Kinesis Freestyle2 Keyboard for PC Kb800pb-US

I bought my first Kinensis over 5 years ago after many long painful bouts with Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI)from working intensely as a programmer for many years. My then physical therapist helped me find this keyboard so that I could work both ergonomically and using less strike force to type. The result, 5 years of an injury free life where I was able to regain much mobility, range or motion and strength in my hands and arms.Recently, while moving to another office building the movers broke my beloved original Kinesis. While I searched for a new one I used a popular "ergonomic" keyboard supplied by my firm. By the evening of the 2nd day of using it I began to have symptoms of RSI. That evening I ordered my new Kinesis which was delivered within a few days. LIke my previous keyboard, set up and installation took less than a minute and has worked flawlessly for the past 3 weeks. Given the quality of the material and manufacturing of the product, I expect to have this keyboard for many years to come.One note about the design, though it is a querty keyboard, some of the hot keys keys, such as home, end and delete have a slightly different placing than most cheap keyboards. However, if you've ever owned a high end keyboard or used a Toshiba or Acer laptop, you know that sometimes the hot keys are lined up along the far right or positioned slightly different at the top. Such is the case with this keyboard.There are 4 things that I LOVE about this keyboard. The first is that it requires the lightest key strike force to type than any other keyboard on the market [Yes, I did the analysis]. I am most grateful for this engineering feat alone. Second, there are 2 delete buttons on the keyboard: one to the left of cap locks next to other hot keys (which I strike with my left pinky finger); the other is on the upper right of the keyboard (which I strike with my left pinky finger). The third is the fact that it can come completely apart and separate into 2 sections. I currently have the sections over 2 inches apart from each other (this too took some getting used to but its much more comfortable placement than any keyboard I've ever had. The 4th thing I love is how customizable it is. I currently don't have any accessories attached because my keyboard tray has an adjustable and cushiony wristpad along with a base that can tilt a number of different ways to provide varying degrees of tilt. without all the accessories it's the same size as the Dell keyboard that came with my new pc.So far I am very happy with my Kinesis Freestyle 2 keyboard and have no complaints. As with anything new I took the time to read about the product and to get used to the slightly new layout. My hands and forearms are finally feeling better from just the 4 days I was forced to use a regular keyboard. Kinesis, I am very, very happy and grateful that I'm able to work at what I love thanks to your great products (I use the vertical mouse which I also absolutely love). Please thank the engineers that took extra care at calibrating and measuring the keystroke impact so that it would be the lightest on the market. For more spec details and better pictures go to the manufacturer's website.Good job Kinesis staff! If you guys were here I'd hug you all!

I thought this keyboard would take more getting used to, but I was off to the races pretty much right away. Thankfully I was already a strong touch typist, so I had that going for me already. I know they sell tenting add-ons, but I saw in an internet review that they used door stops to tent the keyboard. I have done the same, and it is wonderful. I have seen some people complain about the function keys off to the left, but I actually find them quite useful. Cntrl-C is easy enough, but if I am going to copy and paste a bunch of things like numbers in Excel, the copy/cut/paste keys are great. I don't use the web keys much. Other complaints are that they Fn key is a toggle key. I actually like that it is. It makes adjusting the volume easier. Also, the "number pad", which is essentially a function of the right side of the keyboard, is not too bad. Not as memory friendly as a normal number pad, but not bad. If this is a deal-breaker, go and by a Targus keypad for 20 bucks. My further advice, get used to the side ridges on the left function keys or the right Page-up, Page-down, etc. Once you do, it is much easier to not take your eyes off the keyboard.One last thing: will this keyboard help with wrist problems? Definitely. Is a magic bullet? No. You still need to work on proper form. I was hoping this would solve all my problems, but that was my unreal expectations. This keyboard is much more customizable than most though, since you can put the two sides at shoulder-width, which is much more comfortable for me. The price is much cheaper than most, and definitely cheaper than medical bills to treat repetitive strain injuries.

I love this keyboard! I used a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 for about 8 years before buying this keyboard and I wish I switched way sooner. They keypresses feel just about perfect and they make typing much more enjoyable. They have a very satisfying click to them, and it actually sounds a bit quieter than the Ergo 4000 because the keyboard isn't as empty, so the keypress sounds don't resonate through the keyboard. They keypress force is also MUCH lower, so it's less strain on your fingers. And surprisingly, I find that I am able to type much faster on this keyboard for whatever reason, so that's pretty neat. I think it's a combination of the lighter keypresses and the improved tactile feedback of the keys.I also looked at the Goldtouch keyboard but I remember a old coworker had one and it looked bit flimsy and the positioning mechanism seemed awkward and actually broke after a few months. He resorted to using books to prop the keyboard up after that. I also considered the Kinesis Advantage but it seemed a bit too expensive, and I didn't want to deal with adapting to all the new locations of keys.I do find myself wishing there were dedicated volume keys on this keyboard. It's not too big of an issue as I rebound the back/forward a webpage keys to volume keys.I also wish that the function key was not a toggle, but a modifier key. As it is now, you press it once and it turns the function modifier "on". Then you do what you need with the function keys, and then you click Fn again to turn it "off". I'd rather that it was a press and hold sort of key.Other than that, this keyboard is great. I'd definitely recommend the VIP3 kit to go with it. It's expensive, but it makes the keyboard much more enjoyable in terms of ergonomics. And that's the whole reason you're buying this keyboard isn't it?