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I always wondered if a double blocker winkey'd bottom row like this was viable and thought about designing one to try it. In theory the symmetry seemed appealing to me, as I dig the aesthetic of blockers. I didn't even know the _evolve_ already did this until just now. Seeing this I realize the symmetry doesn't actually look symmetric like on 60% boards and even the small blocker doesn't have the appeal like proper 1u blockers do. I could get over the hardship of sourcing fitting keycaps (CRP beige has great 1.5u windows '95 keys) but this bottom row just doesn't have the zing to it I was hoping for.

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

It’s really odd to see small alt keys next to the spacebar. I think that’s the main problem. The symmetry is thrown out the window

Hey Andy, I think your reviews are one of the most unbiased keyboard reviews. I was seriously considering to purchase this Jelly Evolv as my first "premium" keyboard purchase however the layout is a deal breaker to me and something that other keyboard channels do not mentions. You look at the practicality of the keyboards and not just it's novelty or aesthetics. Again, thank you for helping other newbie keyboard enthusiasts out. Keep on doing what you are doing!

@kaminoeugene

8 ай бұрын

You know that there was another layout option right? Not simping for Owlabs or anything, their boards are not worth their money except you just wanna collect them

The weird blocker layout is a bit of a shame... I am normally a right hand spacebar typer but for gaming? You are using left hand so that really hurts the utility of the board if you want to game with it occasionally. I definitely appreciate the critical look at production vs pre-pro boards. I do wish they just went with the 75% layout the Sonnet and Tomo use. Can you see if you can get a hold of the Dry Studio Black Diamond 75?

I’d love to hear how the Evolv w/ foam stacks up to a Zoom75 w/ foam. Idk if this board holds up in 2023 other than the aesthetics.

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Ngl this looks cooler than the zoom. But the zoom is way cheaper. Sound wise it’d be similar imo.

"The Epoch RGB just kind of heated up the brass weight" 😂 "Alt... alt... alt... alt" 😂

Thank you for mentioning alt all 4 of the times you pressed it during the sound test

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Alt alt alt alt

what keyboard would you recommend more than the tofu 65 2.0? that are of course in a similar price range.

@incongruous4

9 ай бұрын

Tofu 2.0 is as solid as any other good trendy custom keyboard in that price range. Go for whatever layout and looks you like the most. I bought a bunch of different types and price ranges of customs to find that out for myself and now I'm trying to sell most of them because it's pointless to have 10+ very similar sounding and feeling keyboards. Don't be like me lol influencers try to hype everything but in reality they're all very similar

The finish and feel of this board are VERY premium. I compare it to the QK and Zoom and the jelly is just in a different class. The sound is very Jelly like and is great. My favorite board is the Mode Sonnet but this Jelly is absolutely gorgeous. Decent review, most did not choose the double blocker layout though. Single blocker is way nicer. It's a premium board that is highly sought after. Those that won the raffle are very pleased with the outcome of the product.

Hi Fuji. We love foamed up boards. Great vid sir.

Great Review Andy! I will say this is a right-thumb spacebar GIGACHAD Layout 🤣

thanks for turning off the caps lock indicator in the type test my GOAT lmao

Andy nice review once again, it refreshing that you give your honesty opinions on the boards. I don't think mode will be sending you tempo for a review anytime soon😂.

@x3LightNinG

10 ай бұрын

i get to try mode envoy the other day in my local store and its straight up overpriced== literally pure marketing hype

@ChiefBrianIrons

10 ай бұрын

Most reviewers are saying it's great board to buy. I did see two reviews where they mention pinging noise around the stand offs where the screws go in

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

dangit, how will i live without reviewing mode tempo

@x3LightNinG

10 ай бұрын

@@ChiefBrianIrons i didnt pay attention to the pingy noise around the screws cuz store is kinda crowded, but the moment i lift the board and type on it i know this shit aint worth the price

i mean it's a legitimate concern that GMK sets don't have 1.5u Win/Super keys in the base kit, but there are also a lot of other good options that do have it, like the PBTfans sets and the CannonKeys sets and there's also a single blocker version of the Jelly Evolve available

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Definitely. I feel like they should have just not done symmetrical blocker layout. The normal single blocker is fine

@jessiequema2494

9 ай бұрын

I have been raising that in some of the Discord servers and I get mobbed by the people at that server. Apparently some prefer the current base kits of the GMK sets because according to them adding the key will make it more expensive. Judging from the number of keycaps in a set, it should be a dollar, 2 at most lol. They already have the mould anyway.

Question! Im considering a 60% and rn i’m looking at Arc60, but then the Kei V2 dropped. Which one should I get/any other recommendations?

@arpeykeys

10 ай бұрын

Arc60 all the way

@x3LightNinG

10 ай бұрын

dont get kei, its literally terrivle

@degendemon4413

10 ай бұрын

Arc60

@livelaughlucass

10 ай бұрын

arc 60 solos

@slowtyper95

10 ай бұрын

Didn't expect lots of people saying Arc60 instead. Curious about what you guys reason of why not Kei please

For Mac users, this layout is kinda perfect.

Imo they shouldve gone with the bauer symmetrical blockers

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

That would have been nicer. Having all three mods with the blocker is weird

4:25 Mode Sonnet would like a word

Really good insight and info

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Wow, thanks for the bedtime vid, uncle andy :))

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Hahaha you’re welcome

Nice vid mate

First time I see someone mention that Win key problem on the double blocker version. Thankfully I bought the single blocker version...I think? I hope. I was hoping there were comments on how well the anodization is compared to others; I think a lot of keyboard reviews lack this. The very well received and hyped QK/Zoom boards turned out to have just "okay" anodization for me, they were fingerprint magnets and slightly rough to the touch, unlike Mode Sonnet/Envoy which had very smooth anodization. I hope the Jelly Evolv anodization isn't the same "okay" finish as the QK/Zoom boards.

@creationfied

10 ай бұрын

why is smooth better?

@alexossan2829

10 ай бұрын

@@creationfied You have a good point. I guess it's a preference.

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

The ano on the back was smooth. The coating on top had a little texture. Overall clean

@creationfied

10 ай бұрын

@@alexossan2829 no i wonder if people just say its better because its harder to pull off technically or just a prevailing preference

@alexossan2829

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the update! And yeah I just prefer my keyboards to have a smooth chassis and my keycaps to have some grain. Don't know about others, but for me it is just out of preference.

I feel like I dodge a bullet with this one I won the raffle to buy one but wasn't impressed how it sounded without pe foam. Even though owlab said they made improvements that pe and the other foams wasn't necessary.

@ed32568

10 ай бұрын

as someone that's not deep into the hobby, it's insane to me that you win a raffle TO BUY a product

@retardmoguss

10 ай бұрын

well when stock is limited and the hobby is getting popular, it is necessary to make it fair for who gets to buy it lol. @@ed32568

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

A jelly without foam is such an odd idea lol

@bhentehquatroh1

10 ай бұрын

@@ed32568 tell that to sneakerheads

@ChiefBrianIrons

10 ай бұрын

​@@ed32568the problem is when there is a high demand for limited stock of a product. You need to find a fair system that gives people a chance to buy one. I don't think first come first serve would work. Owlab have done that in the past it turned out terrible.

LOL you thought the Cycle 7 sounded better? nahh. Not even close.

Ok here is my unpopular opinion. I dont think this is sound as good as for the price. Just my own opinion.

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

I agree with you. It’s really just for jelly fans

PASS, I'd prefer the original Jelly with the flaws. The Evolv blockers are odd and lacking symmetry.

@haomingli6175

10 ай бұрын

how is this lacking symmetry? the blockers have these positions exactly because they want to make it look symmetric.

What an expensive keyboard for a sound profile you can get out of any other keyboards using the same exact mods.

@bhentehquatroh1

10 ай бұрын

Because this board(it’s predecessor Jelly Epoch) started the PE foam mod that a lot of keyboards have now these days. That’s why it sounds like the keyboards you are thinking of.

@impointr

10 ай бұрын

@@bhentehquatroh1 I am aware. That doesn't take away the fact that this just sounds like any other keyboards using the exact same mods. At this point you're paying extra for a polarizing design and quality standard.

@x3LightNinG

10 ай бұрын

@@impointryou said it urself, u are lol unlikely others i think the design and history of the story comes first, thats why i still bought a jelly epoch recently because its the founding father of the foamy sound. They sound the same sure lol but they dont look the same and you know you are holding a piece of art. take it or leave it

@impointr

10 ай бұрын

​@@x3LightNinG Ehhhh I wouldn't really refer to this board as a piece of art personally. It's... Something? It sure is very polarizing as I've seen in multiple Discord communities already (design and quality standard), gaining meme status in some. Sure the Epoch has pioneered the foamy sound profile, but I'm not entirely sure if that's a good thing. I grew absolutely tired and bored of the foamy sound trend as everything sounds so dull and similar to me that it just takes so much away from this hobby. Sure you don't have to go full foamer every single time, but I see sooooo many people ruin the hobby for themselves by chasing a sound they will never reach and building the same keyboard over and over again. Plus PE foam at this point is just skill issue when you can't design a keyboard to sound good on its own, albeit cattering to one specific part of the hobby. I feel like this was an issue with the Epoch, and it still is a problem with the Evolv. Quite the missed opportunity. Owlab also pulled a stinker by making this a raffle group buy... They're not a tiny company anymore, so why go for this type of sale?

@livelaughlucass

10 ай бұрын

@@impointr bro this is meant to be built with foams, its the entire point, it costs that much because its the jelly, dont get me wrong Im a foamless stan but im tired of the NPC foam haters saying the same thing the elitist sheep say about foam, theres a reason why people wont choose a modded cheap keyboard over this

Personally, I think the evolve looks god-awful ugly. I can kinda see why they went for the left-side blocker for "symmetry" but why have a blocker on the right side nav column? They could've kept the left side blocker and make it look more tasteful if they got rid of the blocker above the arrow keys and got rid of the 1u alt key near the spacebar.

@flockofwildcactus

10 ай бұрын

Agreed - it's like they went for symmetry, but since one end has 2x 1.5u and the other has 3x 1u for arrow keys, it automatically doesn't look symmetrical. What's worse though, is they centered the spacebar to the board and not the alpha cluster and based on where my left thumb falls on a 7u Tsangan layout, it would be on the literal edge of the spacebar. Likely fine or better for someone that exclusively uses their right thumb for space tho. Not the best design choice IMO, it feels 'different just to be different' and less optimal but at least they offer a single blocker version. What they should've done for a dual blocker setup is moved the 7u spacebar left 1u, and placed what they have as the 1u left Alt to the right of the spacebar, where it could be used for 1u Win/Super instead next to the 1u Fn.

@Missing01

9 ай бұрын

I know some people don't like the look of the jelly epoch but imo the epoch looks better and more interesting than the evolv, so many boards coming out rn look similar to the futuristic rounded design choice of the evolv.

Dude I typically like your videos but this one is not one of them. The jelly evolv comes in two options WK and WKL… As far as the Link65 is concerned, fully agree with you, it’s price tag does not justify the quality of the bottom piece’s finish.

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Yeah and I have a wkl here so im talking about the wkl here lol. Standard looks normal

@ChiefBrianIrons

10 ай бұрын

The dual blocker sold out the fastest making them very popular. I can't imagine someone who brought the dual blocker then expecting to put on a nice GMK set on it being happy that they are missing one key. Also can't remember any other reviews mentioning the issue with the dual blocker.

@technkeebs

9 ай бұрын

Well it could have sold out faster, just maybe, making an assumption here, because they had planned for a smaller number of dual blocker units. So selling out faster does not It make it popular, and that could have been the case only on the vendor you bought from. Additionally there were no hidden information about the layout, it was public, so you knew very well from the beginning what you were getting into. Having said that it’s your KZread channel and you’re free to be subjective or objective. I just commented on the fact that I thought this video is not as objective as your previous videos.

My my I do think it thocks 🤓

@Seeeaaan

10 ай бұрын

It’s not a thock it’s a marble clack🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

@impointr

10 ай бұрын

But this isn't a Topre board...

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Kinda quiet thock but thock

Keyboard

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Indeed

Yeah this sound is nothing to write home about, but that second keyboard you said was better made me want to 🤮. Even with headphones, it sounds like a rattly, high-pitched, fisher price toy... I truly hope the audio is messed up and in person it sounds a hundred times better

@polynotgone8349

10 ай бұрын

Plastic is going to sound like plastic and foam is gonna sound like foam.

@nikolakostic5667

10 ай бұрын

Then plastic sounds way more trash than foam. Andy needs to go see a doctor to check his hearing

@polynotgone8349

10 ай бұрын

@@nikolakostic5667This hobby is purely based on preference, you can like foam but it doesn’t mean others have to like it.

@nikolakostic5667

10 ай бұрын

@@polynotgone8349 true, sound is subjective, but just like esthetics (of cars, people, anything) there are still aspects that are generally considered worse or better. Rattly, pingy, dull, high-pitched sounds are almost univerally considered undesirable

@livelaughlucass

9 ай бұрын

wtf are you yapping on about LMFAO the cycle is 300 dollars less and sounds insane, of course it smokes the jelly evolv, and its not plastic at all, the way it was built with mx blacks and no foam just sounds like that, if you have a preference for thocky keyboards just say that, talking about generally whats considered worse or better is insane when your "dull, high pitched" sounds are preferred by the majority of people in the hobby, as having a keyboard that can sound good without foam usually means its more quality

comparing the jelly evolv to the tkd cycle7 is just weird. they're not even remotely in the same category other than "keyboard". clearly for different consumers

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

They’re not the same at all, which is why I only did it because my viewers asked

I'm sad I didn't win the raffle for this beautiful board :- (

@RoboKeebo

10 ай бұрын

Also thx for keeping it real with us in the reviews! You mention things that may not be in the standard "review" format videos :- )

@Missing01

9 ай бұрын

Lots of other cool boards, don't feel too bad about this one. The sound isn't that great imo.

First

poor review.

@AndyVNguyen

10 ай бұрын

Thanks