Advantage360 Keyboard

Invest in yourself!

Contoured design maximizes comfort and boosts productivity

Adjustable Split

Separate and rotate modules independently to keep wrists straight and reduce ulnar deviation.

3-Way Adjustable Tenting

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

Integrated Palm Support

Palm supports and cushioned palm pads* promote neutral typing position to reduce wrist extension. *Sold separately

Compact Layout

Thanks to its tenkeyless layout, you can position your mouse to the side or in the middle for less “over-reach” strain.

Proven Contoured Shape

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

Signature Thumb Keys

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

Optional Fixed Split

Not ready for full adjustability? Attach the included bridge connector for the traditional Advantage separation.

Vertical Key Configuration

Unlike traditional staggered keyboards, the orthogonal layout mirrors the natural motion of your fingers.

Mechanical Switches

Durable: Rated for 50+ million key presses
Premium: Unmatched feel and performance
Ergonomic: Low-force and tactile

Choose your switch

Gateron Brown Stem

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

Customize it!

We’ve partnered with Upgrade Keyboards to be the official after-market switch outfitter for the Advantage360. Purchase the keyboard through them and they’ll build it just for you.

Upgrade Keyboards

Coming Late 2022

Choose from three tenting heights with the click of a button

Bluetooth with the ZMK Engine

Multi-channel Bluetooth Low Energy (pair with 4 devices)
Wireless linking
Global white backlighting
Open-source ZMK platform for maximum customization
Configure layout using the web-based configurator on GitHub

Learn More about ZMK

USB-C with the SmartSet Engine

USB-C Linking (Detachable 10″ Cable)
Onboard storage for 9 programmable layouts
One-touch onboard remapping
Record on-the-fly macros
Access power-user tools via SmartSet App for Windows/Mac

What people are saying about original Advantage contoured keyboard

Amazon Rating

“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 Advantage does.”

– Avdi G. | Programmer –

“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 –

Specifications

Operating System

Windows 7-10, Mac OS X, Linux, Android & Chrome

Layout

76 Key layout with thumb clusters

Function Keys reside in new “Fn” Layer
10-Key resides in the traditional “Keypad” Layer

Dimensions

7.5” (width) x 8.0” (depth) x 3.0-4.0” (height) *per side

Weight

3.2 lbs

Package Contents

Keyboard, Bridge Connector, 11 Additional Keycaps, Keycap Puller, and Quick Start Guide

Advantage 360: USB-C Main Cable & Link Cable
Advantage 360 Pro: USB-C Charging Cable (x2)

Key Switches

Low-Force Mechanical Brown Switches (Gateron KS-9)

Fully Programmable

Advantage 360: Onboard Macros/Remaps and the SmartSet App

Advantage 360 Pro: Web-based configurator on GitHub

Backlighting

Advantage 360: None

Advantage 360 Pro: Global White

Keycaps

Advantage 360: Dye-sublimation PBT

Advantage 360 Pro: Shine-through ABS (not pictured here)

Connectivity

Advantage 360: USB-C

Advantage 360 Pro: Bluetooth or USB-C

Linking

Advantage 360: 10″ USB-C cable included

Advantage 360 Pro: Bluetooth

New Pinky Keys

Use either of the two new pinky keys to shift to the new Fn layer for access to the Function Keys. Or re-assign a different action.

New Hot Keys

Use the four new hot keys for any custom actions or macros. Plus you get a full-size Keypad key and programming key.

Accessories

Premium Palm Pads

Cushioned Foam, Supple Fabric, Magnetic Attachment

You guys asked for more layers, so that’s what you get

The 360 features 3 defaults layers: The Top layer which has all your alphanumerics and other commonly used keys, the Keypad layer (“KP”) for your 10-key, and the new Fn1 layer which has your 12 function keys. By default you access the Keypad layer by toggling in and out of the layer via the new full-size “KP”. By default the Function Layer is accessed with the new momentary Fn keys under your pinkies. But you can reprogram any of the keys to act as a layer shift or toggle to suit your workflow.

Missing an action? Not to worry, you can insert just about any keyboard action on any key using the Smartset App (Windows/Mac) or via simple text just like on the Advantage2.

That depends…

The Advantage360 is an incredibly powerful keyboard and will be superior to the Advantage2 in just about everyway. But if you don’t care about adjustable separation or tenting, or you are in pain now, it probably doesn’t make sense to wait.

Pre-order keyboards are sold subject to Drop’s standard terms and conditions so if you are not sure about the 360, you are probably better off waiting until 2022 and order direct from Kinesis so you can take advantage of our 60 Day Guarantee.

Our target is May 2022

We are in the late stages of tooling the plastic and metal parts for the Advantage360 and the electronics for both the SmartSet and ZMK models are nearly complete. Due to current crises with the global supply chain and freight shipping there may be unforeseeable delays, but we are optimistic we can hit out target.

Yes… maybe… probably…

The Pro model has a number of advantages over the base 360 model, namely optional Bluetooth, wireless linking, and backlighting. If any of those features are important to you than the Pro is a no brainer. Over the years our users have clamoured for an open-source option for their Advantage so for those folks the Pro will be a welcome sight.

But we call it the “Professional” version for a reason, open-source has powerful tools but its not as user-friendly as SmartSet. If you prefer to use onboard programming, which is a hallmark of Kinesis’s SmartSet Engine, you’ll want to stick with the base model.

This one is easy…

Dye-Sublimation PBT: These are premium keycaps that are resistant to sheen and and fade. If you don’t plan to use the backlighting then this is the set you want. You have a choice of Dvorak or QWERTY legends.

Shine-Through ABS: If you want to work in a low-light environment you’ll need to select these if you want to be able to read the key legends. This set is only available with QWERTY legends at this time.

The Pro model features dual 1500 mah batteries

If you are using the keyboard with the backlighting on (a major power drain) the batteries should last for a full work day. If you have the backlighting turned off, you should be able to go several months between charges.

The Pro has a 30 second timer so if you step away for your keyboard for a moment it will go to sleep to preserve battery life but wake up quickly when you return. And there is a handy on/off switch if you are travelling with your keyboard or want to ensure that it goes into deep sleep for maximum power conservation.

Nope!

We designed the Advantage 360 specifically to be used as a fully separable keyboard for maximum ergonomic benefits. However, we know there are many long-time contoured keyboards users who want the new features but aren’t ready to make the jump to a split keyboard. We engineered the bridge to quickly snap into place to recreate the classic separation found on earlier one piece models.

Unfortunatley, no.

We tried to make this happen but the sockets just aren’t reliable enough when mounted to the curved keywell circuit boards. Sockets were meant to mount to flat keyboards so it would have caused too many reliability issues. But that’s why we partnered with Upgrade Keyboards so you can eventually get the 360 built with exactly the switches YOU want.

Good Question!

We have done a number of “drops” over years and always had a good experience working with them. In this instance its easier for us to use their global storefront and distribution hub to manage the fulfillment of the intial batch of Advantage360 keyboards. Once the keyboards are in full production the 360 will be available from the Kinesis Store, Amazon, and our usual network of resellers across the globe.

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.

GET Contoured Keyboard Study

Arriving only on Drop.com December 20th

Qualifying H&S specialists receive a free demo unit on selected products

Corporate Demo Program

Advantage360 Split Ergonomic Keyboard | Kinesis