TechRadar Verdict
The Trust GXT 863 Mazz gaming keyboard is well suited for PC gamers on a tight budget, and it certainly looks and sounds the part with plenty of colorful lighting and clicky mechanical key switches. That said, the build quality isn't exactly inspiring and the lighting options are restrictive compared to rival offerings on the market, so unless you're especially strapped for cash, there are better options available.
Pros
- +
Easily changeable double-shot keycaps
- +
Highly affordable
- +
Tactile Outemu Red switches
Cons
- -
Unpleasant metallic noise on some keys
- -
Dim lighting with limited options
- -
No software provided
- -
Poor build quality
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Trust GXT 863 Mazz: Two-minute review
The Trust GXT 863 Mazz is an entry-level mechanical keyboard that targets consumers on a tight budget, much like the rest of the wider Trust product family. It retails for £44.99 / €49.99 (around $50 / AU$70) though its currently only available to buy in the UK and throughout regions in wider Europe so you'll have a hard time buying one if you're located in the USA or Australia.
While it lacks some of the features you'd find in more premium hardware, at first glance it's visually similar to the style adopted by modern peripherals, dropping the 'edgy' gamer aesthetics and incorporating a cleaner look that could even look appropriate in an office environment.
Not that you'd want to of course - the best mechanical keyboards are known to be louder than their membrane alternatives, and the GXT 863 Mazz is no different. The Outemu Red switches feel responsive with very little resistance, and you get the expected 'typewriter' noises we've come to expect, though it's far from the most pleasant typing experience thanks to overall poor build quality.
Still, there are a handful of features that make this worth buying for PC gamers over a standard office keyboard. For one, you're getting anti-ghosting and Win-key locks which should help to optimize in-game performance, and there's 14 preset lighting options for the RGB, including the traditional 'rainbow vomit' which should keep your kids happy if you wanted to buy them a cheap and cheerful gaming keyboard.
The lack of software is going to be restrictive as it means you can't make many of the same customizations as keyboards from brands like Razer or Asus, but if you weren't interested in that in the first place then its no real loss.
While build quality can also be a tad questionable, but it's not unexpected for this price. There's a lot of flex when you apply pressure to the board, and while the key caps are double-shot, some of the switches make an annoying metallic noise when you type on them. If you can deal with these criticisms and simply need a cheap, clacky keyboard then you'll have a hard time finding a more budget-friendly mechanical keyboard than the Trust GXT 863 Mazz.
Trust GXT 863 Mazz: price and availability
The GXT 863 Mazz retails for £44.99 / €49.99 (around $50 / AU$70) though as previously mentioned, you'd have a hard time finding this product outside of the European market.
This means while it's an affordable option for those living in the UK or selective countries in wider Europe, we can't reccomend it to our US or Australian-based audience as you'd have to import one which would drastically impact its affordability, and there are alternative products we can suggest for those regions such as the Aukey KMG14 or the MSI Vigor GK50 Elite.
Trust GXT 863 Mazz: design and features
When unplugged, the Trust GXT 863 Mazz looks like a standard office keyboard, losing the dated and edgy design we saw on another Trust offering, the semi-mechanical GXT 811 Odyss. That changes when you plug it in however, as you'll be met with the usual rainbow barf RGB lighting that's become a staple to PC gaming hardware in recent years.
From an aesthetic point of view, the GXT 863 Mazz would look completely at home on a desk alongside other gaming peripherals so it'll have plenty of appeal for people who are only bothered about getting something cheap to match their setup. The lighting options are a tad restrictive though, with only 14 pre-set modes and colors to switch between, rather than products from the likes of Razer or Corsair that can be fully customized using branded software.
The lighting is also rather dim compared to other offerings on the market, such as the Corsair K65 RGB Mini or the Razer Huntsman Mini which could leave you disappointed.
The build quality is, as mentioned, a tad unimpressive. The plastic material is slightly textured with a light grain that attracts fingerprints like nobodies business, and it doesn't offer much in the way of rigidity, as demonstrated when you press around the keyboard. There's noticeable deck flex and even some slightly metallic groaning so we don't reccomend this for anyone that needs sturdy hardware, such as in an environment where things regularly get knocked off desks (looking at you, parents of small children and cat owners).
The lack of rigidity does at least mean that this is a very lightweight mechanical keyboard, weighing just 730g, though weight isn't typically a concern for most keyboard enthusiasts unless you need something for frequent commutes and travel - in which case, a mechanical keyboard likely won't be your best option unless you want to annoy everyone else working around you.
Trust used double-shot keycaps which are pleasant against the finger and easily removed if you wanted to personalize the keyboard with ones you've purchased yourself, and the typing experience is mostly pleasnt until you need to use the Numpad or any of the keys towards the sides.
These give off more metallic groaning noises, likely from the springs within the Outemu Red keyswitches not being sufficiently lubricated, and while its not a deal breaker, it'll quicker get annoying if you're sensitive to unpleasant noises. The switches are at least rated for 50 million keypresses so while the quality leaves something to be desired, it seems Trust has faith in their longevity.
We played a few rounds of Apex Legends using the GXT 863 Mazz and found no issues with latency so if you're not bothered about the build quality then you're at least getting a mechanical keyboard that performs well in FPS games, and there are a few gaming-specific features that have made their way onto the Mazz despite its budget price tag. You're getting both anti-ghosting technology and a Win key lock, two things that are usually found on more premium offerings.
A frustration is the lack of software to make additional changes however, as you won't be able to save preferences to different profiles for various games you play like you can on pricer keyboards.
Overall, this is going to be a decent buy if you're strapped for cash and only need something that can manage the basics. It's also a great first mechanical keyboard for kids and teenagers to get used to the difference between mechanical and membrane hardware, but this is likely to disappoint you if you've ever owned a mechanical keyboard from a more globally recognised brand.
If you have the cash to buy something more premium then we encourage you to do so, but as a bare bones mechanical keyboard? It gets the job done.
Buy it if...
Don't buy if...
Also consider
- First reviewed in July 2022
