# Recommendations for well supported keyboard

## marco.difresco

Hi all,

for months I have been using a Corsair K95 RGB keyboard, but while it works almost all the times, it has a couple of problems that over time become too annoying to ignore. Therefore I have decided to buy a new keyboard.

Unfortunately I cannot afford to personally test various keyboards by trial and error relaying on eventual store returns because here in Italy the stores are not as flexible as US stores in term of accepting returns (basically they accept it only if the product is objectively defective and only for few days after purchases) and actually I may have to purchase from another nation because I am looking for the US layout. Therefore I need an advice from you for a sure and safe purchase.

I don't need something too fancy (for example I never bothered to program and use the G keys in neither the Corsair K95 RGB  nor the old Logitech G15 I had), but I need: 

* the retro-illumination that can be turned on and off directly from the keyboard (I have it in my bedroom so I have to turn it off before going to sleep); 

* media player controls (the classic buttons play/pause, stop, next, previous, mute and a volume wheel);

* must be very robust (I am very clumsy and when I type very fast I often push the keys from the cap border or from a strange angle, therefore the keyboard should correctly recognize the character and the internal mechanism should not wear off too quickly because of it - it is one of the reasons I tried a mechanical keyboard for the first time.); 

* as mentioned, very good Linux support of course (obviously the whole point of this post  :Very Happy:  ).

As for other fancy features, like the G keys, as I mentioned I don't use them, but if a variant with them costs just few dollars more (<= 20) than the variant without, I would not mind purchase it (in case one day I decide to take advantage of them).

What can you suggest?

Thanks in advance.

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## Ant P.

Ironically, Microsoft ones have always worked perfectly in Linux. I don't think they do any models with backlight or good keyswitches though. The keyboard I'm using has lasted a solid 6-7 years, which is alright for the price.

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## tuggbuss

 *marco.difresco wrote:*   

> Hi all,
> 
> for months I have been using a Corsair K95 RGB keyboard, but while it works almost all the times, it has a couple of problems that over time become too annoying to ignore. Therefore I have decided to buy a new keyboard.
> 
> Unfortunately I cannot afford to personally test various keyboards by trial and error relaying on eventual store returns because here in Italy the stores are not as flexible as US stores in term of accepting returns (basically they accept it only if the product is objectively defective and only for few days after purchases) and actually I may have to purchase from another nation because I am looking for the US layout. Therefore I need an advice from you for a sure and safe purchase.
> ...

 

I bought Corsair Strafe the other day. It has all that, and it's kind of quiet (not Apple keyboard quiet but k i n d of quiet)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tcdRnheaQc

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## marco.difresco

 *Ant P. wrote:*   

> Ironically, Microsoft ones have always worked perfectly in Linux. I don't think they do any models with backlight or good keyswitches though. The keyboard I'm using has lasted a solid 6-7 years, which is alright for the price.

 

The retro-illumination is something I really got used to, but I will keep your recommendation under consideration; thanks.

 *tuggbuss wrote:*   

> I bought Corsair Strafe the other day. It has all that, and it's kind of quiet (not Apple keyboard quiet but k i n d of quiet)
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tcdRnheaQc

 

Thanks for the recommendation. Can it be used without dedicated drivers or I do still need to use ckb? Can you confirm that with it you haven't had issues with key repetition and boot?

Thanks all.

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## tuggbuss

 *marco.difresco wrote:*   

>  *Ant P. wrote:*   Ironically, Microsoft ones have always worked perfectly in Linux. I don't think they do any models with backlight or good keyswitches though. The keyboard I'm using has lasted a solid 6-7 years, which is alright for the price. 
> 
> The retro-illumination is something I really got used to, but I will keep your recommendation under consideration; thanks.
> 
>  *tuggbuss wrote:*   I bought Corsair Strafe the other day. It has all that, and it's kind of quiet (not Apple keyboard quiet but k i n d of quiet)
> ...

 

For me no issues what so ever. Don't have any software installed, just using evdev and it works fine.

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## energyman76b

I have a roccat isku

There is button to turn illumintation on and off, all the multimedia keys, 5 macro, 3 thumb keys. There is software for linux.

It works well

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## marco.difresco

Sorry if I disappeared, but I had a lot of stuff going on lately.

I want to thank you all for your recommendations.

As soon as stuff settle down I will look for the new keyboard.

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## depontius

We have two good old Type-Ms.  One came with my XT-286, way back when.  The other I bought at the MIT Sunday flea market, I forget when.  It was brand new in a still-sealed 15 year old box.  My fingers are addicted to the Type-M feel and my ears addicted to the sound.  If one of my Type-Ms ever goes, I've seen before that you can still buy updated (USB) Type-Ms on the web.

We don't need no steeenking programmable backlights - we need clicky keys!

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## Chiitoo

I used a Logitech G15 for 10 years or so, two different units, and decided it was time to try something different (both eventually died from drinking too much).

I had been interested in mechanical ones for quite some time, but never really tried one, so it's what I went with.

Here's the “unboxing video” I made of what I got: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnDum29RlFk

Should we believe the marketing, it is fairly robust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izvYBowsTB0

It definitely does feel sturdy, and it works out-of-the-box on Linux, though making use of the macro recording wa-hoo-haa will likely need some extra effort (if possible at all; I'm not entirely sure about that, but I do believe I saw some talk about it somewhere).

Mine is the blue version, with blue, clicky switches, which I'm quite OK with.  I do wonder if I would be OK without them clicks as well.  I don't feel like it has become a requirement for me yet, but that is to be seen at some other point in time.

I'm not sure I have anything bad to say about it, aside from often doing double-capitals.  That is, I tend to type like this everywhere, and often when starting a sentence, or otherwise starting with an upper-case letter, my shift-key lags for some reason ANd THings LOok LIke THis.  I imagine it's just my finger(s) lagging, or/and them being used to the old keyboard.  I've been with this one for a while now though... so I don't know.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, though I don't really have anything similar to compare it to personally.

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## Naib

Cherry keyboards ftw

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