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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JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
Honestly, the hardest part is that just when I reach the point where I'm thinking, "Yeah, I actually like this keyboard a lot and could see myself sticking with this particular model..." I have to unplug it and start testing the next one. Argh! I admit to being a bit shocked at how bad I was at typing on the TECK after a two month break; it will be interesting to see if the same thing happens with the Advantage once I put it aside and start using the ErgoDox daily in its place.gwolfman - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
Jarred, you mentioned Dragon in your article. I know Anand (at least used to) uses Dragon a lot. Can you ask him to write a companion article on his experiences with Dragon? Or do that + you take up Dragon and give your hands a break entirely from the keyboard! I tried Dragon for a few semesters while in college, but haven't touched it in quite a while. Please chime in.JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
Actually, I think you're remembering my Dragon articles -- I'm not sure that Anand has done much with Dragon in recent years. I've got a copy and a microphone to use with it, and now I just need to spend some time testing....gwolfman - Monday, July 8, 2013 - link
Yeah, I Sounds great, I'm looking forward to it.damonlynch - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
I've been using the Kinesis keyboard since the mid-1990s. Like others my first model was pre-USB, and for about 10 years now I have the same model reviewed. I love it! I find the keyboard macros are helpful for things like my name (mapped to Shift+Backspace), my email address, website etc.The only maintenance aspect of the keyboard that is required after long-term use is to occasionally replace the foam pads. Those pads really make a difference if you are like me and rest your arms on the palm rest when not typing.
The other thing to be aware of is USB 3.0. Kinesis write (grammatical error included) "Advantage keyboard’s currently do not work with Intel based USB 3.0 ports on Windows 7 operating systems. The Advantage however will work with Intel based USB 3.0 ports with other operating systems, including Windows 8, Mac & Linux. The Advantage should work with most other non-Intel USB 3.0 chipset manufacturers and Windows 7."
7amood - Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - link
Hello Jarred, Get an A4Tech A-Shape keyboard for a review and make sure it is not a slim model. You will enjoy the most comfortable ergonomic typing on a standard keyboard layout. There is no learning curve, you just put your hands and start typing. Your hands will give you the happiest feedback you'll ever get from typing on a keyboard ever. I used one for years 10 years before I had the courage to retire it and get a normal mechanical keyboard (Logitech). I would love to hear your thoughts about it.flowrush - Thursday, July 4, 2013 - link
Just a note that the prices on those kb's can be had for a good deal cheaper if you don't buy directly on manufacturer's site. See here - http://search.thehumansolution.com/search?vwcatalo...Azethoth - Saturday, July 6, 2013 - link
Now I miss my old original white MS Naturals. The silver black ones I replaced them with sucked and I jumped ship to G keys and Logitech. Currently Corsair K-90 with mechanical keys. Its got the lame non split layout and is also spaced closer than I want so lots of double key hits and the keys are twitchy and double tapping a lot.My perfect keyboard: I really just want the MS split key layout but with G keys and mechanical keys. (existing inverted T arrow keys and num pad mandatory of course). I would be happy to banish caps lock, insert, num & scroll lock to the bottom of the keyboard. Also textured ESDF keys (with spare WA as well for the sheeple). This hardware remapping sounds good as well.
z0phi3l - Monday, July 8, 2013 - link
Just looking at that thing and my wrists started hurting, not sure why it's called ergonomic, it looks more like a wrist torture deviceJarredWalton - Tuesday, July 9, 2013 - link
Don't knock it until you try it. :-p