Trust GXT 865 Asta / 430 Ironn / 180 Kusan

Trust has been in the digital lifestyle accessories business for 40 years and, with that, has plenty of experience in the field. This fact, however, is one that doesn't really show with the release of its latest generation of peripherals in the GXT series. We know that Trust is capable of manufacturing solid but competitive consumer electronics and since we know that they should know better, this review is particularly hard. That is the conclusion here. Trust should know better.

The GXT 865 Asta is a mechanical keyboard that offers something new; a recess with space for a key-removing tool at the bottom as well as cable ports for the USB cable that connects it to the computer. So far so good, one might think. Moving on, there is no RGB but instead a fixed light source on each row of keys that can't be accessed via keyboard shortcut software. Additionally, we didn't appreciate the blinking light show that comes on when you connect the keyboard. That isn't the biggest problem in regards to the LED lights, however. The hood is placed directly over the light zones and the light coming from underneath is way too bright, as if it's trying to prove it's a keyboard for gamers. The fact that you can't control them and only get to choose between pre-installed options is a pain as well.

The bad news doesn't stop at the keyboard's keys either. If you remove the cap you'll see a recognisable red switch, but do not be fooled. Instead of using Cherry Red, Trust has made their own GXT contacts which are a rather poor copy of the classic Cherry Red switches. They are soft and membranous when pressed down and the springs in them give off a funny but alarming sound with each press. We found ourselves wondering how long the keyboard can actually hold up.

You can easily find keyboards both with and without a skeletal design for the same amount of money and with a significantly better build quality. That was one disappointment, let's move on to another.

The GXT 430 Ironn headset has 50mm units with a neodymium magnet system, which is impressive, but the praise stops there. The headset costs around £40 (49.99€), which may not sound too bad, but it's way too expensive for such a flawed headset.

The microphone compresses, not much, but enough. The headphones are the real issue though. The sound is flat and dull, the treble is horrible and both bass and midrange audio sound muddy and fuzzy.

In terms of structure, the headset is disastrous. The metal hanger is decent but the headband itself is made of some sort of ultra-thin synthetic leather with little to no padding. The ear cups can't be rotated and with the padding being minimal here as well, they don't keep sound in or out very well. The headset is also relatively heavy with a weight of 375 grams.

The cable is too short to use for anything at all and while there's an extension cord included in the box, it shouldn't be necessary.

The volume wheel is cheap and without real feedback and it's mounted on the microphone, as is the mute button. And we do mean on the microphone, under the cap. You have to pull the microphone out and actually flip a switch on the mic itself and it's honestly the strangest design choice we've seen in quite a while. The GXT 430 Ironn is a painfully poor product that should have never left the design stage.

The GXT 180 Kusan mouse is a relatively simple construction created with Epsilon Esports. It has onboard memory, discreet RGB zones and six programmable buttons (these six buttons, however, include the mouse wheel, the front and back side, the right and left mouse buttons, and the DPI changer).

The shell itself is a light, thin plastic layer and the buttons are also clearly made from ultra-thin plastic. For the price, the mouse actually handles well and the shape of it is acceptable, but for a few extra pounds you can get something that's significantly better and to be honest, the Kusan is a bit too cheaply made.

The sensor is a Pixart 3325 and that's one we doubt you've heard about because it's a 5000 DPI sensor that is best described as "entry level". Additionally, oddly enough, the mouse is designed with an esports organisation but still uses a budget sensor that you'd not normally use in a mouse that, according to the marketing material, is aimed at competitive esports players.

The cable is coated in a smooth rubber material and the argument for not using a braided cable is apparently that it prevents the cable from curling up - an argument we're not buying. The mouse originally costs £39.99 but it's already on sale for £14.99 on one of the official retailers linked through from the Trust site and the latter is a price much more in line with its build quality.

The GXT 756 Gaming Mousepad XL will set you back £16.99 and is available in other sizes than the square giant we tried. Although the surface is good and the rubber coating solid, the edges of the mat were already frayed in a few places when we took it out of the packaging - not something that screams quality.

Trust products may be on the cheaper side, but in turn, they're cheaply made and there are better alternatives in the same price range. We tried the whole range here at the office and their performance with daily use was simply not good enough, so we'd recommend you save your money and skip these.