RE: Elecraft Digest, Vol 25, Issue 6

[Dudley Chapman]

Message: 11
Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 22:51:18 -0400
From: Mike Markowski <[hidden email]>
Subject: [Elecraft] Opinions on Bencher HexKey?
To: [hidden email]
Message-ID: <[hidden email]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I was reading the Elecraft web ad about the Bencher Hexkey and am
curious what owners or users of the key think of it.  At 3 years into
hamming, my only experience with paddles is with the Kent Engineers
paddles.  The magnetic tensioning of the HexKey sounds nice, but I've
read reviews saying that the threads for adjustment are too coarse
making adjustment difficult.  I've seen no complaints regarding the
paddles once adjusted.

Sooo, anyone willing to offer opinions - would this be a step up, down,
or sideways from Kent paddles?  Should I save my pennies for something
else or stay put?  If it matters, my top speed is currently 25 wpm - no
speed demon here.

Thanks!
Mike  AB3AP


Mike,
   I have been using the original N2DAN Mercury paddles for 20 years.  This
was the design from which the Hexkey was derived.  It looks to me like it is
an exact replica, so my comments should be valid.

   This is the best set of paddles I have ever had.  Believe it or not, I
used them doing CW mobile.  Having a 45 minute commute on I-495, with low
traffic gave me 90 minutes of CW per day for 10 years.  That constant
practice got my speed up to 55 - 60 wpm and I managed to get into the CFO
(yes, CFO, not FOC) group during that time.  For a few years of that
commute, I used the classic spring loaded Bencher.  Besides often blowing up
on me from time to time (classic Bencher owners know what I mean) while I
was driving, I began to realize that I needed something better since my
sending speed started to lag way behind my copying speed.  After purchasing
the Mercury, my sending speed caught up with my copying speed in short
order.

   The paddles even survived my car (Honda Civic with huge bugcather
antenna) being stolen and stripped for parts.  The police found my car a few
days later.  While looking through the remains, I found the Mercury paddles
underneath the unbolted passenger's seat.  My wife thinks it's funny that
the paddles were the only thing I was concerned about.

   Like others who replied, I was able to adjust the paddles to such a close
spacing, that they almost seemed like touch paddles rather than mechanical
ones.  Even with that close spacing, they held their adjustment for years
and were never bothered by the motion of the car.  I can't say enough good
things about this design.

  I do share the opinion that the contact spacing adjustment screws are a
bit coarse in the thread.  But it only takes a few minutes to get the
spacing you want and you don't have to adjust them again for years.

  As a disclaimer, I have to say that I don't have experience with
competitive paddles, so I can't say I would have the same or better
experience with Kent or Schure paddles.  My previous experience was with far
inferior paddles.

Dudley - WA1X



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