Advantage2 Keyboard

A Professional-Grade Tool

Contoured design maximizes comfort and boosts productivity

Fixed Split

Hands are positioned at shoulder-width to keep wrists straight and reduce ulnar deviation.

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20 Degree Tenting

Tenting elevates the thumb side of the hand to reduce forearm pronation caused by flat keyboards.

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Compact Design

Tenkeyless layout with embedded keypad results in closer mouse placement for less “over-reach” strain.

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Palm Supports

Integrated palm supports and cushioned palm pads promote neutral wrist position reducing harmful wrist extension.

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Concave Key Wells

Hands and fingers are placed in a natural, relaxed position to shorten key-reach and reduce over-extension.

Sculpted Home Row

Find the home row without taking your eyes off the screen with sculpted home row keycaps.

Thumb Keys

Use stronger thumbs rather than weaker pinkies to access heavily used keys like Space, Backspace, and Enter.

Vertical Keys

Orthogonal key arrangement mirrors the natural motion of your fingers to increase speed and comfort.

Mechanical Switches

  • Unmatched Durablility- Rated for 50 million key presses

  • Premium typing feel and performance

  • Low-force for maximum comfort and ergonomics

Choose your switch

 

MX Brown

  • Low-Force (55g)
  • Full Travel
  • Tactile Feedback
  • Some Noise

Which switch is right for me?

 

MX Quiet Red

  • Low-Force (45g)
  • Full Travel
  • Linear Feel
  • Quiet

Hear the Difference

A layout designed to work with your body

Advantage2 SmartSet App

Boost Productivity

  • Don’t like the default position of a key? Onboard remapping lets you optimize the layout for your typing style and workflow.
  • Dual-Layer QWERTY and Dvorak layouts with instant thumb-key configuration for Windows, Mac, and PC modes.
  • On-the-fly macros with adjustable delays, nine playback speeds, and up to 300 characters long.
  • Assign single and double mouse-clicks to any key on the keyboard to eliminate unnecessary clicks.

Convenient and Easy

  • Plug-and-play on all USB operating systems with no special drivers to install and no software to download.
  • Upgradeable firmware so you always have the latest features and optimal compatibility.
  • Custom settings are saved directly to the keyboard for maximum portability and versatility.
  • Program exclusively with the onboard programming shortcuts or launch the no-install SmartSet Programming App (Windows) directly from the keyboard (US versions only).

Advantage2 Reviewed

Amazon Rating

My favorite feature of the Advantage keyboard is no longer experiencing hand pain with extensive typing. I also appreciate the ability to remap the keys, because some of the default key functions weren’t optimally positioned for me.

– Dachary C.  |  Writer –

How has the Kinesis Advantage changed my life? It has literally allowed me to stay in my career over the past 16-18 years.

– Preston D.  |  IT Consultant –

I would absolutely recommend the Kinesis Advantage. Not only has it alleviated the pain & numbness I had previously been experiencing, but I’m far more productive because of it. I’m a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts and macros – the less I have to move my hand from my keyboard, the better.

– Jordan B.  |  Software Engineer –

A lot of keyboards offer at least some ergonomic features but I don’t know of any that put them all together in one unit the way the Advantage2 does.

– Avdi G.  |  Programmer –

Specifications

Operating System

Windows 7-11, Mac OS X, Linux, Android & Chrome

Layout

Contoured tenkeyless 10-key layout with embedded 10-key and thumb clusters

Dimensions

16.5” (width) x 8” (depth) x 2.9” (max height)

Package Contents

Keyboard, Quick Start Guide, Self-Adhesive Palm Pads, 4 Additional Keycaps (Mac and PC Mode), Keycap Puller

Key Switches

Low-Force Cherry Mechanical (MX Brown or MX Quiet Red)

Fully Onboard Programmable

Customizable QWERTY and Dvorak layouts. One-touch remaps (unlimited). On-the-fly macros (dozens per layout).  4MB onboard memory. SmartSet Programming App for Windows pre-loaded.

Videos

FAQs

Which Kinesis keyboard is right for me?

All three Kinesis keyboards are backed by the same ergonomic design principles. Which one is right for you depends on several factors.

The Freestyle2 is our most popular ergonomic keyboard. It features a split-adjustable design and modular accessories to make it affordable and versatile. It comes in a variety of layouts (US and European), configurations (9″ and 20″ separation), connections (USB and Bluetooth wireless) and can even be ordered pre-assembled with our most popular tenting accessories.

The Advantage2 is our flagship keyboard and has been the choice of ergonomic enthusiasts for 25 years. If you need a powerful tool and are willing to invest as little as one week to learn the contoured layout, then it will reward you with incredible comfort and significant productivity boosts. The Advantage2 boasts mechanical switches, onboard programmability with our new SmartSet Engine, and it’s designed to work on all major operating systems.

The Freestyle Pro is our newest ergonomic keyboard. It takes our award-winning Freestyle split-adjustable design (and modular tenting accessories), and adds two premium features from the Advantage2: 1) the new SmartSet Programming Engine for powerful configurability and 2) Cherry mechanical key switches for a premium typing feel and durability. The Freestyle Pro is a great choice for those looking to upgrade from a Freestyle2, or those not quite ready to make the leap to the Advantage2.

How long does it take to adapt to the Advantage2?

Adaptation is faster than you might think

You will need a little time to adjust to the shape of the Advantage2 keyboard. Laboratory studies and many years of experience show that most touch typists are productive (approximately 80% of full typing speed) within the first few hours. Full typing speed (or greater) is typically achieved gradually over 3-5 days. Full adaptation to editing and navigation keys may take 1-2 weeks.

After that, most users will see a jump in their average typing speed due to greater comfort and the optimized key layout of the keyboard. And remember, every key on the Advantage2 is programmable so feel free to move keys around to suit your workflow.

Don’t be discouraged if you find that it is taking you longer to adapt than you think it should. We encourage new users to consult the merchant’s return policy before purchasing and use the keyboard for the maximum allowable time before making a final decision (The Kinesis Store offers a 60-Day money back guarantee).

For those people that use the keyboard for a full 30 days, we find that there is a very low rejection rate. The Kinesis contoured design has been beloved by typists and programmers for over 25 years and once you make the switch, you’ll never want to type on another keyboard again.

Which color key switch is right for me?

Both the MX Brown and MX Quiet Red mechanical key switches are great choices

If you have never used a mechanical keyboard before you will likely find that the typing feel of the Brown and Red switches are very similar. Both switches have a low activation force and great typing feel. The Quiet Reds are ideal for an office environment because they have built-in sound-dampeners which eliminate most of the noise typically associated with mechanical key switches.

What’s the big deal about mechanical keyboards.

Will I still be able to use a "normal" keyboard?

Yes… but you won’t want to!

Because the muscle-memory you develop for the Advantage2 keyboard is so unique, most users have no problem using conventional keyboards when forced to do so. It’s not uncommon for Advantage2 users to purchase a keyboard for each of their workstations and even pack it for travel so that they are always able to enjoy the comfort of the contoured shape.

Which model should I choose?

That depends on your desired key switches, styling, and key legends

If you’ve never used an Advantage2 keyboard before we recommend going with the basic KB600 model. If you prefer different styling, you can upgrade to the Silver (KB605) or Graphite (KB620) models which feature only cosmetic differences. If you require a non-US layout, you can get the KB600 with a UK, German, Swedish, or Japanese layout.

If you are familiar with Cherry mechanical switches then you may have developed a preference for the MX Red stem variety, in which case you’ll want to choose the new Quiet LF (KB600LFQ) model.

If you are Dvorak typist or thinking of learning Dvorak, the QD (KB600QD) model offers dual legended keycaps with both the QWERTY and Dvorak actions shown.

Note: All Advantage2 keyboards are equipped with an onboard Dvorak layout. Stand-alone keycap kits with either dual QWERTY-Dvorak or just Dvorak legends can be purchased separately and easily installed at home if you prefer a LFQ, Silver, or Graphite model.

What research has been done on the contoured design?

In 1992, Global Ergonomic Technologies conducted a study comparing postures, muscle activity, keying performance and preferences of subjects typing  on a conventional keyboard and the Kinesis “contoured” keyboard. The main purpose of the study was to determine if the design of the Kinesis contoured keyboard resulted in reduced muscle load, improved performance, and was preferred to a traditional keyboard.

Conclusions:

  • Postural analysis showed hand deviation and extension were substantially less on the Kinesis keyboard than on the traditional keyboard.
  • Analysis of muscle load revealed substantially less load on muscles controlling hand deviation, extension, and pronation on the Kinesis keyboard.
  • Subjects exhibited virtually the same muscle load for elbow abduction for both keyboards by the end of each test.
  • Analysis of subjects’ performance showed a statistically significant increase in throughput for test entry when subjects used the traditional keyboard, but no significant difference in error frequency between the two keyboards.
  • Subjects indicated substantial preference for the Kinesis in areas of comfort, fatigue, and usability.
  • Subjects preferred the Kinesis by almost two to one as an overall choice.

 

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Advantage2

MSRP:  $349+

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Refurbished Units: $265+

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