Ducky Shine 7 Keyboard Review

The Ducky Shine 7 is a large, full-size keyboard. It's also quite heavy, mainly due to its rigid zinc alloy top plate. For a smaller keyboard, check out the Ducky One 2 Mini or the Obinslab Anne Pro 2. If you need a compact board but still need arrow keys, take a look at the Ducky MIYA Pro.

Build quality is superb. The bottom is plastic, but it has a zinc alloy top plate that feels solid and hefty. There's no flex at all and the keyboard doesn't slide around. It has high-quality doubleshot PBT keycaps, similar to the ones on the Ducky One 2 Mini, and the fonts are well-defined. The keys are very stable, with no sign of wobbling or rattling. The main downside is that the included USB-C cable feels a bit cheap, as it tends to retain kinks that are hard to straighten out.

The Shine 7 has decent ergonomics. There are two incline settings and the keys are well-spaced. It doesn't come with a wrist rest, which can cause a bit of fatigue for some. For a similar keyboard with better ergonomics, take a look at the Das Keyboard X50Q, it has a lower profile and a wrist rest is included.

This keyboard has full RGB backlighting and the keys are individually-lit. All customizations can be done directly on the keyboard, as the customization software is optional.

Do note that the etching on the spacebar may look different depending on the edition, as Ducky often sends an extra spacebar with a random theme. In the case of our unit, the art that's etched into the spacebar represents the Year of the Pig in the Chinese calendar.

The keyboard comes with a rubberized USB-C cable, with cheap-looking printing on it. It is removable, though, so you can replace it with a higher quality one if you want. Unfortunately, Ducky doesn't sell replacement USB-C cables separately.

This is a wired-only keyboard and can't be used wirelessly.

The Shine 7 is a very customizable keyboard. All of the keyboard's settings can be accessed directly on the keyboard, as it has onboard software. There are switches on the underside of the keyboard, similar to the Ducky One 2 Mini, which lets you change the location of the Windows key, the FN key, caps lock, etc. You can also access media controls through a combination of the FN + Windows key + the corresponding alphanumeric key. All of the various settings and hotkeys are detailed in the user guide. Additionally, all the keys are macro programmable.

If you want to lock the Windows key to prevent accidentally minimizing a game, press and hold FN + Alt + Windows key simultaneously for 3 seconds.

If you want a keyboard with dedicated media controls, check out the Razer Huntsman Elite. If you'd like a keyboard with a USB passthrough, consider the Das Keyboard Model S Professional.

• Ducky Shine 7 keyboard
• USB-C cable
• Keycap remover
• User guide
• Extra keycaps

The Shine 7 can be purchased with your preferred type of switches. Our unit has standard Cherry MX Browns, but there are 6 other types, including Cherry MX Red, Blue, Black, Silver, Silent Red, and Nature White, which will all result in different typing experiences. The Brown switches have a satisfying tactile bump to indicate the actuation and they require a moderate amount of force to actuate. The pre-travel distance matches the 2mm advertised by Cherry almost perfectly. If you'd prefer having the freedom of easily swapping out your switches, check out the Glorious GMMK instead.

The typing experience on the Shine 7 is simply outstanding. The PBT keycaps feel great and the keys are extremely stable. The switches provide a good amount of feedback and the keys are well-spaced, which helps with typing accuracy. Some people may find it fatiguing without a wrist rest, but the additional incline setting does help quite a bit. It's nearly identical to the Ducky One 2 Mini but in a full-size form.

Typing noise with the Cherry MX Brown switches is quiet and shouldn't be bothersome to others around you. It's different depending on the type of switches that you get.

The Shine 7 uses the Ducky RGB software for customization. This is optional and only for customizing the RGB backlighting, as all customization options are accessible on the keyboard itself. Furthermore, all macro programming is done on the keyboard. If you want a keyboard with software that allows for macro programming, check out the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2.

Do note that the given score only reflects the onboard software, as the Ducky RGB software only allows for customization of the RGB backlighting.

This keyboard has decent compatibility. It's fully functional on Windows, and while all keys work on Linux, there's no software. On macOS, in addition to not having software support, the calculator, scroll lock, and pause/break keys don't work.

The compatibility score is based on the Ducky RGB customization software.