Kinesis Freestyle Pro Keyboard Review
By Celeste McLaughlin, Ergonomics Manager at Solutions Northwest, Inc. (Ergonomics Experts serving Kent, Renton, Seattle, and Tacoma Washington, California, and Oregon.
I’m a fan of the Kinesis Freestyle2 ergonomic keyboard, so when the new Kinesis Freestyle Pro mechanical/programmable ergonomic keyboard came out, I tested it out. In addition to having all the features of the Freestyle2, the Kinesis Freestyle Pro is fully on-board programmable and has low-force tactile Cherry MX brown mechanical key switches. Low force means that there is less force required to type. A tactile response reduces impact to the tips of the fingers.
One cool thing about the Pro is that while the basic configuration has 12″ of cable separating between the two sides of the keyboard, this can be adjusted. The cable compartment cover on the back of the left side can be removed, and additional length of cable can be pulled out up to 20″. Pictures of this are below.
Although they look similar, the VIP3 and V3 tenting accessories for the Freestyle2 do not fit the Pro. The VIP3 Pro (includes palm supports) and V3 Pro (does not include palm supports) are made for the Pro. They attach to the keyboard easily when following the included instructions. The tent setting adjustments are 5, 10, and 15 degrees on both the VIP3 Pro and V3 Pro. The VIP3 Pro is shown below with the different tenting angles. The V3 Pro accessory looks exactly the same, except it does not have the palm supports.
5 degrees of tenting
10 degrees of tenting
15 degrees of tenting
Hot keys on the Pro are desktop, last app, select all, undo, cut, delete, and copy & paste. Hot keys reduce mouse clicks as well as other repetitive and awkward movement of the hands.
When a split programmable ergonomic keyboard is needed, the Kinesis Freestyle Pro is a good choice.
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SolutionsNW.com provides work place and ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., an ergonomics assessment provider located in Seattle, Kent, Renton, Tacoma, Washington State, Northern California, Oregon, Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Portland.