KINESIS Gaming Freestyle Edge RGB Split Mechanical Keyboard | Cherry MX Linear Red Switches | RGB | Ergonomic | Detachable Palm Support | Fully Programmable | TKL | Available Tenting

I have been using a Microsoft Sculpt which I have liked but they always crap out on me. My latest MS Scuplt keyboard crapped out after just 4 months. I was in the middle of a meeting where I needed to be typing into a document that I was sharing and it was awkward to have to switch out the keyboard in the middle the meeting. This keyboard had high marks for ergonomics and thought I would give it i shot. I like the idea of having my arms out straight in front of me as opposed to scrunched and huddled over a single integrated keyboard. It feels much more natural. However, flip side, it is messing with my brain a little trying to get used to remembering which keyboard to hit, if that makes sense. I actually play piano and am a touch typist so the notion of hands operating independently isnt a foreign concept. But still -- for typing, it is still a little discombobulating. However, Im confident Ill adapt. I went with the brown switches because the red were unavailable and it seemed based on my typing style, that these might be more akin to what Im used to -- typing with purpose! However, these are loud... much louder than I expected. So loud, in fact that Im going to have to go back to wearing a headset during conference calls so as not to cause interference with the speaker. I do like the wrist rest -- very comfortable. However, after spending so much on the keyboard itself, would it have killed the manufacturer to throw in the riser system? I guess that will be my next purchase. The cables are heavy braided cord and build quality feels solid. Wish it was bluetooth so that I didnt need to have a cord on my desk but thats life. I dont game so not really going to be using those capabilities too much. Also, the funky technicolor backlighting is not really my taste. Hopefully I can make it just a regular color. My touch-typing accuracy has gone down -- getting my fingers lined up on the home row is critical. However, once again, hopefully, this will bounce back once I have more hours with the keyboard. [LCAR]

I _really_ wanted to love this keyboard for there are numerous design flaws that make this keyboard 1/5: === The Ugly === * It does NOT have n-key rollover (NKRO). For gaming this makes this keyboard completely useless. * The symbols are on the bottom of the keys instead of the top?!?!?! Who the heck thought this was a good idea??? When you reach for a number your fingertips cover the bottom half of the key _completely_ obscuring the symbols!! * The palm wrists are TOO short. I always feel like my wrists want to fall off instead of properly being supported. === The Good === * Split keyboard is very, very nice for your hands. * Keys feel very comfortable. * The Brown MX keys feel good. * Extra function keys on the left side are great. * Can individually customize the color of EACH key. Want to have WASD in a different color? No problem! * Dedicated profile button to switch profiles on the fly is great. * Can program any key to turn the keyboard RGB lights completely off. * Cables are heavy braided === The Bad === * ESC key is TOO far away. If you use this for Vi/Vim get used to Ctrl-C. * Ive never seen an ergonomic keyboard that doubles up the two middle keys. Ideally, the YHN would also be doubled up on the left, and TGB would be doubled up on the right. This is yet-another-keyboard out-of-touch with a gamers actual needs in spite of calling itself a gaming keyboard. * Lacks dedicated INS key. Having to press a FN+PAUSE for insert is annoying. * Lacks classic 3x2 Ins/Del/Home/End/PgUp/PgDn layout. Instead the keyboard has the standard vertical line of Del/Home/End/PgUp/PgDn -- which may feel awkward. I never could get used to this vertical strip. * Lack of a dedicated numeric keypad. If you are paying $200 for a keyboard why do you have to spend even more money to get a numeric keypad? === Misc. === Build quality is OK. It doesnt feel cheap, nor expensive. The braided cables are positive build quality, the the short and flimsy wrist pads are negative build quality. (I have a DAS keyboard that is solid and built like a tank.) The sound is not quiet, but also not loud. This didnt bother me but if you work in an office with others this may be a consideration. Ive used this keyboard for 11 months doing hard-core programming and gaming with it because I really, really, wanted to love this keyboard. The comfort and split keyboard are why I kept using it but the numerous design flaws are the straw that broke the camels back. I ended up going with a DAS Keyboard 4 Professional after test driving it for work. === Ratings === Ergonomics: 3/5 Gaming: 0/5 Build Quality: 3.5/5 Final Scores: 1/5 If Kinesis could fix the issues and lower the price they would have a real winner on their hands but until they do look for another keyboard that has all the features you need.

Overall like the keyboard. You can, in theory, move keys around. The reprogramming software works fine. But the keys themselves are different heights per row. So if you move a key from one row to another then both keys you swapped are the wrong height for their new position.

Firstly, I really like this keyboard, and love the clacky blue keys which feel really good. Also, Im a big fan of the lighting - I cant believe I went 25 years without a lighted keyboard. The only complaint I have is there is a steep re-acclimation curve to get used to where the Del, Home, End, Pg Up, Pg Dn, arrow keys, and number keys. I am a computer programmer of 25 years, and with my MS Natural Keyboard, I NEVER had to look down and search for ANY of the keys mentioned above. I didnt even think about it... However, with this keyboard which Ive had for a month now, it is slow-going getting used to the new key-locations. Whoever said its an easy transition mustnt use those key listed above very much. For what I do, I use them a lot. For gaming, there are no problems whatsoever, and I really appreciate the lighted keys then. With all that said, I do recommend this if youre looking for a lighted keyboard, and as a bonus, the keys feel and sound so crisp as you type!

So I’ve been looking for a new keyboard and decided to go with a split keyboard. All the other split keyboards have typically 6 inches of cable length between the sides, but this one has 20 inches. Enough room for me to place my StreamDeck XL between the halves with room to spare. Overall the quality is very nice and the clicks have a satisfying feel. Really my only gripe is the way the software is handled with this keyboard. My other gaming keyboards I’ve used all had better software implementation with them. Really that’s the main weak spot with this keyboard. I also do not like that there is absolutely no tenting on the keyboard unless you buy the extra attachments.

I got tendonitis from work due to typing on a great mechanical keyboard that was unfortunately straight. This two piece set up with tenting has really solved that issue, and I don’t get pain from typing anymore. I will say that the forwards-backwards angle is not quite ideal. I use maximum tenting, and when that happens, the front of the keyboard is a bit too high compared to the back (it’s very flat, and I would prefer it slope down a bit towards the front, since the tenting already lifts it up quite a bit off the table). My solution was to stick little felt furniture pads onto the bottom of the keyboard to create that slight slope.

One of the engineers reviewing the Kinesis keyboard said it worked well for writing, and it had the qualities I was looking for, though I was wondering if something labeled for gaming had some special qualities making it unusable for other purposes. Fortunately, that was not the case. The lighted keyboard and being able to see the letters and numbers in low light and at night when I write was of special appeal. It is still fairly new to me, and I am going with the default changing color scheme, which I like. At some point I plan to try programming individual keys to make it easier to find the right place to put my hand, as too often I get gibberish from faulty hand placement. But that is happening less and less often, as I get a better feel for the keyboard each passing week. After a dozen years of mostly using a laptop keyboard, it took some time getting back to what reminds me a bit of the typewriter keyboard type of key response which I used to love. As some reviewers note, there is a sound, but after a day or two I got used to it, and now mostly like it, as it is the typewriter keyboard sound without the banging of the keys against a platen. One reason I chose this particular keyboard was that the two halves separate, which works for me ergonomically and is a better fit for a cramped desktop space than the horizontal keyboard that came with my new ultra-compact desktop unit. First thing I did was remove the wrist rests so the keyboard could fit in a space with only 8 inches. Indeed, being able to remove the wrist rests was a key selling point, along with the separability of the two keyboard halves and the lighting. Every week I use this keyboard, I like it more and more.

Glad to see these are now available. For months at the beginning of 2021 they were unavailable. I have two of these; a cherry brown at home (my first one) and a cherry red at work. For an expensive keyboard like this, its tough choosing the right cherry switches without being able to try them out. Many reviewers of mechanical keyboards advise getting the cherry brown switches for the subtle tactile feedback and relatively quieter key presses compared to the louder cherry blue switches. The Reds are recommended for gamers. After getting the cherry brown keyboard, I liked it so much I wanted one for work. At the beginning of 2021, when there was no supply, Amazon had one used cherry red version and I ordered it. Being used it was unfortunately missing the normally included palm rests which are very necessary when using the tent kit. Before returning it, I was able to try it out to asses the cherry red switches before ordering a new one when they became available. For me, I like the cherry reds better and heres why. Cherry browns. Coming from a conventional membrane keyboard, you probably dont realize it but you normally push the keys all the way down until they bottom out. Fortunately you bottom out into a soft squishy rubbery material (the membrane). When you first type on a mechanical keyboard, youll do the same and bottom out your key presses. This is part of the clackiness of a mechanical keyboard. The key is literally physically contacting the board, plastic on plastic with no soft cushion. The cherry brown switches provide tactile feedback or a bump towards the end of the key travel so you can actually stop pressing down when you feel the bump and before the key bottoms out on the board. Its kind of cool to realize you dont have to press so hard and so far down to actuate the key press and this should allow you type faster and lighter since you can be more efficient, but you have to train yourself not to type so hard. If you are a hard typer and bottom out the keys anyway, you may not even notice the subtle feedback of the cherry browns because the bottom out feel is much stronger. There is a crispness when typing with the browns similar to the cherry blues that you dont get with the cherry reds or any standard membrane keyboard. Cherry reds. Nice and smooth. When transitioning from the cherry browns to the cherry reds, the first thing you notice is that the keys seem easier to press. Second, you immedeately realize the difference in the tactile feedback the browns provide. There is certainly no issue typing with the cherry reds and it feels more like a traditional non mechanical keyboard. I appreciate what the cherry browns have taught me that I dont have to push down so hard or so far, but the main reason I prefer the reds over the browns is that I feel less tired typing on the reds. They claim its the same actuation force between the reds and the browns, but to me typing on the reds just feels easier. The tactile bump of the browns is like a small percussive force on your fingers joints that adds up over time and you can feel it. If youre young and virile and want the feedback, the browns are great. Or go for the blues and strut your stuff and let everyone around you know you are a mechanical keyboard aficionado and they should respect your authority. But Im glad I made the choice of cherry reds for work where I do most of my typing. I just dont need the extra percussive force on my fingers. I dont think there is any downside to the cherry reds, I can type just fine. The browns and blues just let you know that you have a mechanical keyboard and give you a different feel than what a traidtional keyboard or laptop can provide and you may enjoy that. The KINESIS GAMING Freestyle Edge RGB Split Mechanical Keyboard itself is great. One of the main reasons I chose this keyboard is to remove the number pad on the right so my mouse can be closer to the midline for better ergonomics. I am much more comfortable working with this configuration. I do miss the number pad at times, but the trade off is worth it. I do have the second layer programmed as a number pad, but every number pad is ortho-linear where the keys are directly above each other. Even color coding the keys and extinguishing the lights on surrounding keys is still not the same. Most people will choose 7, 8, and 9 to stay the same which makes u, i, o = 4, 5, 6 and j, k, l = 1, 2, 3. But to match a number pad, 0 (to the right of 9) becomes your plus key, and for me this is hard to get used (the key says 0 and there is a plus key two more keys over) and space or M (or both) becomes 0. The fact that the keys below 7,8,9 are diagonal and to the right just isnt quite the same. And the j key has the bump, which is now the number 1 key vs the bump on the number pad is the on the 5 key. If you can get used to the layout without looking its better. At home I dont have space for a number pad, but at I work I do and I place it above the keyboard. Ive just started using the real number row above the letters more and more. The second reason I wanted this keyboard is for the illuminated keys. If the microsoft natural 4000 keyboard had back lit keys, you wouldnt be reading this review and I would have right arm pain with my hand further out to the side. Nothing is better in a low light environment than back lit keys. And Ive really enjoyed color coding the keys to my liking. You can soften the brightness of the keys by choosing a softer color. I use browns, oranges, and reds so the keyboard is easy to look at in low light. The third reason I wanted a keyboard like this is for on the fly macro programming. Back in the late 90s I had a keyboard that let you program extra keys on the keyboard and it was awesome for short term repetitive tasks. This keyboard shines in this area. While you can put a macro on any key, this keyboard gives you 8 keys on the left side for easy programming and easy access. You press the macro button at the top above the fn keys, press the key you want to program, type whatever you want including spaces, returns, multi key presses (ctrl-shft-end), etc. then press the macro key again to finish. Then bam you have a repeatable set of key strokes for editing that spreadsheet youre working on. Its great! Dont want to accidentally press that macro key and have that complex macro do all kinds of crazy stuff on another important document or spreadsheet? Press macro, the key you just programed, and macro again... macro erased. I did have to burn one of the macro keys for the function layer (fn) toggle (press it once and release to toggle to the function layer, press it again to toggle back vs the built in FN button that only toggles to the funciton layer while your holding the key down). There is an oversized Kinesis key in the upper left next to ESC, the perfect location for fn toggle, but strangely enough, fn toggle is the one thing you cant program that key for. You can but it prevents you from programming macros with the macro button. Its a bug in the software they dont care to fix. So I just programmed the big kenesis button as another ESC key and I used the macro 7 key as fn toggle just above the fn key. I also reprogrammed F2 and F3, which I never use, with volume up and down, which is already printed on the key. F2 and F3 are then on the function layer if I need them. ## edit 12/9/2022. I still use macros all the time, but sometimes the macros are too fast for the program you are using. For example your macro involves entering info into a popup dialog box, that delay for the dialog box to appear takes time and the macro can speed past and now you are out of sync. You can fix this by slowing the macro down or by adding delays, but you have launch VDRIVE and edit the macro in the keyboard gui keyboard application. Its not that big of a deal, and you can change the settings to globally slow down macros, but I thought it was worth mentioning as it does take time to deal with. The palm rests are super comfy and coming from a microsoft ergonomic keyboard the tent kit is a requirement. Im happy with the middle setting of 10 degrees and I spread the keyboard out until its comfortable. Last thing, I did O-ring both keyboards. I bought these silicone O rings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMMGHL4 and this key puller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TAUJDJK and it very noticeably reduced the clackiness of the keyboards. So it becomes quite the investment of keyboard, tent kit, O ring kit and a little time to install the O rings, getting used to the layout, programming the lights and other layers. But in the end, I think its worth it. Keyboard, Monitors, and Mouse are your main interfaces to the machine. Make them count. ## edit 12/9/2022. I still love both keyboards and use them daily without issue. While it could be valuable using keyboard layer switching for particular software like gaming, adobe, or video editing, I find myself never using the fn layer toggle. At home I use a KVM switch to switch between several computers. I cant launch the VDRIVE (F8) when plugged into the dedicated keyboard port on my KVM switch (because the VDRIVE button turns the keyboard into a USB key and the KVM switch only wants to see a keyboard). But I can access VDRIVE if I plug the keyboard into the shared usb port on the KVM switch, but then I cant use the keyboard commands to change computers because the KVM switch is looking for those commands on the keyboard port. So fast macro tuning using the VDRIVE keyboard app is out when using a KVM switch (and I would imagine most KVM switches operate this way). In order to change keyboard settings or edit a macro, I have to be determined and change USB ports on the KVM switch, launch VDRIVE, make the changes and change back the USB port. You dont have to shutdown the computer to change ports but its painful enough that it prevents me from making changes at times. I dont do this very often and havent for months. But in the beginning, you will probably be making frequent tweaks to your setup to dial it in. Just wanted to share my experience with the KVM switch Im using. Siig SIIG CEKV0612S1 4x1 USB HDMI KVM Switch https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G88PRUK/

I have several wrist/thumb issues and this keyboard has been tremendous. I havent fully explored everything it can do, just added the lifts to get the right tilt angle for me (order them separately - not expensive) to angle the keyboard for me and I was good to go. So much less pain and discomfort. Highly recommend

My previous keyboard was a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard. I wanted a mechanical keyboard for a while. I cannot use the regular keyboards as it hurts my wrists. Since I work from home I use this keyboard about eight hours per day. I also bought the lift kit to help angle the keyboard. I only use the white light on the keyboard, so I can see it in low light at night. You can turn off all the lights with the press of one button, and the lights turn on with a one button press. You can use the keyboard with the lights off. The only issue I do not like is it does not have an integrated keypad. I wish Kinesis would come out with a matching keypad. I see a lot of keypads on Amazon, but the keys just do not look like it matches this unit. It did take a little getting used to for the placement of the special keys (arrows, home, end, etc.) but I got used to it after a while.