Luxia Le

The Ducky One 2 Rosa is one of my all-time favorite keyboards. It packs functionality into an adorable Chinese New Year-themed case, making it ideal for someone who gets super excited about the New Year. However, while it’s got several of the functions I wanted most, it wasn’t the perfect keyboard for me in the end. Let’s look at my overall thoughts on the Ducky One 2 Rosa Chinese New Year-themed keyboard.

Ducky One 2 Rosa Edition: At a Glance

Keyboard	Ducky One 2 Rosa Edition (Ducky One 2 Series 10)
Price	$99.99
Tier	Premium
Switches	Cherry MX Red
Keycap Profile	OEM
Keycap Material	PBT Plastic
Interface	USB-C/USB-A
Layout	USA ANSI
Keyboard Type	Mechanical
Hot-Swappable?	No

Ducky One 2 Rosa Edition: My Thoughts

I have to say that I love the Ducky One 2 Rosa. It is easily one of my favorite wired keyboards that I own. It’s functional, durable, feels great in the hand, and I love the switches I chose for it. However, given what I was using the keyboard for, there were some issues that I had with it. Overall, it’s an excellent keyboard and any one of its clone variants (Ducky One2 Series 10) would be an excellent addition to any computer setup, regardless of your use case. Let’s look in-depth at its specifications.

Price

The Ducky One2 Rosa retailed for around $99.99. You can still get clone variants of the One2 Series 10—the base model that the Rosa color scheme was applied to—from various retailers. MechanicalKeyboards sells the Ducky One 2 Pro if you want a full-size keyboard. Amazon continues to sell off their remaining stock of smaller versions of the Ducky One 2 keyboard, such as the SF version. However, it’s worth noting that the keyboard has largely been replaced in production by the newer Ducky One 3 series. These are a bit more expensive as they’re a brand new model, retailing for about $129.99 for most One 3 keyboard models and $159.99 for the Classic model. They come in multiple

Construction

This keyboard is beautifully constructed. It’s made of heavy-duty plastic that feels smooth and delightful in the hand. It doesn’t feel light or flimsy at all. The frame feels nice and sturdy, very heavy. The switch construction will vary depending on what switches you buy with the keyboard. I chose Cherry MX Red switches. They feel smooth and buttery. There’s no switch wobble or feelings of looseness in the sockets.

Keycaps

The keycaps for this keyboard are made of double-shot PBT plastic, making them durable and good to take a hefty beating. They feel good under the finger, not slick or greasy at all. They also don’t feel overly sandy, which is a problem I’ve had with some PBT keycaps.

Keyboard Mechanics

This keyboard uses a mechanical switch matrix. The keyboard can be outfitted with many switches but is not hot-swappable. I chose Cherry MX Red switches because at the time that I bought it I did not own a linear keyboard.

For a hot-swappable keyboard you’ll want to check out Ducky’s new line of One 3 keyboards that are hot-swappable.

Since the keyboard uses soldered switches, it is difficult to perform self-maintenance on the keyboard. However, I have found that the keyboard is highly durable. It has taken quite a beating in the time I’ve used it, including one spill. I have noticed no degradation in performance despite this.

Problems I Encountered When Using the Ducky One 2 Rosa Edition

So, the only real problem I encountered when using this keyboard is the sound profile. The acoustics of the frame aren’t bad, but I just don’t like the sound profile of the Cherry MX Red switches. They’re good switches! They feel good and are easy to use, but they don’t really sound good. Standard Cherry MX Red lack the sound dampening foam that would contribute to a more “creamy” linear sound, which is my preferred profile with linear keyboards. I don’t regret buying the keyboard with these switches as they’re easy to use. I just wish they sounded a little better. Additionally, the switches are soldered to the board, which means I can’t change them without breaking out the soldering iron (and I do have one, for this specific purpose, actually.)