Software

With all functionality hardware based, there are no software drivers for the Ducky One 3 SF. As such, I have chosen to combine this section with the performance section below. This remains one of the points against Ducky keyboards for a more mainstream audience, but also means every customization option is available on the keyboard itself and works regardless of your OS.

Performance

The Ducky One 3 SF comes configured to support NKRO out of the box, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Toggling dip switch 2 on the back to on, off is the default, shifts things over to 6-key rollover USB to debug a few things in your system or run a kernel-based virtual system, for example. Similarly, no key chatter was detected on all the keys using Switch Hitter. The image above also shows what the base layer on the keyboard is pre-programmed to as far as dedicated keys go. As with just about any keyboard these days, there is no right Windows key, as it has been substituted by an Fn key.


The Fn key is quite important too, since it is used for the vast majority of pre-programmed controls, layers, and even customization options onboard the Ducky One 3 SF. There may be no software drivers to make this more user-friendly, but the manual does a good job walking you through it all, including the two additional layers with their own functions seen above. I would have liked a printed manual in the box since I suspect most won't even be aware of these. On the other hand, the front-facing legends on the keycaps allude to these, though the Fn layer takes precedence over the Fn + Alt layer wherever they both affect the same key. As such, the layer priority is, in order from top to bottom, base layer, Fn layer, and Fn + Alt layer.

When first connected, the keyboard lights up in a rainbow wave lighting effect, which is the default pre-programmed effect for the Ducky One 3 SF. The transition animation is smooth, and the effect is a good demo to also ensure the keyboard is powered on and working properly. It also shows that the keycaps are indeed opaque, so the LEDs provide accent lighting only.


There are quite a few different pre-programmed lighting effects, which are generally accessed via Fn+Alt+T. These include a mix of static, dynamic, and reactive effects, some of which are shown above. They also have per-effect options, such as brightness, color, and direction and speed of the effect, but the granularity is lower than with software drivers, and there is guesswork on whether any of the toggles are maxed out, as the next press may set the lowest value since you are cycling through these options. The LEDs are bright enough, and the default white static effect shows that Ducky has done a good job as the hardware LED drivers put out a fairly accurate white through these RGB LEDs, which isn't easily done. Likewise, there are two custom lighting modes to make the most of the per-key lighting on offer here, and I used the default setting to test for light bleed, which is barely a thing given the keycaps are barely floating.


Here is more about the LED customization options on the Ducky One 3 SF, which happen to be identical to those on the Ducky One 2 SF. So there is certainly a lot of shared DNA between the two in this regard. I would not get the Ducky One 3 SF if keen on actual backlighting and complex lighting effect layers, but the options available should satisfy most end users willing to spend a few minutes on setting up the keyboard. This continues with the other pre-programmed options, including multimedia shortcuts, changing the debounce time, selecting between one of six profiles saved to the keyboard, and even on-the-fly macro recording. It's functional enough, but really feels like Ducky missed a trick by not making it more user-friendly, as exactly the same programming as on the previous generation is used instead. Even the dip switches barely do anything, with one not even functional and another completely irrelevant. Frankly, the way these are implemented right now, I doubt anyone would notice if there were no dip switches at all.


I mentioned before how there are seven Cherry MX switch options with the Ducky One 3 SF, and my sample has the brand-new Cherry MX Clear switches, although there is no confirmation from Cherry on whether the switch components are from a newer mold with the updated 100 M lifetime keystroke rating or not. Regardless, in my books, this is what the MX Brown should have been for tactile feedback. Nothing subtle about it, you will absolutely feel the bump just prior to switch actuation. The MX Clear is also a slightly heavier switch than the medium-force MX Brown with a 65 gf rated tactile force at ~1.25 mm travel compared to 55 gf with the MX Brown. Likewise, actuation force is 55 gf on average at 2 mm of travel with a peak north of 80 gf at the usual 4 mm of total travel, all of which are higher than the MX Brown to where the MX Clear is a medium to heavy switch. The reason to go with it would be for an actual tactile bump, following which the switches inevitably actuate. Between the clearer feedback and heavier spring, these are also easier to train on for touch-typing and not bottoming out.


The two facets described above make typing on the Ducky One 3 SF quieter than on most other keyboards in the market today. As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the provided Ducky One 3 SF keyboard sample at ~90 WPM as it comes out of the box with the Cherry MX Clear RGB switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile switches. I did have a mix of bottoming out and not, but this keyboard is on the quieter side, which will have any mods done felt all the more. The lubed stabilizers, PBT keycaps, sheet of EVA foam between the PCB and case, and thick silicone between the plate and PCB all contribute. It's a thockier sound signature thus, and the switches bottoming out is the biggest contributor to the sound signature, which is nice, although the actual typing experience will be a hit or miss depending on your preferences. I would not describe the MX Clear RGB as a particularly smooth switch either, and it in fact feels rougher moving up and down even compared to the other, more commonly used Cherry MX switches, let alone custom switches.