Customer Reviews

Kinesis Freestyle Solo™ Mac USB Keyboard - White (KB-700MW-US)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the most comfortable keyboard I have used. The split keyboard feature allows comfortable hand and wrist positioning. The keys themselves feel great: easy to press, but rare accidental presses. The Mac function keys work well. I experienced no "learning curve": I was able to type efficiently right away.

I have two of the Mac version and one PC version. I ordered the Mac versions from Kinesis directly and had them customized with a 20" cable. With the wrist rests, custom cable, and shipping, they came to about $180 each, but they are a tremendous value. After using primarily these keyboards for 2 years, my shoulders experience no pain and my posture is greatly improved.

The key switches are not the best, but they get the job done. The flexibility in positioning is tremendous, though you will likely want a good, large surface for maximum flexibility.

The only downside is that Kinesis charges a premium for the 20" cable ($40) and the 8" isn't really long enough if your shoulders are broad enough (I'm very tall with broad shoulders).

However, there's really nothing else like this on the market at this price point--and the folks at Kinesis are fantastic to work with if you have questions or comments. Highly recommended.

This keyboard made my wrist problems go away instantly. I don't think a keyboard could get any more comfortable. The only issue I have run into recently is that the Command button on the lower left side is starting to stick. I use Command+Q all day long however so it is a heavily used key. I would call this a minor issue since it doesn't stick often and I have been using this keyboard for two years. These keyboards are expensive but if you are on a workstation for any amount of time, this keyboard will save you way more pain and $ in the avoided medical expenses. I could not recommend this keyboard more.

As far as ergonomics go, this Apple-oriented keyboard is pretty good and I like the split keyboard. That said, there are still a few problems. I'm coming from the Apple wireless keyboard, so that's my basis for comparison. As a programmer, a good chunk of my time keyboard use is writing code. Here goes:

1) The function key locks and unlocks like the caps lock key. Not quite sure why they did this, and I find it rather inconvenient. If I want function keys to act exclusively as function keys instead of volume control, etc., I can set that in the preferences. This also prevents you from using function in keyboard shortcuts (for example, fn+down arrow for page down, etc.). Sure, there are dedicated page up/down home/end on the keyboard, but they're placed in a very inconvenient (for me) position. Why break the default apple shortcuts?

2) The keys take significant effort to push down, especially coming from an Apple keyboard. I find that I type significantly slower on this keyboard and my fingers get tired much more easily. That said, this gives you more response than the more shallow Apple keyboards.

3) Key locations and widths differ from Apple defaults and make accuracy more difficult. Likewise, the placement of home/end/pageup/pagedown keys along the right end of the keyboard (next to delete/return,etc.) with no space between them make it easy to miss the delete/return key and end up somewhere you don't want to be.

4) Escape key is located pretty unusually from the main keys. This is really annoying if you use Vim a lot.

The keyboard also has a lot of useless buttons including web forward/back, cut/undo/copy/selectall/paste, etc. Sure, you can remap them to functions you find useful, but they do take up space and anybody who types enough to justify a keyboard at this price already has keyboard commands mapped to perform these actions faster than reaching for these keys.

I do like the off/sleep button, though -- wish the standard apple keyboard had that!

If these issues don't bug you, it's a pretty decent keyboard. But if they do, you might be better off looking for something else.

AMAZING KEYBOARD !!! I couldn't tell initially what my wrist and carpal pain was until a family member told me that it was the keyboard I was using. So I searched for a keyboard that would correct my issues. Well I found this keyboard and decided to buy it and see the results. This keyboard corrected my WRIST and CARPAL PAIN within days of using it !!! But it works better set vertically. I have mine at around 80 to 85 degrees vertical. Although not the full 90 degrees, it still works perfectly. The only thing is the accessory that goes with this unit, called the "Ascent Multi-Tent Accessory" that holds this keyboard at it's 90 degree angle is a WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. Don't waste you're time paying $180.00 - $200.00. Use a Box of some kind; mine measures - 12 x 9.5 x 4". That's the best size box for this type of keyboard. Put them on either side of the box and it will fit your needs perfectly. I've been using it for a year now and tried to find a cheaper website that carried this "Ascent Multi-Tent Accessory" item. Even on "sale" at $179.00, it's still not worth it. Again, USE A BOX. To any reseller selling this accessory - what was your cost for these things? $90 or $100? Because if it was, you should dump them at that cost you bought them for and be done with it. If you paid more than what I said, then they're going to be even harder to sell... This piece of metal "accessory" shouldn't be any more than $40 to $50 tops. No accessory should cost twice the amount of the main item you're trying to sell; which in this case is the keyboard. It's no slight on the resellers, just the decision to allow this accessory to be sold for such a high price for such AN AMAZING KEYBOARD !!! WHICH BTW, IT IS !!! :-)

P.S. If anyone wants to see a picture of how mine is set up, just reply and leave your email address and I'll email you the picture. I'll try to see if I can load up a picture of my keyboard/box setup so you can see what I'm talking about. Again, AMAZING KEYBOARD !!! :-)

After over two years of heavy use and dousing it with liquids twice, my Kinesis keyboard still works great. Like many reviewers, before using the Freestyle my typing posture was awful, and this would absolutely kill my neck and shoulders after a few hours. The split keyboard improved my posture and drastically decreased any discomfort associated with long periods of typing. It's also well built; the keys have nice "action" and it's solid enough without having too much heft. Also, since the keyboard splits in half it provides a great location for coffee, beer, etc (just make sure that your cat doesn't knock your drink over... twice).

I do have a few issues with the keyboard, both cosmetic and technical. Cosmetically speaking, white is a bad choice. I understand that this was an attempt to make the keyboard a little more "mac like", but I would have preferred a darker color as the white keyboard tends to get a little "grody" after substantial use. The next problem I have is that the return key is just a return key (without enter). On most mac keyboards the key is modal, "return" is the default, hold the function key to make it "enter." I wrote Kinesis and asked why there was no enter key and they said that at one time the Freestyle had a modal return/enter key but that users complained about it and so "enter" was removed. Kinesis offered to put that functionality back if I sent them the keyboard, which is fantastic customer support for an 80-90 dollar device. However, adding this functionality back would cause other problems, i.e. having the "enter" key when you modally access the F1-F12 keys with the "locking" function key. The real issue here is that the function key "locks", press the function key once to engage, press it again to disengage. Personally, I have never found the "locking" function feature particularly useful, more of a pain, and would prefer to have a "non-locking" function key with return/enter instead.

Despite those complaints, I would definitely buy the keyboard again. I've never found a "perfect" keyboard and this one better than anything similar in my experience. How many computer peripherals cost under $100 dollars and last more than two years? Not many in my experience.

I'm a medical transcriptionist who has been using the Kinesis Freestyle keyboard for Mac with the Freestyle V3 Accessory (adds 5, 10, or 15 degrees of tilt without a palm rest) for about a year now. I spend eight or more hours typing every day, so a quality ergonomic keyboard is essential for me.

Overall, every aspect of this keyboard suits my needs. The keys are very responsive, so very little effort is required to activate each key. The huge delete button above the regular backspace is really convenient and easy to hit. It removes text that is located on the RIGHT side of the cursor, which is very handy.

The fact that this keyboard is split into two sides is the defining feature worth highlighting. My first impression before buying the keyboard was that this feature could be a gimmick. After a year of typing on this thing, it's the opposite of a gimmick. The design is highly beneficial in finding a uniquely comfortable position for any set of hands. My preference is to connect the keyboards using the little attachment at the top that comes with the keyboard, as I found it more difficult to type quickly and accurately with them totally separated. With them attached at the single hinge, I can easily position the left and right keyboard in a way that is comfortable and stable so that it's easy to predict where the keys are going to be when looking at the screen. With the rubber grips on the bottom of the V3 Accessory, the keyboard stays right where it's supposed to.

I'm not using either accessory that comes with palm rests. I'm glad I didn't buy them honestly. The Freestyle V3 Accessory that snaps onto the bottom of the keyboard and adds 5, 10, or 15 degrees of tilt to the left and right keyboard is fantastic, and it's the only add-on I purchased for the keyboard. I personally like the 15 degree angle the best, but I'll admit I had to work my way up to it before that much gradient felt totally natural. (Side-note: This accessory is listed under the PC version of this keyboard on the Kinesis website, but it works on the Mac version too. It comes in black only.)

The function buttons on top of the keyboard are really nice too (volume, brightness, play/pause/rewind, etc). They're laid out similarly to the Apple keyboard. I don't really use the Internet buttons or dedicated copy/paste keys on the left since CMD + C is so much faster, but they're there if you want them. I should mention that I've had some slight trouble with the brightness function keys not working (located above the number keys). This was remedied by disabling the brightness keys in Mac System Preferences and downloading the free application, BetterTouchTool, which easily remaps all sorts of keyboard commands, touchpad gestures, mouse clicks, etc. for free. (This keyboard is still fantastic! Don't let this small thing that's easy to fix affect your purchase!)

I am more than satisfied with this keyboard in every way. I would definitely recommend it to a friend and absolutely plan on buying the exact same keyboard in the future if this one ever stops working. The keyboard just has a great feel to it. (Kinesis customer service was also very helpful in the past!)

I've used this keyboard for more than one year and it is amazing. Can't stand to even look at those little and bad for you keyboards on laptops. It will help you keep strain from your neck, shoulder blades, traps, wrists. The company says they even make one with a longer cord and I am thinking of upgrading. I've recommended this keyboard to many friends and family and they appreciate the difference it makes in their posture.

I've had this keyboard for several years now. It has been rock-solid. I love the Mac-specific keys, so much so that it is a pain to go to a keyboard that does not have them. The split design might take some time to get used to, but it is way better than having your hands cramped together while typing.

I am a touch typist and can type of this keyboard better than any keyboard I have ever used (as a programmer I do a fair amount of typing). I've always thought it was a waste to have a number keypad, so I consider it a feature that this keyboard does not have one.

After at least 3 years with this keyboard, I have zero complaints. It's worth it if you want to be comfortable while you type. I'm considering buying another one as a backup just in case this one ever fails.

This keyboard is the most flexible and portable keyboard I've ever seen. And while it can be hard to get used to, even if you've used ergonomic keyboard before, it's very pleasant once you've got the hang of it.