Eric,
Perhaps your friend has one of the Vibroplex combinations.  I've seen 
them and they are reallly nice.  A friend has a combo - the bug and 
the straight key.  Like you I could never become at home with a 
bug.  Someone home brewed me an electronic keyer billions of years 
ago and I had a modified bug as a paddle and it worked until I got my 
first "real" paddle.  Perhaps that was a Vibroplex but I don't 
remember.  Lent it to someone and never got it back!!
As I mentioned I used a Bencher for many years and it works just 
fine.  And any of them turn me in to a pretty decent C W operator.
Let me know how it turns out.
Pat, K9JAuAt 05:09 PM 10/3/2010, you wrote:
>HI Pat,
>I've heard of the Kent paddles.
>
>My ex-father in law W1BDL in Maine used to have a Vibroplex bug.
>
>I could never make my peace with sending wit that sort of arrangement.
>
>I have a friend who is going tolend me a straight key and a paddle on the
>same base until I decide what I'm going to get..
>
>Thanks for the recommendation.
>
>73,
>
>Eric
>KU3I
>
>
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