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

In the past Ive shied away from a keyboard like this because I did desktop support for a living and needed to be able to use what my customers were using. But do to a recent change in my work I no longer support hundreds of people. So I can focus on just using one style keyboard. I was interested in in one that could be adjusted to the angle of my forearms to keep my wrists in alignment. This fit the bill perfectly. I can tilt the keyboard outward as well as angle the keyboard to match my forearms. It did take my a few days to adjust to the keyboard. But, it seems like I can actually type faster on it now. I really need to do a speed test to find out. But it does feel better. Pros: Being able to adjust the keyboard as I needed for ergonomics. Cons: The kit to do the tenting of the keyboard is a separate purchase. Also, do a bit a research if you want this to make sure you get the correct one. Cost, this is not a cheap keyboard. But, I do think it is worth the price.

Two months into healing from two broken wrists I was still unable to use a keyboard and missing way too much work. On the advice of my occupational therapist, I looked into a split keyboard and vertical mouse. This keyboard, when used with the lift kit/tenting kit, has been my saving grace. I can split it as wide apart as needed and usually use it tented all the way up. Thanks to this positioning, I can finally put in a 6 to 8 hr day. I was concerned about the keyboard not tilting up/down at the front but realized that doesnt matter (and actually only makes things worse for my wrists). Im not a gamer and use this exclusively for typing but I love it. The wrist rests are incredibly comfortable and the keys offer the perfect amount of bounce (I got the brown). I do miss having a 10-key pad, but figure I can add an external one if I need to do a lot of number entry. I did look at the kinesis freestyle pro (or whatever--the one designed more for typing) but the wrist rests on this one seem superior and the backlit keys make me smile. Important note- I am a home row typer. If you are not, the split keyboard will be challenging to get used to. It took me a day to get used to it, but when my spouse tried it for a day, he hated it as he doesnt use home row. Otherwise, I highly recommend (with lift kit though....which it does suck you have to pay extra for).

There is so much comfort and reliability with the split, mechanical keyboard, its simply amazing. Mechanical keyboards are much sturdier and have a longer lifespan than standard membrane keyboards. In addition, you can program macros for any application. Ive just gone through 2 Logitech Ergo K860 ergonomic membrane keyboards and saw with hard use the paint coming off the keys, and then keys not working. Less than a year each!!! The Kinesis gives you 2 years warranty, and the mechanical keys are designed to take a beating. And if you want to learn to play online gaming with your grandchildren after work, this brand will do it. Santon Craig, MD

I had tendinitis due to being a software engineer and gamer. I bought this keyboard and the Freestyle 2 for mac and both have been amazing with respect to relief from repetitive strain. Having said that, this keyboard, in particular, is amazing. Why is it amazing? Ive actually improved in FPS games significantly. Not having to strain makes my reaction times quicker. The keyboard has a premium feel when typing and has great response time. The wrist rests are comfortable and the RGB lighting is really nice to look at. I like that you can rotate the left side of the keyboard a bit when gaming, it makes it easier to reach all the keys you want to use without straining. I recommend buying the elevation stands that are sold separately for even less strain. Pros: Premium feel Fast response times Reduces strain Great ergonomics Cons: High price Some of the keys are sometimes hard to reach when gaming You have to buy the elevation stands that are sold separately to really benefit from the intended ergonomics and reduced strain. Update Jan 1, 2020: The S key broke off the keyboard. I dont use this keyboard for anything other than gaming, and I dont game that much for it to explain how it broke. I really liked this keyboard too, so its a big disappointment. Ive reached out to Kinesis support since its only been 3 months to see if the warranty will cover the fix. Once I have an update on that Ill post it here.

I got this to replace a Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard that was failing. Id been wanting a mechanical keyboard for a while, and this Kinesis was basically the closes I could find to ergo in a mechanical keyboard. Ive not been a PC gamer in years (and years and years), but I am a software developer and having absolute assurance of when a keypress registers helps me avoid typos. The way this keyboard stores settings by emulating a USB flash drive is unique to say the least. Ill be honest, RGB lighting isnt a priority but its neat and some of the profiles like rain or responsive are really cool. I doubt Ill use the software too much, but it is nice that it requires no install onto my computer (you just run the portable EXE file, which downloads from their website in a 7 MB ZIP file). I didnt realize it lacked the Windows Application Key (the key thats usually to the right and opens the right-click menu on a PC). But I can use the alternative Shift-F10 keystroke for that and its rare enough that I dont think Ill care about the omission of that key. I dont believe the top-left key (with the Kinesis logo) does anything by default, but I used the software to reconfigure it to act as Escape (using a macro that only runs that one keypress). The sound takes some getting used to, but then again thats precisely why I purchased a mechanical keyboard :)

This keyboard greatly helped with my RSI. I love the adjustable tilt and adjustable angle between the two halves. Keys have great tactile feel and clickiness. Four months after receiving it, a group of keys started to intermittently fail. At first they would go out for minutes at a time but would come back after fiddling with the board. The problem got worse over the next month and now it looks like theyve stopped working entirely. It took a couple rounds with tech support with them asking me to troubleshoot various things before they agreed it was a hardware issue and offered to replace the keyboard. My only problem with this is that they are making me pay the return shipping. So one star off for the service. Otherwise when the board is working I give it 5 stars. Update: After discovering that it would cost $20 to ship the keyboard back, I contacted the company and they agreed to send a shipping label. Changing my rating from 4 stars to 5. Ill revise my review if I have any issues with the replacement. I hope the bad board was a one-off since Ive now bought a second keyboard for my desk at work.

I am a remote worker and type a lot. A LOT, loads of reports, facilitation, notes, diagrams.... I really hated this keyboard initially, but after three days, I got more used to it. I began typing faster and even saw ways I can utilize the macros to optimize to daily flow. BUT, the keys are loud! I cannot be off mic during calls, which not feasible for the facilitator of a meeting or even a key participant...so sending it back. I did a lot a research and this makes sense...I would say for productivity A, just get BROWN....bluh bluh...look it up! Just consider typing noise, if it is an issue...this is not the best option. I type loud, I guess and this made me sound profoundly louder.

Ive been a satisfied owner of the previous (original?) Freestyle Edge. I bought the new RGB Freestyle Edge for a second computer. Its basically the same keyboard except for two things. First, this one has programmable RGB. I didnt think I would care for RGB, but its grown on me. Second, the Fn keys have been shifted to the right in order to accommodate a physical Esc key. The Scrlk key has been removed and is bound to the Del key as a secondary action. This makes it a tad difficult to go back and forth between the two keyboards. I basically have to look down when using a Fn key. As for Esc, I reprogrammed the big << key to function as Esc in order to mimic the old keyboard. I really like the flexibility to configure the keyboard. You can edit a text file that is stored on the keyboard. It is accessed by pressing a combination of keys. This will make the keyboard appear as a mountable drive on the computer. You then open the folder and edit the file with any text editor. This works on Windows and Mac. I havent tried Linux. You can also reprogram keys directly on the keyboard using the Remap button. As for the keys, I have weak fingers, so I like low force, quiet keys so I went with the Cherry Red.

I was hoping this might help my writs and forearms, but its seriously weird to use. I realize new things take time to learn, but Im way too busy to fumble around all day typing gibberish - especially in code . I like the soft wrist pads, though I question the durability. Those have to go away when you add the risers (sold separately). The letter key placements were really awkward for me. Normally, with the fingers on the home row, a C is mostly under the D. With this keyboard, reaching for where C should be hits both X and C (favoring the X) because the positions are off. I have used split keyboards for over 20 years. I just couldnt make this work well. The keyboard does seem mostly well-built, and Cherry MX keys are nice (brown in my case) but I need something that lets me stay productive and moving quickly. That pays the bills. I also dont think its worth $200 plus $25 for the risers. This gets a lot of 5 star reviews, so people must love it, but Im not feeling it.

I bought this keyboard for business. I am not a gamer. I love the fact that its corded, as I have a habit of dropping wireless items on the ground. I love that it feels solid, not flimsy. This would travel better than longer keyboards, since it would fit into most bags. The colors are gorgeous, but lets continue on functionality. I studied and the Cherry MX red keys are supposed to be both quiet and tactile, allowing me to enjoy typing 70WPM. Thats what the experts say. Well, I enjoy the typing, but it is certainly not a quiet keyboard. Im keeping it anyway, hoping that folks on Zoom meetings wont notice or hear the clicking. One more thing: I either hit the right key combo in error, or it happened on its own, but one of the keys remapped. The letter k stopped typing k and instead was typing o. This cannot be resolved through Windows keyboard troubleshooter. It happened 1 week after my purchase and, with much exploration, I found the answer taped to the underside of the keyboard. Press 3 keys together (I forget which) to restore factory defaults. This cleared the problem. Heres the thing, though: My first stop was Amazon help. The person was helpful, but it took too long. Naturally--hes supporting a million products and is counting on knowledge articles. Its not his baby. Secondly, both he and Google encouraged me to download an app that works with the keyboard. I couldnt download it. To download, they want you to type the model # into a field. They even tell you where to find the model #. Well, I typed it and the page told me it was wrong, and would not let me go further. This is still an open issue.