CM Storm Quickfire Rapid vs Ducky Shine 5

The QuickFire Rapid keyboard is often recommended as a great beginners' keyboard on pretty much every enthusiast community out there due to its value for money. Its build quality is great, it's easy to find online & it comes with a good selection of switches for about half the price of the top-of-the-line options.

The CM Storm QuickFire Rapid uses genuine Cherry MX key switches which are generally considered the best available mechanical switches. Their reputation is well-deserved, due to their excellent durability and superior performance and reliability. They go through vigorous testing to ensure they meet the desired quality standards.

Moreover, because they're standard Cherry MX switches, they are interchangeable with custom keycaps. Down the road, if you prefer you can get your own custom keycaps and totally change the look of your board. From a minimalist design like this to a custom image like this, or even different shaped keys like this you can modify them to your hearts content.

Not only is the braided cable detachable, but it has cable routing as well. If you want, you can swap out the included braided cable for a longer/shorter/different coloured one that suits your setup better. Also, if you break the cable (or your pet does), it's cheap to get a new one and very easy to do. Cable routing helps organize your cables in a more pleasing way. Instead of having the cord come right out the middle of the back, you can have it go on either side of the back which can help make your setup look cleaner.

The soft touch coating on the the keyboard's surface makes wear marks minimal, as it tends to hide small scratches and doesn't wear off as easily as some paints do. It has the bonus of making the surface pleasant to touch, because of its softness.

There are 4 different kinds of Cherry MX switches (Blue, Red, Brown and Green) to choose from. There are also alternate versions of the Quickfire Rapid that offer options the original version doesn’t have, like backlighting, numbers pads or media function keys.

This keyboard is made by the same OEM as the Filco keyboard, so it's of comparable build quality. Given that the Filco costs a lot more money and has one of the best reputations in the industry for quality, this is a great selling point for the Quickfire Rapid.

One of the main objections against getting a mechanical keyboard is how much it usually costs. This keyboard combines good quality and an affordable price. This makes it a good choice for beginners that aren't positive the investment on a mechanical keyboard will pay back.

Included with the keyboard are 6 extra keycaps as well as a keypuller. The keypuller allows for easy removal of the installed keycaps, in order to switch them out with caps of the users liking.

The USB cable connecting the keyboard to one's computer is easily detachable at the base of the keyboard, thanks to the micro USB connection. This makes it easy to detach and reattach the keyboard at will. Couple this with the fact that this is a tenkeyless keyboard that weights just 2.1 pounds, and you can understand how easy it would be to remove the keyboard and throw it into a bag in order to travel with it.

The included rubber feet and fold out back feet allows for a sturdy hold on one's desk. This keyboard does not move or slide around in the slightest, whether the back feet are folded out or not.

Costar stabilizers offer less friction in their key motion use. Often Cherry branded stabilizers are a bit more mushy when the key is pressed, which is why many prefer Costars stabilizers.

The Ducky Shine 5 comes with Cherry MX mechanical switches. You can choose between the Brown, Red or Black varieties, according to your preferences.

The Shine 5 has all the backlighting effects built into it. To alter the RGB lighting, there are keyboard combinations that can be used to quickly switch between modes.

There are 14 pre-programmed lighting modes available, as well as 2 customizable modes (which you can blend together). To access the first 7 pre-programmed modes, press Fn+F9 - these are the more basic patterns with fewer colors (Solid, Single Color Breathing, Solid Color Change, Red/Green Waves, Snake, Single Color and Single Key Reactive, Radiant Reactive, and Linear Reactive). Pressing Fn+F10 toggles through Solid Color Change, Colorful Waterfall, Color Changing Snake, Color Raindrop, Colorful Single Key Reactive, Colorful Radiant Reactive, and Colorful Linear Reactive. The 2 custom modes can be activated through Fn+F11/F12. On these modes, you can set per-key colors and brightness, and pressing the same button combination will make those keys breathe.

The Ducky Shine 5 has a dual layer PCB, plate mounted switches, laser printed and UV Coated keycaps.

You can easily replace the cable with one of a different color or different length.

Given the popularity of Cherry MX switches, there are many customized keycap options to choose from.

There are two layers of plastic in the Shine 5's keys - the print is part of the underlayer of the keycap, which means it won't wear out and allows light to shine through the printed area.

The default spacebar logo is a simple one, however a replacement spacebar is included, with a symbol that corresponds to the current Chinese year. This adds an optional design flare to an otherwise simple and professional looking keyboard.

The Ducky will remember all your backlighting customization settings snd other profile settings, even if you turn it off or use it on another computer.