There is a huge chance that as a gamer you never even heard of Ducky Mecha Mini keyboard being used in the mainstream gaming scene.
To your surprise, Ducky is one of the largest and well-known keyboard manufacturers that we know of. However, they are not so popular as mainstream gaming brands.
Despite the fact of not being so popular among the gamers, we have seen regular use of ducky keyboards in the pro gaming scene. The professional players of some of the top games were seen using the Ducky keyboards.
In this article, we will be reviewing one of the top products of this brand, the Ducky Mecha Mini. And trust us, this will become your most favorite choice.
Ducky has been away from the limelight of gaming for quite some time now despite being used in the pro gaming scene. If razor saw a pro gamer using their product, by now they would have sponsored him/her.
But, it is truly said, if you have a good product you don’t need to advertise it vigorously. We have noticed that some of the ducky keyboards were on our list of most used products too.
As we have already told you that we will be reviewing the Ducky Mecha Mini. Let us also tell you that this is the most recent effort of Ducky and they have made a banger.
Some questions that are frequently asked or arise in mind while a person is planning to buy a product are very genuine. These questions include, “Is the premium version better than the previously mentioned One 2 Mini? among others.
To find answers to such questions we have reviewed the product in a very detailed manner. So, without wasting time, let’s get to the point.
First Impression of Ducky Mecha Mini
While reviewing this keyboard, one of the first things that came to my mind, while unboxing it is “Dayum! This thing is heavy!” But this did not surprise me at all. You know why because the Ducky Mecha Mini V2 is a full Aluminium casing with a Zinc alloyed Keyboard stand.
And trust me this is one of the best features of this keyboard. Having an Aluminium casing in the age of plastic is not a bad thing at all. In Fact, it is quite the opposite in terms of durability and looks. However, if you are a plastic keyboard warrior, trust me this one is surprisingly hefty for its little size.
You are certainly going to the aforementioned aluminum casing for the premium look that the keyboard has. It is the aluminum that makes the keyboard look super elegant and premium. The Mecha Mini has very thin bezels, almost non-existent. Also, there is no space on the keyboard either.
The compact design of the Mecha Mini along with its sleek and elegant black case gives it a visual appeal to crave for. This is certainly the most visually appealing keyboard among all those that I have reviewed.
The credit for this mature and stunning look can also be given to the absolute 100 percent black casing. The Ducky One 2 Mini had a little flavor of white on its body, which stole away its maturity.
The Main Product
Without wasting time let’s talk about the main product, which is the Ducky Mecha Mini keyboard. To be very apt, the ducky mecha mini frozen llama is built like a tank. I tried all the hooks and crooks with my hand on the housing trying to bend it a little.
No matter how hard I tried, with whatever amount of force, I could not make the housing move even a bit. Try that on a plastic keyboard and you will have 2 separate keyboard pieces in your hand.
If you talk about the keycaps, they are just amazing and this is what was expected from Ducky. They depict superior build quality. The keyboard features double-shot PBT keycaps.
These keycaps not only give you an amazing look and feel but also last longer than you will expect, that too without any degrade in the shine quality. Much deserved Full marks here.
Next comes the RGB Lighting, trust me the RGB lighting on this keyboard looks so good, that you can not complain about them. However, if you notice finely, you will find some tiny dots on some keys.
However, this is like forcibly finding out the bad in a heap of too much good. Once you unleash the RGB in full power on this keyboard, you will be mesmerized by the output. It looks stunning and thanks to the white backplate.
The Packaging | Because Covers are Important Attraction
A Little Extra should have been the tagline for Ducky. They are known to come up with something additional. As mentioned earlier too, the Ducky Mecha Mini comes with a dark blue enter keycap along with a set of other keycaps in the same color.
For me, this is really interesting as it will allow a lot of customization options, that too directly out of the box. Generally, in other cases, you have to invest a little extra to customize your keyboards.
Also, as stated earlier you have the option of using a totally black enter keycap too. So, if you want the all-black look you can go for it. In addition to that, there is a cool change too. These custom keycaps are now ‘shine through’.
This is not the end of the packaging for Ducky. As I said, they come with some extra, and that some extra is more than little. The package comes with a special edition year of the pig spacebar. Also, there are chances that you will get an additional spacebar keycap.
Finally, apart from all the cosmetic items to customize your keyboard and the mandatory documentation papers and manuals, you will find a key puller too. Now, if you ask me, this is appreciable. A key-puller is something that is a must with a mechanical keyboard. It is a very handy item when you plan on cleaning your keyboard.
Features and Build Quality That Define Ducky Mecha Mini
Having the name mini on your keyboard doesn’t make you mini until you are a Ducky keyboard. The Ducky Mecha Mini justifies its name in an absolute manner. It is a 60 percent keyboard.
By 60 percent size, it means that the mecha mini is even smaller than a Tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard. However, you will not find arrow keys on the mecha mini. So, yea to be compact, you have to lose something.
At the same time, I think that it is great for gamers. As gamers there are rare chances you are playing with the arrow keys instead of W, A, S, D., And a quite small keyboard, the mecha mini gives you an ample amount of desk real estate.
You can still have the arrow keys, the function keys, and whatnot. All you need to do is to assign a combination for each one of them. However, it is quite obvious that if you are someone who prefers using a lot of additional and dedicated keys this is not the keyboard for you.
The keyboard is certainly made only for those who want a “Premium-compact keyboard which is handy to use.” It is obviously not made for those who need a new dedicated key for every function.
When it comes to the bezels, they have become even thinner with the new casing. Moreover, this is something that makes the Ducky Mecha Mini one of the smallest keyboards available in the market out of the custom-built category.
These switches allow you to change the location /position of the keys in the bottom row. They as well give you the option to switch between 6 – Keyrollover and N- KeyRollover.
The Connectivity Part
Coming on to the connectivity part, you can use a de-attachable USB-C cable to connect this keyboard to your CPU. The cable comes along with the keyboard in the box. However, I was a little upset with the cable. This is the area where Ducky needs to improve little.
However the cable is not the main part of the keyboard but, if you don’t have a quality cable, you will always face some or the other issue regarding the connectivity. Even a small bad experience, can cost the company its brand image for a user.
Since every aspect of this product is commendable, why not a worthy cable for it too. The overall look and feel of the Ducky Mecha Mini is elite and premium and the features are a class apart. However, it will lose some marks here for the connectivity cable.
Daily Use and Performance Feedback
The mechanical keyboards from Ducky come with the famous Cherry MX Switches. The quality of these mechanical keyboard switches is quite prominent among those who have used them including me.
There is no questioning the quality of these switches. Even if you mess up the implementation part, the experience that you will have will still be amazing. The stellar reputation that Ducky has gained over the years at this front of performance and quality is nearly unbeatable.
One can say that they have climbed up so high by maybe outdoing themselves every time. They did the same in the case of the Mecha Mini.
The Mecha Mini provides a seamless typing experience. The keypress is so smooth and has such little wobble that you totally enjoy it.
Every press is more satisfactory than the one before it. Also, as the Cherry MX Stabilizers are great, the same feeling extends to the wider keys as well.
The sound and feel of the keyboard while using it feels totally fantastic and you feel each key in totality. This makes typing quite satisfying.
Also Read, Best TKL Keyboards
It takes a really badly made mechanical keyboard to impact your gaming experience. The mecha mini certainly is nowhere near the term bad. It comes with a full NKRO (N-KeyRollOver) and a switch to change it to a 6 key rollover.
Now with the N-KRO, no matter how many keys you press at the same time, all the keys will be registered in the system. The perfect implementation of the switches makes maneuvering in-game a very easy task.
How Powerful The Mecha Mini Is?
Let’s talk about how powerful the Mecha mini is. Just metal looks or does it deliver the metal performance too? The answer is, it is metal in totality. With your Mecha Mini, you can create macros, build different lighting profiles and change the debounce time too.
This is certainly impressive but for this, you will obviously have to work a little on the profiling, learning, and retaining part. So, if you are planning to build some custom profiles make sure to have your manual at the reach of your hand.
Why I asked you to keep the manual with you because it is a document that gives you all the answers. It explains everything nicely and also without the need for any additional software. Though an option of software would not have been a bad idea either for a brand like Ducky.
As, with software the user could have recorded all those macros and created a personalized RGB lighting profile, and saved it, making things a whole lot easier for them.
However, there are cues that Ducky is working on software and will come up with it soon. But that sooner has become too much of a “later” now. So, until you have dedicated Ducky software for the Mecha Mini, User Manual is the best option you have got.
Final Words
If you ask me, I would say that Ducky has done some good work. If you compare the advancement of the mecha mini with the one 2 mini, ducky has certainly implemented some of the feedback that was given to the one 2 mini.
To rate a product as the best in the category is not a simple task and for that, you need to look at every aspect of the product. However in the case of mecha mini, since Ducky has really worked hard to not be criticized, and deliver the best product it could, it deserves appreciation.
The mecha mini wins at almost everything. The keyboard has got a compact design, metal casing, satisfying typing and gaming experience, adorable lighting, comfortable and qualitative keycaps, amazing build quality, and a bunch of something extra for customization in the box.
Lastly, I hope that I did justice to the review. However, you can always tell me if I missed out on something related to the Mecha Mini. Let us know what you think of this keyboard and how you will rate it.
