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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« on: Fri, 13 January 2012, 13:46:34 »
I have an old Kinesis Contoured keyboard (Model #110, PS/2, Cherry MX browns) that is one too many (I have 5 more recent ones). Several folks PM'd me and asked if they could buy it, take it, or try it. So I thought why not let every Geekhacker try it out?

The idea is to do it similar to the switch try bags... I'll ship the keyboard to the first person. He/she tries it for a couple of weeks, then ships it to the next person. Everyone will receive the keyboard for free, and will just pay the shipping to send it to the next person.

Please sign up here, I'll only do it if there is enough interest (20 people or more) ! Don't send me PM's, just post your interest in this thread. You must be committed to actually try it, and to ship (at your cost, and with tracking # PM'd to me) to the next person. You should also post your experience with it in this thread.

17160-0

List of participants, I'll keep updating it as folks sign up; no cut-off has been decided yet.

  • sordna (shipped on 2012-01-17)
  • dorkvader (received on 2012-01-25)
  • Dox (received on 2012-03-02)
  • heuristicist (received on 2012-04-12)
  • Zanth (received on 2012-04-30)
  • 500_pts (received on 2012-06-13)
  • Daniel Beaver (received on 2013-03-28) --> current holder
  • slueth
  • Quarzac
  • piken
  • shrap
  • dewcorps
  • Krunchy
  • silent-circuit
  • jrockroll
  • Roguemaster8
  • Changdrew
  • wiredPANDA
  • jblack801
  • Trent
  • ahjota
  • StaCT13

Note: I reserve the right to rearrange the order depending on special circumstances, acts of nature, international shipping considerations, or bribes I might receive :-)
« Last Edit: Thu, 28 March 2013, 21:43:03 by sordna »
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline ZeroGraVT

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 13 January 2012, 14:32:23 »
This a great idea, but you should ask for a deposit before sending it out otherwise you may never see it again. Also it would be cool if one side has the red switches so people can compare it to the brown. And Ripster should take first dibs!
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Online alaricljs

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 13 January 2012, 15:05:26 »
Ripster already had amongst the first dibs and turned it down... other than that, very nice of you sordna, tho I have no interest.
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 13 January 2012, 15:13:56 »
Yeah, Ripster didn't want it. Actually if he changes his mind, whoever has the keyboard should send it to him and that will be the end of the chain! He won it on various occasions, hey, his 50k post award is coming up too :-)

Anyway, I don't need any deposit, but I prefer senior geekhackers to get it first, it'll be safer than starting with folks who have 1 post. BTW, the keyboard is a little beat up, the switches are rather worn, but regardless, the board is clean and works fine! It will give folks a very good idea of the feel, layout, and ergonomics! The keyboard is even programmable! Make sure you have a PS/2 input on your computer (or a USB adapter).
« Last Edit: Fri, 13 January 2012, 15:31:00 by sordna »
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

fossala

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 13 January 2012, 15:38:20 »
Nice idea sordna. Your acting like a drug dealer giving the first hit on the crack pipe for free.
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Offline 500_pts

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 13 January 2012, 16:06:01 »
Mark me as interested.

I dont have 50,000 posts to verify my validity, but i promise ive been hanging around since back in '10 :P
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Offline dorkvader

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 13:51:14 »
Quote from: 500_pts;489807
Mark me as interested.

I dont have 50,000 posts to verify my validity, but i promise ive been hanging around since back in '10 :P

Yeah, but you have 500_pts, which is probably good enough.
-----
I'm very, very interested!
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Offline Quarzac

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 14:50:21 »
I'm interested as well.
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Got a smaller board with white ALPS, Montereys, Cherry Blues, Reds, or Clears you'd like to offload?  Shoot me a PM. Looking for a grey Leopold FC700R in particular.

Wyse buy colors were GSY for the dark grey, GBA for the light grey, and BBI for the fonts.

Offline slueth

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #8 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 15:29:03 »
Interested, wanted to buy one used but never saw one available to try.  :d.
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 16:36:42 »
Quote from: dorkvader;490385
I'm very, very interested!

Cool, do you think it will be helpful to the ErgoDox project? Hmm, I wonder if DOX has tried a contoured keyboard before.
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline Daniel Beaver

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 16:56:50 »
I'm very interested as well, so mark me down.
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Offline dorkvader

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 19:04:58 »
Quote from: sordna;490480
Cool, do you think it will be helpful to the ErgoDox project? Hmm, I wonder if DOX has tried a contoured keyboard before.
Beats me, I'd suggest PMing him to see if he wants to borrow the keyboard first. Since the ergoDOX's thumb area is based on the kinesis', I want to compare the spacing/size considerations between the keywells vs. flat, and how they compare to the thumb area.
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| Unicomp (BS) | WASD V1 (Brown) | CMstorm QF Rapid (Red) | Olivetti (RD) | WYSE 50 (Black) | WYSE 30 (Black) | Two * Access-IS 6x12 (Black) | Cherry G84-4101 SPAUS (ML) | WYSE PCE 840358 (Black) | IBM 6110668 31 JAN '84 | CMstorm QF Rapid (Blue) | NIB Cherry G80-8113 (Browns) | IBM Model F XT | 2* TG3 BL82 (Black) | Siig Minitouch (Monterey) | Cherry G80-8113 (browns) | CMstorm QF Rapid (Blue) | | CMstorm QF Rapid (Green)

Offline False_Dmitry_II

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 19:12:02 »
Well, what do you guesstimate US-based shipping to be? I bet that might be a nice thing to know for potentially interested parties.
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Offline Dox

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #13 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 19:14:36 »
I never tried a contoured keyboard and I would be very interested in trying it, I don't know how much shipping would cost as I'm in Canada but if it's possible, put me on the list!
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #14 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 20:32:55 »
DOX, I don't mind the keyboard going abroad, after Dorkvader gets it, he should send it to you since you are collaborating on the ErgoDox project...

Dorkvader, please PM me your mailing info ASAP. Instead of waiting for enough folks to sign up before I ship it out, in the interest of the ErgoDox project I'd like you two to have first dibbs right away. I'll try to ship it Monday or Tuesday at the latest.
« Last Edit: Sat, 14 January 2012, 20:56:19 by sordna »
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline moogatronic

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #15 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 21:08:43 »
Quote from: sordna;489691
I have an old Kinesis Contoured keyboard (Model #110, PS/2, Cherry MX browns) that is one too many (I have 5 more recent ones). Several folks PM'd me and asked if they could buy it, take it, or try it. So I thought why not let every Geekhacker try it out?

I'm not interested - I ended up just guessing that all the enthusiasm for this board was true and bought one, but I think your idea is fantastic! It would have saved me a lot of deliberation and worry over a fairly expensive keyboard purchase. It turns out that I love the Advantage more than I could have anticipated... and my enthusiasm here has been edited to not seem annoyingly excessive!

I just found out about the ErgoDox project today and that looks like it addresses the only issues I have with the Kinesis.

Just posting here to give you props for your generosity! My RSI is only mild, the ergo layout isn't strictly required, but I believe that this layout significantly improves *my* human-computer interaction experience. Something to keep in mind if anyone is on the fence about the layout and design. Of course, my impressions are self-subjective, etc..!
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #16 on: Sat, 14 January 2012, 23:04:23 »
moogatronic, thanks for sharing your thoughts and congrats on the new keyboard!

Folks, it's official, Dorkvader will get the keyboard first, then DOX. I'll ship it sooner rather than later; people can keep signing up.
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline dorkvader

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 00:48:34 »
is DOX okay to ship internationally back into the US? (alternatively: are there other canadians who want to sign up that are?)
How long do you want us to keep it? If it's what everyone is saying, I'll have to save up and get one (probably by selling some of by current keyboards :p )
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| Unicomp (BS) | WASD V1 (Brown) | CMstorm QF Rapid (Red) | Olivetti (RD) | WYSE 50 (Black) | WYSE 30 (Black) | Two * Access-IS 6x12 (Black) | Cherry G84-4101 SPAUS (ML) | WYSE PCE 840358 (Black) | IBM 6110668 31 JAN '84 | CMstorm QF Rapid (Blue) | NIB Cherry G80-8113 (Browns) | IBM Model F XT | 2* TG3 BL82 (Black) | Siig Minitouch (Monterey) | Cherry G80-8113 (browns) | CMstorm QF Rapid (Blue) | | CMstorm QF Rapid (Green)

Offline boli

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #18 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 02:13:22 »
Very kind of you Sordna! I'm doing the same thing at work with my spare (3rd) Kinesis keyboard, because I remember how eager I was to try one out before buying, but didn't have access to one.

Quote from: dorkvader;491438
How long do you want us to keep it? If it's what everyone is saying, I'll have to save up and get one

I guess it it takes a few days to get used to and then a few more days to make you love it and order one or two. My first "victim" at work had it for one week now, I'll have to ask him what he thinks, but I'm expecting at least another trial week...
« Last Edit: Mon, 16 January 2012, 02:24:48 by boli »
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Keyboard: Kinesis Ergo Advantage (two LF editions with red Cherry switches, one regular with brown switches)
Keyboard layout: basically Colemak, with some remapping to end up with my custom Kinesis Advantage layout
Typing test profiles: typeracer.com / hi-games.net / keybr.com

Offline In Stereo!

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #19 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 02:22:05 »
I'd love the idea of having it for a few days or so as I get quickly bored with keyboards, but I'd immagine the shipping costs to Europe would be to high just to try the thing.
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #20 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 02:39:10 »
Quote from: boli;491484
Very kind of you Sordna! I'm doing the same thing at work with my spare (3rd) Kinesis keyboard, because I remember how eager I was to try one out before buying, but didn't have access to one.

I can relate, in my case, I saw one of these keyboards used by a contractor at work (many years ago) and had a chance to borrow it for 2-3 days. Right away I could tell this was the board for me and ordered my first (a white Kinesis Classic) with total confidence, and over time bought several more, both new and used ones. Honestly I doubt I would take the plunge on one, had I not experienced the awesomeness first hand!
« Last Edit: Mon, 16 January 2012, 02:59:49 by sordna »
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline REVENGE

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #21 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 03:43:25 »
RAWR! Is that my baby? :D
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #22 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 10:53:40 »
Yes, it's your retrobrighted one with the doublshot keycaps! It's gonna be famous and travel around the world!

Well, N. America at least.
« Last Edit: Mon, 16 January 2012, 11:01:10 by sordna »
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline REVENGE

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #23 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 11:50:35 »
Quote from: sordna;491704
Yes, it's your retrobrighted one with the doublshot keycaps! It's gonna be famous and travel around the world!

Well, N. America at least.

HOOORAY!

I apologize beforehand for the ****ty retr0brighting.  Enjoy it though! I spent hours disassembling and cleaning every square inch of it.
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #24 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 11:55:18 »
Yes, it's VERY clean. Only caveat is the switches are worn cherry browns, so they're a bit scratchy. Probably good candidates for lubing with Deoxit F100 but I haven't got around to buy that lube. Any recipient want to put F100 (that's the only one I would be comfortable with) on the switches, feel free to do so.
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline kps

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #25 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 14:15:17 »
Quote from: sordna;491771
Only caveat is the switches are worn cherry browns, so they're a bit scratchy.
Interesting. My 12-year-old KB132 gradually lost most of its tactile bump, but didn't get scratchy. Maybe it's because I ran it through the dishwasher once a year.
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Online sordna

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #26 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 15:14:40 »
You put the entire keyboard in the dishwasher ???
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Kinesis Contoured Advantage LF with Cherry MX Red switches / Extra keys mod / O-ring dampening mod / Dvorak layout. ErgoDox with buzzer mod.
Also: Kinesis Advantage Classic, Kinesis Contoured Model 110, Data911 TG3, Fingerworks Touchstream LP, KBC Poker (Cherry MX Red), IBM Space Saving keyboard (Buckling spring), Goldtouch GTU-0077 keyboard

Offline REVENGE

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #27 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 16:53:25 »
Quote from: sordna;491834
You put the entire keyboard in the dishwasher ???
Haha, did you know that even Matias has a section on their website instructing you how to clean your TP3 in a dishwasher?
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Offline Dox

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #28 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 16:57:07 »
Quote from: dorkvader;491438
is DOX okay to ship internationally back into the US? (alternatively: are there other canadians who want to sign up that are?)
How long do you want us to keep it? If it's what everyone is saying, I'll have to save up and get one (probably by selling some of by current keyboards :p )
No problem sending back in the US after my tryout. If there is someone else in Canada it might be worth it to send it to him even if he's not the next on the list if that's ok.
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Offline kps

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Kinesis Contoured Try & Forward
« Reply #29 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 17:00:33 »
Quote from: sordna;491834
You put the entire keyboard in the dishwasher ???

Yes. Take the caps off and put them in a mesh bag to expose the keys. No heated drying — depending on your dishwasher, ABS might not take it. Rinse with distilled water if the tap water isn't nice. Air dry.
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