The point is that it is simply impossible to type on a traditional keyboard without some degree of discomfort, because you just can’t get your limbs into a pain-free position. With the Kinesis Advantage, you can. The idea is to minimize the distance your fingers have to travel. Theoretically, the extension and retraction of fingers causes extra strain, and so putting the keys into wells and switching off the standard, staggered key layout gets you a more efficient typing experience. Wireless. I like a clean desk, and all the new Keyboards I had were wired. I've used the Apple Magic Keyboard wirelessly for years with no latency issues. Due to the split keyboard design, each hand has its own set of keys which have been split and positioned a short distance apart. The split nature positions hands at shoulder width and perpendicular with the home row of keys. This keeps your wrists straight, avoiding abduction and ulnar deviation. The keys are arranged in vertical columns (rather than staggered) to better reflect the natural motion of your fingers.

True Split design. The Moonlander could be adjusted to your shoulder width, providing another level of ergonomics. Integrated palm supports help promote a neutral wrist position, reducing harmful wrist extension. Self-adhesive, cushioned palm pads can be attached for extra comfort and the supports provide a comfortable surface to rest your hands when you are not typing or taking a rest. Quantitatively, there's no real difference in typing speed between this keyboard and my laptop keyboard, or any other keyboard that I've tested in recent memory. I type at around 110 words per minute on Monkeytype with every keyboard I own (after an adjustment period for each), so I'm not setting any records but I'm also no slouch. GamingThe two key-wells are “tented” at an optimal 20-degree angle moderately raising the thumb side of the hand Tenting puts you in a more neutral, “handshake” posture and reduces the stresses caused by the forearm pronation and static muscle tension. There are more than a couple things that differentiate this keyboard from the average keyboard, such as: During these eleven months of waiting, the customs law here in Turkey changed numerous times. Because the keyboard cost more than 150 euros, I could no longer withdraw it from customs, and I had to arrange a company specialized in importing goods from customs. After some time preparing notarized documents and paying almost %50 of the base price I paid for the Advantage2 360 Pro, I received it last week. I spent the followings: The Advantage2 (KB600 model) utilizes the Cherry MX Brown stem low-force tactile key switches. “Tactility” is a slightly elevated force around the midpoint of the stroke of the key which lets you know the switch is about to be activated. A tactile response is preferred by many ergonomists, because it cues your fingers that activation is about to occur and can reduce the frequency of “bottoming out” the switch with a hard impact. Plug & play. Instant configuration for Windows, Mac and non-Windows PC operating environments, includes Windows and Mac legended keys.

Also just like other ergonomic keyboards, the Advantage has a “ tented” design. This means that both halves of the keyboard have a gently upwards slope starting with your little fingers and progressively rising as you move towards the index fingers. Again this allows for a more natural position of wrists and shoulders. Thumb clusters are so amazing that I've spent quite a bit of effort trying to get more out of them. What if I could trigger the numpad from the thumb cluster and avoid the number row? What if things like the = could live closer to the homerow instead of living up in the corner of the keywell? The thumb clusters are so effective that I've tried to rethink everything I thought I knew about keyboard layouts in the past. Some effort was made to make sure the Advantage 2 didn't look terrible, but I doubt it was too much. This, like most Kinesis products, screams out "I'm a professional!" I personally like the look, but it doesn't have the sleek contours of an Apple laptop or Logitech mouse. The thumb clusters were such a game changer for me they get their own section of the review. Thumbs are an incredibly strong finger and well positioned to perform tasks on a keyboard, but the normal keyboard only assign them one key: the big-ass spacebar. What if that spacebar were smaller? What could we move down to the thumbs to make them more effective? What if we could reduce the load on the weakest finger (the pinky) and reduce the number of wrist contortions necessary to do actions like copy-and-paste? How much happier would your wrists be? The Kinesis Advantage 2 sitting at my desk last winter.

Weight

The Advantage360 Professional is the successor to the well-known Advantage2. It comes with several new features, such as Adjustable Split, Wireless connection, Tenting, ZMK (highly customizable firmware), and many other minor things. In this blog post, I will explain the significant design changes and my experiences with Advantage360. To see my complete ZMK configuration, take a look at the .keymap file: https://github.com/fatih/Adv360-Pro-ZMK/blob/V2.0/config/adv360.keymap Price and Customs The only programability feature that I have really used is the ability to switch between QWERTY and Dvorak keyboard layouts automatically. This allows you take your keyboard anywhere and type in Dvorak whether your employer feels like installing that keyboard layout on your machine or not. Bridge: The bridge is plastic and flimsy, and I didn't open it all. After all, I bought the Advantage360 mainly because I wanted to adjust the gap between the two halves. So, the bridge defeats the purpose. A connector could be helpful if you want to use it on your lap. Before I can tell the main differences and the new features, I'll have to describe shortly how it all started. Please bare with me because it matters to understand why the Advantage360 is superior and better to the existing Advantage2 in many ways.

Soak the loose keycaps in warm soapy water lightly scrub to remove any gunk. Rinse the keycaps and let them thoroughly dry. Concave keywells are scooped into a bowl shape to reduce hand and finger extension and relax muscles.So the Advantage is best in class, though the class has a size of 1 unless you want to build your own keyboard. I guess that means it's worth it? Verdict The only reason you are considering this keyboard (likely) is for the typing experience. You probably don't care that people spend hours lubricating key switches and testing out different keycaps for their sound qualities. You want to type without pain. Comparison between the Ctrl, Alt, Cmd/Win keys of the Advantage2 (taller) and Advantage360 (shorter)

The Kinesis keyboard has the full range of function keys, but they are not much easier to reach than on any other keyboard. For almost two decades, the small function keys were rubber domed atrocities that served their purpose, but felt really cheap, especially when compared to the bank-breaking mechanical key switches used in the rest of the keyboard. In the Advantage 2 iteration these keys are now also mechanical, but while appreciated, this does not genuinely make a world of difference. Basic cleaning should be performed regularly by using compressed air to remove any loose debris in the key wells. Overall body posture is also influenced by using an ergonomic keyboard. Your arms and shoulders are encouraged to sit in correct alignment and reaching is minimised. Kinesis Advantage 2 Keyboard Features

The integrated palm supports reduce stressful bending of the wrists and provide a convenient place to rest your hands when you are not actively typing. Self-adhesive, cushioned palm pads (included) can be attached for maximum comfort. Keycaps: It was great they sent various keycaps. I immediately changed some keys, such as the default ESC to Blank, and replaced the Esc with the Alt key in my right thumb cluster. It seems that the Advantage 360 can be adjusted with remapped keys and by using keycaps from the Advantage 2 Nordic layout, but it seems like this might not be the best experience all in all. At the same time, I can't help but to feel that the Advantage 2 is a bit dated, especially regarding the design and feel and with the 360 to compare against. The Advantage 2 has some advatanges like an extra row of keys, only one unit etc. While being a developer, I don't really see myself going all in on layers and programming, so don't think that missed ZMK of the wireless version is a deciding factor, while wireless in itself is nice.