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

Let me begin by saying that Ive been using ergonomic keyboards since 2011. I have used both the wired and wireless Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, and then the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard. I do like the mechanical keys, wrist rests, and optional tilt mechanism of this keyboard better than the Microsoft keyboards. However, this keyboard has some pluses and minuses to it, and for the price, I was hoping the minuses would be much less. Pros: 1. Nice key-feel 2. Backlighting 3. Good quality USB cable that can be tucked away if you dont need the full length 4. The ability to program the backlighting exactly how you want it and other programming features. Cons: 1. The keyboard backlighting turns off when you press the FN key. Why do they think I dont need to see the keys any longer when I press the FN key? 2. The keys with multiple glyphs on them (e.g., number keys) only allow the backlighting to shine through one of the glyphs. 3. The glyphs are in the wrong order on the individual keycaps. I have been using a computer almost daily since 1988, and used a typewriter before that, and in all my years of using keyboard, I have never seen this done. The shift character is on the bottom of the keycap. In other words, the 5 key has the % symbol below the 5. The period key has the > below the period. I am a touch-typist, but there are many times when I am using both the trackpad and the keyboard that I need to quickly press one of these keys and it breaks my brain every single time I look at one of these keycaps. 4. The space bars extend too far to the left and right. I am a touch-typist and the finger I normally use to press the command key cannot reach it. This has broken my normal use-case so thoroughly, that I have remapped the caps lock key to command. There is absolutely no need whatsoever for the spacebar to be as wide as it is. My thumbs rest on the part furthest to the center naturally. On every other keyboard I own, the spacebar ends up to a full key and a half before the spacebar on this model does. 5. The forward-delete key is way too far away in the top-right corner. It is impossible to reach without moving my hands far off of the home row. It doesnt even make any sense how far away it is. 6. The tilt kit should come standard. 7. The weird software system that you have to load by pressing a key combination

Programmer here, writer of design docs, etc. Not a gamer. My old Microsoft Natural 4K encountered some coffee one day, and I had to get another ergonomic keyboard. This was one of the few ergonomic & mechanical keyboards on the market; one of the extremely few from a reputable company. I chose the Blue variant, along with the lift kit, etc. This keyboard is very nice. I do miss the curvature of the MSN4K, but other than that, it provides almost the same experience. The feedback provided by the Blue keys is much nicer than most of the membrane keys on the market; I dont regret purchasing it at all. I did have a customer support issue (PEBCAK, turns out), and their Twitter rep was very helpful. I appreciate that, a lot! The RGB system is mostly tacky, I found a reasonably pleasing pattern. I havent gone deep into the macro system: its not something I care about generally speaking. I do note that the split design is a bit funky, I have to adjust both sides of the keyboard just so, or I wind up with a host of illegible characters. The primary ergonomic issue with this keyboard is the location of the arrow keys; my hands have to force down to manipulate the arrows. Ive appropriately remapped my editors to handle key actions, but its pretty frustrating having keys that arent sustainable to be regularly and at speed. I anticipate that this will be my daily driver for a long time.

I type faster and make less mistakes with this mechanical keyboard. The split design is comfortable (despite a wrist injury) and the satisfying sound says, “I am getting Lots Of Work Done.” It is great except for one thing: the illuminated keys don’t live up to the advertising. I wanted the illuminated keys because the keyboard is on a drawer under the desk, resulting in much of the keyboard being in shadow, plus I do have to look at the keys when using special characters such as “%” or “{“. The special characters that I need to light are exactly the characters that do not light. The photos that Kinesis uses to sell this keyboard misrepresent how the illumination of the keys actually looks. One of those photos is attached. Also attached are more photos—two showing how the keys look when illumination is on, and the other showing how the LED is positioned under the key cap. After this investigation I’d be surprised if ANY mechanical keys available today can be made to illuminate both characters because parts of the mechanical key (metal and otherwise) are opaque, and the light can’t get around those parts to illuminate the second character. Maybe a design change for future keyboards would be adding a second LED light for the other half of the key. Cool if that circuit were activated by the “shift” key… So the choice seems to be either crisp/accurate/more fun mechanical keys that don’t illuminate completely, or mushy/membrane keys that do illuminate completely. Next Ill try an LED light strip to stick on the underside of the desk above, and turn off the keyboard lights.

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.

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/

This was one of the highest rated keyboards for ergonomics from Wirecutter and some other sites. I appreciate the split style and key action, but the number pad is in an unusual configuration on the left hand side of the keyboard, which makes my default left hand position feel unnatural. Also tenting is extra, I didnt think I needed this add-on, but the keyboard itself almost seems to slope inward uncomfortably. Perhaps it is because I formerly had a one piece ergonomic that was slightly raised in the center. Ive currently just stuck a notebook under the middle bit of the keyboard. long-term, I might return this keyboard, but will utilize for some time before deciding.

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).

Great keyboard hight quality. I wish a volume control in next model but Its fine for now!

I recently needed to replace my Microsoft ergonomic keyboard, which was pretty old and the keys had started to stick. After a bit of online study, I decided my poor arthritic fingers deserved the best care I could provide, and this keyboard seemed a likely candidate. I have had it now for two days, and I just *love* it...the return to a mechanical feel is welcome, but the mechanics on this board are the best yet, at least in my experience. I use my computer for data science work, writing papers, and all the other usual correspondence and so on, so I spend a LOT of time typing, and it is so much more efficient than that Microsoft board was; responsive, comfy, and highly configurable. Indeed, I find I move the two halves around periodically to minimize repetitive motion, something I would not have even thought of if the board design didnt allow it! And all this before Ive even gotten the tenting add-on, which should increase comfort even more (I accidentally ordered the wrong kit the first time; Amazon suggested buying it with the board, and I did not look closely enough to see that it wasnt the correct type--watch out for this!). Anyway I have no idea how it might be for gaming, but even for standard keyboarding application, its an exceptional gadget. Spendy, no doubt about that, but so far Id have to say it was worth every penny. And, in perspective, much cheaper than carpal tunnel rehab...right? One additional point: I was concerned that the layout would be hard to get accustomed to. Its not. All the keys are right where my fingers expect them to be, and I just had to get used to the distances, which are a bit different than the old Microsoft Ergo. But Im now typing even faster than before, thanks to the new boards responsiveness and feel. After just two days of not especially heavy use. Everyone probably experiences this a little differently, but I can say that for me, its a non-issue.

Working from home all day then turning around and gaming most nights on the same computer with a normal keyboard pretty quickly leads to pretty severe shoulder and back tension issues. Bought a pair of these keyboards to improve the ergonomics of our day to day lives, and man what a life saver they have been. Within a day or two we were both totally used to the split keyboard layout and our backs and shoulders stopped hurting at the end of the day. Would highly recommend to anyone who uses a computer many hours a day. Well worth the investment. Pros: + Ergonomics + High quality materials, real cherry switches, nice thick wrist rests that hold up over time and dont sag when the keyboard is angled with the optional accessory (see cons below) + RGB lighting is nice, if a bit limited on options + Programmable keys are awesome, and being able to create macros on the fly without needing to open the software is a nice touch + Multiple profiles can each have separate lighting and macros assigned to them Cons: - Updating the keyboard is a bit of a convoluted mess. You have to hit specific key combinations in specific orders, download and rename files to specific naming conventions and put them in specific folders. Its manageable to anyone whos tech savvy and their website has pretty thorough instructions, but it just seems like a royal pain compared to most things that are just Would you like to update your software? Yes/no - The layout of the home, end, page up, page down, insert, print screen keys are VERY different from a standard keyboard. As a programmer, it is taking me a long time to re-learn the positions of these keys that I use ALL THE TIME. - Media controls are mapped to the F keys plus the FN key, so you pretty much need two hands to use them (FN is the far bottom left key, for reference) - The software is a bit clunky. Programming more complex macros can be accomplished, but it has a decent learning curve. The RGB options are pretty limited compared to other software out there like Corsairs iCue. - The tenting accessory (sold separately) is honestly just trash. I reviewed it separately, but TL;DR it wont stay standing at its highest setting. - Both the Red and Brown switches are definitely not silent. Even after painstakingly putting rubber gaskets on every single key on both keyboards, they are still loud enough to hear several rooms over with the doors closed when you are really typing (80+ WPM). This isnt Kinesis fault, thats just mechanical switches for you, but its something to be aware of if you are used to typing on a membrane keyboard (much quieter).