Currently I’m using a Begali Graciella key in day-to-day use. But I’ve also got a few more keys in the collection. Recently I purchased an E.F. Johnson Speed-X semi-automatic bug. It cost me a whopping $41 on ebay. It is in pretty good shape, all things considered. For me this key represents one of the first keys I used with my new ham license as WB0JXY in Nebraska in 1973. My entire ham shack was borrowed and sitting on a giant cardboard box that I’d used to ship my belongings back from England on my discharge from the U.S. Air Force. I could really send with that bug — I just couldn’t receive worth a darn!
I’ve also got a straight key, a Llaves Telegraphica brass key that I will bring out for straight key night. It is a beauty and is just right for a nice collection of keys. I also have a Schurr Profi. I bought this one on ebay as well. It is in pretty good share. I really like the clear plastic dust cover and the clear plastic paddles. It, too, is brass.
I believe that I’ll be refraining from purchasing more keys for just a little while. But for a CW guy, you can never get enough keys!
