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.

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

Keyboard was easy to use and onboard but more than that I like their web interface where it is easy to get product support through videos, and easy to interact with customer service very quickly. I got my keyboard 6 months ago and this morning had an issue with a key not working. Thankfully, i found the support site, FAQ, and contact link in a flash; it was then easy to get test data to send to Kinesis, and I received extremely quick customer service response on my question — including clear directions on how to remap to fix the an accidental key remapping I had made. I clearly haven’t worked to get the most out of this keyboard - I really only bought it for the ergonomics, but based on the quality of the keyboard, the service, and my accidental experiment, I am looking forward to more effectively using its programmable features! As for ergonomics, the keyboard is a joy to use. I did get the lifts which make it much better for me. I like that the keyboard separates which allows me to have a clear space to place a snack while I am working, and I can work with a very comfortable arm position throughout the day.

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.

Although I am a gamer and would have purchased this keyboard for home, the price point was too high. I purchased this keyboard for software development at work because I need a ergo keyboard with reliable keys that can take lots of typing. This is my 3rd keyboard in 4 years and hoping its the last. PROS: Cherry brown key switches are a joy to type on. The control software does NOT require admin privileges so I got the software installed without an IT ticket. The software runs like a USB application, copy the files anywhere on C: and run. The adjustable height, with the optional legs, work pretty well, even though I think for this price point they should have been included. Macro keys are great for small snipets of code like DOxygen comments, etc. I also like the fact that the keyboard itself stores the color profiles and macros internally and allows the end user to manually edit them. This comes in handy because the software option to record a macro is a bit clumsy for anything more than a few characters. The light affects can also be manually adjusted in a text file which is handy. CONS: I really dont like the position of the DEL key in the upper right corner even though I am getting used to it now. I would have preferred a wider foot print with the standard 2x6 (INS,DEL,HOME,END,PGUP,PGDWN) above the cursor keys to the left of the 10 key. The only real issue is with a weird key repeat problem I had with the original firmware(or the previous FW to Decs 2020 release). Several times an hour, a single key would just start repeating forever, even though I removed my hands from the key. I had to type another key to stop it, then delete the string of chars. That was getting old fast. Luckily the latest firmware seems to have addressed most of this issue, so now it only happens once or twice a day. If I were using this in a game however, I suspect it would caused multiple deaths during gameplay. NOT REALLY A CON but: Configuring the keyboard requires a strange procedure that I have never seen in any Windows device. Using a key combination the user basically takes the keyboard offline so that Windows will then see the internal flash drive where all the configs and settings are. Then it checks to see if the configuation utilty is running. Once the app is running the keyboard is not really a keyboard anymore but a flash drive instead. While in the app you can set macros and change the keycap colors / schemes. When done, you do the same key combination to exit the configuration setup and return the device to a keyboard. Its weird, but it works.

First thing that was a real headache is that the keyboard didnt work at all through my rather standard IO-GEAR KVM. Checking their own support, they basically say theyre not going to support KVM switches, but do list two dumb KVMs that do work, both of which are VGA based, which is a non-starter for me. Getting told Im out of luck for support with KVMs with a ergo keyboard (most often used for work applications) is pretty crappy. So, I ended up getting a generic USB switcher, which then shows a second failing on this keyboard, it takes between 7 and 9 seconds to start up, which is really annoying every time I switch devices. Second thing is that the build quality seems really cheap for how expensive this keyboard is. All plastic construction. The tabs that hold the wrist guard on dont hold it very securely; just fine if its flat on the table, but moving the keyboard a bit and it can easily pop off. The flap holding the extra cable for the tether cable pops off if I move the keyboard around even a little bit. To be clear, the keyboard feels pretty sturdy, but its just way lower quality than keyboards that cost half the price or less. Additionally there are no tilting (not tenting) flaps at all. I got the tenting kit too, and I wont fully review that here, but it isnt great either. I prefer my keyboard slightly tilted up at the back, and there is no way to achieve that with this, even with the tenting kit. So far I havent really used this keyboard much. Ill have to update my review on how it feels to actually use it, which Im hoping with make up for the shortcomings thus far. This keyboard was pretty expensive after all, and it would be a shame if I didnt like it. Though the experience of install and setup, and immediately being confronted with such serious shortcomings is really unfortunate, and doesnt really bode well. Update: On the ergo side Ive figured out that I can take the pads off the wrist wrests. They are held on with velcro that is glued down. Annoying to pull the velcro up and cleanup the goo, but its fine. Honestly now, I can use the tent kit and it doesnt feel awful, and without the pads the wrist rests actually are long enough to be useful. Before the bulge on them was too far forward making it feel like my hand was always sliding off it. So with this bonus Im a bit happier with it... But it still takes my feelings on it from really closer to a 1.5 up to about a 2.2 stars... So leaving the review unchanged for now. Will update if my feelings evolve.

I honestly do not write reviews for any products I buy however I am so pleased with this keyboard I feel the need to add my two cents. I loved my Microsoft ancient keyboard that was purchased 10 years ago and its been a great 10 years but this particular keyboard is so much more and so much better. I am an application analyst for a healthcare company and I am on a keyboard 10-14 hours a day. I have needed an ergonomic keyboard for awhile and I have read reviews upon reviews. I would love to break this apart for other users that want a keyboard for a similar reason. Things I love about this keyboard: 1) The ability to move and reposition the keyboard based on my posture or when my wrists feel stiff has been amazing and a huge plus for ergonomics 2) Programmable hotkeys shortcuts and of course colors-yes I love them and the individuality it allows 3) Plug and play I can easily switch from workday job to weekend editor for my husband easily without fuss. Cons (honestly I was reaching....) 1) I have to create and program all of my hotkeys and color patterns/profiles on my home laptop then plug it into my work machine. 2) No 10 key (I bought an off brand separate....wish they made a complementary 10 key as a package) I also want to address some negative comments on somehow the keyboard turning inward and being forced to feel like you have to buy the tent attachments. I didnt have this experience and my keyboard was perfectly flat, I honestly dont feel the need to buy the attachments but might at a later date to see if there is a difference and/or improvement in ergonomics.

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.

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.

Can anyone help with bringing back the lights? Factory Settings? Thank you. my KINESIS GAMING Freestyle Edge RGB Split Mechanical Keyboard (MX Brown) is not responding. The lights are all off. Can anyone help with bringing back the lights? Factory Settings? Thank you Thanks