Kinesis Advantage Review: Long-Term Evaluation
by Jarred Walton on July 2, 2013 10:15 PM ESTClosing Thoughts: Advantage, Kinesis
I spent more than a month typing on the TECK before moving on to the Kinesis Advantage. The initial learning curve with the Advantage wasn’t as steep for me, and while part of that may be the similar orthogonal key layouts, I think the layout on the TECK requires more effort to learn. I don’t know that anyone can really declare either keyboard as superior, but every user is likely to prefer one more than the other. I happen to be lucky in that I got a chance to try out both.
My initial thoughts were that the TECK and Kinesis are really just different takes on the same idea—mechanical ergonomic keyboards. After returning to the TECK to do some additional use, however, I’m now convinced that the TECK requires more effort to learn, and in fact if you stop using it for a month or two and return you’ll have to retrace some lost ground. Today for instance, after numerous attempts, I managed to get no better than 55WPM on the TECK in any of the typing tests—15 to 20WPM off of what I was doing back when I finished the TECK review. On the other hand, I pulled out an MS Natural and was able to get good results within a few minutes.
A big part of the difference is in the key arrangements; TECK changes a lot more relative to the standard keyboards, whereas the Kinesis layout puts a bunch of stuff on your thumbs but otherwise leaves most keys where you’d find them on other keyboards. Maybe it’s just personal preference, but the center column of Start, Delete, Tab, Backspace, and Enter on the TECK doesn’t work nearly as well for me as the thumb pad arrangements on the Kinesis. On the other hand, I generally had a better time with the cursor keys and document navigation keys on the TECK, and while it can cause some issues at first, I think moving Shift up to home row is an ergonomically sound idea.
There are other aspects to consider as well. The TECK is definitely more compact than the Advantage, even with the palm rest attached; without it, the TECK is positively diminutive in comparison. The Advantage also has a few additional features like USB ports, macro recording/playback, and built-in key remapping. None of these are “must haves” in my opinion, but they’re all potential perks that make a good product just a bit better.
I know that I’m not a very good study in “typical” computer use—I have several desktops that I switch between, plus laptops come and go almost weekly. That means I tend to like things that don’t mix it up too much, at least in the keyboard arena (these two keyboard reviews notwithstanding), and in this case the layout of the Kinesis Advantage simply works out better for me than the TECK. It also costs more, but the good news is that both companies offer money back guarantees. If you’re looking for a good ergonomic keyboard, there’s at least the potential to give both of them a try and then keep whichever one you like the most. The Kinesis Advantage will set you back $299 for the model I reviewed, or $325 for a model with Cherry MX Red switches; the Advantage Pro bumps the price up to $359 but you also get longer macros and a single-action foot switch. The TECK rings up at $248 (plus shipping and such), so about $50 less than the base model Advantage.
There’s still one more keyboard that I’ve got waiting for some serious attention: the ErgoDox via MassDrop. I almost cringe at the thought of having to go through “keyboard rehabilitation” yet again, as just poking around at it is enough to let me know that yet again there’s a completely new layout to come to grips with. I suspect by the time I’m done I’m still going to end up back with the Kinesis as my favorite of the bunch, but there’s something cool about a keyboard that you can build on your own if you want, with the design released under the GNU GPL v3. The MassDrop option isn’t currently available, but if enough people express interest in it I’m sure it will open up again. Now pardon me while I go cry a bit before unplugging this Kinesis and starting in on a full review of the ErgoDox….
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teiglin - Tuesday, July 2, 2013 - link
I almost laughed out loud when I read the second line of your signature after all the noise you made about your age. Cheap shot, I know, but it just struck me as hilarious, especially with the cut-off email address. Even though you're only 10 years older than I am...Fun read though, I switched from a MS ergonomic keyboard to non-ergonomic mechanical a few years ago and have been on-and-off considering something like this. Always useful to read an *experienced* perspective. ;)
praftman - Tuesday, July 2, 2013 - link
Safetype Keyboard and Datahand are the two most radical, yet seemingly valid, keyboard rethinks I've come across.JonnyDough - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
At those prices? No thanks. I'll stick to a regular keyboard. You can get "decent" ones for under $50.Chapbass - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
It all depends on your needs. If you type very often and for long periods of time, then "decent" ones turn out to be "terrible" over the long run, when many start developing RSI problems. Those can end up being a LOT more than $300 for treatment (worst case: surgery) and don't always work. Its much better to get the proper tools to ensure that you can work without issue for many years.The previous generation didn't use computers daily nearly as much as this generation does, so who knows how many people will end up with RSI related injuries in 20-40 years. Better to nip it in the bud before you become a statistic.
greghopenz - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
I have owned a pair of Kinesis keyboards for over 14 years for work station duties, one at home and one at work. Gaming has been with normal keyboards, mostly as I find the layout not conducive to gaming.One finally failed last year, and I replaced it with another modern one with a usb connector (my olds ones have an original fat pc connector to give you some idea of age). I think my ones are not mechanical switches. For a $300 keyboard, I cannot complain about it lasting 12 years. In the interim, I have destroyed many generic pc keyboards, so $30 per year is excellent value.
Other than the chicklet keys, the keyboard is fantastic. I got them when I had oos or rsi issues, and they helped greatly. Replacing the mouse with a trackball was more important, but the ability to rest the weight of your arms on the keyboard really helped.
Murloc - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
I think I would be covered in vomit and tears after reviewing such a keyboard, you're a hero jarred.Ninhalem - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
I understand totally about switching from a regular keyboard to something like the ErgoDox. I'm still trying to sort out hitting the v and b keys.EBSP - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
Thanks for your keyboard reviews. I am finishing my PhD thesis was shopping for an alternative to my MS 4000. After reading your TECK review I decided that it was time to get serious and make a decision. I really wanted to hold off my purchase until after you completed the the Advantage review but ruled it out as an option due to its cost. I settled on the Kinesis Freestyle. I absolutely love being able to reposition each half of the keyboard (right now "G" and "H" are 11" apart) and the key force is just right. I think it is a good compromise between enhanced ergonomics and traditional key layout as it took almost zero adjustment to get used to. I'm excited to read your ErgoDox review.jseliger2 - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
Years ago I got a review model, wrote this: http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/kinesis-a... and then returned the review model. A week or so later I bought one of my own, which I'm typing on right now.I suspect that the improvement between a regular keyboard and the TECK or Advantage is very large, but the marginal improvement between either keyboard for any particular user is pretty small. That is, you get diminishing returns when comparing the TECK or Advantage to each other but very large returns comparing either to a conventional keyboard.
chadrandom - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
Jarred, as it sounds like these keyboard reviews are grinding on you, I'd just like you to know that I really appreciate these mechanical switch ergonomic keyboard reviews. Most all of my friends and colleagues think I'm crazy for going through so many mice and keyboards in effort to find the perfect solution. I've looked into these mechanical switch ergo keyboards but haven't mustered up the courage to trust in the money back guarantees. As such, I've been looking for reviews just like yours to help me determine the best course of action, and your sharing of your experience has been extremely valuable. The ErgoDox looks very interesting for a few different reasons to me, size being one of the important factors to me. I'm looking forward to your review. Again, many thanks for your thorough reviews of important products which are peripheral in a sense, and yet are the principal tool in the human-computer interaction. Cheers.