Stainless Steel Unbranded Morse Code Paddle

I call this paddle the "Stainless Steel Unbranded" for short. It has no official name or brand. It will show up on most shopping sites as the "stainless steel cw morse key telegraph key paddle key with magnetic base". This is a decent option for somebody looking for an affordable, relatively durable CW paddle.

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[GordonHudson]

Its interesting to see this video. I bought the cheapest version on Ali Express. Finally used it this morning and it's surprisingly good. Probably the best value morse key I have ever bought.

[magwhyte]

Purchasing a metal block sold to craft stampers as a base really made this key an outstanding CW paddle. The magnets are strong and really don't want to let go. Best CW key for the price, imho.

[obnov]

I bought mine in September 2022 from Amazon. It included a cable, a hex key, and a wrench. I have used it for POTA every couple of weekends. I really like it! The magnet is super strong. I'm very happy with this purchase.

[GordonHudson]

Just bough one for the incredible price of £22 delivered. Thats less than $30 US. Mine came with a self adhesive metal plate. I think its a protective plate you would stick to the radio. I am making a mat for my portable operation so will probably stick the plate to that. It was well worth the money. 73, GM4SVM

[alexblinoff]

Пользуюсь таким уже... Уже, наверное больше года. Точнее, где то года полтора. Очень понравился. Лёгкий, хорошо крепится на металлический корпус трансивера или на стальную площадку. Манипуляция чёткая. "Отскок" резкий. По мне, так очень удачное изделие, для работы в полевых условиях.
Единственно, что я бы предложил для усовершенствования, это покрыть слоем вспененной резины ручки - что бы было комфортнее работать при отрицательных температурах.
73/72!

[muskrat]

Bought the same one from Aliexpress. Took 8 days from china to Montreal. good key. mine came with 2 allen keys

[TridentMissileTech]

Paid 35 with free shipping. Got it it in two weeks. Just like yours but i got an Allen wrench. Magnet is extremely strong. Put a metal plate on to a one inch dowel and stuck the paddle to it. I am tempted to buy another one. The price has increased though to 45 dollars. Inflation. Well worth it! Glad to see you have it on your channel. 73

[sr-vvbs]

Thank you for your reviews. We bought one for doing Sota - for the price it didn't matter if we lost it! We feel it works very well and actually found we really like it! So its our backpacking key. Right, the magnets are very strong - it wont slide around while you are trying to send. Ours came in a plastic case with a cord and a wrench to adjust the paddles. We feel its a great little key.

[blackrazorus]

Thanks for the review! Matches my experience perfectly- I bought one of these from Amazon and have really enjoyed it. I am just getting into CW and didn’t want to spend a lot on a key until I knew I was going to be doing a lot of CW, and for that it has been perfect. No issues, and have found it to be quite sturdy. I actually like the machined steel esthetic, so I give it at least an A- for beauty… :-)

[kneze]

Thanks for another great review Charlie. I was thinking about recommending this paddle for some folks new to CW, but didn't have a point of reference, so your timing is perfect! And for those new to CW, the translated code = "This is a gud (good) first paddle 72 (QRP op sign off / secret handshake)"

[brianvejyd]

G;day Sir - well i was real happy to see this paddle show up - i picked one up from amazon when i thot about trying sota and pota after meeting Jesse -- im an ole straight keyer but wanted sumthing small and not too expensive to pack --- once i kind of got used to the paddle part - i got no complaints at all - i love the look and lines -- easy to hold or secure - and once i figured out how to adjust it -- i was off to the races - i worry a mite about the lil plastic housing the cable goes into but all in all happy as a tick with it -- thanks for reviewing it for us 73

[courierdog]

Typical shipping to Canada was about 3 weeks. Well package.

[ammoshortage]

I paid about $45 for mine and it took damn near a month to get to me. Other than that, I love it. I'm new to CW and especially to Iambic Keys, so this one is super nice to learn with. Some year I'll have a Bencher, but until then, this one works just fine.

[averageguysradio]

Another fine review Charlie, I'm really enjoying this series. Keep'm coming 73

[TubeRadiosRule]

I just bought one of these on EBay (under the "Hamgeek" brand) and an MX-K2 memory keyer on Amazon. I last used CW over 20 years ago to upgrade to general, but I'm thinking I want to get into it again.

[JxH]

Did you notice that the paddle handles (the part you touch) are actually part of the circuit? The handles are floating and connected to the Tip and Ring circuits. Likely not an issue for most people, but if you happened to have a 1950-60s era vacuum tube electronic keyer with hundred of volts on the Dit and Dah circuits (LOL), then you'd get a shock. Also, if the keyer inputs were particularly high impedance and the operator were particularly sweaty and grounded, their fingers might complete the circuit. Just a point to notice.

[TraipsingOne]

The 3.5mm jack board popped right off the first key I'd purchased. It's a weak solder pad type connection. I'd be surprised if the replacement doesn't fail similarly since that point is under strain when a cable is connected. For that alone I'd downrate durability. I'd give the mounting an A since the magnets are very strong and hold well to a steel plate. The plastic box it comes in is nicely protective and portable. For about $44 it's a puzzling nice mix of robust and fragile, but I'd bring a backup.

[HamRadioDuo]

How do the adjustments work? I have one of these keys. The one that adjusts the spacing for how much movement there is in each paddle is obvious. There's another one that I haven't played with. I assumed it had something to do with tension but I didn't want to play with it and mess up my paddle until I knew what it did 😂

[courierdog]

I would like to have a means to adjust the weight/tension of the contact. Otherwise I like the keyer concept. I would prefer to have plastic replaceable paddles. The contact spacing is quite good and does stay put. BTW I ordered mine with metal bearings and that part works well and the alignment is very good and not sloppy in the least.

[MrsJopski]

Just bought one, adjusted it, and gave it a bash on the bands, price, construction and operational first class.