for yourself in the next month, and order 1 for me too?

I love shamelessly groveling to strangers.

Not really, unless it works.

imsto · « **Reply #13 on:** Fri, 30 April 2010, 01:40:10 »

PBT keycaps for Ducky is coming out in about a week, black on black, deep laser printed.
Even Ducky 87, is coming.
If u guys want ducky, the shipping cost is about half the price of the keyboard, and to get $s to CN would lost some during the international transfer. I lost some last time....because the big socialism system I think.

TheSoulhunter · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 30 April 2010, 01:49:37 »

Quote from: muchadoaboutnothing;177434

I have a better idea. Why don't you order 1 or 2 for yourself in the next month, and order 1 for me too?

I love shamelessly groveling to strangers.

Not really, unless it works.

Well, where do you live? And, are you willing to share shipping costs?

Quote from: imsto;177472

PBT keycaps for Ducky is coming out in about a week, black on black, deep laser printed.
Even Ducky 87, is coming.

Good to hear, probably gonna get some of this PBT caps as well... Are they sold separately?
And for the Ducky 87, when will it come? Because, if its like in a couple of weeks, I'll delay my order!

muchadoaboutnothing · « **Reply #15 on:** Fri, 30 April 2010, 02:00:35 »

Quote from: TheSoulhunter;177473

Well, where do you live? And, are you willing to share shipping costs?

United States, but keep in mind that I was just pulling your leg and asking you to buy one for me. Hence the use of the word "grovel".

And unless you have some windfall fortune where spending $300 as an act of kindness is chump change, I don't expect you to

imsto · « **Reply #16 on:** Fri, 30 April 2010, 02:29:59 »

Quote from: TheSoulhunter;177473

if its like in a couple of weeks, I'll delay my order!

at least 6 weeks..

negidaku · « **Reply #17 on:** Fri, 30 April 2010, 23:19:15 »

Quote from: TheSoulhunter;177404

Link...

Show Image

Will order 2 or 3 next month and post a review! :)

I think I want one of these as well, if they are available with Cherry blues. (Are they?)

trievalot · « **Reply #18 on:** Fri, 30 April 2010, 23:55:32 »

DUCKY 108 no red lights multimedia satellite axis Cap black with engraved keyboard Group buy - black shaft

Does this mean MX Blacks???

Phaedrus2129 · « **Reply #19 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 00:06:19 »

The new guy, ChineseBoy, said they're available in MX blue, black, or "dark brown" (?), and you can even have KBC customize it for you with different switches on different parts of the keyboard. They come with the ABS white WASD keys, and (maybe? wasn't clear) the 37 blank green PVT keycaps for the alphanum section. The 104-key and 108-key cost $94 and $100 respectively in China.

It certainly looks quite attractive. Just... Shipping!

ChineseBoy · « **Reply #20 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 03:02:25 »

Quote from: Phaedrus2129;177743

The new guy, ChineseBoy, said they're available in MX blue, black, or "dark brown" (?), and you can even have KBC customize it for you with different switches on different parts of the keyboard. They come with the ABS white WASD keys, and (maybe? wasn't clear) the 37 blank green PVT keycaps for the alphanum section. The 104-key and 108-key cost $94 and $100 respectively in China.

It certainly looks quite attractive. Just... Shipping!

The KBC produce kinds of caps,different colours ,different materials...
Dark brown is just the brown,the same.

ch_123 · « **Reply #21 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 03:27:38 »

Quote

- black shaft

So, what does the Ducky have that the Filco doesn't?

imsto · « **Reply #22 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 11:17:30 »

Shipping is a big problem, maybe we should try to get a reseller.
The big differece between ducky and flco is:
the lights on the keycaps and those function keys.

imsto · « **Reply #23 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 11:19:32 »

Quote from: webwit;177758

Is it a tame duck or a wild one?

sorry.
it's hard to understand your meaning...

pang0011 · « **Reply #24 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 12:23:58 »

Quote from: imsto;177833

Shipping is a big problem, maybe we should try to get a reseller.
The big differece between ducky and flco is:
the lights on the keycaps and those function keys.

Yes, it really is. It is also a barrier to getting keyboards like Model M from USA to Asia.

I've been thinking how it is feasible that we could do keyboard-swap, just like currency swap, e.g. I want an M from HK and somebody may want a Ducky in USA, we could buy the keyboards for each other in our own country. This could help save the cost of currency exchange, but it may not be of help to reducing shipping cost.

Phaedrus2129 · « **Reply #25 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 13:06:05 »

I'd gladly swap my Model M or MX11800, or both, for a Ducky for cost of shipping.

pang0011 · « **Reply #26 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 13:13:21 »

Quote from: Phaedrus2129;177856

I'd gladly swap my Model M or MX11800, or both, for a Ducky for cost of shipping.

I am glad to hear that. But I think there are still problems to solve, for instance, adequate credibility of both parties is a prior requirement but I am still new.

phoenix · « **Reply #27 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 14:22:46 »

Quote from: pang0011;177859

I am glad to hear that. But I think the prior requirement of the swap is adequate credibility of both parties.

Are you asking Phaedrus2129 not to trust you because you are a new member?

If you are in HK and want a Model M, you can get them easily from Taobao. There are plenty of them being sold at very reasonable prices by sellers in Guangdong.

pang0011 · « **Reply #28 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 14:41:37 »

Quote from: phoenix;177870

Are you asking Phaedrus2129 not to trust you because you are a new member?

If you are in HK and want a Model M, you can get them easily from Taobao. There are plenty of them being sold at very reasonable prices by sellers in Guangdong.

I am a new member so there is impact on my creditability indeed, please forgive me if my wording causes any misunderstandings. I have got a number of nice keyboards from Taobao, the most recent one was a WNV Cherry, but I am not going to buy 2nd hand items there at this moment. Purchasing it overseas is just one of my considerations.

Phaedrus2129 · « **Reply #29 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 15:04:45 »

Quote from: pang0011;177859

I am glad to hear that. But I think there are still problems to solve, for instance, adequate credibility of both parties is a prior requirement but I am still new.

Of course credibility is an issue, and I wasn't saying I'd trade right now either.

But assuming trust on both sides I think a trade of IBM and Alps and other keyboards from the US for Cherries and Duckies, etc from China/Japan/Taiwan/etc. would be a good idea all around (though the US would have to make up for the used condition of most of those keyboards by having higher quantity).

phoenix · « **Reply #30 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 15:36:35 »

I didn't mean to question you. Keyboards on Taobao often come from a big pile of electronics waste shipped from the US for scavenging so the condition is a bit unpredictable. (However there's much less competition on Taobao for the rare stuff like Model F AT.) A Model M can be bought in excellent condition for around $30 in the US so I totally understand why you'd want to buy from overseas.

Quote from: pang0011;177874

I am a new member so there is impact on my creditability indeed, please forgive me if my wording causes any misunderstandings. I have got a number of nice keyboards from Taobao, the most recent one was a WNV Cherry, but I am not going to buy 2nd hand items there at this moment. Purchasing it overseas is just one of my considerations.

imsto · « **Reply #31 on:** Sat, 01 May 2010, 22:19:51 »

The IBM Models on Taobao are usually been used for a long time and there might been some dirty water from the rabbish. So I got a Model M NIB with a fairly high price as one of my collection.

pang0011 · « **Reply #32 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 02:22:37 »

Quote from: phoenix;177883

I didn't mean to question you. Keyboards on Taobao often come from a big pile of electronics waste shipped from the US for scavenging so the condition is a bit unpredictable. (However there's much less competition on Taobao for the rare stuff like Model F AT.) A Model M can be bought in excellent condition for around $30 in the US so I totally understand why you'd want to buy from overseas.

I have read the term “foreign trash” in some mainland Chinese forums, but I had no clue what it exactly mean, so thanks so much for your explanation. Indeed, as production of M has stopped for quite a long time, scavenging a good one is not easy, not even at ebay. It requires knowledge of the product and immense amount of luck, but I am still learning. When I’m familiar with necessary knowledge about it one day, I will try to look for it from Taobao.

PS, I can’t live without Taobao nowadays, and they are no longer just selling some knockoff now. One of my Realforce 23s was bought there.

Quote from: imsto;177989

The IBM Models on Taobao are usually been used for a long time and there might been some dirty water from the rabbish. So I got a Model M NIB with a fairly high price as one of my collection.

I have to admit that quality of goods there is still an issue sometimes. But just like the name of Taobao in Chinese – scavenging, which is always not an easy task and can be risky sometimes

The left one is bought from Japan, the right one is from Taobao, can you see the difference?

imsto · « **Reply #33 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 02:31:58 »

Quote from: pang0011;178017

I have read the term “foreign trash” in some mainland Chinese forums, but I had no clue what it exactly mean, so thanks so much for your explanation. Indeed, as production of M has stopped for quite a long time, scavenging a
The left one is bought from Japan, the right one is from Taobao, can you see the difference?
Show Image

yep, taobao is important for us now. I do almost buy everything from taobao but foods, it was easy to find the cheapest.
Seems these two are the same, what's the difference? the one on the right is fake? or just the different quality? I've heard that the worst production is usually been thrown to the CN market.

EverythingIBM · « **Reply #34 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 02:32:49 »

Quote from: itlnstln;177258

The Ducky (KBC) keys use a more resilient plastic than the Filco caps (PBT, IIRC). That said, Mental Hobbit is correct. No matter what plastic (or almost any material, for that matter) is used, the keys will go shiny.

Incorrect, the KB-8923 keyboards are so resilient to becoming shiny that it's amazing; even ask [strike]eggbert[/strike] JBert. They use some of the best labels I've ever seen. Of course I only used the beige variants, maybe I'll buy and try a black one some day.

imsto · « **Reply #35 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 02:45:22 »

Quote from: imsto;178019

yep, taobao is important for us now. I do almost buy everything from taobao but foods, it was easy to find the cheapest.
Seems these two are the same, what's the difference? the one on the right is fake? or just the different quality? I've heard that the worst production is usually been thrown to the CN market.

yep, taobao is important for us now. I do almost buy everything from taobao but foods, it was easy to find the cheapest.
Seems these two are the same, what's the difference? the one on the right is fake? or just the different quality? I've heard that the worst production is usually been thrown to the CN market.

imsto · « **Reply #36 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 02:47:39 »

Quote from: EverythingIBM;178020

Incorrect, the KB-8923 keyboards are so resilient to becoming shiny that it's amazing; even ask [strike]eggbert[/strike] JBert. They use some of the best labels I've ever seen. Of course I only used the beige variants, maybe I'll buy and try a black one some day.

Don't u need to sleep. it's late in Canada, man.

imsto · « **Reply #37 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 02:49:35 »

I think anything would get shiny after a certain time, maybe a year maybe ten years,^_^

pang0011 · « **Reply #38 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 10:41:54 »

Quote from: imsto;178019

Seems these two are the same, what's the difference? the one on the right is fake? or just the different quality? I've heard that the worst production is usually been thrown to the CN market.

I found a burned spot on it, my immediate feeling was that it is resulted from poor craftsmanship.

ch_123 · « **Reply #39 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 11:16:28 »

Quote from: pang0011;178017

Indeed, as production of M has stopped for quite a long time, scavenging a good one is not easy, not even at ebay.

Unicomp still make them. The cost of shipping to China might be an issue though.

Quote

Incorrect, the KB-8923 keyboards are so resilient to becoming shiny that it's amazing; even ask eggbert JBert.

Resilience != immunity.

imsto · « **Reply #40 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 21:05:33 »

Quote from: pang0011;178134

I found a burned spot on it, my immediate feeling was that it is resulted from poor craftsmanship.
Show Image

realy strange.

EverythingIBM · « **Reply #41 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 21:23:17 »

Quote from: imsto;178027

I think anything would get shiny after a certain time, maybe a year maybe ten years,^_^

I've been using the KB-8923 for over ten years (1997), the keys haven't worn down, and the labels look brand new. Except... the ones I accidently scraped with a knife.

trievalot · « **Reply #42 on:** Sun, 02 May 2010, 21:45:42 »

anyone in China wanna swap a Ducky for a Model M???
We can do a trade :-)

imsto · « **Reply #43 on:** Mon, 03 May 2010, 03:31:02 »

Quote from: EverythingIBM;178332

I've been using the KB-8923 for over ten years (1997), the keys haven't worn down, and the labels look brand new. Except... the ones I accidently scraped with a knife.

focus on your keyboard condition....for the next decade..

imsto · « **Reply #44 on:** Mon, 03 May 2010, 03:45:22 »

a keyboard been used for 20 years and still works well. I think that's IBM.
Btw: Is that true that all your things are IBM?

EverythingIBM · « **Reply #45 on:** Mon, 03 May 2010, 04:21:11 »

Quote from: imsto;178377

a keyboard been used for 20 years and still works well. I think that's IBM.
Btw: Is that true that all your things are IBM?

Yes, I only use IBM computers, I've listed all of them in my signature. I also use IBM monitors, I like my 19" IBM LCD. I salvaged two 17" IBM CRTs that my school was throwing out.

There are a few things that aren't IBM, like my Roland JV-1080.

trievalot · « **Reply #46 on:** Mon, 03 May 2010, 04:26:30 »

do you have IBM Pens???i have a IBM Pen that has a 64mb USB drive built into it.
$500 and its yours.
(64Mb is worth $500, in 1970.)

ch_123 · « **Reply #47 on:** Mon, 03 May 2010, 05:10:44 »

Quote from: imsto;178377

a keyboard been used for 20 years and still works well. I think that's IBM.
Btw: Is that true that all your things are IBM?

He's actually a closet Mac user going through an identity crisis. No true IBM user would have such passionate feelings about Apple systems.

trievalot · « **Reply #48 on:** Mon, 03 May 2010, 05:11:25 »

ok, i got a box of mac pens. you can have them. ill pay postage too.

ch_123 · « **Reply #49 on:** Mon, 03 May 2010, 05:13:43 »

I could have sworn you wrote "IBM Penis" in the post before last... Would seem strangely appropriate too...

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Author Topic: Ducky thoughts (Read 11732 times)