Most keyboards follow an increasingly similar design and layout with minimal changes, ensuring that the keyboard's potential learning curve is minimal. The ZergoTech Freedom keyboard changes that layout and design drastically to ensure that the keyboard is amazingly ergonomic. The ZergoTech Freedom design is incredibly unique but is designed to move away from the reliance on the right hand, which modern keyboards still have.
The Zergotech Freedom keyboard utilizes a split keyboard design with unique sliding keyboard wrist rests.
Zergotech's Freedom keyboard offers an incredibly unique design, and this design is perfect for PC users that spend long hours typing and suffer from chronic wrist strain. This keyboard's unique design relieves a large amount of wrist strain that is normally experienced when typing for a long time.
Build and Design
The ZergoTech Freedom design follows a split keyboard design with two pieces connected through a wire located on each piece's top. This split keyboard design allows users to place each piece where it is the most comfortable easily. This split design is often used to make a keyboard vastly more ergonomic.
The ZergoTech Freedom offers a fantastic build quality as each piece has very little to no flex due to the larger build while retaining a concave design to the keys allows for much less strain on the wrists and hands. This keyboard not only has double over-molded strain relief but also has sound absorbing foam within the keyboard to reduce the key echo from the inside of the keyboard.
As a writer, Ensuring that my keyboard strains my wrist as little as possible is incredibly important. The ZergoTech Freedom also offers a fantastic and patented wrist rest.
Keyboard Layout
This keyboard features a different layout from the standard keyboard design; this new unique design has the layout significantly changed and does take some time to get used to. This new design has the delete button moved to a different location. This layout is designed to spread the usage between both hands, instead of being primarily left-handed.
Programming The ZergoTech Freedom
The Freedom Keyboard regarding programming and customizing the macros and keys are a bit different from standard keyboards. In contrast, most keyboards utilize software and a graphical interface to switch keys and map the macros to various keys and key combinations.
This keyboard uses a different way to swap keys, using a more hardware-centric solution that required the user to open notepad. While this may seem slightly counterintuitive, it switches the keyboard keys, meaning connecting the Freedom keyboard to a computer without any software, will still see the keys as swapped.
Thankfully, Zergotech sends a programming guide with the Freedom keyboard and has readily available on their website.
Unique Features
The ZergoTech Freedom offers some incredibly unique features designed to ease any wrist strain that extended users may have when using this keyboard. Some of the incredibly unique features include the Kailh box key switches, Sliding palm rests, and unique key layout.
Kailh Box Switches
The ZergoTech Freedom keyboard uses mechanical switches; specifically, the keyboard that I received uses the Kailh White Box switches, but there is also an option to use the Kailh Brown Box switches.
The Kailh White Box switches have a very audible click similar to the classic mechanical keyboard sounds. In contrast, the Brown Box key switches offer a much more silent click, ideal for an office space or for people who want to keep a much quieter working area.
After using the Kailh White box key switches for some time, the clicking is perfect for gamers who want the classic gaming mechanical keyboard sound. While audible, this sound doesn't detract or become annoying even if using this keyboard for hours at a time.
Split Design
The Zergotech Freedom Keyboard utilizes a split design, allowing for a much more rigid keyboard overall. This split design is connected through a single tough cable and connects to a PC using a single USB port. While other standard keyboards have to ensure limited keyboard flex, the split design ensures that each section is incredibly rigid and stable.
This split design does change the keyboard's overall layout, and this different design does require some time to get used to. This may cause some keyboard users to overlook this keyboard, but the time it takes to learn the keys' new positions is incredibly minimal. For me, it took less than a week to get up to full, and possibly even faster, typing speed while significantly reducing the wrist strain that is commonly experienced by typists and gamers.
Sliding Wrist Rests
The Zergotech Freedom keyboard has an incredibly unique wrist rest, and these wrist rests can freely move around, allowing for easy access to all the keys. When I started using the Freedom keyboard, it was tough to remember that I have to place my wrists in the center of the wrist rests.
After a week or so, the sliding wrist rest is barely noticeable besides the ease of moving my hands around without the need to lift them from the wrist rest. While the option to buy a wrist rest that fits into the sliding wrist rest spot is available, I would suggest giving the sliding wrist rest a chance as they come included with the keyboard itself.
With the option of buying a full wrist rest, this keyboard becomes even more customizable. This large amount of customization ensures that this keyboard can be suited to each person's individual needs or typing styles. These sliding key wrists are currently a patented design.
Pricing And Availability
The Zergotech Freedom keyboard is currently available on Zergotech's website, the price of this keyboard is high compared to standard keyboards. This keyboard comes with various items, including the slim profile sliders, keycap puller, set of O-Rings, and a reference card.
The Freedom Keyboard's Price is $339; users can further customize the keyboard on this page. The Freedom keyboard can be set up for either the Windows or Mac OS operating system on this page. On this page, users can also choose between the two different types of key switches; thankfully, none of these changes result in a higher price for the keyboard.
Recommendation
I would recommend the Freedom Keyboard for anyone who is constantly typing or using the keyboard for extended hours at a time. Simultaneously, gamers may need to go into the setting to change the jump action to enter from the space due to this keyboard's unique layout, potentially frustrating some gamers.
The post ZergoTech Freedom Keyboard Review: Ergonomics And Performance in a Unique Form Factor by Evan Federowicz appeared first on Wccftech.
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