Budget gamer gear is important. It’s refreshing to see that there are companies making cheaper hardware, for those that might not be able to stretch their money out to the more well known peripherals. However, it’s a lot harder to stand out amongst the crowd, as budget gear can fall victim to scruitiny, and the Trust Gaming Avonn GXT 830-RW is finding.
The entire chassis is made from plastic and you can really tell. It’s flimsy, flexes like anything, especially with the rear stands up. And the first time you slam your hand down onto the keyboard after being killed one too many times in Call of Duty will also be the last, as chances are you’ll snap something. It’s that light and flimsy.
One thing I took an instant dislike to about the Trust Avonn gaming keyboard is its bottom border. It’s way too thick in height, and not long enough to be used as a wrist rest. I kept feeling it with the base of my left hand, and it was certainly offputting. And yes I know what they’re trying to do here by making look fierce and more gamer-like, but it’s just bad design.
The typing experience on this keyboard isn’t the best either. Apart from the fact that the Trust Avonn keyboard isn’t mechanical – which in 2020, they really should be if you’re going after a gaming audience – it also felt a little off-centre. I would have easily sacrificed the number pad for a more centralised keyboard to the body. And it might have been the model that was sent to me, but the keys are very stiff, and I had to really jab each key to touch type, especially the space bar. If I was too light on the keys, an action would’nt happen either, and I noticed this more when typing. The return rate on keys is also hit and miss, with some keys decising to stay down a split second longer than you’d want them to, like they were getting stuck to something. The key coating also felt a little rough, and it somehow felt like my fingertips were being gripped. I couldn’t slide across the surface of this keyboard very easily.
The RGB effect is a little boring and lacks a lot of brightness and even lighting capabilities compared to other gaming keyboards on the market. There are several lighting effects to choose from, which includes one rainbow effect which cycles colours across the front, stays static, or breathes in and out. That’s it.
In terms of gaming though, for your single player narrative experiences like Shadow Of The Tomb Raider or Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s not too bad as it’s unlikely you’ll be mashing keys reacting to the games. But for an eSports title or even a MOBA, then look elsewhere. Each key’s actuation needs a significant amount of effort to press. And again, the bottom lip is just far to thick to comfortably rest your hand over the QWER keys in a game of Heroes of the Storm.
Unfortunately, my experience with the Trust Avonn gaming keyboard wasn’t the best, and to be quite frank, if you’ve got £24.99 to spend on a gaming keyboard, you’ll have more luck with an unknown mechanical keyboard from Amazon.
