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Reviews For: K8RA Iambic Paddle

Category: Keys & Paddles

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Review Summary For : K8RA Iambic Paddle
Reviews: 230MSRP: 65
Description:
Modestly priced, beautiful paddle
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.k8ra.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
002304.9
K0EVZ Rating: 2017-02-20
Excellent Paddles Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This paddle exceeded my expectations, and I am absolutely delighted with it. It is now my main station paddle and will undoubtedly remain so. Thanks for a great addition to my setup!
G3XNG Rating: 2015-05-15
Heavy & Well engineered Time Owned: more than 12 months.
A very heavy key indeed of solid brass base. The oversize wood finger plates are handy for those with larger hands/fingers, but I did find the adjustments re spacings a bit tricky and critical, and even with a small gap resulted in quite a bit of 'clicking' noise as the paddles are manipulated.
Yes, I'm being picky, but it's still a very well engineered paddle and a good standby. I prefer either a classic 'Jones' paddle, a G3HGE 'Magpad' or even a G4KLM touch paddle.
The K8RA paddle was still a bargain at £30.
KB9IIZ Rating: 2014-11-19
Outstanding Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been pounding brass for 20 years now and few years ago I switched from a Bencher paddles and a straight key to the P2. What a difference! Completely different feel and a very snappy response, love at first sight. My fist has improved and CW is a lot more fun now.

I use it with the over sized wood finger pieces and they do give an option to send using a different keying style, Bencher's finger pieces were much smaller and lower to the desktop. The base is not very heavy, but with an anti skid pad underneath there is no sliding - even with my heavy handed slapping of the finger pieces.

I paid about a $100 for it, looks like pricing has changed, but the paddle is a strong contender among peers.
K2JF Rating: 2014-09-26
Beauty and Simpicity Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm 95% CW op and have tried all the great high end paddles.. All of them. But no matter which ones I tried I found myself always holding the paddle down with my left hand preventing it from moving while keying with my right hand. I decided to give the K8RA P-4's try and they are rock solid on the desk, smooth to operate and adjust and great to look at. Mike and Fred have taken over for Jerry (SK) and have kept up the tradition that Jerry started.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by K2JF on 2011-08-09

Jerry is one great American story. It's about the highest quality, the best service and most importantly - integrity. I had a set of his P-2 paddles for years. One of the early production models. Even though I'd owned them for over 5 years he still offered to clean them up and bring them up to the more current model standards, and even ship them back at his cost. The P-4 paddles are not only beautiful but built like a tank. These will never move while you're keying away like a madman in a contest. Check out his site thoroughly and look at his workshop - incredible.
K8JHR Rating: 2014-03-31
GREAT SERVICE AFTER SALE Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Jerry K8RA built my P-2 paddle.

NT8O and company has promptly provided excellent service and courtesy and good communication, as if it they had built my key, themselves. No hassle, no delay, no problems - like it was their their company all along.

I love the paddle and am confident about the future of these well-designed, well made paddles.

It is hard to find service this good anywhere these days. -- James - K8JHR --
AB0SR Rating: 2014-03-04
P-4 Paddles Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got the Paddle on Thursday, got it set up as best I could off the air.
then had time to run it over the weekend,
got it fine tuned and set the contact spacing nice and tight, and it does awesome!
the key looks great and runs real smooth.
would recommend this key to any ham looking for a gud buy and a gud key that is going to last for years. tuff to beat these Paddles.
73 de AB0SR + sk sk

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Earlier 5-star review posted by AB0SR on 2008-07-12

Well it was awhile ago I got one of the P-5 Paddles,
and let me tell u, this is the best key I have ever used!!!!
this thing does not move on the table, the settings stay set, and is so smooth.

Just wanted to say thank you fer the grt product.
anytime hams ask what the key I am useing is, I am proud to say " a K8RA P-5"
keep up the grt work, and will send'em ur way fer a grt key.
W9OD Rating: 2013-12-22
Wishing Jerry the best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just found out that Jerry is passing his work on to NT8O and N8BX due to health issues. It saddens me to hear about loosing Jerry as a paddle maker, but Mike and Fred will carry on the K8RA paddle business just as well as Jerry did. Jerry, I want to thank you for my having the opportunity to purchase my P5 paddle from you, you did a wonderful job fabricating it and a better job in costumer service. I hope that your health issues do not slow you up and that you can continue to be a part of the ham radio community which you have helped so much. God Bless you, and thank you, Craig/W9OD

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Earlier 5-star review posted by W9OD on 2011-06-21

I called Jerry to order my P4. I left a message with what I wanted. I also emailed Jerry with a few questions. The next day, I got a call from Jerry telling me that he was on vacation with his grand kids. He said that he had a P4 with rose wood paddles with him and it would be delivered in about 4 to 5 days. It was in my possession in 3 days, over the weekend!!!! I could not believe it. This is great costumer service!!! Okay, the paddle is the best that I have ever used. It is heavy and smooth. I like a light touch, and have adjusted (which is a dream) the paddle to my liking. Jerry has received many positive comments about his fine workmanship and he deserves it. I am looking forward to many years of service from my P4, and I will be looking forward to purchasing a P2 Jr in the near future.
Thank you Jerry, your are the greatest, and you have a great product. Keep up the good work. 73, W9OD
K3LUE Rating: 2013-07-07
Great product, great guy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had, used, and enjoyed my P2 jr for several years. It does lack the weight of many of the big keyers (although weighty for it's size) but a small amount of non-slide material under it and it's fine. It's for portable use but works anywhere and I like it for the fact that it's not huge and bulky. If you want more weight, he has several other products.
Top notch construction, and top notch service. Jerry returned all my emails and/or phone calls immediately. In fact, he even gave me a free upgrade to the rosewood paddles and sent a cable along. As I said, top notch guy. Buy from him....you will not be disappointed.
GM0HKS Rating: 2013-07-07
K8RA P2 Brass Twin Paddle Key Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased one of K8RA's P2 brass twin paddle keys. Jerry Pettinger has his business down to a fine art and the whole purchasing experience was excellent from beginning to end. His customer service skill is second to none and I would not hear anyone say otherwise. The only negative comment I have to make does not concern Jerry nor his products but the UK Customs & Excise /UK Parcel Force groups who savagely took money from me in a very unfair way. I had to pay a total of 34 UK pounds Sterling (50.61 US Dollars) to these parasites before they would release the key to me. Their calculation was based on Value Added Tax (VAT) which, in the UK, is running at 20% and a so called “handling charge to clear customs”. The VAT is based on the value of the goods but I was charged a figure which included the postal charges I paid to Jerry, over and above the price of the goods ! It has been a fruitless and pointless attempt on my part to argue this with these troglodytes and have gotten nowhere. The UK is broke and I guess they have to get their revenue somehow. Importing from the States is now very painful and does nothing but harm to business coming from that direction. Now, to the more interesting stuff. The P2 paddle is simply exquisite. Beautifully crafted, I liked it as soon as I saw it. I have the magnetic tensioning version and, most kindly, Jerry has offered to provide me with the interchangeable spring tensioning kit too. Although the rosewood lever pieces are very nice, I find them a little too big and have, instead, resorted to using very expensive wooden, aluminium and buffalo bone crafted guitar plectrums from an online source. Easily drilled out and fitted to the brass levers, they really finish off this key very nicely and look GREAT ! Setting up the gaps on the key has been described by some as difficult. Yes, it can be a little tiresome but, with patience, it is achievable and, once done, you don’t look back. It is a superb key which handles slow, medium and high speed keying with ease. I like a very tight gap and have, despite other comment, have managed to achieve this. With flexible aluminium guitar plectrums fitted, there is no clicking at all and I can generate accurate characters for hours on end. This is what I was after and this is what I got. A first class product from a first class guy. Very well done Jerry and thankyou for the privilege of buying a P2 from you
ZL2ATL Rating: 2013-04-30
The P-4 functions beautifully and is engineering art Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I love my P-4 paddle from Jerry. It’s a work of engineering art and functions beautifully. My interaction with Jerry was very positive. He answered my emails quickly. I then phoned him to get advice and he was most helpful. When I made the final decision, the paddle arrived quickly – and I live in New Zealand. The paddle was extremely well packed and arrived in perfect condition together with a full set of cables. I can see why there have been so many positive comments on the forum about Jerry and his paddles – he deserves it.