This is everyone’s endgame mechanical keyboard.. 

Use code ANDYV50 to get 50% off your first Factor box at bit.ly/3H9tJB3!

I love my V2 CE. Getting that Paypal invoice when I got home from work, after submitting the google form from my phone in the parking lot after the initial form crash panic was an insane feeling. Waiting 18 months was a lot, but it was worth the wait. It was worth not selling it, it’s a great board, but the aftermarket prices are (and were) absurd. I love bringing it to meetups and being able to share the experience of typing on a piece of keyboard hobby history. It has has classic Jane DNA and lineage from boards back when I joined the hobby in 2017, but it has a design that also sort of hinted at what was to come in the next couple years. And yes, that comes with the inconvenience of a right-side flush mini-USB port. 😂

Really enjoyed watching this video, I’ve been in and out of the hobby through the years. It’s fun to hear the history of all these hype products within the hobby after the fact. Really great filming and high production video!

The iron 165 r2 is one of the first boards I have ever gotten. It was way too expensive and a bit basic. It is also my favorite board despite having better boards in my collection.

When I first built my Jane ME with PP plate it still had the subtle metallic sound when typing. I force break modded it and it was completely gone. Then I received my stainless steel backplate and removed the force break and to my surprise - no metallic sound or hollowness. Also fully built weight is now 6.1lbs which is surprisingly pretty heavy. I am very content with my ME.

That point about owning a highly sought after board and "quitting" the hobby is VALID lmao. You're either in the hobby long enough and can appreciate why its highly sought after and maybe even justify the price, or you're just chasing hype for no reason. If someone sells their whole collection to own a Jane and then never look back at keyboards, its like where the fuck is the value in owning a Jane anymore if you don't even like the hobby lol. Great fucking take dude

Good video man thanks! I have only been into keebs since December 2022. Since then I’ve accumulated two Sonnets, an Envoy, two Zoom TKLs, a Momoka Zoo65, and I have some other cheap keyboards that I got because idk why… and then I have my last one, Chimera 65 R2 which I joined the GB and expect that to ship in December this year. I think I’m done buying keebs for a while, I use them every day for work but I don’t use them ALL day every day, so I just can’t justify to keep putting money into these things lol. But still cool to see where TGR came from as I had no idea. Please do more of these history videos, you’re awesome man, thanks again!

Really enjoyed this video with the deep dive into TGR boards. I’ve joined more TGR raffles than I can count at this point and still haven’t won a single one. I refuse to pay aftermarket prices, so hopefully I’ll get a W one of these years.

Great video, I've only recently joined the keeb comm but it's videos like these that are so informative about the history and classic keebs that make me really appreciate them

Thank you for posting keyboard video. This is my cocaine

Gotta say, completely agree on getting boards for yourself. I always think - regardless of the hobby - that people care far too much about rarity and value (look at how much people freak out about 1-of-1 hypercars that they'll never even see in real life). In the end, it really doesn't matter how much your board is worth if you don't love typing on it. My current daily driver, the RS60, literally has extras on sale right now. But does it matter at all? No, because I love typing on it. It makes me happy, and I'm glad to see that sentiment being advocated for more.

Love the dry and crisp sound of the V2 CE because of how different it is from every modern board nowadays, and the rusty screws, dings, and usb mini it came with 😎

Home gym looks insane. You should totally post a tour. Love the Watson plates

The Tomo is underrated IMO, mine has an FR4 plate and has that exact clean and dry sound. I’m very happy with it. The only thing that is not the best is the spacebar sound but that’s most likely because of the FR4. It’s a perfectly consistent spacebar sound but doesn’t have that “porcelain” spacebar thing that I love from some boards. I’m going to experiment with different plates

U know u can open the 910 and Jane magnetic back piece vertically, if u have the keyboard standing up, gravity will do it’s job as u take it off and come off really easily

i attended big keebs meet in my country for a several times to do my survey on which board and switches im gonna get, and they are kind enough to let me type test their TGR's boards, and from the deepest of my heart i can genuinely say, for something that cost five digits of usd and being hair thin close to being worshipped by the community, their boards is painfully ordinary. i even asked the owners about it and none of them using it as daily driver, some of em isnt using it at all. this is kinda remind me of 2017 hype when people spend 10k on supreme hoodie, just because its supreme😂😂

amazing video andy, id love to see more lore videos/things explained like this

Just bought a B stock extra Tomo for a good price. Excited to try it out! Agree that there’s a bit of fomo/hype that comes from anything TGR

Great video, Andy. Never really thought of going after boards for their history or meaning (while also being solid boards in general), but I like that perspective you share a lot. I just hope I can get a Jane ME aftermarket for retail soon 🥲 Also, factor lookin kinda good tho 🤔

i am new to this hobby but i am surely not to any hobby. And what a video, I resonate every word you said. If anything i have learned from my hobby, the no1 thing is always personal sentimental relationships with the object. so back to the TGR. since i do not have that sentimental connection to this hobby. To me its all about the design and maybe the story behind it. I have to say the easetic design indeed clicks with me. the 910 with that PVD silver accent is just so nice. the whole geometry about the side of the keyboard is so simple and minimal. I am not a big fan of that seam that joins the top and bottom part tho. (The overall design reminds me of GTR r34 somehow lol).

From a quick glance it looked exactly like my razor TKL huntsman 😂

Lets say i got some money to spend how should i go about getting an alice?

why dont they experiment with high tension strings or drums on the bottom of the board? it can produce some tunable boardds which can open a new market like blend the sound world, music and pc. Some kind of bassy string on the bottom perfectly tuned to produce bassy or high pitch sound whatever you like and you can use guitar tuners to tune it.

Oh man. Andy coming through with the Saosin shirt. 🔥

6:14 "this is how olive should look like.." **cough** KFA **cough cough**

Hei Andy how do you compare Jane V2 ME to Geon F1 series? Which do you prefer?

l hope you love Pho and keyboard at the same time. Great video Andy. Keep it up, bro !

Nah my endgame is the Dygma Defy!

I love my Tomo. The quality of the anodization is gorgeous and to me it sounds really good. I feel like people are missing out if they're dismissing it

Love the recent video formats on discussing known keyboard brands in the hobby. Hoping this type of format continues.

These keyboards look incredibly generic for the market value and acclaim associated with them. The rigged raffles are also incredibly cringe and off-putting

What’s your tomo configuration?

Ayyy the saosin rep, i see you

Really appreciate the mindset behind the video!

Good job and good content!!

Hi Andy, great video! What are the keycaps at 6:11 please? Thanks!

Imo the monokei manufacturing quality is so good, if you look at it objectively the Jane v2 Me is a bit better than the CE but not having the brass weight just feels bad even though it doesn't add anything to the actual weight of the board (compared to the CE) but it does definitely effect the sound. I'm very happy with my Jane v2 Me and I think my config sounds and feels amazing but I did have to force break to make it sound like the CE. It the ME had a brass weight then the conversation might be a bit different than it is rn even if it was a thin ass bar like the CE had. imo the og jane v2 sounds a bit flat because of how big the weight is and the CE sounds much better because of the thin weight and the dimples. They could have probably added a brass weight and kept the price the same but force breaking effectively does the same thing which is reduce case hollowness. Does it kinda feel bad that the most expensive keyboard I own is the only one I felt the need to force break? Yes but I'm still happy with it. Also I did get the board aftermarket but I got a good price on it and probably what it should be worth compared to what its selling for rn.

For the 910 & Jane ME, I tried aluminum plate, it was night and day difference, the PC plate harnessed the potential of these two boards a lot. Therefore it made me believe that Monokei just ship with PC plate to cut down cost since these are mass produced. Besides that, amazing video, always fond of videos that go back and provide good insights like these, keep up the good work!

My endgame is selling most of my boards and replacing them with boards of my own design, manufactured in china probably then cerakoted and engraved myself with the features and aesthetics personal to me. Most keyboards are boring rectangles, I want to make an artpiece with features rivaling a pearlboard.

Solid video as always! As an owner of the OG v2 CE, I disagree about the sound profile, I find that it tends to amplify the bass of switches, I think the dryness you're thinking of comes from the mx blacks used in the tests from supbeez that you showed. If you listen closely though you can hear the internal bassy reverb, almost as if there's desk noise form the board. Lightning's tests use op blacks and doesn't sound dry at all and is really clacky as you would expect from op blacks on alu, however when comparing it to other tests I don't think you can really "trust" it more than others since that isn't really a common combo in the board. That being said to me it's the best board I've ever had, it ticks pretty much every box for me. It's got a super comfy typing angle and front height along with wkl. The bassy sound profile is what I'm looking for in boards vs clacky builds. I've dailied it for the last year and a half as a result. It's the 1 board I'd never sell even if I had to say goodbye to the rest of my collection. Just my 2 cents though, like I said earlier banger video!

at least you were honest on why you want/ own one Its about what it means to you not what it means to everyone else.

babe wake up andy posted

Love my TGR Alice

I love keyboard history and lore

Bro. You keeping it too real. The keycult fanboys are going to boycott you.

Can’t say I have any builds that were more than $500 in total, but I can say I’ve had more fun modding my Bakeneko than I’ve had configuring any other board. Having lots of PCB / plate options easily accessible with easy access to the plate / PCB is a gift. I’d love to get a Unikorn, but the polycarb January will be my copium

So happy you've finally posted a video after a while and you granted us a 25 min vid nice!!! By the way what was the build spec for the tomo? (Switches and plate)

9:55 this is f*cked up

Hey yo, really appreciate this video that you made! I agree that it's a good rule of thumb to get boards that are about yourself and your feelings for them instead of chasing what's popular. Also, it makes me smile when you covered the tomo. It's really an underrated modern TGR Board, and it was disliked upon for being a 75% besides the unlimited group buy point. I've own one for 8 months and counting and I kept it because it was a collab between Singapore (Monokei) and Malaysia (TGR). As a local Singaporean, it makes me even happier to own a board like that. Being a 75% enjoyer and just want a safe bet for a high end board without worriyng much about QC issues (thanks to monokei's qc) is just the icing on the cake. Tomo fits in my collection like a glove.

Guac is bougie AF -Guac enjoyer

Why wouldnt they leave the group buy open for like a week and let everybody who wants one order one, then just make however many are ordered? They do the group buys before actually making them, right?

lets pour one out for our homie the boogie u killed after the initial intro

Andy’s gotta know something, Monokei just announced the final raffle for the ME is next week LMAO another great video, and I think it captures how much the hobby has changed over time with the perception of the collectable side of the hobb

For me the Jane was a board I didn't get at all. I was happy with my PE Q1, but as I owned and sold more boards that dry clean top mount sound started calling me. When your FBTKL video came out I realized that was the move. Long wait but after some tweaking the FBTKL's my daily now and I couldn't be happier for what I paid. Not sure if popular opinion swayed my opinion or not, but go figure my dream board runs 3k+ 😂

well i entere every unikorn run this year and i got 0. NADA. Do it think its fixed sometimes ? yeah cause i dont believe they follow their rules from already raffles winners. but whatever .

Awesome Video Andy. The 7500USD TGR Jane you refer to at the beginning was actually sold for around 5500 USD - I asked about it the original seller because I am nuts about TGR Janes.

I completely agree with what Andy is saying, having owned both the Jane v2 CE and the ME, I can say that they both share a similar og sound, but I still kept thew CE for prestigious purposes. It does sound about 20% better though I'd say. However, I do have mixed feelings about Monokei though... yes they are bringing a chance for people to kinda feel what typing on a Jane is like and all but I feel like it's also making me think that Monokei are just taking a hyped up name/design and remaking them to make money instead of creating their own og designs. I feel like Monokei is using "allowing more people to experience a Jane" to steer away from the fact that Monokei seems to be leeching off of popular names like TGR and Singa and making large unit group buys/raffles to make money. When's the last time Monokei made their own branded board? Tomo was a "TGR" board also. So yeah, I'm not too sure haha, but either way, it still is a good thing that people get to experience 80% of a Jane I guess, no hate to Monokei! And as always, love your videos :)

Thank you for calling out the shady raffle methodology in obtaining these keyboards. This is why I hate that nonsense. FCFS for life.

10:22, worth mentioning about FCFS type of stuff is that there are a LOT of bots set up to "snipe" high demand boards on a FCFS basis.

Why do people buy keyboard clones? Why do people buy keycap clones? Sure some are cheapstakes, but I would bet that a VERY high % do because of availability. If I cannot buy it directly from the source, I am not paying YOU a premium just because you bought it first.

I feel like it's about 3rd time you referenced typ65+ as a good 65 (which it really is). Would really love to see a review!

I have an OG v2 CE and it outclasses all of my other boards in terms of feel and sound. The only one that holds a candle to it is my HHKB Type S.

This is why I always debate for a week or two before getting new boards. Really glad that I kept a look for the cloud line extras and end up able to get one off FCFS.

a video that is more than 20 minutes long? hell yes!

Love the videos. Very happy with my 910 ME, sounds very similar to the tomo, but a bit sharper. Changing the plate to a carbon fiber plate made a huge difference.

Hi, great video. Something I've been wondering why is there such a big keyboard hobbist community in singapore/vietnam? I know of many artisans, keyboards etc that are made in those countries.

I like this hobby because the sound feel and look is so incredibly subjective. My personal favorite board i have is a class 80 brass halfplate with boba u4t and gmk caps. But nost reviews said it was ok

meanwhile me with 230$ dareu a84 pro that I bought only for 80$ hahaha ,,,I am poor that why I bought cheap ass full aluminum case keeb

when you see a person keep winning the raffle it's either 1. they have a lot of friends helping to join the raffle for them or they "hire" their friend to join the raffle for them. 2. they are close to the designer, it's not even the raffle allocation unit. It's just FNF disguised as a raffle win

I can get the MONOKEI x TGR tomo blue on sale from a vendor, after watching this video maybe I will wait for something better. I was looking at Matrix Navi.

Awesome vid. 👌💪

Really digging these long form videos!

Nice conk

i dont get why ppl collect board but dont daily or at least use them in rotation? At the end of the day it's a piece of metal and a tool. I daily my endgame kohaku.

Imagine paying thousands of dollars for a keyboard with an outdated connector

Very proud owner of TGR Jane V2 ME, and TGR 910 v2 ME! Got really lucky!

People with the hyped boards doesn’t want the hype to go down or else they won’t be able to capitalise it. Rest just fall for it😂 You killed it again Andy!

We've moved past the point in the hobby where things immediately jump massively in price as soon as they drop. Oh, certainly there will be outliers here and there and very limited runs that generate tons of hype, but with more in stock options, more rolling/continuous drops, larger numbers sold via gb's because of the hobby's increased prominence, and just a higher overall quality for all boards there's simply too much supply for the demand to generate such crazy aftermarket values. Whereas in the past even a succeful group buy which sold out quickly would have quite small numbers, now that the hobby is larger those numbers baloon to the point that even if there is scarcity, more will wind up showing up aftermarkert. It's very, very rare for anything that has recently dropped not to be available somehwere at all times, compare that to the way it felt in 2020-2021 to find certain sought after boards where you might find an average of literally a single example per month among all second hand platforms and it just translates to less hype/scarcity driven prices. This is a very good thing.

love your videos I am new to the keyboard world and having a history is super meaningful partly why i got me a tofu 65 OG

NGL, if I could get onto a TGR group buy, I probably would. They are trendsetters for a reason, and I can't wait to see what their next group buy will be like. I wish they would sell more copies of their board though, especially now with the hobby having grown. They could stand to make some actual major profits on it too, if they sold more.

I love videos like this

your intro made me want to say "hi andy" as if it was aa meeting... Also the burn at 6:22 felt like a "write that down" meme EDIT: finished the video, A+.. i personally love learning/hearing about the history of these well known brands and where they're at now.

I really just don't want to do group buys or raffles again after buying the tomo. After a year and a half of countless delays and waiting I had nearly forgotten I had even bought a keyboard for 600+ after shipping and buying an extra PCB

fuckk i missed out hella :(( i just started getting into keyboards

is the start just andy flexing all his og keyboards

"What is the point of getting a clone keyboard" idk man paying $330 for a V2 CE during *****'s first GB seems like the best deal I've ever seen in that hobby, it's not even about the cloning lmao

I guess in some ways, i buy my keyboards for the same reason. My most “prized” keyboards that I own are the tomo, typ65+, and dan60, all malaysian boards (national pride lol). I even made them all lotr themed. Very happily retired since I realised I spent way too much in this hobby. I wouldn’t mind getting a korn or kohaku down the line though..

love the vid man, thanks . all are pretty accurate

25:08 more on this, I had a conversation with one dude who recently sold his own keyboard and owns a TON of vintage cherry stuff he said "my collection in keycap vintage ( og dyesubs cherry) around $40,000" "that's small" "i think you're young" dude had to have grown up filthy rich to say that and those were for keycaps alone too

Loving the historical videos like keycult and TGR.

I’m in ur walls andy! :3

The mentality of procuring some of these kind of high-end mechanical keyboards reminds me of certain luxury watch brands and how so many of them can look pretty 'standard' in appearance due to the huge abundance of existing homage watches based on them (essentially clones with some modifications/brand's own flavor). But because of heritage alone, the watches from these luxury brands have grey market prices that are sky high, and there are long waitlists to get the authentic ones. At the end of the day, it's up to the community to determine the worth of these luxury items, and as long as the community continues to revere them, they will remain sought after.

Still like a good brass weight, but could just be because of the time i got into the 'hobby'; but i havent touched another board since i got my 'endgame' a year ago

I’ll stick with my tomo at $350 and be able to appreciate I have a tgr designed board. I’d love more than any other to have korn but I ain’t paying over a grand and I know my luck so raffle aint gonna go my way. I don’t care if I could get a Kalam of one for $100 that route is trash so I’ll admire yours and others

i love my f1 8x and my other boards will probably be given away before i even sell them.

aaay that's lightning typing on my keyboard haha

Feelin bad about my Unikorn clone /s 😅 took Ls in the raffle so just designed and CNC’d my own, actually super fun! It’s pretty much 1:1 plus a bunch of memes on the weight and battery slot for wireless

Bruh the KFA roast 😆foreal tho I have no idea how they haven't caught more shit over how awful the freebird tkl colors turned out

giv keeb

Great TGR history lesson.