Kinesis Ergonomic Keyboards

I am the only one at Small Dog Electronics that uses the Kinesis Ergonomic keyboards. I own two of them and while it took me nearly 3 weeks to learn to use the board, I will now never go back.

Early in Small Dog’s history, I developed a serious case of carpel tunnel syndrome in both wrists. It was a painful condition that robbed me of sleep and made it so that I could not even consider riding a motorcycle.

I ended up getting surgery on both wrists and it was a good thing that Hapy, Dawn and Art were sympathetic while I was pathetic! I had to build special “tools” to do simple tasks while I recovered.

That cured my CTS and I have not had that pain again, however, I don’t want it for sure! So, I have developed a keen interest in ergonomic keyboards. Some time ago I did a review of all of the ergonomic keyboards available for the Mac in Kibbles & Bytes.

The best of these keyboards, by far, was the Kinesis. I have the Advantage Pro and a foot pedal that I seldom use. It is a cinch to reprogram any of the keys and I have customized my board to meet my typing style.

It really did take some time to learn how to use the board with its widely separated buckets for keys. On the other hand, once I mastered the board utilizing their tutorials, I have increased my speed significantly and it is the most comfortable keyboard I have ever used.

If you have CTS or type a lot, you might want to consider investing in one of the Kinesis Advantage keyboards!

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