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Add to SafariWhen comparing Ducky Shine 3 vs Let's Split, 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 Let's Split is ranked 23rd. 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 DIY
You can really make this board your own. The seperated space bar makes it even more fun than the regular Planck because you can program both space bars differently. You can also get the keys much more easily because you just need a pair of single key width keys.
Pro Split layout
You can set this board up in a very ergonomic manner
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 DIY
Most people just want to buy a keyboard so that they can have it and type on it. But if you're ordering an ortholinear 40% split keyboard, you've probably already got strong enough opinions on switches, key layouts, and keycaps, that you're not going to be very satisfied with a mass market keyboard anyway.
Con Somehow cheaper to spec out than a Planck
This keyboard is based on the Planck. You would think that the Planck, what with its popularity, would cost more. Somehow, it's actually cheaper. This actually has to do with the case/frame. Instead of ordering a really nice prefabricated case, you end up ordering laser cut panels and spacers to create a frame to hold the whole thing high enough off your desk to type comfortably.
