I have both a Kinesis Advantage2 and an ErgoDox EZ. I've used a Kinesis Advantage on and off for nearly 20 years now, and got my ErgoDox in 2020 when my Kinesis was locked at the office. I think the Kinesis is better for my hands overall, but it is a fairly tall keyboard - the positioning of the thumb cluster is just better on the Kinesis. They both have good programmability; I like things about both, but the Kinesis doesn't require an external app to configure it. I think the ErgoDox is probably better if you like customizing things, but I miss the row of F keys. I'm going to be switching to full-remote, and I'll probably set up my Kinesis as my primary keyboard, with the ErgoDox configured with a secondary machine I'll be using primarily for the music production I'm definitely going to get into any day now. The ErgoDox is definitely much more portable and I can easily fit it in my backpack on the go.
NeutralOwned 1 year
I got the Kinesis Advantage2 last year. I got used to it, almost reaching my laptop typing speed. But I actually don't find it super comfortable. To be honest, no keyboard matches the comfort of my macbook with the keyboard being under the level of the palms. I also more recently got the keychron K3 (low profile) and realized that the thing I don't like in the KA2 is my wrists being locked. I think it's not enough to consider a keyboard without a complete setup, including where the hands / arms will rest and where the mouse is positioned. For example even the distance of my laptop stand makes a huge difference because it affects how far my keyboard can be from my torso, hence whether where my arms rest on the table.
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Hey - see my reply to the top comment on this thread about my experience with hand pain. > I wonder whether it is just a lack of getting used to it or whether people who do the full on touch typing a lot just fuck up their body regularly. For me it was a matter of getting used it and building up that finger dexterity. Mind you, I now use an ortho, split keyboard (Kinesis adanvatage 2 ) and touch typing on it, hitting "c" feels natural for me. I can see how on other keyboards it may not be the case. Touch typing "best practice" is after all just a general guideline. These things vary so much because everyone has different keyboards, different sized hands (different finger length). My suggestion is to focus on not tensing up and using just enough force to trigger the key when typing. Starting from touch typing and then adjusting the technique to your own preferences over time. I've seen typist who do 200wpm+ by a technique that they came up on their own based on touch typing.
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Happy to see emacs on the list, changed my life. Enlightenment hardware: kinesis advantage 2, many non obvious, non ergonomic benefits, like adapting the hardware to _my way_ of working/thinking. Certain games also feel like enlightenmentware.
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Have to say I also disagree[0]. For my money, the Keyboardio Model 100 has been the best keyboard in terms of functionality and acceptable compromises, but it’s not perfect either. I miss the Kinesis Advantage’s key wells (note: if you’re looking to buy one, buy the 360, not the Advantage2), but the Keyboardio’s thumb cluster and palm keys offset that loss. Looking at custom keyboards, the Dactyl is probably quite good. [0] Even if it’s a huge step above normal keyboards.
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To someone currently suffering back pain this is going to sound counterintuitive, counterproductive--maybe even dangerous--but I cured my back pain through sumo deadlifts , and my wrist pain by strengthening the forearms in the gym: deadlifts, rows, weighted pull ups, basically any compound exercise... start light, obviously! Now it doesn't really matter what I sit on, I don't have that chronic nerve pain anymore, and I don't get those occasional "electrocution" shocks I used to get in my lower back. That said, I have disposable income and like comfortable stuff so I have a Steelcase Leap v2, Idasen motorized Ikea desk, and I highly, highly recommend a Kinesis Advantage 2 keyboard. Next version of that keyboard, Advantage 360, is supposed to be released later this year.
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I've been typing dvorak primarily for about 20 years, also since I was in high school, and I highly recommend it. I agree that switching is a pain in the ass. It will make you essentially unable to type for about 2-4 weeks. Ctrl-C/V/X is a valid concern. I fixed it by mapping mouse buttons to copy/paste, and also getting an Advantage2 Kinesis into which I've programming custom keybinding for Undo/Redo/Copy/Cut/Paste. I can still touch type qwerty and often do at work on co-workers' keyboards. I'm pretty slow though, about 40wpm (100 on dvorak), and I usually have to look at the keyboard. I also use qwerty on my phone - I tried dvorak and also found it to be a hindrance there. That makes sense, since dvorak is designed specifically for ten-fingered typing. The primary benefit that the author of this post completely overlooked is comfort. It just feels... easy and comfortable, in a way that Qwerty doesn't even come close to. Whenever I am forced to type Qwerty I feel like I am doing finger calisthenics. It's tiring . My wrists never hurt after full days of typing, and I'm hopeful that the reduced motion and strain will help me avoid carpal tunnel or other hand/finger issues. I plan to spend my entire career and much of my free time in front of a computer. Why on earth would I subject myself to anything less than the best interface system possible? That would be like a professional chef using the $20 knife block from the grocery store, or your doctor using WebMD to try and di
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I use a Kinesis Advantage/Advantage2 at home and work.
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I pretty much always recommend the Kinesis Advantage in keyboard threads... https://www.kinesis-ergo.com/shop/advantage2/