4 ms·

For what it may be worth to anyone, as someone who prefers an "ergonomic" split keyboard with a softer touch (so my hands and wrists don't get stiff; I also use

by lcall 7y ago

For what it may be worth to anyone, as someone who prefers an "ergonomic" split keyboard with a softer touch (so my hands and wrists don't get stiff; I also use a brace on the right hand just when typing), I have used several keyboards, and strongly disliking the Microsoft one (my hands hurt worse: some keys I use heavily like Alt and/or Space felt stiff), I tried a probably inexpensive one I really liked (but left the job that bought it and now I don't remember the name), sprung for a couple of Kinesis freestyle ones that I loved (one at work, and one at home), then decided to make the leap and actually try the Kinesis Advantage2 (LF), and after rearranging some keys and about a month of use, it feels strange to go back to a "normal" keyboard again, even the Freestyle, though if I did go back it would only be because the keys seem to require a very little more force than the Freestyle. (No other connection to the company.) There was another interesting split keyboard ("SafeType") on Amazon that moves the keys to a vertical position, each hand basically facing the other, that is on my someday list to try if I ever get enough desire to spend more money. Now I see that the freestyle can do that too, but I would want some way to rest the forearms during intermittent use.

adventured 7y ago
It's always interesting how different what is comfortable can be from one person to the next. I can't type performantly on non-ergonomic non-split non-tilted keyboards any longer, after ~20 years of typing on split ergo keyboards. The way that straight keyboards orient my wrists causes discomfort within an hour or two of use. In my case the Microsoft battleship keyboard, the 4000, is the only thing I find comfortable. I can type on it all day with zero stress on my wrists or hands. Anything else and I suffer noticeable hand & wrist stress after a full day of work. The base of my hand / wrist area also likes the subtle padding on the 4000, it's just enough to provide some additional comfort without being annoying.
smacktoward 7y ago
The Microsoft ergonomic keyboards have been on a long, slow decline since they first came out in the mid-'90s. The original Natural/Natural Elite/Natural Pro keyboards were fantastic, real tanks. Those eventually devolved into the Natural 4000/7000, which had the same good layout as the originals but soft, mushy keyswitches that would fail if you looked at them funny. And those eventually devolved into the modern Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard, which mated the mushy keyswitches with skinny laptop-style keycaps (ugh), and merged the function keys and media keys into a single row of keys that you have to use a switch to move from one mode to the other. If Microsoft were to bring back the original Natural keyboard today and just replace the PS/2 connector with a USB one, it'd single-handedly improve the line more than 20 years of redesigns have managed to.
- cwyers 7y ago
  I would buy one immediately. And hell, they brought back the Intellimouse, so it's not unprecedented.
- 01100011 7y ago
  I eWasted all my old MS Naturals in favor of the Sculpt. Yeah, the function key switch sucks, but other than that I prefer the sculpt. I see the reduced key travel as a benefit. Extra travel does nothing but slow me down and require me to move my joints more. Sure, I like the satisfying feel of mechanical switches, but not when I'm pushing them thousands of times an hour.
- ldiracdelta 7y ago
  The problem with the MS Natural is that the shape of the keyboard, as compared to standard, goes away from your fingers the farther you are away from your middle finger. Kinesis Advantage does it the opposite, meaning that your fingers have to travel less to reach all the keys.
- jdhawk 7y ago
  The Sculpt was really close to being a worthy successor in my mind, but they totally screwed up the FN keys. They are a different size, height, and actuation. A real killer for people who actually use FN keys.
bostik 7y ago
The Freestyle is a wonderful keyboard indeed. The freely adjustable angle (+ distance if you need it) between the halves makes for a great typing feel. I used to go for Microsoft split-ergo, and before that, the Logitech split one until it was discontinued. No more. FS2 may look funny but it's great for hands and the silent caps don't cause aural disturbances either.

by lcall 7y ago

adventured 7y ago

It's always interesting how different what is comfortable can be from one person to the next. I can't type performantly on non-ergonomic non-split non-tilted keyboards any longer, after ~20 years of typing on split ergo keyboards. The way that straight keyboards orient my wrists causes discomfort within an hour or two of use. In my case the Microsoft battleship keyboard, the 4000, is the only thing I find comfortable. I can type on it all day with zero stress on my wrists or hands. Anything else and I suffer noticeable hand & wrist stress after a full day of work. The base of my hand / wrist area also likes the subtle padding on the 4000, it's just enough to provide some additional comfort without being annoying.

smacktoward 7y ago

The Microsoft ergonomic keyboards have been on a long, slow decline since they first came out in the mid-'90s. The original Natural/Natural Elite/Natural Pro keyboards were fantastic, real tanks. Those eventually devolved into the Natural 4000/7000, which had the same good layout as the originals but soft, mushy keyswitches that would fail if you looked at them funny. And those eventually devolved into the modern Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard, which mated the mushy keyswitches with skinny laptop-style keycaps (ugh), and merged the function keys and media keys into a single row of keys that you have to use a switch to move from one mode to the other. If Microsoft were to bring back the original Natural keyboard today and just replace the PS/2 connector with a USB one, it'd single-handedly improve the line more than 20 years of redesigns have managed to.

cwyers 7y ago
I would buy one immediately. And hell, they brought back the Intellimouse, so it's not unprecedented.
01100011 7y ago
I eWasted all my old MS Naturals in favor of the Sculpt. Yeah, the function key switch sucks, but other than that I prefer the sculpt. I see the reduced key travel as a benefit. Extra travel does nothing but slow me down and require me to move my joints more. Sure, I like the satisfying feel of mechanical switches, but not when I'm pushing them thousands of times an hour.
ldiracdelta 7y ago
The problem with the MS Natural is that the shape of the keyboard, as compared to standard, goes away from your fingers the farther you are away from your middle finger. Kinesis Advantage does it the opposite, meaning that your fingers have to travel less to reach all the keys.
jdhawk 7y ago
The Sculpt was really close to being a worthy successor in my mind, but they totally screwed up the FN keys. They are a different size, height, and actuation. A real killer for people who actually use FN keys.

bostik 7y ago

The Freestyle is a wonderful keyboard indeed. The freely adjustable angle (+ distance if you need it) between the halves makes for a great typing feel. I used to go for Microsoft split-ergo, and before that, the Logitech split one until it was discontinued. No more. FS2 may look funny but it's great for hands and the silent caps don't cause aural disturbances either.