Kinesis Freestyle Pro Ergonomic Split Mechanical Keyboard Equipped With Cherry MX Brown Mechanical Key Switches

I work in an office where I am tasked with inputting lots of different spec sheets, some are the same and other have aspects which are the same. I bought this keyboard as the macro functions seemed to be something I could use. This keyboard has improved my productivity greatly, it has also relieved the mental stress of having to type the same data over and over again. The macros are recorded at whatever speed I type but played back at a much faster rate (which you can choose through the settings). All of this is done with no software on the company's computer, which they will not allow. It did take a while to get to grips with the keyboard but after a few weeks I can say my fingers have got used to the no. 6 being on the "wrong" side for me, also the American layout of the enter key. I do not suffer with any sort of RSI so I cannot vouch for it's ability to alleviate your pain. I do find though that it is very hard to use flat, so I have it propped up about 15mm by a small shelf which gives me the right angle. You can buy the stand but I haven't really seen the need yet. All in all after 6 months of use I can recommend it if you need the macros.

I have the same keyboard at work and decided to get one for home. Returned the one I got as the right half was giving a very loud and noticeable metallic ping.

Very nice keyboard, a bit ticketty tlack the key. The programming feature saved me of returning it, I was able to program the backslash and pipe into the menu letter.

I spent weeks going over reviews and watching YouTube videos of different mechanical ergonomic keyboards and eventually went for this Kinesis Freestyle Pro as the one that had most of the things I wanted: ergonomics, a truely split keyboard, key remapping, compatible with Mac and Windows and Macro programming. I wanted a keyboard that I could work with my Mac Mini and then also my work laptop in Windows, remapped for programming and then another layer for writing. Firstly, the Freestyle Pro feels a little cheap. I't heavy enough and won't move on your kesk, but the whole whing is plastic and doesn't have a premium feel for the £200 price (with tenting accessory). The connection to the PC is still USB A which may be a problem for some with newer machines and the leads can not be disconnected if damaged.The lead you get isn't the braided kind either - plain plastic sheath. You have to buy the tenting kit separately, which is another £30 on top of the £170 for the board. You don't get any wristrests with it either and have to paid for those separately too. Out of the box, this was connected and I started typing. A little awkward at first but getting used to it. This review is typed on the board. It's a US key layout - so the enter key is small and on the home row and there is no backslash key next to the Z - just a shift key. The key 2 is labelled with an @ sign to shift to but when you do this you get ", like a UK keyboard and when you press the backslash kye with or without modifiers, you get a # or ~ and not the backslash and 'pipe symbols it is labelled with. No problem, I thought, I will remap the problem keys to something better. You press the Smart set key and F8 to load a small flash drive to your PC, which has settings, layouts and an app for remapping the borad. A very neat idea. Unfortunately, you remap each key by pressing the one to change and then pressing the key with the symbol on to remap to. Pressing all the keys on the board with and without shift / ctrl or Alt did not give me a backslash and I need the backslash daily for server -aths etc. This is a deal breaker. I can't do my job without it. I also couldn't find any way to move a shift character from one key to another. So if you wanted to map the quote to the 1 key rather than the exclamation mark, you can't. A nice idea is the programmable macro keys on the left hand board. You can program these in the app or edit the text file on the drive. Another nice idea is the number pad layer you can get by pressing the fn key - this turns the right hand pad into a numeric keypad although the keys seemed mapped in a strange way to me. The default typing layer seemed to be changed a couple of times in the few hours I was using this. This could be me though butyou need to press the SmartSet button and a number to set it to a different layer and I didn't have any set up and it's not something you can press by accident. I believe this was another fault as the SmartSet key is way out of the way. Typing on the Freestyle Pro is OK. I thought it would be nicer but there is an annoying metalic ping on mine, the keys feel a bit 'scratchy' and again, not premium. I'm returning mine as it seems to be faulty and labelled incorrectly. If it worked, I might have kept it as I like the idea of the programmable macros, remapping the keys and having the two sides at shoulder width apart - although I notice I am still aching after a few hours of using this - maybe that would have went away with further use. Tried to use this without the tenting kit but that ached worse. Back to my Logitech Ergonomic. Can't recommend this for the high price and cheap feel and the other issues I've had in such a short time. Super disappointed as I really wanted to like this and have that keyboard that just worked and did everything I needed.

Purchased in April 2021 as my first split mechanical keyboard, this ergonomic keyboard has provided a fantastic typing experience that encourages good posture and supports healthy typing habits.

The keyboard itself is amazing. Ive been wanting to purchase the edge tho considering its has rgb at the same price. Now the problem is the price. Unless you live in a country like me (sweden) go ahead and purchase something else, there are lots of better alternatives. Paying over 100€ for wrist pads and lifting the keyboard is insane. Now lifting the keyboard should come with the keyboard otherwise its useless. The wrist pads, i dont understand why they cost half the price of the keyboard?

Erstmal diese Information: Die Kinesis Freestyle Pro ist eine sehr gute ergonomische Tastatur und eine durchschnittlich gute mechanische Tastatur. Sie ist nur leider sehr teuer. Das liegt vor allem daran, dass sie einen Nischenmarkt bedient. Andere ergonomische mechanische Tastaturen sind vergleichbar teuer und noch dazu in Deutschland schwer zu beziehen. Die Tastatur alleine ist eine Katastrophe, man sollte sie ausschließlich mit Handballenauflage und Tenting Kit benutzen. Dafür gibt man aber nochmal gut 100 Euro aus. Ich empfehle hier ausdrücklich, nicht die Kombivariante Tenting-Kit + Auflage, sondern stattdessen das Premim Palm Pad mit Gelfüllung zu kaufen. Leider ist dieses allerdings nur über Amazon.com aus den USA zu beziehen, wo zum Preis von knapp 30 Euro nochmal 20 Euro Versand dazu kommen. Bei dem ohnehin schon stattlichen Gesamtpreis war mir diese Mehrausgabe es aber wert. Die normale Handballenablage ist okay, aber nicht herausragend (zudem empfinde ich die Premium-Pads nicht nur als deutlich angenehmer, sondern ich erreiche mit diesen auch leichter höhere Tippgeschwindigkeiten). Ich hatte befürchtet, ein QWERTZ-Layout zu bekommen, die Deklaration war nicht ganz eindeutig. Ich bin aber glücklich, ein US QWERTY-Layout bekommen zu haben. Als Programmierer hat das einfach Mehrwert. UK Layout wäre mir lieber gewesen, weil man mit dem US Layout das Problem hat, dass man eine Taste zu wenig hat und somit bei im Betriebssystem eingestelltem deutschen Layout die <>-Taste nicht mehr erreichen kann. Bisher hat mich das noch nicht so sehr gestört (man kann halt dann schnell zwischen den Tastaturlayouts wechseln für das eine Zeichen; ich schreibe ohnehin nicht so viel auf Deutsch). Aber in Zukunft werde ich dafür wahrscheinlich trotzdem ein Makro einführen. Apropos: Die Remap- und Makro-Funktionen sind für mich hinreichend einfach verwendbar (ich habe bisher allerdings lediglich die Caps-Lock-Taste als zweite Shift-Taste umfunktioniert und die Caps Lock-Funktion auf die rechte Ctrl-Taste gelegt, das ging aber ohne Probleme). Die Position der Pfeiltasten ist etwas unergonomisch. Allerdings habe ich mit AutoHotKey Ctrl + JKLI als Pfeiltasten umprogrammiert, womit ich gut zurechtkomme. Dass die Switches nicht auf einer Metallplatte angebracht sind, wird Enthusiasten vermutlich enttäuschen. Für mich hat das den erfreulichen Nebeneffekt, dass der Geräuschpegel insbesondere in Kombination mit dem Tenting Kit erträglich ist (mit den MX Brown Switches und mit einer Lage O-Ringen). Noch dazu sollte man sich angewöhnen, die Tasten nicht ganz runter zu drücken, was man aber auch aus anderen Gründen (Geschwindigkeit, Gesundheit) nicht tun sollte. Ich habe mir überlegt, ob man eventuell zwischen den beiden Hälften eine Maus unterbringen kann. Leider hat sich diese Lösung für mich nicht als praktikabel erwiesen. Ich denke noch darüber nach, eventuell ein kleines Trackpad oder einen Trackball dazwischen zu stellen. Zu guter Letzt möchte ich den numerischen Block erwähnen: Über die Fn-Belegung kann man auf die JKL/UIO/789 Tasten einen numerischen Block legen. Dieser ist etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber nach etwas Eingewöhnungszeit komme ich mit ihm gut zurecht.

The keyboard to me looks plain and simple with no unnecessary design and style choices, the way I like it. One thing I did notice is that my left hand moves all the way to the edge of the left keyboard to press Tab but results in hitting the two column macro keys. This is not the fault of the keyboard but rather my own. The other thing I noticed is that I have used my right hand my whole life to press the letter B. The B key though sits on the left keyboard. For me it would have been nice to have the B key on the right keyboard. Regarding what Kinesis calls SmartSet App, the macro program, it worked out of the box and the instructions were clear in the manual. I did have to download the App from their website as I use a Macbook. I just wished it had more capabilities such as doing a mouse move or mouse press on key press. It also lacks direct control over each delay between actions in a macro, although I think it is possible to change the global delay for all actions.

I purchased the keyboard along with the extra tenting accessory and the 10-digit keypad. Just over 24 hours with the new setup and I can already say this is the best keyboard I've ever used. Typos are almost a thing of the past (no more cramping your hands in unnatural positions to hit certain keys), and the comfort level is phenomenal. Cherry switches so the typing feels wonderful, and while it takes some getting used to the layout of certain keys, the split design and elevated angles completely eliminate fatigue and strain. Pricey for a keyboard setup, especially if you're used to spending under $100 for a traditional membrane, but as the title says...