Ducky Shine 3 vs Apple Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

The USB cable is detachable and comes with cable routing guides to let you control where the cable comes out of the keyboard.

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.

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.

The low profile is comfortable and the traveling distance is short. The keys are light to press, leading to less typing fatigue.

Thanks to its thin aluminum enclosure, this keyboard is sturdy.

Nothing really comes close to the Apple device's aesthetic flair.

Handy for device connection

Since this keyboard is mainstream, many big companies have it. So, if working at a big company, it is likely it is quickly available and for "free".

The low-profile, short-travel construction makes this keyboard more ergonomic than previous Apple keyboards and allows for fast typing because keys have only a small distance to go before registering.

This keyboard is very light and can be easily carried around.