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Need-To-Knows
- Wireless and wired connection options
- 3mm full travel with 1.3mm buffer zone
- Apple or Windows configurations available
- Loads of ergoomic features, including a wrist pad and tented design
I’ve used and tested my fair share of keyboards over the years, whether in my old job or in my role as a tech reviewer. And I can safely say that those of the mechanical variety are the most satisfying to type on. But everyone’s preference is different, especially if you have specific needs in mind like gaming.
For the last few weeks, I’ve been using the Kinesis mWave and I think it might be one of my favourite keyboard ever. There are a few reasons for this which I’ll get into below but there has obviously been a lot of care and attention put into the mWave’s design. Not only is it mechanical but it’s made with Mac users in mind, it’s ergonomic and got lots of customisation.
Let’s get into it!
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It’s Properly Mac-Friendly
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: this hands-on is based on the Mac version of the mWave (there’s a Windows option too), and it absolutely nails the Mac-specific stuff. That might sound like a low bar, but it’s not hugely common to find mechanical keyboards that cater properly for us macOS diehards.
We’re not just talking about the right key labels here. The mWave has the Command, Option, and Control keys exactly where you’d expect them, and the row of dedicated Mac hotkeys at the top means you don’t have to reprogram your muscle memory just to adjust the brightness or skip a track on Apple Music.
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No fiddly key remapping, no downloading arcane drivers, no multi-step rituals to make it feel right. It just works when you first link it to your device. Oh yeah, it comes with both wired and wireless connections too.
Mechanical Switches Done Right
If you’ve never used a mechanical keyboard before (a scary thought that there are now people out there young enough to relate to that statement!), the first few taps on the mWave will feel very unique. Most modern keyboards you would use on a MacBook for example, or Apple’s Magic Keyboard, use membrane switches for their keys.
This is fine, but it’s just…well fine. Compared to mechanical setups, besides being healthier for you which I’ll get to later, membrane keys are far less responsive and feel noticeably more spongy. Until you’ve used one, it’s hard to explain just why mechanical is better.
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But in short, the keys are punchy and therefore more responsive to inputs, they’re tactile so you can feel the different keys more easily, and they make that deliciously crisp clacking sound.
To get all technical about it, the mWave keys are ‘full travel’, meaning they move 3mm before reaching their pressed limit. That gives you a firmer and more decisive typing feel. The mWave is also rated to withstand 60 million key presses, making it very durable.
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Coming from the soft spongeiness of a laptop keyboard, the difference is night and day. Mechanical switches bring not just a satisfying sound (which isn’t off-puttingly loud by the way), but a level of precision and durability you just don’t get with traditional membrane keys. You really do have to try this style of keyboard to believe what I’m saying.
Ergonomics That Really Work
Now this is really where the mWave comes into it’s own. I’m not an ergonomic keyboard fanatic and I don’t usually use one…but I will definitely be from now on! I spend most of my day typing, so do most people these days, and that has consequences for you health regarding your wrists, finger tips and shoulders.
The common typing positon of a flat keyboard at an unnatural angle can contribute to wrist problems like carpal tunnel, shoulder tension, fingertip numbness and tendon strains.
For example, if your having to slam the keys on your membrane keyboard to register inputs, it will slowly begin to cause problems over time with your fingers. The worst of all is wrist position. Your wrists should be almost completely straight when typing, not angled in anyway, to avoid injury. Normal keyboards exacerbate this.
The mWave takes all of this into account.
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For a start, the key strike typing force of 55g means you don’t need to press very hard to generate an input. The 1.3mm buffer zone also reduces the distance a key needs to travel in order to register, again minimising how hard to hit the keyboard with your fingertips.
And that’s just the keys, the mWave has more up its sleeve in the wider design.
Obviously, it has the signature curved shape, or what pros would call a ‘tented’ design. This makes sure the thumbs are elevated to reduce pressure on your forearm muscles. I’ve never used a keyboard with this shape before but it is honestly much comfier.
The slight split in the middle of the keys is also designed to align your arms more with the natural angle of your shoulders to avoid you having to move your body into a cramped positon to reach certain keys.
My favourite part though is the soft wrist rest. Yes, it’s probably the simplest part about the mWave but it makes such a difference when trying to reduce the amount you bend your wrists when typing.
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What’s great about all of this is that there’s no massive learning curve like there can be with fully split keyboards. You put your hands down to type and it feels right from the off. I’m really impressed by what an ergonomic keyboard can do with such small tweaks.
Connectivity and Customisation
One of my favourite features of the mWave is how easily it slots into a multi-device setup. The whole point of the Apple ecosystem is that your devices work seamlessly together. So a keyboard needs to do this too.
The mWave connects via Bluetooth or USB-C, and you can pair it with two devices at once. Switching between them is easy, you just slide the central Profile Switch across and you’re away, typing on your MacBook, iPad, or Mac mini.
This might sound like a small thing, but it makes a big difference if, like me, you juggle multiple devices throughout the day. It also has backlighting, which lots of people like to have these days!
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As for customisation, the Kinesis Clique software has you covered. It’s surprisingly user-friendly and lets you remap keys, build macros, and create different layers depending on what you’re doing.
I didn’t dive too deeply into the macro world myself (the default layout is fine for most people I’d say), but it’s nice knowing the options are there. And if you are the sort of person who dreams of assigning 12 steps of your workflow to a single keypress, the mWave will satisfy.
Wrapping up – any downsides?
I’ve used this thing for a few weeks now and I honestly cannot find anything I dislike about it. The keys feel perfectly tuned for a responsive and satisfying typing experience and the overall ergonomic design has genuinely opened my eyes to what a keyboard should be doing.
There are plenty of other mechanical keyboards out there, but many of them have little consideration beyond how the keys are designed. The mWave takes into account so much more from a health perspective.
Plus it’s Mac friendly and great to use with multiple devices. For $119, you really do get a cracking deal.
The only thing I would say is that for some people, mainly gamers, the mWave doesn’t have the colourful, outgoing look that that crowd often looks for. There are no coloured keys as standard or RGB backlighting for example.
But the mWave is firmly aimed at a broader, work-focused market and in that area, it more than suffices! And that checks out; Kinesis has been doing this for 30 years. They know what they’re doing.
This article is supported by Kinesis
