Closer Examination

As we saw before, the Ducky Mecha SF comes in a molded plastic cover and a wax paper wrap to keep it pristine and free of dust out of the box. Removing it, we get our first good look at the keyboard, and it is smaller than most keyboards owing to the adoption of the 65% form factor. Immediately, we see far fewer dedicated keys relative to a full-size 104-key US ANSI keyboard, which means there is no function key row, and past the alphanumeric section, only the Del, Pg Up, Pg Dn, and arrow keys are kept. In theory and with practice, this streamlined approach allows for a typing experience meant to retain only those keys that are used often, with layered functions for the others.

The Mecha SF adopts a similar small bezel with a barely floating keycap design as the other One 2 keyboards, but it is here that things change again. Part of the Mecha SF Radiant series, this Mecha SF Emerald adopts an aluminium case that gets a fantastic iridescent finish which really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated fully. I also understand why Ducky held back the first batch, saying the finish was not satisfactory since it is by the far the biggest feature here. The Emerald version gets a lustrous green color that changes hue when viewed at different angles and based on how light is incident upon it. The keyboard shines like a jewel in the dark, and the Emerald name is fitting thus.

The color scheme consisting of four base colors for the keycaps can seem busy in contrast. They are all variations of blue and orange, however, so there is method to the supposed madness. Where we would have seen some companies add an extra key above the right arrow key, Ducky adds a metal badge with the logo itself. This is the only visible branding in use, although the logo and product name are also present on the top right of the side facing away from the user. Bezels are minimal on this high-profile case, which still results in floating keycaps but only just. All legends are on the top center of the keycaps, with secondary legends seen alongside, which reduces the font size for both. There are no keyboard-specific legends here, which is different from the front-facing legends on the One 2 SF. So functionality does take a small hit since you need to know all the pre-programmed layers, which makes the online manual even more vital.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see a metal badge instead of a sticker for the certification and serial number. The Mecha SF Radiant series is a limited release of 2021 pieces for each theme, and Ducky has retained units 0101 for both to represent Taipei 101. Four rubber pads at the corners add friction against the resting surface and prevent scratches. Ducky has also added keyboard feet at the top, but with only one elevation step instead of the two on the One 2 SF. Rubber pads are on the underside of the feet as well, which is nice to see. A set of four dip switches below one foot allows for some very specific key layout changes we will get to in due time, and these switches are inset into the case to ensure none are toggled accidentally when moving the keyboard while it rests on a desk.


There is an inset USB Type-C port on the left side of the back facing away from the user and towards the USB source, which pairs well with the provided detachable USB cable. We have enough of a gap here to where most aftermarket cables should work fine. The cable itself is sleeved well in black and shorter than average at 5', which will help those looking to take the Mecha SF around. It attaches to an available USB Type A port on your PC. USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data even with all the RGB lighting onboard, although there really is no lack of USB 3.2 Gen 1 these days.


Ducky is using the tried and tested OEM profile with their keycaps. It consists of the usual slanted rows and concave surfaces on top, but of course with five instead of the usual six rows on this smaller form factor keyboard. The provided keycap puller works great, having a nice base to hold and wires long enough for multiple keycaps to be taken off before removing them. With not just the same thick PBT plastic as the replacement keycaps throughout (average wall thickness of 1.42 mm), but also predominantly doubleshot injected legends for durability and longevity, the stock keycaps of either color are excellent. Only one keycap had the base plastic meld into the injected plastic slightly, which does nothing practically. This is mostly because backlighting here might as well be non-existent for the various colors. As such, any lighting on offer will be more for accentuation than to read the letters on the keycaps. Ducky says this is a deliberate aesthetic decision based on the chosen themes.


Ducky has traditionally used Cherry MX switches, and that has not change here. We see Cherry MX Blue RGB switches on this particular sample, but you can also get the Mecha SF with Cherry MX Black, Brown, Red, Speed (Silver), or Silent Red RGB switches. This is an RGB keyboard with an LED for each key, and the translucent switch body helps diffuse light passing through and upward. Cherry stabilizers are used on the larger keycaps, which helps with their removal for cleaning or even keycap swapping. The thick PBT does mitigate that mushy feeling associated with these stabilizers somewhat, resulting in a heavier feel that is great to type on generally. The stabilizers also seem lubricated, and note that the switches that are rated for 100 M actuations are the MX Red, Speed (Silver), Brown, and Black. Cherry is still working on achieving this with the MX Blue and MX Silent Red switches, so these two are on the older 50 M actuation rating.


Here you can see most of the replacement keycaps employed, and I have gone with the Esc key itself rather than the other two novelty keycaps. It reduces on the orange and adds more of the lighter blue, which in this specific iteration results in a random orange Ctrl on the right and a random blue Esc on the left. The latter is easy enough to fix by using the stock Esc keycaps, but no blue Ctrl keycap is provided, which may irk others as it did me.