This is a picture of my favorite home cw key,.handmade by SM3URI, not that many around.
Tips, heard today 8/1 that SM4CJM Hans is selling his, if someone is interested, drop him a line.
HNY de SA4BLM / Lars.
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That looks really nice, much prettier than my Bencher paddle.
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I don’t think I ever heard Lars make a sending error, so must be a good 'un! Sticking with the two Benchers here, utilitarian - but long service nay problems. My sending errors are my own brains fault, not either of the keys!
73 Phil
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Hi Phil,
When one veers off the road it hard to get back again, thats probably a brain problem we all suffer from.
You are a very good operator Phil always a pleasure to here.
This key has a heavy metal base, ball bearings and magnetic return for the paddles, a good key.
Hi José
I don´t know what wood the paddles are made of, Hans and my key looks the same.
Ah, that’s in lovely condition Lars. It makes my key look decidedly jaded. I feel a lockdown project coming on. It should look like this -
(manufactured by Kent keys)
The brass has gone all black and skanky on my Kent key.
I think it’s lacquered and needs more than Brasso and a good rub. 
Andy,
It´s called patina in swedish, I think it´s the same word in english, you can´t touch that
Same word Lars but in this case it is skanky patina. 
1 Like
A beautiful key 
I wanted a Kent twin for years but I found the price a bit too much. I’d used a Kent twin at a special event station I’d been invited to operate at and I just loved the key.
I happened to mention on the SOTA reflector that my dream key was a Kent twin, not long after I received a PM stating an offer I simply couldn’t refuse! The key I ended up with is an older pattern Kent twin, which I like better than the newer ones.
I really cherish my Kent twin, it’s exactly the key I hoped it would be. I think the key looks very good for it’s age, the brass doesn’t seem to have coloured much at all and it doesn’t seem to be lacquered.
I
my key!
73, Colin
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You have a point Lars. Maybe I don’t have a project after all. 
Hat’s off to you and SM3URI, Lars! Beautiful workmanship and design.
Ken
I have four twin paddles and like one’s children I have no favourite, only things each has that pleases me.
- The Palm Pico twin paddles are my choice for all CW activations - nothing special to look at but highly functional [very small & lightweight, clean action, good for damp weather]
- KXPD2 for my KX2 rig: paddles too big and too separated for my preference but it bolts directly to the rig [reliable].
- Begali Magnetic Pro for the shack: like a Ferrari, it combines ultimate performance with beautiful Italian styling [I have it with the more subtle black paddles]
- The classic handmade miniature twin-paddles keyer from G4ZPY (sadly, SK for some years now) was my first and only one for many years and is now a collector’s item. And the one with which I learnt to twin-paddle,
73 Andy
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I’m just getting to the point where I think I can justify getting an iambic keyer more substantial than the excellent Palm Pico paddles for shack use.
I’m drawn towards the Begali Traveller:
Any thoughts from the community?
Thanks, Mark.
M0NOM
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Very personal thing Morse keys.
I have used a Bencher at home for 30 years, only fault I have noticed it is prone to poor spelling. On the hill I use a modified Hi Mound, double paddle with plastic Wx cover and shortened and smoothed paddles. I bought a key from the Schurr stable for a HUGE amount of money at Fredrickhaven one year. Wonderful model engineering but two big faults.
1, The contacts were simply brass points.
2. The inertia of the paddles was too great ( I send with very light key strokes),
Sold it at a small loss.
I think that the paddle inertia is a big consideration when designing and buying paddle keys, all the good ones have very light and small bending moment, moving parts.
Old Cloth Ears
David G0EVV
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Mark,
Yes I have a Begali Traveller and its a nice key. Had it for many years and taken on some dxpeditions in the past. I used it on a few early SOTA operations before moving to Palm Pico.
Decent choice for using at home with the possibility of taking portable. Begali keys are expensive but few people have anything bad to say about them.
73 Gavin
GM0GAV
Thanks for the info Gavin, always good to get a personal recommendation.
I would consider taking it ‘bench portable’ for chasing, but not up a hill.
Mark. M0NOM
Hello,
I bought the key from Hans @SM4CJM. Now waiting for it to come.
73