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General Description:
Diablo was generally known for their paint brand, until recently, when they released two blowback semi-automatic markers, the Terminator and the Inferno. After their success with the two entry-level guns, Diablo has stepped up into the big time with their release of the Matrix, a higher end electro pneumatic marker. Cleverly planned to run on very low pressure and reliable design intended, Diablo has revealed a new marker that is unlike any of the current guns on the market. The combination of a high rate of fire, an extremely simple design, and an affordable price tag makes the Matrix one of the most impressive and creative markers to be released in recent years.
 I decided to pick up a Diablo Matrix myself and find out what all the hype was about, after all- $670.00 for an electronic marker is not a bad deal. In two long weeks of waiting, the Matrix arrived from the Matrix Center (http://www.thematrixcenter.com) to my front door. I opened the large box containing the marker, and quickly found myself examining the trigger. I amused myself with the trigger for a few minutes and than quickly moved on to taking apart the internals playing with the help of the owners manual and a good schematic I found online.
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Internals and Assembly:
Using the owners manual as a guide, I first took the upper body of the gun apart, a fairly simple task. Step one was to remove the back plate and breech, and then I proceeded to take off the o-ring on the front of the bolt, allowing me to easily slide the entire bolt assembly out the back of the marker. I carefully examined all the parts, and proceeded to lube all the o-rings using a bottle of Gold Cup paintball gun lubricant. Slowly and carefully, I put all the parts back together and reinserted the entire assembly back through the rear of the gun. I screwed the end cap back in, and put the o-ring from the front of the bolt back on. Finally, I checked the 9v battery, situated under the bolt assembly. Just wanted to make sure it was charged up and ready for the field. Everything was easy to access and quick to reassemble. I was pleased with the easy access to all the internals.
 The matrix's trigger is operated by a system very similar in design to the WDP Angels. The matrix uses a standard micro switch that activates the marker when the trigger is pulled. On the newer models, the solenoid can be heard clicking when the trigger is pulled to the point of activation, unlike the older models where the solenoid is mostly silent. After taking off the grip frame, a pair of set screws are uncovered to adjust the forward and backward movement of the trigger, and a spring that adjusts the weight of the trigger is also accessible. Some owners choose to remove the trigger tension spring completely inorder to make the trigger have no weight, while others may choose to fold it over or cut it to decrease the stock trigger pull, but the option of getting a longer spring to weigh down the trigger pull is also available. I decided not to adjust the trigger and thought that the stock trigger pull was perfect for my style. When I made it to the field and had the oppurtunity to play using the matrix, I was pleased to find that high rates of fire on the marker were easily achieved. I was able to "walk" the trigger... getting me upwards of 10 - 12 balls per second using semi-auto. ("Walking the trigger" is being able to firing using 2 fingers independent of one another. One finger pulls the trigger while the other moves out and vis-versa.) I have to say that the matrix's trigger is very comparable to the trigger on the WDP Angels.
Matrix Quick Stats:
Effective Range: 150 + feet
Cycle Rate: 7-16 balls per second
Input Pressure (Max): 200 PSI (140 psi recommended!!)
Power: CO2, Compressed Air, or Nitrogen (recommend Compressed Air or Nitrogen)
Weight (Without tank): 3.4 lbs
Length (Overall): 19 3/8 inches
Stock Barrel Bore Size: .689 diameter
Test Matrix:
 It should be noted that the Matrix that I bought was not stock. I purchased the marker after it had been upgraded by the The Matrix Center proshop. It was fitted with a new solenoid and new internals. My Matrix came equipped with the Image Mod (volumizers tapped to accept autococker regulators), a Kapp Rhino Regulator, a Custom Products 14 Blue .689 Barrel (compared to the stock black Custom Products or OTP Barrel), a black beehive regulator (compared to the silver models or newer Center Flag regulators), and a cipher chip. The cipher chip is an aftermarket chip available from Aardvark products (http://www.Aardvarkdirect.com), which allows the marker to go into full auto, burst, turbo, and special semi auto modes. For this review, I strictly tested the matrix in its stock semi-auto firing mode only. The stock Matrix only has semi-auto firing. There are no full-auto or burst modes on the stock gun.
Crash Test:
Diablo claims that the Matrix has less kick than any other marker out on the market right now. I set out to test this theory, and many more on my first day testing the matrix. The unique placement of the feed neck was also on my mind when I first purchased the gun. I thought the gun may be unbalanced since the hopper sticks out further forward on the matrix than it does on most other guns. Claims of Matrices running well on CO2 were also spreading throughout the internet, and I wanted to test all of these theories myself. After arriving at the field, I hurried to the nearby pro shop and bought a macroline kit, a 90* swivel elbow, a generic ASA and a 20oz Anti-Siphon CO2 tank to screw into it. Since my Matrix did not have an aftermarket bolt kit to improve efficiency, I decided that it would be best to run it on CO2 so my airpower would not run out mid game (or so I thought).
After having my marker assembled, I went to the staging area and aired up the marker. I heard a leak coming from the bolt and was extremely confused and frustrated at this sudden problem. Luckily, a fellow Matrix owner was situated on a table next to me, and came over to help me out. He explained to me that the o-rings on the top hat and bolt of the marker must be well lubed and oiled for it to work properly. I unscrewed the CO2 from the ASA, quickly took apart the bolt assembly, and oiled up the necessary o-rings. The other player then told me to place the bolt assembly back into the gun but to let the breech and back plate sit on the table. After airing up the marker, the leak stopped and I took a few shots to circulate the lubricant throughout the bolt. I thanked him and he explained some more key essentials of owning a Matrix such as making sure that the back plug must not be screwed in too tight, and must be flush with the body. Finally, I slid the breech back on and secured the back plate and breech onto the marker.
Consistency and Accuracy Test:
I threw a full hopper on the matrix and took it to the chrono station. My first shot was moving at 230 feet per second so I decided to turn it up by adjusting the beehive regulator until my velocity shot at around 260. After taking 10 consecutive shots at the chrono, my velocity ranges from 249 to 260. The next day, I performed a few velocity tests with the help of a chronograph, the Custom Products 14 .689 Bore Barrel, .689 Bore Diablo Blaze paintballs, a Casio graphing calculator, and a sound-sensitive stop watch.
Field Test:
 After initially chronoing the matrix, I took it out on the field with a filled hopper and tank. The first game went smoothly for the marker, and I got used to the trigger. The next game however did not proceed too smoothly. Right when the whistle blew, I ran to one of the front bunkers and raised my gun to fire at an opponents bunker. However, no balls were coming out of the marker! I took a look at my 9v VL hopper and saw that a few paintballs were stuck under the hopper's paddles, not allowing the paintballs to enter the feed tube. Most markers wouldn't have this problem as they kick and blowback form firing the gun can usually free up any stuck paintballs in the hopper, but the Matrix had too little kick to shake the balls free from under the paddles. This proved a couple points. One, the Diablo Matrix has VERY little kick, and two, that you need a 12v Revolution (more powerful than the 9v version) or faster to feed the marker when you want to fill your hopper to the top. For the next few games, I started off with about 160 balls in the hopper rather than a full load, and it fed flawlessly.
I had one other theory to test. Many people claimed that the Matrix would not chop balls because of its incredible low operating pressure, but I was always a bit skeptic of that. After shooting almost two cases through the marker on the field-testing day (4000 paintballs), I had not chopped a single paintball, and by a stroke of luck perhaps, none broke inside the barrel either. The Matrix was extremely gentle on the paintballs and all of my expectations were satisfied. I am also happy to report that I got about 900 shots out of my 20oz. CO2 tank before it needed refilling. There are however reports circulating from other players that they are sometimes receiving less then 500 shots on 12 oz CO2 and 3000 psi 68 ci compresed air tanks.
Overall Feel:
The Matrix originally felt very awkward when I tried shooting it, but after the first game, I became used to the trigger and general setup of the matrix. I decided not to run a drop forward on my matrix in order to balance out the gun better. Since the breech is in the front of the gun, having the air tank placed further towards the back helps balance the gun better. I found the "standard" bottomline setup both effective for having a stable base for the gun, and balancing the marker out using a 20oz tank. The size of the matrix is very comparable to an Angel and the gun was not as big of a target as some people may make it out to be. The overall feel of the marker was very comfortable. The added weight (due to hopper location) at the front of the marker became less noticble over time, but I would have prefered it if the breech was placed a little further back.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Extremely consistent from shot to shot.
Very high rate of fire.
Decent price for a high end electro.
Low pressure operations. (Recommended 140 psi)
Exchangeable breeches for different threaded barrels.
Simple and clean design.
Cons:
The breech is too far forward.
Reports of poor stock gas efficiency.
Final Thoughts:
I have never been more impressed with any gun as I am with the Matrix. Its combination of low pressure, consistency, lack of kick, and ability to achieve high rates of fire has astonished and satisfied all of my wants and needs in a marker. Along with the Matrixs great features comes a great price tag, that in my opinion will help revolutionize the future of higher end electro pneumatic markers and influence other companies to do what Diablo achieved - to build a truly different and revolutionary marker.
Final Rating: 8.4
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