Kinesis Advantage2 Ergonomic Keyboard (KB600), Black top case, Cherry MX Brown Switches, QWERTY keycaps

This might sound extreme, but I think this keyboard literally changed my life. I say "think" because I'm not sure what could have been. I am a software engineer. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time at a keyboard. Over the years (I'm 39 by the way) my hands and wrists have progressively got worse. I would hear cracking, and constant aching in my hands and wrists. I just assumed that was par for the course with my job. As time went on, it got worse, and I decided to look into keyboards. I've had the split wrist ergonomic keyboards in the past and I liked them, but I thought I would look into something else. After reading tons of reviews, looking at and seriously considering every crazy keyboard style out there. I looked at all the start ups, oldies, etc. I had some criterion: - Nothing but the best ergonimics - mechanical keys - programmable I finally settled on the Kinesis Advantage 2. Setup was as expected. Now that's because I was already aware that there are KVM switches often have compatibility issues for keyboards like the Kinesis. This prevents you from being able to use the keyboard input on the switch. I have a KVM switch (IOGear Miniview DVI 4 port USB KVMP Switch). When reading the reviews from both companies, I knew it wasn't going to work, but I already had a workaround. Basically, because your keyboard has the multimedia controls (like a lot of other of your cool keyboards) and some other advanced features, KVM switches don't recognize them. That doesn't mean that you will have any drivers on your windows PC (or Mac/Linux/etc) or anything like that. It's just a keyboard to everything else in the world... but your KVM switch. This problem was easily solved by using one of the standard USB connections on the switch. I just have to push the button on the switch now. I also hooked up a standard keyboard for the rest of the people on this planet that don't know how to use my keyboard... so I just use that to actually control the KVM so it's really fine in the end. If you are planning to use a KVM switch have a look at the Kinesis web page, they have identified some that do work, sometimes only in a partial manner. As any other review of the Kinesis will tell you, it takes time to get used to. Plan on that. I spent a lot of time on Type Racer practicing in my down time. I completely stayed away from standard keyboards for about 2 months (mostly). I made a lot of mistakes and made a lot of mistypes, hitting double keys, etc. It was obvious from the start how much better the ergonomics were. I was able to easily program some macros into the keyboard. As I mentioned, I'm a software engineer. There are a lot of patterns that I type many times a day, I can do this with a single keystroke now. So far, I haven't found a need for it yet, but the keyboard has different layer settings so if I'm switching between editors that have different auto completion features (i.e. how {} and () brackets are written out and tabbed... developers know what I'm talking about). The Cherry keys are all they are cracked up to be. It's my first mechanical keyboard set so I don't really have much to compare them to, but the keys are wonderful. They are clicky, but not too bad. People I work with have not mentioned much about it so I assume that it is not too bother some. Now, on to the real reason you would buy this keyboard. The ergonomics... As I mentioned, it was obvious immediately how much more comfortable this keyboard is. I'm not sure exactly at what point it was, but my wrist pain went away... and I'm talking about a 2 months... probably less. I didn't have any diagnosed carpal tunnel or anything like that, but the pain was constant. It's also important to note that I have reduced shoulder and neck pain because my arms are in a more natural position as well. I carried my keyboard back and forth to work gladly every day until I got one for my work. At that price my work wanted a doctors note, which I gladly went for. At this point, I have had the keyboard almost a year. I will now switch between "normal" keyboards and the Kinesis pretty easily enough. It literally becomes painfully obvious how much better the Kinesis is after typing at a "normal" keyboard for more than 5 minutes for me now. My wrists will start to hurt almost immediately and I think that I've been doing this all my life. I'm seriously considering switching to Dvorak now that I have one at work and one at home. I was thinking that it might help me separate my brain more from the "normal" keyboard so switching would be easier. I did get the Dvorak version for work to plan for this and will likely buy the keys for my home keyboard. Have a search on Youtube for a review on the Kinesis Advantage 2. There is a very good one that is about about a 15 minute in depth review of the "Human Keyboard". Pros: - Ergonomics - Program-ability - Ergonomics - Build quality - Ergonomics - Actually smaller than it appears in pictures. - Ergonomics Cons: - KVM Switches... but a lot of other high end keyboards will suffer - It's completely different from all other keyboards (but that's why your buying it right?) so switching between "normal" keyboards can be awkward, but it's not as bad as I expected. - Fatter and taller than a "normal" keyboard but slightly shorter. It might not fit well in those desk drawer keyboard trays. - could be considered loud, but nothing louder than any other mechanical keyboard. In the end, this keyboard does exactly what it says, every other review I read is spot on. If you are serious about your ergonomics, are experiencing pain in wrists and shoulders. I'm not saying this is going to cure you... but it might. In conclusion, I "THINK" this keyboard changed my life, because I will hopefully never know, but I was quite certain that I was developing some long term chronic problem with my wrists and hands. As of a year later, I don't worry about this nearly as much.

I've experimented with so many other keyboards before landing on this one. Started with a Typematrix before college, switched back to regular keyboards like keychron Q1, then got a Moonlander (which is also split, ortholinear, and has thumb clusters). The biggest thing all of those other keyboards miss that the Kinesis gets right is the keywell - it's convex so it encourages a natural wrist position, and all your fingers rest perfectly on each key. The column of keys for your pinky is slightly higher up and the column of keys for your middle finger is slightly lowered... because your fingers are different lengths. The thumb clusters encourage using your thumbs for super common keys like enter and backspace rather than your weak pinky. And these thumb clusters are way more natural to use compared to the Moonlander. When your fingers are on the home row, you can access all the thumb cluster keys without moving your hand because of the varying heights and angles of each of the thumb cluster keys. Clearly a lot of thought and research went into the design of the key layout. Also, it's super easy to remap keys. It's onboard - you press the remap button, press the key you want to move, and the destination key, and you're done. Makes it really easy to experiment with different positions; for instance, I switched the shift key with the one above it on both sides so that my shift keys were on the home row since it's one of the most common keys. When it comes to build quality and premium feel... Yeah, it's plasticy, yeah it has abs keycaps that will get shiny over time, yeah it has no backlight, and yeah it's wired, but clearly the money was spent on making the most comfortable keyboard, not the most flashy or premium feeling. Even though it's plastic, it feels super durable and I don't think it'll break very easily. If you can't do wired connection, the Kinesis 360 Pro is wireless and very similar, but honestly I prefer the simplicity of the wired connection on this one. No worrying about charging. I also like that it's one solid unit rather than distinct halves. Less to keep track of, less positioning to adjust, but that also means it's less flexible since you can't change the distance between each half of the keyboard like you can on the 360. I think this one is easier to have in your lap though than the 360 with its two distinct parts. All depends on your needs and wants. Speaking of having it in your lap, one downside of this keyboard is that it's raised higher than a lot of other keyboards. The actual keys are lowered down into the unit, but to enforce that, the actual body itself rises up quite a bit. You'll need to make sure you have a chair that can go high enough or a keyboard tray that makes it lower so you're not hurting yourself by scrunching up your neck and shoulders to reach the higher level. I find placing it in your lap is a super comfortable way to use it that gets around this, but consider getting a drafting chair if you need your chair to raise up higher than your current one does. Also, just a small thing, but I love having dedicated function keys (F1-F12). Might be silly, but I've never had a keyboard before where you can just press a function key - without holding down a separate "fn" key or other layer shift. If you use VS Code or develop in general, there's often a number of super useful shortcuts tied to the F1-12 keys, and it's very handy to access them at the press of a button without any key combos or anything else. Highly recommend this keyboard if you experience any sort of pain in your wrists, arms, shoulders, or neck from sitting at a desk typing all day. It's so so worth it. My pain went away so fast. Just make sure the rest of your setup is ergonomic as well. The Kinesis Advantage 2 User Manual has a whole section on how to make the rest of your desk setup ergonomic. Make sure to follow it.

I bought this keyboard a few years ago and had to come back to leave review because it’s that good. I have carpal tunnel and cervical spine issues and typing on regular keyboard was extremely painful. I tried the Kinesis Freestyle Edge but it’s too big for my hands and the split keyboard was too awkward to use. So after reading and watching reviews, I bought the Advantage2. What a great keyboard! The layout and key well keep the my fingers tips from burning. It took a few days to adjust to thumb clusters but now I type considerably faster than I did before. Moving keys to the thumb area reduced strain on the pinky from hours of copy/paste. I have not used any of the remapping or macros but intend to. It’s expensive but the ROI is worth it if you are online all day. I bought second used one so I can leave it in the office. Cons: it’s a weird shape so traveling/commuting is awkward. I wish Kinesis would offer glow-in the dark keycaps to make up for not have an LED keys. The Advantage360 looks amazing but I prefer a stable keyboard I can use in my lap if I wanted and the Advantage2 has the stability I need. One last wish: gel pads. The Advantage2 palm pads are flimsy pieces of foam that I supplement with improvised cushions. All in all it’s a great upgrade.

Un diseño fuera de serie en la búsqueda de un teclado ergonómico que reduzca las dolencias y malestares de quienes pasan muchas horas tecleando textos. Sin embargo, lo devolveré, porque en mi opinión, dado su diseño curvo, las teclas tienen una posición inusual, por no decir extraña, por lo que se tiene que reaprender la posición de las teclas para llegar a dominar este teclado. Tengo 50 años y empezar de nuevo significaría una preocupación, más que un apoyo.

I've had several natural keyboards in my time, including a much loved Microsoft Ergo one and the Sculpt. But I started to notice wrist, arm, and neck pain, so I ordered a Logitech version of the natural keyboard and their vertical mouse. It got worse because the keyboard was so much larger and the mouse hurt my hand. So back they went which was a shame as I love Logitech normally (I'm using an MX Master 2 mouse now). Still, I had to do something and I'd heard of Kinesis before. I looked at the Ergodox as well, but that looked even worse. Enter the Advantage 2. I still flub typing the c key as my finger thinks it should be lower down, but I'm almost back to where I was with speed and my body thanks me. Expensive? Yes. Worth it if you're typing a lot? Absolutely! I'd highly recommend this to anyone that wants to feel better about their ergonomics and who wants a premium mechanical experience. And....I can switch to a laptop keyboard with no issue and back again as well.

I was recently diagnosed with RSI. A general economic keyboard did not help the situation and this is where I decided to try this. First challenge was you have to relearn how to use this keyboard as all the characters are slightly displaced. So I actually tracked my progress on typing test.com. on the first week I was at 13 words per minute and subsequently I progress back to 60 words per minute. the only biggest thing I hate about this keyboard is that it is not wireless, given how long it is really been in the industry.

Hat meine Probleme mit RSI sehr verbessert. Innerhalb von einer Woche werden die Schmerzen in der Hand bereits spuerbar weniger. Beste Investition in meine Gesundheit und in meine Arbeit als Programmierer.

I've used split keyboard for ages and finally wanted a mechanical one. There are a number of alternatives, all expensive, so I decided to give this one a try. I got the version with Cherry Brown switches. Once I got over the learning curve - and don't fool yourself, there is one - I found it very comfortable and easy to use. It's even got a Mac mode which alters the mapping of the thumb keys slightly (and it comes with the correct keycaps for a Mac). I found the hardest thing to get used to was the thumb clusters - specifically, moving the backspace and delete keys from right-pinky to left-thumb. I love it now though. A word to the wise, though: If you can't touch type, you should think again before considering any split keyboard, especially this one. You WILL have to learn to touch type to use this keyboard if you can't already... and you will find out all about the little bad habits you had built up as you get used to the ortholinear key layout.