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Kinesis Freestyle Edge Split Mechanical Keyboard
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Kinesis Freestyle Edge Split Mechanical Keyboard
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464 Sold
Product Description
Kinesis has been a leader in split keyboards for over a decade. Its latest, the Freestyle Edge is a split keyboard outfitted with your choice of Cherry MX switches for just the feel you want Read More
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Customer Reviews
4.4
(17 reviews)
5star(10)
4star(4)
3star(2)
2star(1)
1star(0)
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keyboard_arrow_downDogen
24
May 15, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Decent keyboard, not KVM compatible
No HID-USB support for KVMs is a deal breaker in this new age of pandemic work-from-home. Many of us will have a home PC for gaming and a work-issued laptop and this is where a KVM comes in real handy to quickly switch between the two via a convenient keyboard command, that is, if your keyboard is HID compatible.
Otherwise it's a great keyboard; very ergonomic, low actuation force, great layout. The palm rest accessory is too flimsy and the angle accessory doesn't lock in place and the pads are awful because they slide around too easily.
Recommends this product? Yes
spr0k3t
181
May 9, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Great split keyboard
This really is a great split keyboard, there's no question about it, but there are quite a few things that need to be taken into consideration when looking at any of the Kinesys boards. First off, you will never find a replacement for some of the keycaps... just expect to live with the shiny ABS caps you get with it. The layout feels great, but the R2 on all of the keycaps was honestly a horrible idea. The escape key... wow, land a helicopter on that sucker it's so big, would rather have had a 1U for the escape. The stabs on the board are very loud and could use some lube right out the gate. The board does ping even with lubed switches, so be sure to look for some foam you can cut down to help with that. I used a 0.125" sorbathane foam. Would have been nice if they would have used a standard TRSS cable instead of the physically attached stiff cable. I've modded mine to use a standard TRSS instead.
Recommends this product? No
scifimodelmaker
0
Jan 11, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
This is not my first Kinesis keyboard, but it is my first mechanical. The ergonomics are familiar, but the key feel is totally new. I've been typing on it for a day now, and while the Cherry MX Browns are taking a bit of getting used to, it's a very pleasant experience and I can already feel the difference between these and everything else I type on. My fingers and wrists already feel the difference between bottoming out on every stroke, and what a keyboard should feel like. The software is good, and allowed me to remap for Mac use in a matter of minutes. Now to figure out how to customize the keycaps considering no one is making a 3.5x space bar.
vortexau
24
Nov 21, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
Excellent keyboard! Great key feel and ergonomics. My only complaint is the LEDs could be RGB so I can pick my preferred colour, but this is a personal choice and doesn't reflect an issue with the keyboard itself. I am planning on ordering another in the future to replace an older Kinesis Freestyle I use at work.
pfn0
24
Oct 18, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
Keyboard is great, minus the funky pgup/pgdn/home/end and esc keys positioning. This is natural to me, however due to using a rubber dome kinesis split keyboard already. I am however disappointed by the lack of a pricing advantage purchasing through massdrop vs. amazon (shoulda checked, assumed there was a bigger discount here).
Macro and layout configurations on the keyboard are amazing.
Macro and layout configurations on the keyboard are amazing.
JRobz10203
22
Aug 23, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
Background: I use this for software development at work.
It has only been a few days and I like this keyboard! I have to admit that I did have a bit of a headache getting used to the split format since I tend to move my right hand over to the left half quite a bit from using a typical full sized keyboard. I'm already starting to get used to it though.
The reason why I chose this keyboard over other ergonomic keyboards like the ErgoDox EZ is the fact that my coworkers can easily pick it up and use it. Also the learning curve is relatively negligible, so my work productivity won't be impacted
My only complaints are (1) the position of the ESC key and F keys, (2) you're limited to just brown and blue switches, (3) The del/home/end/pgup/pgdn keys are a bit awkward coming from a full-sized keyboard,and (4) the lack of a numpad & the space wasted by the macro keys that I don't need. I personally love the gateron greens, and you cannot hotswap the switches. These are all personal issues though and I digress.
All in all, it's a great keyboard!
It has only been a few days and I like this keyboard! I have to admit that I did have a bit of a headache getting used to the split format since I tend to move my right hand over to the left half quite a bit from using a typical full sized keyboard. I'm already starting to get used to it though.
The reason why I chose this keyboard over other ergonomic keyboards like the ErgoDox EZ is the fact that my coworkers can easily pick it up and use it. Also the learning curve is relatively negligible, so my work productivity won't be impacted
My only complaints are (1) the position of the ESC key and F keys, (2) you're limited to just brown and blue switches, (3) The del/home/end/pgup/pgdn keys are a bit awkward coming from a full-sized keyboard,and (4) the lack of a numpad & the space wasted by the macro keys that I don't need. I personally love the gateron greens, and you cannot hotswap the switches. These are all personal issues though and I digress.
All in all, it's a great keyboard!
justanothersysadmin
0
Jul 27, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
This keyboard is nirvana, everything I have been looking for in a keyboard for quite some time. The keys feel great, the ergonomics are perfect, I love the tilt. My only slight complaint is the far right hand layout is a bit awkward but overall awesome, now I just need one for at work.
VGVisionary
14
Jul 18, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
My first split keyboard ever and definitely a keeper. The design could've been better, with the ESCAPE button being in a very odd place and hard to reach while typing. I also hit the backlight button a lot instead of CTRL, but that's definitely more of a personal issue than a real design flaw.
hasues
6
Nov 29, 2018
VGVisionaryI completely agree about the Escape. They keyboard is great, but there are a few keys that are going to cause me problems due to my muscle memory and location of certain keys. I can live with this one, but sometimes I miss the standard layouts as I know I can reach for those and know where the keys are without looking.
Talec
0
Jul 17, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
Love this keyboard for typing, it feels so much more natural to type on this keyboard then a standard layout. My only issues with it have to be the ESC key is hard to reach while gaming and too be honest I remapped it to the 2 Macro Key. The other slight thing is the lift kit at 15% is really easy to to knock over so I'm fixing it usually when I first sit down at my desk and am getting the keyboard to where I want it; just wish it would lock in the 15% like it does at 10.
heldpizza
319
Jul 26, 2018
TalecOh yea jeeze the escape button is farther off to the left. Looks like they tried to compensate for this distance by making it the length of the backspace key. Cool board though for sure. I have had a growing interest for Kinesis and have yet to test one out.
Wolfgang_Bach
68
Jun 13, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
Before I begin my review I want to explain why I am giving 4 stars instead of 5. I think this is a great keyboard, but I have a few quibbles with the design. I would actually give it 4.5 stars if I could.
Normally I like to start with the pros, but my cons are minor so I will get them out of the way. They are also matters of opinion and may not be issues for other people. - Keyboard layout: While I am happy with the layout in general there are a few things that stick out to me. The first is the size and placement of the ESC key. It's too big, and too out of the way. The fn key could also have used a better placement as well. I understand Kinesis probably made these choices to make room for the arrow keys on the keyboard, and I do like having access to arrow keys without having to use a function layer, but I think fn keys on both sides of the space bars offers more flexibility. - Too many keys: When you have a fully programmable keyboard with 9 layout options I don't need F keys or dedicated macro keys. I would prefer a more compact design. Perhaps these keys are included to have more appeal to gamers, but I feel the best split programmable keyboards will have a 60% design. - This is the most trivial of my quibbles, but I would have liked RGB LEDs with more options for the lighting. This is not an issue worth taking a star away for, but I figured I would mention it since there are a number of keyboards with nice LED options.
Now for the pros. - Ease of programmability: Well done Kinesis! There are many programmable keyboards on the market, but most I have come across either require an app that runs on Windows (dedicated GNU/Linux user here) or remapping keys by pressing a magical incantation of buttons that is only feasible for a few remaps. Being able to upload a .txt file to the board with the desired key layout is the simplest and most elegant solution I have come across for programming a keyboard, and with 9 layouts available, the possibilities are near endless. Again, I applaud you for this feature Kinesis, it is one of the main selling points for this board. - Tenting: The tent kits are affordable, and really make for an enjoyable typing experience. There are only three configuraitons, 5, 10, and 15 degrees, but I imagine this will be sufficient for the majority of us looking for a more ergonomic typing experience. For me, the split design alone adds a huge degree of comfort in typing, and didn't take me long to get used to. - Ease of firmware update: I don't think it is possible for a simpler firmware update process. It essentially amounts to uploading a file the keyboard's onboard storage. Kinesis has really made a user friendly keyboard.
Final thoughts: I think this will be considered one of the best split mechanical keyboards on the market. It is well engineered and feels built to last. There might be prettier boards out there, but you'd be hard pressed to find a board with more and better features.
Normally I like to start with the pros, but my cons are minor so I will get them out of the way. They are also matters of opinion and may not be issues for other people. - Keyboard layout: While I am happy with the layout in general there are a few things that stick out to me. The first is the size and placement of the ESC key. It's too big, and too out of the way. The fn key could also have used a better placement as well. I understand Kinesis probably made these choices to make room for the arrow keys on the keyboard, and I do like having access to arrow keys without having to use a function layer, but I think fn keys on both sides of the space bars offers more flexibility. - Too many keys: When you have a fully programmable keyboard with 9 layout options I don't need F keys or dedicated macro keys. I would prefer a more compact design. Perhaps these keys are included to have more appeal to gamers, but I feel the best split programmable keyboards will have a 60% design. - This is the most trivial of my quibbles, but I would have liked RGB LEDs with more options for the lighting. This is not an issue worth taking a star away for, but I figured I would mention it since there are a number of keyboards with nice LED options.
Now for the pros. - Ease of programmability: Well done Kinesis! There are many programmable keyboards on the market, but most I have come across either require an app that runs on Windows (dedicated GNU/Linux user here) or remapping keys by pressing a magical incantation of buttons that is only feasible for a few remaps. Being able to upload a .txt file to the board with the desired key layout is the simplest and most elegant solution I have come across for programming a keyboard, and with 9 layouts available, the possibilities are near endless. Again, I applaud you for this feature Kinesis, it is one of the main selling points for this board. - Tenting: The tent kits are affordable, and really make for an enjoyable typing experience. There are only three configuraitons, 5, 10, and 15 degrees, but I imagine this will be sufficient for the majority of us looking for a more ergonomic typing experience. For me, the split design alone adds a huge degree of comfort in typing, and didn't take me long to get used to. - Ease of firmware update: I don't think it is possible for a simpler firmware update process. It essentially amounts to uploading a file the keyboard's onboard storage. Kinesis has really made a user friendly keyboard.
Final thoughts: I think this will be considered one of the best split mechanical keyboards on the market. It is well engineered and feels built to last. There might be prettier boards out there, but you'd be hard pressed to find a board with more and better features.
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