KINESISAdvantage360 Professional Split Ergonomic Keyboard - Bluetooth | Quiet Mechanical Switches | Fully Programmable Open Source | Contoured Shape | Adjustable Tenting | Backlit

Finally got this keyboard. Full up to speed after about 3 weeks of daily use. But the biggest improvement is the amount of time I could work without getting tired in my hands. In the past, it was about 2-3 hours non-stop. Now it is closer to a full day with some small pauses. But the learning curve is still there. And it will require you to get used to it.

It's been about twenty years since I first used a Kinesis and haven't used one since. For the past 14 months I've been using a Moonlander split keyboard. It's a decent keyboard, but the options for tenting are very poor unless you invest in more hardware purchased from their site. They do offer excellent support, though. I'd had the keyboard for about six months when the right side thumb cluster hinge broke. They sent me a replacement for free.Back to the Kinesis. I write A LOT. I'm a full-time author so I bang out hundreds of thousands of words per year. I'm in my mid-fifties, and fingers and wrist hurt all the time because of poor ergonomics and cheap keyboards.The Kinesis Advantage 360 is kind of amazing. It has true tenting, and the concave nature of the pieces means you can comfortably rest your palms on the outside and only move your fingers. Since I have used a split ortho board for over a year, this was not a huge learning curve. The keys are laid out well, but I had to change a few. I like the CTRL and ALT on the left side on the bottom row. I moved those keys using the ZMK software which is not really friendly. You have to have a Github account, fork builds, and then use the key mapper to generate new firmware. Each piece of the keyboard them must be connected via USB. Copy the corresponding builds to each piece and then swap key caps. I'm happy with the four or five keys I moved and have this looking almost exactly like my Moonlander layout.Bluetooth has worked perfectly on my PC. I've had zero issues so far. I hit a key in the morning and my PC wakes up. I leave the backlighting off. After two weeks of heavy use, the batteries are still going strong without a recharge.I purchased the palm pad separately. Why aren't these included with this very expensive keyboard? Come to find out, they might not be needed depending on your hands. I find them okay, but I will probably switch back to using the palm rests without the pads. They are comfortable and all, but I'm making more typos with them installed.This is a very expensive keyboard, and it will not be for everyone. There is a learning curve. When I initially switched to a Moonlander, my WPM dropped to about five words per minute. I'm a slow and not very accurate typist, but after this short amount of time I'm up to about 70 WPM with a 98% accuracy rate. This is fantastic for my old hands.Overall, this is a technical board that requires an understanding that the interface software is far from user friendly. Remapping keys will be challenging. I find that the key caps get oily from my fingers rather quickly, which is a weird thing to write, but it's true. So far this has not affected my typing, but I feel like I need to wipe them with a cloth a few times a week. Lightly textured key caps would have been perfect on this thing. Even with these negatives, I feel this keyboard beats the Moonlander by a mile. This is a true ergo keyboard and so far I love typing on it. The Gateron brown switches feel really nice. Negatives aside, this is the best keyboard I've ever owned. I look forward to many years with this thing.

I purchased 360 Pro in late Sep 2024 after my previous Advantage 2 stopped working after two years. This time, one row of keys stopped working completely; basic troubleshooting (power cycle, reset) to no avail.I have submitted two tickets in the last two days; there is no way to call them or contact the company otherwise. They have not responded within 48 hours; the ticket numbers suggest just 30 new tickets over 24 hours. In my view, this is unacceptable for a $500 product that is vital day-to-day and breaks within < 4 months.My previous two keyboards (Advantage 2) also stopped working or only worked intermittently despite thorough cleaning, etc., albeit after 1-2 years. Support said they don't support Linux, and it's out of warranty.The keyboards are great when they work, but the web is replete with commentary suggesting that component quality has deteriorated, which my three data points fully support.If you have to, by all means, by Kinesis, just be aware that this amounts to a $20-30 monthly keyboard subscription—or $100 plus in the most recent case. You better also have a thick skin concerning customer service quality.

This is not my first Kinesis keyboard and I switched to ergonomic keyboards about 2000 and have tried them all to reduce wrist pain. I loved my Advantage2 (when I received one from a friend who upgraded there's) over my previous favorite (classic MS Ergonomic) and unfortunately spilled coffee on the 360 I bought a year ago (grabbing my kitty having a seizure on my desk). It had the "quiet" keys but still made too much noise. This version with the pink keys is *chef's kiss* for me. I get the format and versatility I need for comfort and reduce the noise so it's not distracting when I'm on conference calls - and it doesn't scare my kitty and trigger a seizure (it's a thing unfortunately).While they are expensive, I've learned that there are a few places you really need to not skimp for your quality of life. 2 spots I don't skimp is a good keyboard and office chair (since I'm using them constantly for a minimum of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week). Same for bed\pillows. Your body will thank you as you reach "a certain age".What I love about the 360 is that it's not fixed. I can separate (or not) the keys more, offset them if I'm gaming, change the "tent" angle AND you have a 10 key in the same format. When you need to 10 key you need to 10 key. It does take some getting used to and won't help hunt and peck typers much, but if you're typing all day (with decent typing form) - switching to this keyboard could be a game changer in your comfort on a daily basis.10/10 can (and will) recommend the Kinesis 360 - even if you don't use all of the options - especially now that you CAN get the pink keys if you need or want the short throw, quiet keys.