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Why Kinesis doesn't produce higher quality build variant of its keyboard? One that doesn't feel like a flimsy/cheap plastic. It seems they are charging premium
by zerr 6y ago
Why Kinesis doesn't produce higher quality build variant of its keyboard? One that doesn't feel like a flimsy/cheap plastic. It seems they are charging premium just for the layout and PCB.
- mech422 6y agoI got one of their 'freestyle' keyboards years ago.. complete crap - I swear its rubber dome switches :-P I got an ErgoDox EZ last year, put some nice heavy kaihl box switches in it...now I just gotta find time to learn it (and dvorak/colemak). Currently using a Vortex Cypher with the split spacebar, I tore down and rebuild - new switches, added leds (south facing mounts so they're useless but I figured I'd try). and new keycaps.
- antigirl 6y agoI got ergodox few months ago. Still getting used to it. I feel like this other ken keyboard promotes typing with your hands rested. ASFAIK this can be a culprit for RSI
- packetslave 6y agoThere's a HUGE difference between the Kinesis Advantage and the Freestyle line. The Advantage2 uses MX Browns. I tried to love my Ergodox, but I've spent way too many years with the scooped keybed of the Kinesis.
- mech422 6y agoYeah - People really seem to like the Advantage. I just wasn't sure if I could get used to the scoop... In hindsight, I should have just tried it. The ergo will be something new for me ... New layout and my first ortho-linear.
- mech422 6y agobtw - have you seen/tried anything like the 'tractyl' [0] or ultimate hacking keyboard[1] ? I used to use a trackball full-time, and I'm wondering how well a lil 'thumball' works... [0]https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/dk9b34/tractyl_split_keyboard_with_trackball/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/dk9b34... [1] https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/ https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/
- packetslave 6y agoTractyl looks pretty neat, but I think I'd miss my thumb keys too much. I looked pretty closely at the UHH, but I think it would be the same issue as the Ergodox -- I'm too used to the scooped keybed of the Kinesis, which makes the reach between e.g. K and 8 short enough that I notice when it's not there on a flat keybed.
- mech422 6y agoYou could have the trackball on one thumb and the thumb cluster on the other... I have a couple of crooked fingers from breaks that didn't heal completely straight, and I think I'm getting arthritis. So I'm trying to maximize usage of my 'strong' fingers. I should really try a kinesis sometime. Everyone that has one seems to love them...
- dan-robertson 6y agoI don’t think the advantage feels flimsy. Certainly I wouldn’t want to be hit around the head with one (but maybe this is a bad metric for “flimsy”). I think the premium is largely for the difficulty of putting all those keys in that 3d layout. I think the old advantage 1 had dome switches and was quite a similar price to the cherry-switch advantage 2. The maltron which also has a bowl shaped layout is also expensive. But also the only bit of the body of the keyboard you interact with is the rest for the heel of your hand and often people put something on these anyway (e.g. gel pads, tape to reduce slipping, ...) so it seems bad to optimise for it.