Swedish Military Key
This key was given to me by Swedish friends. It is a very large key measuring about 7.5 inches from the contacts at the rear to the tip of the knob. This is a very unique design which uses a leaf spring as the pivot. Previously to receiving this key I was not a fan of "big" straight keys but this particular key has an amazing feel to it and it is truly a pleasure to send Morse with it. Lennart Petterson in Sweden makes a very similar key for the Ham Market called the "Original Swedish Key" and it is sold in North America by Morse Express.
This photo shows the size of the Swedish key as compared to my Elecraft K1.
Eddystone S689 Bug
This Bug was produced by the Eddystone company of Birmingham, England in 1948 and is one of only an estimated 500 ever produced.
The lid and base are cast aluminum and the internals are brass. The design is quite similar to the Vibroplex Champion/Lightning Bugs but there is no independant adjustment of the dot tension spring .. making for a slightly less crisp feel than that offered by the Vibroplex bugs.
I purchased this bug on Ebay from a UK Ham in June of 2002.