Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Begali Sculpture \"Swing\"

Category: Keys & Paddles

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Begali Sculpture \"Swing\"
Reviews: 1MSRP: 575.00
Description:
The Sculpture Swing is a no-compromise cootie key and,
like its siblings in the growing Sculpture line of
paddles, it was designed to represent the ultimate key of
its type, combining materials and state-of-the art
techniques that set it apart from anything else on the
market.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.i2rtf.com/html/sculpture_swing.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
WB2LQF Rating: 2014-11-01
21st Century engineering for a 19th Century concept Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I do not own this sideswiper. I borrowed it from N2DE. After using it for several months I can unequivocally state that this sideswiper ("Cootie Key") is a superlative product in every respect.

The "Swing" is the latest extension to the Sculpture family and as such it is entirely built from Stainless steel and weighs five and a half pounds! There is a rubber ring around the perimeter on the bottom which keeps it from sliding around regardless of how aggressively the operator pushes it from side-to-side. The fingerpiece is generously sized and very comfortable to use, resembling the Sculpture Mono's fingerpiece. This fingerpiece is an integral part of the lever arm mechanism and holds the long needle arm upon which a gold plated contact-maker resides. The contacts are solid gold and are fully adjustable to accomodate the individual operator's preference for a longer or shorter "throw" and stiffness. When the contact-maker strikes either contact, its travel ceases immediately but the "feel" to the operator is one of gradual deceleration. This is indeed a very, very comfortable key to use. The operator has full control of how much resistance he/she feels by adjusting a knob located beneath the fingerpiece.

A sideswiper is fundamentally a very simple device. A piece of hacksaw blade, some wood, and a few screws can be made into a functional Cootie for next to nothing. So what does nearly $600 buy you? In my opinion, it buys you an exquisitely beautiful and phenomenally comfortable-to-use keying device that may change your mind about this nearly forgotten method of sending Morse. Swiping avoids the less-than-comfortable up/down movement required of straight keys and it also solves the sometimes difficult-to-master transition between dits and dahs when using a bug. Swiping offers a very effective alternative to electronic keyers.

With some practice, swiping becomes a most natural feeling way to send Morse, whether at slow speeds or very high speeds. The precision of the Begali Sculpture "Swing" makes it possible to master this keying technique to the point of sounding as accurate as an electronic keyer - if you want to sound like that - or you can put a little "swing" {Lake Erie style} into your code if you so desire.