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

There are not many split-staggered, TKL, tentable, RGB-backlit, mechanical keyboards, and if thats what youre looking for, this is absolutely the top of the heap. The wrist rests are really comfortable, youre getting the consistent Cherry MX quality that the switches promise, NKRO works very well (I upgraded from the Microsoft Sculpt which I also quite liked, but had *several* un-pressable key combos that actually practically limited the functionality and I have seen _zero_ of that with this board), and the remapping functionality is absolutely world class; software available but not required, lots of profiles, lots of custom keys, macros, scriptable via plain text files... really there is no better keyboard from that perspective. But the case is fairly pingy even after I installed O-rings, it seems like theres no foam or anything keeping the switch springs from reverberating mightily, the split spacebars are an incredibly weird form-factor (3.5u) so custom keycap sets are not usable, the double-shot ABS keycaps get worn and shiny after only a couple of days, the forehead is inexplicably huge, theres no wireless functionality, the tenting kit is sold separately (and it REALLY should be included, for how much this costs), and the layout places the modifier keys *way* underneath your thumbs so youll probably want to remap at least one spacebar to avoid making a cramped claw gesture on every hotkey. So if youre a mechanical keyboard enthusiast this is an intriguing model for a few reasons, but you should expect to have to *heavily* mod it to get anywhere close to enthusiast-grade typing feel regardless of switch type. Plus, you know, no hotswap. Overall Id still say 4 stars because its almost exactly what I wanted, but its a little disappointing that it is not more premium in terms of sound and feel (ahem, PBT keycaps with a softer edge next time plus some case foam and maybe a weight please Kinesis) at this price point.

The keyboard is as advertised. Although I cant give it a higher rating due to a few issues: - The cord connecting the 2 splits are fixed and short for someone with wide shoulders like me, Ive seen other offerings that has different forms of connection between the splits which you can replace as you see fit. - The Esc key sits right next to the F1 key and makes me sometimes accidently press the wrong Fn key. Could use some spacing. - Palm rests are soft but the material feels a bit cheap. - No lighting on the 4 small buttons on the very top of the right side.

I bought this keyboard Used-Like New directly from Amazon. It was in as-new condition when I received it, and initially the board worked well. However, after 6 months the keyboard prompted me to update to new firmware. This update scrambled the board, rendering half of it inoperable. Despite working with Kinesis tech support and attempting several hard resets and manual firmware re-installs, the board remained unusable. **Then I learned that because the board I had purchased was pre-owned, there was no warranty coverage.** They will honor warranties for refurbished products they sell through their own website, but not through Amazon or other sellers. So, desipite Kinesis techincal support acknowledging that it was most likely a manufacturing problem, I was not eligible for a replacement and I now have a very expensive paperweight. Buyer beware: unless there is a active problem with your board, I would avoid any firmware updates. While it worked, I loved this keybaord. Echoing what others have said, the (sold seperately) risers are a must-have to enjoy the true ergonomic benefits. Just take care if, like me, you prefer to avoid unnecessary manufacturing waste by purchasing pre-owned products -- buy from the KINESIS website or YOU WILL HAVE NO WARRANTY COVERAGE.

This keyboard is very nice~ Just what I expected. The blue cherry keys are appropriately clicky to fulfill my odd desire for the mechanical keyboard sound and the amount of effort I have to put into pressing each button is just right. Definitely recommend the tilt kit which wasnt sold with the keyboard but definitely a necessary part of it! One warning is give yourself a good week or two when you buy this before you try to use this for any serious quick typing as you may find that you cant type as quickly as you used to while you retrain your muscle memory. My fingers seem to think the G and B should be on the opposite side and the Y is oddly supposed to be on both sides so it takes a bit of getting used to to figure out which fingers to use for which middle buttons. WPM dropped from 55 on a regular keyboard to 31 when I switched, but with time I got back up there. As for the gaming aspect of this keyboard, love it~! If you program it right (which isnt hard with the application), you can easily get 18 different keyboard set ups and the macro binds are wonderful~! I use the macros to get my league of legends pings off easier. I love the ease of setting it up, the quickness and granularity of customization, and the beautiful colors possible on this keyboard. Also, the macros are great if youre at work and need a small or quick temporary macro and dont want to put it into your excel sheet. Oh and if youre worried about not having a ten-key, dont worry, you can easily program one in and press a single button to flip between the keyboard with the embedded 10 key and the normal keyboard. All in all, I love it!

The quality of the keyboard feels great, the best thing about it for me is that all the keys can be remapped, and macros created for all keys. Im a computer programmer, and use a Mac computer, its hard to find a programmable keyboard that is compatible for macOS. The ergonomics are wonderful. The back lighting is very adjustable. The pads are extremely soft and comfortable. The only thing negative I could say is that its a little pricey, and it should come with the lifts, but its worth it to me.

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.

Bought this keyboard 2 years ago, worked well during that time until it stopped. Keys get locked up and spam letters when I type triggering words. For the price I expected it to last longer than that since Ive had cheaper ones that longer.

Due to my rheumatoid arthritis, I always use the ergonomic styled keyboard, recent ones have been the keyboards by Microsoft. However, I missed typing on Cherry MX switches, Ive also had a Razer keyboard. However regular keyboards hurt my wrists over time (Im a developer so I type a lot). I wanted to give this keyboard a shot because it combines the switches I love typing on, with some cool RGB lighting effects and macros to setup convenience shortcuts, etc. I am very happy I decided to give it a try, I love typing on this keyboard. Keys feel fantastic (I got the MX Brown), their app to setup the shortcuts, lighting effects, etc. is super simple to use, and the palm rests are some of the best Ive ever had on a keyboard. Ive seen the off shoots/copy cats, one has a dial, but to me setting up the Kinesis button to be my play/pause key, and setup the two macro buttons below for volume is very convenient. If you want an ergonomic keyboard with Cherry MX switches, I would highly recommend giving this product a shot. I dont think youll be disappointed.

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 was having really bad wrist pains from using a plain old Macbook keyboard at work and a classic full keyboard at home. I decided to go in on a split keyboard to try to ease that pain, and it has helped immensely. My wrists _and_ my shoulders feel much better after a few months of use. The key macro and rebinding features are great. I work from home and switch the keyboard between a macbook and a windows PC. Having two different profiles is amazing and it was very easy to set up. Apparently, the Mac setup software does not run on Catalina now but I can set it up on my Windows PC so all is not lost. The light rebinding is really nice too, though the quality of the individual lights didnt quite live up to my expectations (which were admittedly sky high). Still though, they serve their purpose. For example, I have HJKL colored green on my Work profile for Vim, QWER/WASD colored special on my gaming profile. I have caps lock bound to escape and colored them both the same to remind me. Just all around really helpful to be able to rebind keys and recolor them too. I hope this keyboard lasts a while because I like it a lot.