by Kinesis is a Seattle-based company that has been designing and manufacturing ergonomic keyboards for over 30 years. Recognizing that it’s not just professionals who need peripherals that reduce stress on the hands, wrists and shoulders, he created the Kinesis Gaming division in 2016, with models aimed specifically at the PC gaming crowd.
It only offers a small line up of three models, but the Freestyle Edge RGB I’ve been testing is definitely the star of the show. It’s a fully split design, with the two halves permanently connected via a cable, and connects to any PC, Mac or Chromebook via a long USB Type-A cable. I would prefer them to be detachable cables, for ease of transport.
There’s no shortage of cable length, though, with the inner one offering up to six inches of spacing and the main cable 20 inches long. In the case of the former, any excess can be placed inside the chassis, but I found the braided cables to be quite stiff. You’ll be able to get each part into the perfect position for your shoulder, but you may find that the cables tend to tangle with things on your desk, as I did.
I don’t have very large hands and found that the somewhat compact layout of the Freestyle Edge RGB suited me perfectly; it never felt like a stretch to reach for any of the normal keys.
It comes with a set of highly cushioned wrist rests and if you don’t like them, they’re easy to detach. Surprisingly though, the keyboard has no tilt or tilt capabilities. Not exactly, at least.
Freestyle Edge RGB specifications
Switches: Cherry MX Red / Brown / Blue / Speed Silver
Connectivity: wired (USB Type-A)
Keys: 95 in total
Split: completely separate halves
ignition: none, optional equipment (5/10/15 degrees)
Tilting: none
backlighting: RGB per key
Media controls: programmable shortcut keys
Price: $199/£230/€238/AU$371
A brace basically raises the inside of the keyboard and helps prevent your wrist from rotating unnaturally. For me, a tent is a must for any keyboard I use, thanks to wrist injuries I sustained many years ago.
Kinesis Gaming does offer a lift kit for the Freestyle Edge, however. On the face of it, it looks like just a few bland pieces of plastic but when clicked into place, they are rock solid. With them, you can choose between five, 10, and 15 tent steps, and I found 10 to be the most comfortable. The lift kit retails for just under $30 in the Kinesis store, which is a bit on the expensive side for what they are.
To be honest, if you’re spending two hundred dollars on a keyboard, you’d expect a few extra bits of plastic to be included in the box.
There’s no tilting option, unfortunately, so if you prefer to use a fixed desk, this lack might be a concern. Having said that, it’s focused on gaming, and how many of us rock a few rounds of CS:GO while standing up?
The Freestyle Edge is a fully mechanical keyboard, and you have the option of choosing one of four sets of Cherry MX keys, when you place your order. My review sample came with Browns, which are low powered and almost silent (and just my cup of tea). Other options include Reds, which are similar to Browns but have a more linear feel, as well as speedy Speed Silvers or classically clacky Blues.
It was a pleasure to type on. Not just because it fits the size of my hands very well but because every key worked exactly as expected, with a consistent feel across the board. It usually takes a while to get used to a new keyboard but I hit my normal speed within a day.
There are eight additional keys that can be programmed for individual use or specific macros, all of which are handled via the SmartSet app (more on that later). True to its name, per-key RGB backlighting is fully adjustable, with a dedicated key to disable it. The LEDs are bright and vibrant, so if you want a little disco in your gaming room, set this keyboard up for some dance action.
At the top right half are four buttons with specific functions, allowing you to switch between nine different profiles, record macros, and remap the keys.
The last of these is called the SmartSet button and if used in conjunction with some of the number keys, a number of additional modes are set up. One of them is Game Mode, which disables the Windows key, to prevent you from releasing the Start Menu mid-game. Another actives NKRO mode, which allows the keyboard to register all simultaneous key presses.
Normally this is limited to about six but if you want the full maximum response across the board, for frantic games, then this button is just for you. I personally haven’t had to turn it on but I’m ancient and very slow, and I found the regular mode just fine.
Buy if…
✅ You want the best ergo+ gaming experience: You’ll need the optional lift kit, of course, but with it you’ll have the perfect blend of comfort, speed and gaming features.
Do not buy if…
❌ You’re on a tight budget: The base price is quite high, even for an ergonomic keyboard, and you need the optional $30 lifting kit to get the best comfort in use.
Although the Freestyle Edge RGB can be programmed in situ, you will find it much easier to do it through the SmartSet app. The first big plus I noticed is that there are versions for Windows and MacOS, and the source code for it is available on Github, which allows you to compile it for the operating system of your choice.
It looks basic but is quite easy to use, even more so if you read the manual and follow all its instructions. Which I didn’t, of course.
The first thing that stopped me was the program but it didn’t recognize that I had plugged in the keyboard. A half hour tip of me fiddling with it, using different USB ports, restoring a computer, and scratching my head a lot. All that would have been avoided if I had bothered to look at what to do in the first place.
To change anything through the app, you must first enable the ‘v-Drive’ by pressing the SmartSet + F8 key. Doing this opens up the onboard memory as a tiny USB memory stick from the operating system’s perspective, and once this is done you can play to your heart’s content.
After you’ve made all the necessary changes, you release the v-Drive as you would any removable USB device. It’s a bit strange why Kinesis designed it to work this way, as I’ve yet to come across a programmable keyboard that gets in the way.
At least it prevents anyone else from doing your settings but since you can program the keyboard without using the app anyway, it seems like an unnecessary step.
This is probably the closest to perfection I’ve experienced on an ergonomic gaming keyboard
But it’s a minor issue in the grand scheme of things and I found that to be true of all the features I didn’t particularly like, such as the stiff, hard-wired cables and the lack of tilt. None of these were superlatives for me and the sheer pleasure of using the Freestyle Edge RGB pushed them into the background.
It’s probably the closest to perfection I’ve experienced in a gaming-oriented ergonomic keyboard, being incredibly comfortable to use and a joy to type and game on. Would I buy one myself? Certainly, though perhaps with one reservation.
It’s not remotely cheap and that doesn’t mean it feels like a premium quality piece, as it feels just like any other well-made keyboard. The baulking point for many is the price: The standard cost of the Freestyle Edge RGB is $219 in the Kinesis Gaming store and is currently on sale for $199, but that’s still a lot of money to spend on a keyboard.
Because Kinesis is a US-based company, buying it in other parts of the world raises the price even more. For UK shoppers, it’s £230 at Amazon, around €238 in the EU, while Australian gamers will have to fork out $371. Navigation is oh-so painful sometimes.
Then there’s the fact that you really need the lift kit for the full ergo experience, which is an extra $30. If you don’t want a tent, you can obviously save that little bit of money, but then there are cheaper split keyboards on the market.
However, the overall product is outstanding, despite the combined $229 price tag. Yes, you’re paying a pretty penny for such excellence but it’s not hard to see why Kinesis has been around for so long making ergonomic keyboards so good.
