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Shortly after we posted our Model M keyboard video,

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we received a ton of requests

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to review what some have called the Model M of India,

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the TVS Gold.

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It's a durable value mechanical keyboard

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with cherry switches, sort of,

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that's been around for many years

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and can be found all over India,

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in banks, offices, or uncle's den.

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Unfortunately, it is not that easy

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to get your hands on in Canada,

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so we embarked on a months-long journey,

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including the help of the extended family members

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of one of our viewers to actually get one.

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But with changes in quality and price

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and competition from China,

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is the TVS Gold as good a deal as it used to be?

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Let's find out.

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Speaking of gold, private internet access, it's gold,

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but not like expensive like gold,

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it's just really good like gold.

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Go get it, it protects you when you're online.

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So here I've got an original Model M from 1986

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and a TVS Gold from June, 2018.

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Now, it's pretty obvious that the TVS Gold

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took some design cues from the Model M,

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like the lock lights, for example.

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They are identical,

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but there are some notable differences though,

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like this ridge, for example,

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that you can use to hold a pencil or even two pencils.

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Also, the plastics themselves are pretty different.

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Now, Model M's were made with durable, high quality plastics,

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including PBT key caps.

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By contrast, both the key caps

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and the chassis of the TVS Gold

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are made of the more common ABS plastic,

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which can get that kind of that polished shiny look over time

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from the oils in your hands.

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So we were able to confirm this with a quick acetone test.

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Going further, we can also see

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that the white lettering is coming off,

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even though the letter outline remains.

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That's because the legend on the TVS Gold is laser etched,

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which essentially means that it's got a groove

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burned in the top of the key cap.

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Then in this case, it's filled in with a colorant.

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So this kind of lettering isn't the most durable,

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but it's much better than pad printing,

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which is what most budget keyboards use.

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So it should last you reasonably well,

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even in a professional environment.

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The next thing that a lot of TVS Gold users talk about

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is the layout.

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Now,

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at first glance,

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it looks like it has the same North American key layout

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that was pioneered by the Model M,

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but it actually has a bigger enter key

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and a smaller backspace key,

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which that second one in particular

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can be really frustrating if you're not used to it.

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I actually experienced this for myself on SteelSeries' 7G.

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Though with that said,

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you shouldn't confuse this layout

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with the European ISO layout,

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because it's not a major key.

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No, no.

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This one is actually a special layout

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called IndicScript or InScript,

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which was ratified by the government of India

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in the early 1990s.

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And it's designed to work with 12 different Indian scripts.

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This keyboard, by the way,

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was also the first one ever

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to have the Indian rupee sign printed on the legend.

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Though you may find yourself needing to go through

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some extra steps in order to actually get it working.

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Now let's talk about the typing experience.

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TVS Gold keyboards shipped with Cherry MX Blue key switches.

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So these are high quality German engineered switches

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with a clicky, tactile feel and a distinctive sound

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that makes them beloved by typists the world over.

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And the fact that a keyboard that you could usually find

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for between 1,700 and 2,300 rupees

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came with real Cherry switches was almost a miracle,

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except for one small problem.

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Sometime near the end of 2017,

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let me try and pop this in,

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I'm gonna pop one of these off.

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Oh, you're not supposed to do it like this.

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Yeah, yeah, get off you bastard.

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Ah, yes, here we go.

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Wait, Longhua?

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They own Kail.

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Do they? Good.

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TVS stopped shipping Golds with Cherry switches

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with all of the new boards getting equipped

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with Chinese clones made by Kail.

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Now to be clear, the Kail Blue switches are still mechanical

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and they actually use

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the same design as the Cherries.

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You might say they ripped them off.

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So they still have that clicky feel.

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And if this is your first mechanical keyboard,

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you'll probably love them,

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but it kind of raises the question.

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In a world where budget mechanical keyboards

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are becoming more and more available,

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is the TVS Gold still even a good deal?

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Especially considering that the price has moved up

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rather than down into the 2,700 to 3,500 rupee range.

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I mean, at that price,

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why not get a keyboard from Cosmic Byte or Red Gear

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that has more switch options, an updated look,

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gaming features like anti-ghosting and Windows Key Lock,

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not to mention fricking RGB.

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So then, given the recent decrease in switch quality

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and increase in price,

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the TVS Gold is no longer the outstanding value

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that it once was, especially considering the competition.

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But that doesn't mean that it's a bad keyboard.

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So if you like the vintage look and you won't be bothered too

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much by the shortened backspace key,

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then the TVS Gold is still a classic in its own right.

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Just be sure to order from Amazon,

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even if it's cheaper at your local computer shop.

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That way you'll get a one-year warranty

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to protect you from their easily crushed boxes.

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Speaking of easily crushed,

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I'll be crushed if you don't listen

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to this message from Pulseway.

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Pulseway is a real-time remote monitoring

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and management software that allows you to manage

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and monitor, go figure, right?

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In real time from one app compatible machines that run,

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Wi-Fi, and Android.

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Windows, macOS, or Linux.

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You can get access to real-time status reports,

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system resources, logged in users,

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network performance, Windows updates, and more.

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And you can fix problems on the go

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by sending commands from any mobile device.

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You can even create and deploy custom scripts

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so that you can automate your IT tasks.

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So try it for free at pulseway.com

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at the link in the video description.

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So thanks for watching, guys.

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If you liked this video, then you know what to do.

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Hit that like button.

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But if it was, wait, if it wasn't awesome,

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wait, if it sucked, I usually say that.

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So thanks for watching, guys.

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If this video sucked, you can hit that button.

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But if you liked it, hit like, get subscribed,

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or consider checking out where to buy the stuff we featured

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at the link in the video description.

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Also down there is our merch store,

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which has cool shirts like the one I'm wearing,

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and our community forum, which you should definitely join.

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Well, no one's over here, who cares?