I wrote previously about my journey with the Kinesis Advantage2 ergonomic keyboard. That journey is now over, and I'm back to my old keyboard. (Which is also a Kinesis: the Freestyle Pro. It's a split keyboard with a standard layout — a pretty solid ergo-compromise if you ask me.)
I was excited to try the Advantage given the enthusiastic praise for it that I've found around the net. I was further excited that a coworker had a spare one to loan me, so I didn't have to blow $370 on the experiment.
After a few days of aggressively retraining myself and trying to build some new muscle memory, I started having a feeling. It was like that sinking feeling you get in a relationship after the honeymoon period, when some small part of you starts nagging, "This isn't it." You wonder if you should just break up now or give it a few more months and see if it clicks. But you're not _really_ wondering because you already know that Option A is in fact the Correct Answer.
I started having that feeling around day four after I'd gotten reasonably competent with the Advantage. Out of curiosity, I plugged in my old board to see how it felt. And it felt awful! I was mistyping constantly, just like when I first switched to the Advantage.
My prerequisite in trying the Advantage was retaining the ability to go back to a standard layout at any time. I want to be able to go outside, or to a coffee shop, or on vacation, without hauling a bulky, esoteric keyboard around with me. I'd seen several commenters say they can switch with no problem. But for my pea brain and its myriad limitations, it appears to be a one-or-the-other bargain: ortholinear or staggered. Hopping back and forth is a no-go.
I'm sure that the Advantage would eventually fit me like a glove. I felt good progress in that direction in the first few days. But if that comfort means I can't use a standard keyboard anymore without some anguish, it's not worth it to me. If I were actively suffering from RSI or other pain that the Advantage might fix, it'd be a different equation.
This is, of course, a thoroughly subjective decision. Kinesis makes good stuff, and the Advantage is no exception. I encourage you to try it! It's not the keyboard itself that turned me off, but rather my inability to use a standard keyboard alongside it. Other folks seem to be able to do that just fine.