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Considering Cherry MX browns? Try a Kinesis contoured.

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ChrisB:
Hello all,

I've been silently lurking here awhile. What brought me here was a search for a portable compact keyboard I could bring with my laptop that is as comfortable to use as my Kinesis contoured Advantage USB. (Right now I carry a Cherry ML4100 in my bag.)

Mr_sf_applet's recent review of the Majestouch has generated some interest in Cherry brown slider switches. This is what the Kinesis contoured keyboard uses. The Cherry brown "tactile feel ergonomic" switches are not clicky, but if the Kinesis keyboard's "audible keypress tone" feature is enabled, which generates a click noise at the keypress activation point, the keyboard does in fact feel like a super-soft-touch clicky keyboard, because the tactile feel coincides precisely with the click noise. The Cherry browns in my Kinesis feel like they have a softer, smoother, clickier touch to my fingers than the Cherry ML switches in the ML4100 I'm typing this post with right now. (The keys are also a slight bit more wobbly than the ML4100 keys, which is something I generally don't like, but the slight wobble might work to make the keys more comfortable in the unique Kinesis layout.)

When I first got my Kinesis I turned off the click noises (which are enabled by default) and kept them off for many years because it seemed stupid to me to have a feature which makes the keyboard noisier, but in fact the click noises help to keep me from bottoming out the keys and making a clack noise which can be significantly louder than the speaker click noise.

I'll write a longer post or two when I have time (it's finals week for me right now) about not only the Kinesis but also the Model M and some of my own keyboard research and news, but as several of you have expressed interest in buying a Cherry brown switch board in the very near future, I wanted to post right now to make sure that the Kinesis contoured was considered before any of you make Cherry brown switch purchases. Even if you're not a fan of "ergo" keyboards, it's worth giving a chance.

fkeidjn:
Used to have one for about a month, but sold it to try the Cymotion wireless pro, though it was big mistake because I really didn't like the Cymotion pro overall.  I couldn't really get used to the contoured layout of the Kinesis though.

There's one on ebay right now

Whiskey in the Jar-o:

--- Quote from: fkeidjn ---Used to have one for about a month, but sold it to try the Cymotion wireless pro, though it was big mistake because I really didn't like the Cymotion pro overall.  I couldn't really get used to the contoured layout of the Kinesis though.

There's one on ebay right now
--- End quote ---


I briefly considered bidding on this one.

xsphat:
I am thinking about trying one of these keyboards, but I am not quite sold on it yet because my hands / wrists / arms don't hurt the way it is now, so I am not sure it is worth the learning curve. ErgoCanada has a 30 day satisfaction return deal with a minimal restocking fee, so I might check one out. I like that you can turn on the keyclick, and I don't game so I think there might be a possibility I'll like it as a writer. In any case, it wouyld be good to have in my collection / rotation.

mr_sf_applet:
I'm curious too about the learning curve for a Kinesis contoured keyboard. I also would like to hear about how easy it is to go back and forth between a Kinesis contoured and a board with a conventional QWERTY layout. I'm thinking that the time I've put in on the TypeMatrix, with its non-staggered layout, would serve me well in adjusting to the Kinesis. Not that I'm planning on getting one at the moment.

After reading ChrisB's post, I installed Noisy Keyboard on my computer to give my Filco the same optional click that is offered by the Kinesis contoured boards. Works pretty well. The click occurs at the actuation point of the key press, and it's sorta like turning the brown Cherries of the Majestouch into clicky blues. A little distracting, though, to have the clicks come from the computer speakers rather than the keys themselves. I think I prefer my Majestouch to be clickless, but ChrisB's conversion to the Church of Click has me thinking I should give Noisy Keyboard a longer audition than the few minutes I've spent with it so far.

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