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Add to SafariWhen comparing Ducky Shine 3 vs Planck, the Slant community recommends Ducky Shine 3 for most people. In the question“What are the best mechanical keyboards?” Ducky Shine 3 is ranked 11th while Planck is ranked 17th. The most important reason people chose Ducky Shine 3 is:
The Shine 3 has a dual layer PCB, plate mounted switches, as well as laser printed & UV Coated keycaps. Ducky also has the reputation of having some of the highest quality boards on the market.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Great build quality
The Shine 3 has a dual layer PCB, plate mounted switches, as well as laser printed & UV Coated keycaps. Ducky also has the reputation of having some of the highest quality boards on the market.
Pro Highly customisable backlighting
The Shine 3 comes with fully programmable LED lights under each and every keycap. There are 6 backlight patterns to choose from: Full (100%), Breathing, Wave Marquee, Snake Marquee, Reactive mode, and Ripple mode. When you buy the Shine 3 you have the option of picking the color of the backlighting LEDS from Red, Green, Blue, White, Magenta & Orange.
Pro Cherry MX switches
The mechanical Cherry switches have been known for 5 decades for their tactile quality and robustness. With the Shine 3, users can choose between Brown, Blue, Black or Red.
Pro On board memory for profile/setting storage
The Ducky will remember all your customization settings for the lighting and other profile settings even if you turn it off or use it on another computer.
Pro Uses Cherry Stabilizers
Some people prefer the design of the Cherry Stabilizers over the Costars as they are arguably quieter (no rattle and less sound when you bottom out). They are also better for frequent keycap swapping as it's easier to remove/add keys. On the other hand, they can be described as "mushy".
Pro USB cable is detachable and replaceable
The USB cable is detachable and comes with cable routing guides to let you control where the cable comes out of the keyboard.
Pro Compact tenkeyless design
Without the numpad it takes up less space and allows you to place the keyboard and mouse closer together in a more natural position for your body which can help avoid injuries for people using it all the time.
Pro Unique "logo" on spacebar to celebrate Chinese zodiac signs
The spacebar features a unique logo from the year when the keyboard was manufactured to celebrate various animals on the Chinese zodiac. Pictured is the YOTS variant or known as Year Of The Snake. The Ducky comes with a replacement spacebar with no design if you don't like the snake version.
Pro Tiny layout
You can throw this thing in your backpack. You can take it with you everywhere. If you don't have a lot of space on your desk, this will probably fit.
Don't confuse this for a netbook keyboard though. All the keys are the full size and are as far apart as a normal, regular keyboard. But there are fewer keys. The keys you can't access directly can be found via the "raise" and "lower" keys.
Pro DIY
You get to pick your switches. You get to choose your key caps. You get to select your case. You get to pick your layout. You get to reprogram your board. You even get to pick your firmware! This keyboard will be really and truly yours!
Pro Ortholinear key layout
This layout is different from a regular staggered layout. Some people really like this change in layout.
Cons
Con No calculator button
There's no calculator shortcut button.
Con Keycaps error (in AZERTY at least) and no contextual menu key
Two little quirks in the layout:
1) The < and > keys are inverted (not a huge deal, but a bit annoying for a high end keyboard);
2) Even though most of the "interesting" special functions are on the right hand, they put the Fn key on the right, removing the contextual menu. Fortunately there is a duck key (for the right Windows key), which can be reprogrammed by creating a new driver.
Con No numpad
This keyboard lacks numpad.
Con 1 year only warranty
The warranty is limited to 1 year.
Con Text on the ABS Keycaps can fade
The keycaps in the Ducky Shine are made from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) so that backlighting is possible, however this material is known to quickly fade out after prolonged usage. To keep your keyboard looking like it's in top notch condition, you may need to replace the keycaps periodically.
Con Tiny layout
You have to build this thing. The keys are laid out weird. And now you don't even get numeric keys? WHERE DOES THE MADNESS END!?
Con Ortholinear key layout
You just went through all the work to solder this together and now you need to relearn how to type? Where does it all end?!
Con DIY
You have to pick your switches. You have to choose your key caps. You have to select your case. And then you have to build it.
