Historically I'm a utility/adventure rider, never owning anything higher end than Shimano SLX. When ordering my new Otso Arctodus fat bike, I new I wanted flashy and chose a gold highlight to accent a black frame. Knowing how heavy a steel fat bike with 4.8" tires (plus bags and such) would be I was looking for weight savings. I've been aware of TRP for some time, and when I noted the gold Evo cassette, which was also something like 150g lighter than the SLX cassette, I had to try. I opted to purchase the gold TRP Evo chain as well for the best shift experience.
After a few snow storms and a handful of rides around trails I know well on nice days, I am thoroughly satisfied with the performance of the cassette and chain so far. Install was easy as a one-piece, and I almost wanted to thrown the cassette around like a disc 'cause it felt so light.
Shift quality when paired with a Shimano SLX derailleur and shifter is at least as good as any Shimano cassette, if not a bit smoother feeling. I intentionally shifted under load on a few rocky steep climbs (16% avg grace) and no troubles with the cogs passing the chain up to the next. When riding through deeper unpacked snow, still no troubles (though that's more a function of the derailleur in that case).
These components were definitely worth it for me both in performance and in aesthetics, and I'll use the same to replace as they wear over time. My next purchase will be the EVO 12 Rear Derailleur Mech and shifter, (In gold flavor of course) as I'm really curious what the whole ecosystem feels like. I'm hoping to save for that by mid-summer. Closer to fall I intend to pick up a set of TRP's higher end brakes as well.
