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Reviews For: Begali Leonessa

Category: Keys & Paddles

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Review Summary For : Begali Leonessa
Reviews: 8MSRP: 510
Description:
Innovative high speed paddle with a unique design which allows it to function as a dual lever paddle for iambic operation, or a dual action single lever key.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.i2rtf.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0085
WA6KYR Rating: 2022-05-24
Beautiful, precise inviting feel Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well I have a large assortment fabulous of keys, this includes 3 other Begali keys and a Jones key and Chevron key. I use this key in the iambic mode and have not tried the other mode. I bought the turtle finish.
This key ties for nicest looking and has the best feel of any key I have ever owned. The finger pieces are closer than my other keys and at first I thought this would not work for me, but I found after about 10 minutes it was a very natural touch. I stopped thinking about it and just started sending code.
If you want to send fast or slow this key is fabulous. It is precise and responsive. I have decided I do not need any more keys. One thing I really love about Begali keys is that the settings stay put until you decide to change them. Final note I adjusted the finger pieces a little bit wider and I find this key allows me to send faster than the other keys.
UN9GB Rating: 2022-03-02
i really like CW key Leonesa Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently got a Leonesa CW key, I really like it.
The Leonesa is a very fast, responsive CW key.
Unusual original key design. Looks very nice heavy enough. Blade spacing can be easily adjusted to suit your needs conveniently. Suitable for operation in Iambic mode and single-lever mode Mono. I am using yambic mode. Very quiet during operation to me I really like to work on it, pleasant tactile sensations. I have
there are other CW keys, and I can compare the work on Leones with others
keys. I really liked Leonesa.
UN9GB Ilgiz 73!
KD2EJR Rating: 2018-07-30
Excellent Key with Excellant Service Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have to agree with all the previous reviews this key is not only a work of art but is an example of Excellant craftsmanship.

What is not mentioned and I feel of even more importance is the Excellant service I received from Begali. I ordered my Leonessa with turtle finish right before the Dayton hamvention. Bruna informed me that they had one left in stock but were having a problem with their laser engraver, she said she would send me the one in stock as a loaner and would send me a replacement as soon as it was available with the proper engraving. Bruna was as good as her word and I received my new Leonessa with engraving along with instructions on returning the loaner. This type of service is, unfortunately. rare these days.

I recommend the Leonessa to anyone who would like a dual function paddle but more importantly I highly recommend the company

73

Ralph M Perreca

KD2EJR
G4BSW Rating: 2016-10-26
Brilliant key! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have had my Leonessa now for several months and decided to go for this particular model as it converts easily to single paddle mode, something which I wanted to try after many years of using dual paddle. I purchased a Simplex last year and I thought that was good. Could the Leonessa be any better? Simple answer is yes! This is a terrific key and I absolutely love it. Not yet really persevered with single paddle mode as I have found my iambic A operation has improved so well with few errors now and the speed creeping up!
Lovely to look at and even better to use! This will be (probably) my last paddle purchase! Can highly recommend. G4BSW
P43R Rating: 2016-05-26
My Favorite key Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have a HST MKII, Expedition, Sculpture and this Leonessa. (Yes I am your average uninformed consumer that keeps making irrational purchasing)
All great keys.
I also have some other brand keys.
For some reason, difficult to explain, I like to use the Leonessa most of the time.
it has a, for me, different feel that the others.
First thing I did when I received mine was putting away the feeler gauge and spacing recommendations. I like the gap to be slightly bigger.
It's such a great piece of engineering. It would be, I thingk, a shame not to make use of those precision bearing design and not being able to see the paddle move from side to side. I tried different setting until i found what felt right for me.
I use it back and forth in dual paddle mode and single lever mode. Like dual paddle mode better.
It stays on the table. Doesn't move around when you get too excited with a new call sign contact.
It is my favorite paddle now.
Don't think too much about it. Just let them take your money.
You will thank them for doing so.
IK6BAK Rating: 2012-12-10
A superb key Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had the chance to use the Leonessa for about one month.
Tested it in every possible way, from contest to long chats on QRQ and QRS, doing about 500 QSO.
Born from a cooperation between one of the most talented Italian telegraphists and Mr. Begali, who made it with his well-known skill, the key has certainly a secret that makes it extremely pleasant to use.
The particular configuration of the wide paddles provide a unique touch.
Since the mechanism is based on the second degree lever, few grams are enough to get the best results, about 16/18 grams versus 22/25 of a classic key.
Undoubtedly a true jewel, I'm planning to buy it in order to make good company the superlative Pearl I already have.
N7RR Rating: 2012-05-03
Awesome Precision in a Hybrid Single or Dual Lever - N7RR Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Leonessa is a hybrid. It can serve as an incredibly-smooth dual-lever keyer paddle. Then with a small adjustment of a thumbscrew on the left paddle, the Leonessa is transformed into a two-fingerpiece dual-action single-lever paddle. Because of the need for neutral centering, high-quality single-lever paddles are more complicated to engineer than similar dual-lever paddles. The hybrid Leonessa is even more sophisticated.

An oval cam in the rear can be adjusted to change the spacing between the fingerpieces, a setting which is independent of contact spacing. About a 45° setting seems right for my taste. Like the Sculpture Mono, both fingerpieces on the Leonessa are tall and perforated, enabling a variety of paddling techniques. After soldering on the patch cord to suit my right-handed paddling, I set about making the Leonessa perform.

The single-lever mode requires some careful preparation. The instructions make it clear that the Leonessa first needs to be adjusted for satisfactory dual-lever action while plugged into a keyer. Both left/right contact-spacing and left/right return-force are readily adjustable using four large fingerscrews. Then when the paddles are squeezed together to produce the iambic warbling between dits and dahs, that special smaller thumbscrew on the left-hand fingerpiece is tightened carefully so that either a string of dits or a string of dahs is produced. The Leonessa now performs as a single-lever paddle.

The tolerances of the Leonessa are extremely tight. I was able to adjust the contacts so close that in single-lever mode, I can hear no click when closing it either on the dit side or on the dah side. She now purrs flawlessly. I had thought that the Begali Sculpture Mono represented the finest of single-lever paddles. In single-lever mode, the Leonessa is even better. Pietro Begali has only one true competitor: Pietro Begali!

The Leonessa does come at a pretty price: €390 plus shipping. That's actually less than the Sculpture Mono, which will set you back €425 plus shipping. On the other hand, whether you currently prefer dual-lever or single-lever paddling, the Leonessa may be the last fixed-station paddle you'll ever want to buy. If you're currently a bug operator and want to try controlling a keyer with single-lever action you can do so, but then later if you want to develop your dual-lever paddling skills, you can do that as well using the same precision paddle. I moved in the opposite direction: after many years of dual-lever paddling, I've migrated to single-lever style as my sending speed has increased. A guest operator at my station can easily convert the Leonessa from single-lever to dual-lever operation.
IK4VFD Rating: 2012-04-19
the best Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had a lot of paddle, but the new Leonessa, has something that makes it unique, precise, with some fantastic features, such as the possibility of adjusting the width of the paddle (that's a short video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2smBEisuLo ) with this key I get an adjustment of the magnets, very low, without fear of having the famous "rebound" effect ...
Begali great, great job