The Ducky One 2 is not excellent, however it’s nonetheless among the finest keyboards I’ve ever used

I’m simply going to come back out and say it. The Ducky One 2 might be one of many best gaming keyboards I’ve ever used. It’s obtainable in a spread of sizes and quite a few totally different key cap colors, together with a tenkeyless model, a 65% mannequin and the even dinkier Ducky One 2 Mini, however it’s the full-sized RGB mannequin I’ve had on my desk for the final month or so, and it’s by far one of many loveliest keyboards I’ve utilized in ages. Here’s wot I feel.

Of course, a big a part of any mechanical keyboard’s attraction comes all the way down to the kind of change it makes use of, and on this respect the One 2 isn’t notably particular. Like 99.9% of mechanical keyboards on the market, the Ducky One 2 is available in a spread of Cherry MX switches, out of your normal purple, blue and browns in addition to silent purple, black pace silvers. I used to be despatched the silent purple model for overview, whose keys have a pleasant, fast, up-and-down really feel like your normal purple switches, however make barely much less noise general. They’re nowhere close to as ‘silent’ as their identify suggests, however they’re actually loads simpler on the ears than a whole lot of different CLACKY MX sorts.

Naturally, as with most MX switches, they’re an incredible match for gaming and typing alike. Despite the Ducky One 2 having no particular gaming mode choice obtainable, it dealt with my Monster Hunter: World keyboard mashing with aplomb, responding immediately to each my frequent dodges out of hurt’s method and my hammering of the WASD keys as I closed in for an additional assault. Their clear, linear motions have been additionally nice for typing up lengthy phrase paperwork, too. Each key supplied glorious tactile suggestions, and I used to be in a position to stand up to full typing pace nearly instantly.

This is fairly anticipated once you’re coping with Cherry’s MX switches, in fact, however the Ducky One 2 is a lot extra than simply one other Cherry keyboard. For starters, it’s received probably the most unassuming designs I’ve seen in yonks, from its elegant lettering to its easy black and white chassis (which I need to say goes surprisingly effectively with its placing pink Enter key and accompanying pink spares). Ducky have stored it utterly freed from all logos, too, as an alternative confining it to the rear of the keyboard so it’s out of sight throughout on a regular basis use. Even the ornamental Year of the Pig house bar that got here with my specific mannequin could be swapped out for a very plain black one due to the abundance of spare key caps that come within the field.

I additionally love the truth that its USB-C cable is each removable and could be funnelled off to the appropriate or left-hand facet of the keyboard as an alternative of merely snaking out the highest of it. The former means it’s simple to interchange if, say, your cat decides it appears like a tasty rat tail and offers it a superb previous chew, whereas the latter helps to maintain your desk a bit tidier. I’m additionally an enormous fan of how its flip-out toes have two totally different heights constructed into them. It all makes for a extra versatile and versatile kind of keyboard that’s much more nice to make use of no matter whether or not you’re enjoying games or simply doing a little bit of basic typing.

There are, admittedly, a couple of issues it lacks. There’s no USB passthrough, for instance, which is one thing you may anticipate from a £150 / $130 mechanical keyboard. Similarly, the one devoted media keys it has are a mute key and quantity up and down buttons. If you wish to use it to play, pause or skip music tracks, for instance, then you definately’ll should memorise the collection of keyboard shortcuts obtainable in its person handbook, as Ducky’s free software program program solely permits you to change its RGB lighting. The identical goes for recording macros, which is a ache when so many different mechanical keyboards on the market allow you to do all this of their respective software program applications.

I additionally want the 4 LED lights that allow you to know when issues like Caps Lock and Number Lock are enabled have been a bit extra seen as effectively. From my regular viewing angle, for instance, I can nearly see the sunshine from their brilliant, white LEDs reflecting off the darkish key caps which are positioned above them, however even that may typically get a bit misplaced relying on the RGB profile you’ve received enabled. It’s not an enormous bugbear, admittedly, however I think about will probably be a a lot greater drawback if you happen to go for one in all Ducky’s lighter One2 keyboard fashions that include white key caps as an alternative of black ones.

 
Still, the one factor I do very a lot admire is its devoted calculator key. This is a god-send for people like me who’re without end trying to find it in Windows at any time when I must work out benchmark percentages and the like, and it’s one thing I want each keyboard got here with as normal. It’s a distinct segment factor to get enthusiastic about on a keyboard, to make certain, however I like it all the identical.

Likewise, I’m usually extremely averse to something vaguely pink colored, however I’ve grown more and more keen on the One 2’s vibrant, alternate key caps, too. They add a little bit of aptitude with out resorting to the same old gaudiness of gaming keyboards, and the truth that Ducky provide so many various color key cap combos inside their One 2 vary (such because the very fetching Good in Blue and purple, white and blue Bon Voyage version) simply makes it really feel that bit additional particular.

The Ducky One 2 isn’t excellent, then, however in the end there’s nonetheless loads to love right here. At £150 / $130, it’s hardly the most cost effective mechanical keyboard on the market, however it does loads to justify its excessive value. Its Cherry MX switches are a pleasure to kind on, and its vibrant, but modest design is a breath of recent air in comparison with lots of its different equally priced mechanical rivals. My present finest gaming keyboard champ, the Fnatic Streak, might be nonetheless higher worth for cash general in comparison with the Ducky One 2 (if solely as a result of it comes with USB passthrough and the world’s comfiest wrist relaxation for even much less at £120 / $110), however personally, I’d reasonably keep on with the Ducky.