Ducky One 3 Classic Fullsize RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

How Much Does it Cost?

Ducky is a premium gaming brand and has a long-standing reputation for high-end performance, flagship quality and well, high prices too. That being said, it’s not that they’re not priced competitively, and when it comes to top keyboards from any of the big-name brands, it’s actually reasonably priced. You pay a lot, but in terms of features, engineering and materials, you’re actually getting a lot for your money. Now, as I said before, there are dozens upon dozens of configurations for Ducky keyboards, so very specifically the one I reviewed is £172.99, but that is seemingly about as expensive as you can get with this. The smallest 60% is just £120 though, so there’s quite a range to explore.

Overview

This clearly isn’t the keyboard for everyone, and while I think that it’s good value for money for what you get, it’s undoubtedly still pretty expensive. The price puts it out of the reach of many, I’m sure, especially when you can get something like the old Corsair K63 for half the price. However, when it comes to it, the K63 and the Ducky One 3 are in completely different leagues in almost every regard beyond the brand of switches they use.

Build Quality

While other keyboards use Cherry MX switches, LOTS of keyboards actually. The way the Ducky One 3 is put together makes them feel and perform even better. Anti-vibration mounts, noise-absorbing materials within the keyboard, and the overall robust construction all lead to a more positive feeling and sounding switch. You can chuck these switches in a cheap plastic frame keyboard that you find on Amazon for £30, and they certainly won’t feel like the same switch anymore.

RGB

The RGB technology is up there with the best, it’s superbly vibrant and colourful, with excellent brightness overall. All of this is further accentuated by the white chassis and keycaps, as well as a glossy and reflective white layer under the caps. Ducky even goes to adding some LEDs on the PCB to ensure the larger caps are evenly lit; enter, shift, space, etc.

Features

What truly boggles my mind, however, is the built-in processor and storage on this keyboard. It’s got so many layers of shortcuts and features that can be configured and saved to the keyboard. The caps give nothing away to the levels of features that lay within, otherwise, each keycap would be riddled with icons and text. Macros, profiles, lighting zones, layers, shortcuts, media keys, it’s all here… but yeah, you’ll really need to read the manual for this one. Either way, it’s impressive that it’s all handled in hardware rather than just software.

Should I Buy One?

For work, for gaming, for just looking kick-ass on your desk, the Ducky One 3 really has something to offer to pretty much anyone who wants one. It’s available in multiple sizes to suit the space you have or the number of keys you need. It comes in all major Cherry switch types, including the rarely seen MX Black switches; a heavy spring linear switch. There’s also a range of colour combinations beyond that, so you can easily find one that suits your taste. Even then, with hot-swap switches, MX caps, a removable USB-C cable and per-key RGB lighting, your imagination and money can take this keyboard to any level of customisation you desire beyond that.