When comparing Ducky Shine 5 vs CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-i, the Slant community recommends Ducky Shine 5 for most people. In the question“What are the best mechanical keyboards?” Ducky Shine 5 is ranked 6th while CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-i is ranked 20th. The most important reason people chose Ducky Shine 5 is:
The Ducky Shine 5 comes with Cherry MX mechanical switches. You can choose between the Brown, Red or Black varieties, according to your preferences.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Quality mechanical switches
The Ducky Shine 5 comes with Cherry MX mechanical switches. You can choose between the Brown, Red or Black varieties, according to your preferences.
Pro No software needed
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.
Pro Lots of lighting 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.
Pro Great build quality
The Ducky Shine 5 has a dual layer PCB, plate mounted switches, laser printed and UV Coated keycaps.
Pro USB cable is detachable and replaceable
You can easily replace the cable with one of a different color or different length.
Pro Wide choice of keycaps
Given the popularity of Cherry MX switches, there are many customized keycap options to choose from.
Pro ABS Double-shot keycap
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.
Pro Unique symbol on the spacebar, to celebrate Chinese year
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.
Pro On board memory for profile/settings storage
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.
Pro Detachable and replaceable cable
The Rapid-i's comes with a long 1.8 m braided cable, which makes it more durable and aesthetically pleasant than common cables. It's detachable and, therefore, easily replaceable by a shorter/longer cable. This also means that, in case the cable breaks, it's easy to fix it and there's no need to replace the entire keyboard.
Pro Customizable backlighting is great for use in the dark
This keyboard is backlit and offers individual key backlighting customization. Up to 4 profiles can be saved, being quite easy to switch between them.
Pro First-class mechanical switches
Cherry MX switches are considered the golden standard of mechanical key switches. This particular model's tenkeyless version is available in the Blue or Brown varieties of the MX. Blue switches offer audible and tactile feedback at the actuation point (about halfway the full travel distance). These are best for typing. Brown switches offer a slightly less pronounced tactile bump than Blue switches, and are silent. They are often described as a mix-switch: something that is equally good for gaming and typing, though not the best at either one.
Cons
Con No software available
Setting up custom lighting can be a real hassle because there is no software available to assist you. You'll need to manually set the RGB value (from 0-7) to pick the right color/brightness, then tap each key you wish to set that color for. Then switch the color, and tap more keys. Repeat until you are satisfied. In addition, further future tweaking of the layout is another pain, as there is no easy way to copy the color already on the keyboard. You will need to go through a trial and error process to match the color you want.
Con Many features are missing
The Ducky Shine 5 is a great, high-quality keyboard, but it misses some nice features, like USB passthrough, a wrist wrest, cable management features, or media control keys.
Con Limited switch types for the tenkeyless version
The tenkeyless version of this keyboard is more compact, but it only offers Blue and Brown switches, which are the most popular. However, if you want Green or Red MX switches you'll need to choose the larger version of the keyboard (with a number pad).
Con The USB connector sticks out
Unlike many other keyboards, the USB port for the Rapid-i is not tucked under the keyboard, so when the L-shaped USB connector is inserted, it sticks out a bit. In addition to not looking as sleek as a result, it also means that it's easier to accidentally damage both the connector and the port.