Kinesis Gaming Freestyle Edge RGB Plus Review

It’s been almost two years since I reviewed the Kinesis Gaming Freestyle Edge RGB, but it’s still our top pick for the best ergonomic gaming keyboard you can buy. While there are probably more ergonomic options on the market or simply ones with more gaming features, the Freestyle Edge is a near-perfect combination of comfort, performance, and price.

Well, it’s back again, this time in the form of a compact update: Freestyle Edge RGB Plus. When I say compact, I really mean compact, as Kinesis Gaming has only changed a few aspects of the original package. First up are the key switches, which have been swapped from Cherry MX to Gateron Pro v1.

This was probably done for cost reasons, but the good news is that the money Kinesis saved by using different mechanical switches was spent on a lift kit (which secures the keyboard) and Apple Mac modifier keys. These used to be optional extras (and also quite steep), but now they are included in the set.

The circuit boards used in the two halves of the keyboard have also been improved to support hotswap. Essentially this allows you to operate the included key puller to pull out the switch while the keyboard is plugged in and replace it Gateron Pro of your choice or any other switch using the same pinout.

Finally, the stabilizers used on long keys (e.g. spacer bars) are now pre-lubricated at the factory. Paired with Gateron Pro linear switches, the entire keyboard is velvety and straightforward to operate, with just the slightest click with each key press. If you want a little more clicking, choose the touch option or buy Gateron clicky switches.

Other than that, it’s still the same Freestyle Edge RGB, and that’s good. This too slightly disappointing, depending on your needs, and I’ll explain why in a moment. Sticking with the positives for now, I’m glad that Kinesis included a lifting kit with the Plus. Paying $35 for a few pieces of plastic that were absolutely necessary to operate the keyboard as intended always felt a little wrong.

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You don’t have to operate them, of course, if you don’t want to have a tent (i.e. the keyboard halves lie flat on the desk). The same goes for luxury wrist rests. Although they are removable, I can’t imagine why you would want to as they are very comfortable and supportive. Having said that, if you are prone to sweaty palms while gaming, the material of the pad will become a bit unpleasant after a while.

While I’m on the subject of negatives, I don’t like the fact that the lift kit legs move when you move the keyboard. The cables between the two keyboard halves and the main USB cable are braided and pleasantly long, but also quite stiff. The delete key is too compact and too far from the others for quick operate in office work.

However, there are more subjective criticism, not objective weaknesses of the keyboard. For example, due to the nature of the mechanical switches used, you won’t find any support for latching touch or quick trigger, something the Asus ROG Falcata has thanks to its Hall-effect switches.

This will only matter if you are a professional gamer for whom every millisecond of reaction time counts. For everyone else, including me, the Freestyle Edge RGB Plus is more than swift enough.

So why did I write that it’s a bit disappointing that Kinesis Gaming hasn’t changed the situation that much in the case of Plus? Partly this is because there have been an awful lot of keyboards (ergonomic and otherwise) on the market in the 18 months/two years since the original Freestyle Edge RGB was released, and the Kinesis keyboard is starting to look and feel a bit dated compared to some of them.

Of course, the completely rebuilt and fully modernized Freestyle Edge couldn’t be called an ordinary “Plus”, but if, for example, Asus took the Kinesis wrist rests and used them in the updated Falcat, then the Freestyle could have some real competition.

I should imagine some people might feel the same way about the lack of wireless connectivity on the keyboard or the lack of a dedicated media wheel.

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I’m sure Kinesis could easily add these features to the next-gen Freestyle Edge RGB, but it would almost certainly ruin the one thing that puts it ahead of every other ergonomic keyboard: price.

At just under $200, the Freestyle Edge RGB Plus certainly isn’t economical, but it’s there half the price of the Asus ROG Falcat and much more affordable than, say, the Dygma Defy.

That’s why Kinesis reigns supreme when it comes to ergonomic gaming keyboards. The Freestyle Edge RGB Plus doesn’t come with all the latest key switch technology, but what it does have is made very well and at a much better price than the competition. If you want to take the strain off your shoulders, elbows and wrists as you work all day and then play all night long, the Freestyle Edge RGB has proven to be the best option.

Now it’s Freestyle Edge RGB Plus. The same great keyboard, now with a little more bang for your buck.