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write your own review of the American Morse Equipment KK2.
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K2IZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 12, 2010 18:43
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great for portable operation
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Our club does a lot of Special Events stations and we try to put a CW station on the air, for most CW operators their paddle/key is a personal thing, like their toothbrush, I looking for something that looked strong enough to stand up to many different operators and operating conditions with out the worry of something breaking.
The KK2 fits that requirement quite nicely, it was easy to put together, I admit that I had trouble trying to paint it so I settled on using a Dremel tool to polish the metal and brass polish for the paddles, I had no problems with any deep scratches in the metal.
We used it at our latest Special Events station and everyone that used it said they liked it, it weighs enough so it didn't move around on the table and one operator said he was telling his XYL to get him a KK2 as a "stocking stuffer" for the holidays.
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K5RIX
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 27, 2010 03:47
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What it is
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Finding a satisfactory paddle has been a years-long hassle for me. I find most of them too big, complex, and expensive in relation to their function. The KK2 is a refreshing change. The parts in my kit were fine, and required not too much cleanup and finishing. After the base was prepared and cleaned, I painted it with low-sheen black "stove" Rustoleum. The arms were polished with a Dremel buffer and then waxed, and everything else smoothed and cleaned prior to assembly. The KK2 went together easily and looks pretty sharp.
The mechanical and electrical design is elegant. The only adjustments are tension and spacing, both of which are locked in place with tiny set screws after adjustment. The vertical play on my assembled KK2 is very small, less than 1/32" at the finger pieces. Electrical contact on each side is made between the end of a screw and a brass post. The screws each have a serrated plastic cap and can turned with the finger/thumb. At first I was skeptical about the reliability of such a contact design, but time has proven it to be completely adequate. The fussiest part of final assembly was securing the plastic cable clamp in the machined slot on the base bottom; the cable I used is a bit stiffer than it needs to be.
In use, the KK2 is wonderfully transparent. It stays put on the operating desk, and you don't need to rearrange your station to accommodate the paddles. The action is smooth, and the adjustment range works great for me. I am highly satisfied with this product. It does its job competently despite the lack of ball bearings, magnets, and sculptured marble. The KK2 can be personalized by the builder without violating function in favor of form.
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TOPPER
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 21, 2009 23:39
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bomb proof
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Purchased kit from fellow ham.computer-controlled machining was a bit off, correctable with a dremel. Simple kit, well thoughtout, stout, lacks some 'feel', for my taste, perhaps because arms/paddles are not parrell. Best for travel.
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ON6AB
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Rating: 1/5
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Jul 16, 2009 09:48
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low quality keyer
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I built this thing with maximum care and completely polished all parts so it looks like a chrome Bencher.
However, to be honest, I don't understand why this key gets a 5 mark for quality by some people. Apparently the idea of quality is slightly different in Europe. You get a bad machined baseplate (with deep scratches - polished them all out). You get low quality paddle contacts from badly finished threathed screws. You get low precision contact gaps with an important differnce between the left and the right paddle because of bad design (steel pins to be hammered in).
You get huge vertical play on the paddles because of unprecisely machined alu top-piece.
In short, what you get is barely a keyer.
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N5YFC
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 27, 2009 14:11
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KK2 vs Bencher
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have used a Bencher paddle for at least 16 years and thought it was the best key.
I bought the KK2 key when it was featured in the April 2008 World Radio magazine. When it arrived I put it together and tried it out. I was not satisfied with the paddles that was so close together, but I thought I would give it a try. After about 2 days, I was hooked on the little paddle. I took it apart and painted the base dark blue (only because it was the only color I had in a spray can), I shined up the brass and alluminum on my buffing wheel. When I re-assembled it - it really looked sharp. I took it to the USS KIDD (W5KID) when we put the ship on the air. Every one that used it was impressed with it.
It's the best $65 ever spent on a key. The Bencher is now retired to the bottom drawer in the closet.
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K2RNY
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 5, 2009 08:41
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Great Value, Great Paddle
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am getting my QRP station in order for this summer and wanted something small, rugged, yet solid. After reading the reviews, I decided to "take a chance". Wow. What a great paddle.
The fit and finish is great. Machining is top quality and everything fit as it should. I decided to give the steel parts a clear coat of finish to protect them somewhat. I followed the directions and had no problems with the arms making contact. I had it assembled and adjusted to my touch in an afternoon. It doesn't skip a beat and has a great feel to it.
I also had to slide a couple of precision washers on the pivot arms to reduce the up and down movement. No big deal.
All I can say is, if you want something inexpensive and solid with a good feel to it, this is the paddle to buy. Looking forward to a great QRP summer. Thanks to Doug and the folks at San Luis Machine Company for making a great product.
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W8MIS
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 9, 2008 09:35
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Real Nice
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I was searching for a small CW key and found this site. I ordered the KK2. Arrived quickly and well packed. Very nice workmanship. Emails were answered very quickly and assembly went smooth. It looks and works as good as my chrome Vibroplex. I use on my Icom 703 and footprint is small. On this model the base is very heavy and does not move at all.
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N9SKN
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Rating: 5/5
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May 10, 2008 21:22
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Solid and Durable
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Solid and Durable
Recently picked one up - strickly for trying out portable operation for the first time.
I wanted somthing reasonably priced that could maybe get wet or banged up a bit and not have to worry about the thing still working.
I preferred to not 'strap' a paddle on, or hold it with the other hand as seems to be acceptable, if not popular for portable paddles. So went with the KK2.
Upon inspection of my kit I was surprised to see that the small brass levers are milled out underneath (Probably for mass reduction).
One of the brass contact posts in my kit had some bad internal threads and it would not allow the terminal screw to tighten. A few days after an email to Doug and I had the replacement brass post here no problem.
After using it on air for an afternoon, I have to say the KK2 definately stays put on the table.
Summary:
Durable and simple design to minimize and survive 'travel wear'
Does not move on the table
Reasonable price
Fun to assemble and make it how you want it to be
I am just a casual operator, and I know these are portable paddles, but the vertical play at fingerpieces from the lever pivot bothered me. I found sanding down 2 aluminum washers and installing them at the pivots substantially reduced the vertical movement.
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K7VBY
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 29, 2008 14:51
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Good for portable use
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The KK2 arrived recently in a bubble wrap package from San Luis Machine Company. The instructions have to be printed from a file on the American Morse website. There is a little prep before assembly which includes removing a few sharp edges on the base. If you want to paint the base there are precautions to follow. I left it as delivered, but it would look better if painted. The finished product is easy to adjust with the tiny set screws and Allen wrench. A cable and plug are not included. I used a cable I had from another paddle. The design is rugged and good for portable use.
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