Matrix Labs has been putting out boards since 2015, mainly in the Chinese market, with their plain front designs, and the polarizing backplates. After producing numerous boards including the 8xv, 10xv 1.0, the 8xv 1.2, and more, their foray into the Western market has come with its fair share of comments from both sides of the hobby. On one end, their simple top mounting styles pay homage to popular boards that came before, yet their striking designs that fill the back weight leaves things to be desired for some.
To keep it concise, yes, this is an amazing board. The 2.0add strikes the perfect balance of simplicity and movement. The simple top mounting style is contrasted with the light circle that is prominent above the right arrow, and the plain side profile is countered by the busy back, with the words "Matrix Lab" peeking through the customizable colored backplate.
As polarizing design has always been Matrix's go to, the first thing that we will look at is design and looks. The first thing you notice upon first glance is the simple, yet interesting color ring that is customizable through their preprogrammed keybinds. The lights that are used within the board are more than bright enough, and there doesn't seem to be anything that is obstructing the light. Upon dismantling the board, the color ring that borders the hole containing the lights can actually be removed and swapped out. This customizability is a theme throughout the board, and the Matrix lineup as a whole. Moving to the side profile, there is nothing special to report, with a simple wedge design being utilized here. While they haven't been known for out of the box side profile, I think it would be interesting to see something different from the classic wedge design. Matrix Labs also uses interchangeable badges for that extra level of customizability. There are numerous designs that have been produced by Matrix, and I am sure that we will see more of them in the future.
Moving onto the back, we see the most interesting part of the Matrix 2.0add. While most boards opt for a normal single weight design, where a large brass weight is used to add heft to the board, Matrix decided to go a different route with their designs. With a total of 9 different parts to create the back of the board, their complex system combines to create an extremely customizable experience, forming especially interesting combinations. As shown in the picture below, the different back weights all combine to create a seamless, customizable board.
Shoutout to the MatrixLabs Discord Server for the picture.
Now we can move on to the typing feel and sound that comes with the board. With a solder pcb as the standard at the time, this was the only pcb that was offered, so if you are looking for an easy build, this might not be the board for you. However, with the prevalence of millmax sockets appearing, it seems that there are ways around the offerings. With the pcbs, comes some issues. Even though I have never experienced them myself, people say the lack of ESD protection and bad wiring has caused their pcbs to fry, and stop working. For what its worth, I have never had any issues with their pcbs, but it is something to acknowledge. The feel of the board is quite standard for a top mount, full aluminum plate. It is considerably stiff, and it doesn't have much character to the typing experience. If you like a stiff board, this is something that I would definitely recommend.
Overall, I think that the 2.0add is a really really cool board, and Matrix Labs have done a nice job integrating the different designs into one seamless board. The coat that is used (in this case it is a gray coat), is a really nice touch, and even though it isn't anodizing, it is really nicely done. I would recommend this board to anyone who knew what they were getting into. The board is far from "flexy", and has no bounce whatsoever. The sound that comes out from it isn't anything special, yet it is something that I truly enjoy. It is different than many of the boards that have been released in the recent months with the new "PE foam" trend taking over the market as we speak.
I am excited to see what else Matrix Labs releases on an international scale, but I can only imagine that they will follow their same polarizing design style.
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