Brand | KINESIS |
---|---|
Series | FBA_KB500USB-BLK |
Item model number | FBA_KB500USB-BLK |
Operating System | Mac,Windows,Windows 7 |
Item Weight | 2.42 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 8 x 16.5 x 2.87 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 8 x 16.5 x 2.87 inches |
Color | Black |
Voltage | 5 Volts |
Manufacturer | Kinesis |
ASIN | B000LVJ9W8 |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | July 19, 2004 |
Kinesis Advantage Keyboard (KB500USB-BLK)
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Brand | KINESIS |
Compatible Devices | PC |
Keyboard Description | usb |
Special Feature | Ergonomic |
Color | Black |
Style | Modern |
Included Components | USB Cable |
Model Name | FBA_KB500USB-BLK |
Hand Orientation | Ambidextrous |
About this item
- Discontinued in 2016 and replaced with Advantage2 (KB600) and no longer being manufactured or offered for sale by Kinesis
- Compatible with most PC, Windows and Mac operating systems (NOT COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS 7)
Additional Details
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This Item Kinesis Advantage Keyboard (KB500USB-BLK) | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $279.99$279.99 | $429.00$429.00 | $429.00$429.00 | $459.00$459.00 | $17.98$17.98 | -5% $349.00$349.00 List: $369.00 |
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Customer Ratings | ||||||
Quality of material | — | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.7 |
Value for money | — | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 4.1 |
Ergonomic | — | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | — | 4.7 |
Battery life | — | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | — |
For gaming | — | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | — | — |
Sold By | AIRY Inc. | ErgoWarehouse | Raxxer | SolidSignal | VR Assets | ErgoWarehouse |
connectivity tech | — | USB-A | USB-A | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | USB |
number of keys | — | 76 | 76 | 76 | 104 | 68 |
hardware interface | usb | — | — | bluetooth | — | usb |
compatible devices | PC | PC, Laptop, Tablet, Smartphone | PC | PC | Tablet | Plug-and-Play compatible with all USB operating systems (no special drivers required) Windows 7, 8 & 10 Mac OS X 10.4+ Linux Android Chrome |
keyboard description | usb | Mechanical | Premium mechanical ergonomic keyboard | Mechanical | Macro | Ergonomic |
operating system | Mac,Windows,Windows 7 | Windows, Android, Linux | Windows 10 | Windows 10 | — | Linux, Windows 7, mac os x |
What's in the box
Product Description
The original Advantage keyboard features Kinesis's patent contoured design for maximum comfort and onboard programming for creating custom layouts and macros to boost productivity. The original Advantage was discontinued in August of 2016 and replaced by the new Advantage2 (KB600) line of contoured keyboards.
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Technical Details
Additional Information
Customer Reviews |
3.5 out of 5 stars |
---|---|
Best Sellers Rank | #10,511 in Computer Keyboards |
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the performance and speed of the keyboard. They mention it's a great keyboard to use, with great keyswitches and feedback. They say it makes typing much less painful and faster. Customers are also satisfied with pain relief, comfort, and build quality. Opinions are mixed on ease of use, key placement, and value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the keyboard. They say it's a great keyboard, with great keyswitches and high-quality feedback. They also say it is a comfortable and pleasurable keyboard to use. Some customers mention that the mechanical keys aren't terrible, but they would have been much happier with 1/3 of the number. Overall, customers are satisfied with the performance and functionality of the product.
"...But it's fun. Typing on this keyboard is enjoyable; and it helps you get your thoughts out quicker...." Read more
"...The mechanical keys aren't terrible, but I would have been much happier with 1/3 of the keystroke distance...." Read more
"...Seriously ergonomical. And highly functional. For everyone that says you can't use this keyboard to write code, i totally disagree...." Read more
"...speed is unaffected, or maybe even improved a bit because of the nice key switches and the comfortably curved key layout...." Read more
Customers like the speed of the keyboard. They mention that it's faster, more fluid, and natural to type on. They also say that their typing skills will go up and that home-typing is much less painful. The layout makes it more comfortable to type naturally, and the keys are ergonomic. Customers also say it'll match their thought speed more closely than writing does, and that it really forces them to type properly.
"...That is one thing I love about typing is that it matches my thought speed more closely than say, writing does...." Read more
"...the pros and cons, this is the only one that really matters. o Fast once you get the hang of it. o Price: Expensive on the surface,..." Read more
"...For prose typing, my speed is unaffected, or maybe even improved a bit because of the nice key switches and the comfortably curved key layout...." Read more
"...While the action itself is fine and the layout makes it more comfortable to type naturally in an ergonomic fashion, the keys are rather loud...." Read more
Customers say the keyboard helps with wrist pain. They say their wrists don't hurt, and their arms are feeling much better. They also mention that their hands and wrists do not cramp up like they do on a normal keyboard, and tunnel symptoms abated.
"...Typing on this keyboard is enjoyable; and it helps you get your thoughts out quicker...." Read more
"...but after a month I'm faster on it than I ever was before, and my pain is 100% gone...." Read more
"...And most importantly, i have zero wrist pain...." Read more
"...back to regular keyboards/mice again, not only because my arms are feeling MUCH better but because switching back to the old layout is extremely..." Read more
Customers like the comfort of the keyboard. They say it's ergonomic, and highly functional. They also say the curve design allows their fingers to lay naturally and relaxes them while typing. Customers also say it forces them to have good typing posture and practices.
"...The keyboard is great, it's fast and comfortable, and if you're reading this, you probably need one.***..." Read more
"...Seriously ergonomical. And highly functional. For everyone that says you can't use this keyboard to write code, i totally disagree...." Read more
"...My hands don't hurt and I find that I am very comfortable while typing.What don't I like about it? First, it uses mechanical switches...." Read more
"...par just yet, I can already tell this was a good purchase in terms of comfort and wrist stability. I won't return to a regular keyboard for home use...." Read more
Customers like the build quality of the keyboard. They say it's well-made, solid, and has a crisp action. Some customers also mention that the product is well-thought out and comfortable. Overall, customers are satisfied with the quality and functionality of the product.
"...No wonder it's so expensive. o Solidly built and comfortable...." Read more
"...Anyway, three stars. The concept is nice and it may work for you but be conscious of your thumbs and be ready to return it if it causes you trouble." Read more
"...This is good because it gives the keys a solid satisfying feel, but it also means that the keyboard is loud...." Read more
"...In short, this keyboard is well designed and solidly constructed. I expect it to last a good long time...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the keyboard. Some mention that the keys on the contour are easy to use and require light effort to press, while others say that it's very difficult and the learning curve is brutal. Some say that the keyboard is good for typing, but not so much for programming, as you need to press the keypad button.
"...Again, the keyboard has a lot going for it. I love the programmablity (saving you from having to alter the keys at the OS level), I really like..." Read more
"...program new configurations into the keyboard itself, but this is very difficult, and according to others the keyboard will often forget the codings...." Read more
"...So I had to make quite a few layout changes, which are very easy to accomplish with this keyboard...." Read more
"...It is indispensable! But you cannot do this very easily at all with the Kinesis Advantage USB keyboard and you'll even have to look down if you try...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the key placement. Some mention that the key remapping feature is nice, and the lay out is significantly more efficient. They also like that the keys can be reprogrammed however they like, and that the split version has extra keys that are very useful. However, others say that the control and alt key placements were weird, and awkward. They say the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys are clustered together, and some of the symbols are in different positions. The finger keys are down low, which they like. However the thumb keys are up high.
"...-Completely remappable keys. I found I prefer the space to be on the left side, so I swapped the space and back space keys with a few key strokes...." Read more
"...No way! o No separate numeric keypad. o Not low-profile: I have to put my keyboard tray lower than I did with other keyboards, and..." Read more
"...This is likely due to the fact that your hands are recessed in to the keyboard when you are typing and you barely have to move your hands to reach..." Read more
"...The finger keys are down low, which I like, but the thumb keys are up high (as you can see from the picture). This is a problem for me...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the keyboard. Some mention it's totally worth the money, while others say it'll overprice you. However, most say it is the best ergonomic keyboard for the price.
"...Conclusion? Worth the cost...." Read more
"...o Fast once you get the hang of it. o Price: Expensive on the surface, but seriously, it's the cost of one doctor visit, or a day of lost..." Read more
"...So, overall, it's worth the investment of time and money if you need it. But if you're a developer, don't expect overnight success." Read more
"...keyboard, this is truly one of the best and I believe that it is worth the money!..." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews from the United States
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If you type a lot, perhaps on message boards, forums, and the like- or if you're a writer of sorts- this keyboard is for you.
I am a Redditor who frequently writes long posts, and I LOVE this keyboard. And it has, to my surprise, made me an even better typist than I was before- which is pretty awesome, considering that I was already particularly adroit with a keyboard.
You may be looking at other reviewers who speak about how the keyboard may not be the best for developers/programmers etc. While I am not one of those people, I will say that they are probably right. The one thing I miss about a regular keyboard is being able to peck keys with one hand if I was doing something else, perhaps laying back with my feet kicked up on the desk and just browsing. This keyboard is meant to be used with two hands because of its shape. But that's such a minor drawback; and you can still peck if you need to- but it's really not a pecking keyboard. It's for serious typists who don't want to feel their wrists going to hell anymore.
Personally, I bought it for a particular purpose (to save my wrists and to type faster/better) and I've accomplished both of those things. It has helped me get out of some bad habits I had with a regular keyboard as well- particularly reaching for particular keys with one hand when it perhaps would have been better reached by the other- as well as properly using the shift keys instead of always using one shift key- among other bad habits I had picked up over the years (another has come to mind: reaching for keys with your ring and middle fingers are a lot easier with this keyboard, something I didn't find was the case with a regular board).
The keyboard looks nice, but definitely intimidating; I could imagine somebody seeing it for the first time and going: "what the hell is that thing?!"
But it's still a thing of beauty in it's own right, and I'm happy that I paid the $269 for it. It was an investment, but it was one of those things that I figured would save me in the end. There are just some things that you have to really invest in and spoil yourself with because of the amount of time that you spend with them: your mattress, your shoes, your car, and, if you're a modern computer user, your keyboard.
I'm of the opinion that if you write a lot like myself, and you have the means to get this keyboard; buy it. If you're a gamer who needs hot keys, or a developer or programmer or heavy photoshop user- this keyboard may not be the right one for you. Then again, you can always have this keyboard attached for long typing jobs, which will save your wrists, and then just have a regular wireless keyboard to pull out when you need the plain-jane style key setup. In fact, that's what similar to what I have going on right now: I have my keyboard set up with the PC, and then I have the old, regular, wireless keyboard off to the side for anybody who can't use this keyboard properly.
Well, there I've gone again- writing more than I needed to. But it's fun. Typing on this keyboard is enjoyable; and it helps you get your thoughts out quicker. That is one thing I love about typing is that it matches my thought speed more closely than say, writing does. And this keyboard only enhances your ability that you would have with a normal keyboard in doing such a thing. I find this ability is crucial when I'm trying to communicate and idea, or just get my thoughts out of my head; nothing is worse than trying to freehand write your thoughts down and not really being able to keep up.
Conclusion? Worth the cost. It's an investment, but if you spend half the amount of time that I do in front of the computer, you won't regret buying this keyboard. Your wrists/forearms/fingers will also thank you.
The layout of the main keys is very good, and I got used to them quickly. The outlier keys -- brackets, math symbols, arrows -- are all a bit weird and took longer to adjust to... it's an easy adjustment for writers, and a somewhat longer one for programmers. The keycaps can be easily moved around with the included cap-puller, making customization easy. I found the arrow keys to be frustrating: by default, up/down are controlled by one hand, and left/right by another. But editing code is often a one-handed thing (with the other on the mouse), and this keyboard requires two hands. Eventually I moved the arrows around so all four were on the right side, and that makes the arrows work a lot better. That left the various modifier keys -- Alt, Commmand, Control -- which I've moved around to various places and am eventually happy with, but it took a lot of experimentation. I do recommend reprogramming the Caps Lock to be a Control key -- perfect place and who needs a Caps Lock anyhow? Note that although it's advertised as being Dvorak-compatible, the home-row keys it comes with are a different color and shape than the rest, so it would look a bit funny in a Dvorak configuration.
An unintended side benefit: I'm a much faster typist now since I now actually touch type. Your hands are kind of locked into the two 'bowls' here rather than sliding across the keyboard freely like on a standard board. It's harder to look at the keycaps, so I learned to touchtype without cheating. Very nice. I've heard this is common.
Programmablity: In theory you can program new configurations into the keyboard itself, but this is very difficult, and according to others the keyboard will often forget the codings. I would instead recommend using a program like ControllerMate (Mac OS), which very easily lets you modify key mappings and much more.
The board is missing the 'locator dots' on F/J that most keyboards have. I bought some stick-on dots from Hooleon that made a huge difference for me.
This keyboard has been on the market virtually unchanged for most of a decade, and its age shows. Many new keyboards are wireless, backlit, have controls for CD & screen brightness, have thin profiles, have lighter-touch keyswitches, and so forth. Not this one: it looks and feels like a dinosaur. You have to press the keys a long way before they bottom out -- this is *not* like typing on a new Apple keyboard. Nothing light, thin, or sleek about it. That being said, if you have the room and don't mind the long key travel and the noise, it does disappear and just let you type.
Pros:
o No RSI pain! Totally gone. Of all the pros and cons, this is the only one that really matters.
o Fast once you get the hang of it.
o Price: Expensive on the surface, but seriously, it's the cost of one doctor visit, or a day of lost work. It's a real bargain.
o Made in USA. I disassembled it and it's got this crazy flexible curved circuit board in there, with hand-soldered connections. No wonder it's so expensive.
o Solidly built and comfortable.
Cons:
o Loud and heavy.
o Rubbery function keys up top are a joke.
o Need to pay extra for programming software (ControllerMate) -- the programmability included is very primitive and awkward.
o No locator dots for fingers on home row F/J keys.
o No AV controls (CD player, etc).
o Backlit keys? No way!
o No separate numeric keypad.
o Not low-profile: I have to put my keyboard tray lower than I did with other keyboards, and now it knocks my knees.
o Keys occasionally get sttttttttuck on auto-repeat. Might be an issue with the USB software inside the keyboard, since the keys themselves seem fine.
o Another USB bug: the keyboard doesn't start properly on my Mac after I've put the computer to sleep and awoken it. I have to unplug the keyboard & plug it back in again to get it working.
But none of these cons really matter. The keyboard is great, it's fast and comfortable, and if you're reading this, you probably need one.
*** Update: I've just posted a diagram of my custom configuration under the 'Photos' section for this product on Amazon. I moved a lot of the keys around for programming on a Mac (arrows, brackets, Command/Alt/Control) and I really like how I have them now, compared with the stock configuration.
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2010
The layout of the main keys is very good, and I got used to them quickly. The outlier keys -- brackets, math symbols, arrows -- are all a bit weird and took longer to adjust to... it's an easy adjustment for writers, and a somewhat longer one for programmers. The keycaps can be easily moved around with the included cap-puller, making customization easy. I found the arrow keys to be frustrating: by default, up/down are controlled by one hand, and left/right by another. But editing code is often a one-handed thing (with the other on the mouse), and this keyboard requires two hands. Eventually I moved the arrows around so all four were on the right side, and that makes the arrows work a lot better. That left the various modifier keys -- Alt, Commmand, Control -- which I've moved around to various places and am eventually happy with, but it took a lot of experimentation. I do recommend reprogramming the Caps Lock to be a Control key -- perfect place and who needs a Caps Lock anyhow? Note that although it's advertised as being Dvorak-compatible, the home-row keys it comes with are a different color and shape than the rest, so it would look a bit funny in a Dvorak configuration.
An unintended side benefit: I'm a much faster typist now since I now actually touch type. Your hands are kind of locked into the two 'bowls' here rather than sliding across the keyboard freely like on a standard board. It's harder to look at the keycaps, so I learned to touchtype without cheating. Very nice. I've heard this is common.
Programmablity: In theory you can program new configurations into the keyboard itself, but this is very difficult, and according to others the keyboard will often forget the codings. I would instead recommend using a program like ControllerMate (Mac OS), which very easily lets you modify key mappings and much more.
The board is missing the 'locator dots' on F/J that most keyboards have. I bought some stick-on dots from Hooleon that made a huge difference for me.
This keyboard has been on the market virtually unchanged for most of a decade, and its age shows. Many new keyboards are wireless, backlit, have controls for CD & screen brightness, have thin profiles, have lighter-touch keyswitches, and so forth. Not this one: it looks and feels like a dinosaur. You have to press the keys a long way before they bottom out -- this is *not* like typing on a new Apple keyboard. Nothing light, thin, or sleek about it. That being said, if you have the room and don't mind the long key travel and the noise, it does disappear and just let you type.
Pros:
o No RSI pain! Totally gone. Of all the pros and cons, this is the only one that really matters.
o Fast once you get the hang of it.
o Price: Expensive on the surface, but seriously, it's the cost of one doctor visit, or a day of lost work. It's a real bargain.
o Made in USA. I disassembled it and it's got this crazy flexible curved circuit board in there, with hand-soldered connections. No wonder it's so expensive.
o Solidly built and comfortable.
Cons:
o Loud and heavy.
o Rubbery function keys up top are a joke.
o Need to pay extra for programming software (ControllerMate) -- the programmability included is very primitive and awkward.
o No locator dots for fingers on home row F/J keys.
o No AV controls (CD player, etc).
o Backlit keys? No way!
o No separate numeric keypad.
o Not low-profile: I have to put my keyboard tray lower than I did with other keyboards, and now it knocks my knees.
o Keys occasionally get sttttttttuck on auto-repeat. Might be an issue with the USB software inside the keyboard, since the keys themselves seem fine.
o Another USB bug: the keyboard doesn't start properly on my Mac after I've put the computer to sleep and awoken it. I have to unplug the keyboard & plug it back in again to get it working.
But none of these cons really matter. The keyboard is great, it's fast and comfortable, and if you're reading this, you probably need one.
*** Update: I've just posted a diagram of my custom configuration under the 'Photos' section for this product on Amazon. I moved a lot of the keys around for programming on a Mac (arrows, brackets, Command/Alt/Control) and I really like how I have them now, compared with the stock configuration.
Again, the keyboard has a lot going for it. I love the programmablity (saving you from having to alter the keys at the OS level), I really like that the keys are arrayed in line with each other rather than staggered like most keyboards, I like the idea of moving more keys to the thumbs, and I like the contoured keys. I liked the "click" of the keys too. But the non-contoured keys (i.e., the thumb ones) caused me trouble. This could be solved, as I see it, by lowering the thumb keys into their own "bowls" as the other keys are.
Anyway, three stars. The concept is nice and it may work for you but be conscious of your thumbs and be ready to return it if it causes you trouble.