SLAYING THE MONSTER (ErgoPharm REDBURN vs. IBE MATRIX review)

[pu12en12g]

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INTRO:

First things first.... thanks to both companies for shipping me out samples for feedback. Now, as far as I know, both REDBURN™ and MATRIX™ are beta versions. Props to both companies for entering this competitive (and [currently] REPETITIVE) market !!!

I've used most of the energy drinks on the market, and after years of using various stimulants and nootropics, nothing on the energy-drink market really impressed me. I did have some shots in Hong Kong that were pretty badass, berry flavored, and I don't remember the name.... they gave me slight hallucinations but maybe it was just something in the air of the club ?
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:djparty:

 

[pu12en12g]

PACKAGING / LABEL:

While comparing the packaging and labels of the products, it suddenly occured to me how ironic the timing is... that both companies are releasing a energy drink at the same time.

I got the IBE package first because I had to go pick up the ErgoPharm package at UPS.




The MATRIX™ is 8fl oz. and the bottle / label is absolutely stunning. See them for yourself and I'm sure you'll agree. I was VERY impressed with the long warning label on the bottle. The supplement facts don't look impressive at ALL, which is funny. When scanning them you start to wonder if there's anything in there at all that's how empty the supplement facts box looks. BUT THEN, you get towards the bottom and you see the "Proprietary Blend" and "Other Ingredients"... and it's like....

OMGHI2U RATING: 9





The REDBURN™ bottle is 4fl oz. of "cuteness". Seriously, that's the word for this lil' thing. You've heard the saying "The bigger the car the smaller the penis" ?... this is like the opposite. It's tiny, cute, red, and it's still one badass mofo.... why ? Just look at the supplement facts. 4 ingredients in the propriety blend and.... all business. I was impressed with the clear warning label, and the fact that I could hide the bottle in my pocket for the meeting this afternoon (if I wanted).

OMGHI2U RATING: 7.5





The MONSTER™ can is 16fl oz. of lovin... (call it "big poppa", or you can call it "placebo control" for the win !! ) gets props for the "M" logo which is just badass. It's oversized... and you know what that probably means (see above ! ). The warning label definately isn't as good, and you probably can't take it to some pools (since it's metal). It does get some props though, for the added vitamins etc..

OMGHI2U RATING: 6 (Mostly the logo)
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SMELL:

I wasn't even planning on this category, but that quickly changed when I opened the MATRIXâ„¢ bottle. It smells like chemical tea or something... strong but not unpleasant.

SMELL RATING: 6




Next up, I opened the REDBURNâ„¢.. more chemical smell, less tea smell.

SMELL RATING: 5.5




The MONSTERâ„¢ can popped open and it smells like candy heaven... and this is the lo-carb version (that I haven't tried).

SMELL RATING: 8
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:djparty:

 

[pu12en12g]

TASTE (initial impressions only):

REDBURN™: Holy jumping-redburn-on-a-pogo-stick... feel the BURN. A tiny sip of this stuff is a SHOCK to the system, and after about 2 seconds it starts to mildly burn my throat... just like a shot actually. I'm not that tired, but if I was.... this would DEFINATELY wake me up. The taste is actually mild other than the "burn" effect, and it tastes better than it smells which is cool.

TASTE RATING: 8 (bonus points for the very cool "burn")




MATRIX™: Definately a strong chemical taste to this stuff, and the fruit punch doesn't mask it. Like the IBE guys said, this won't be the final flavor / it's been improved, so for now just look at the ratings more for "fun". Some malic / citric acid / anything with tang would work well for this stuff.

TASTE RATING: 5




MONSTER™ definately improved things with this lo-carb version IMO, and it has the obvious (taste) advantage of carbonation. Definately pleasant and mild, even at room temperature IMO... very surprised.

TASTE RATING: 8.5
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MONSTERâ„¢ PRE-CARDIO :
(average joe energy drink baseline)

MONSTERâ„¢ pre-cardio was slightly better than I expected. A energy boost, that I would normally prefer to consume in pill form... not much of a mood boost (but also not much "crash" either). When comparing MONSTERâ„¢ with other energy drinks you'll notice it's one of the only ones to include both ginseng AND carnitine, and at higher doses vs. the competition. I really like that they added carnitine, and list the amount of ginseng... all while tasting very mild... not "TOO sweet" if you know what I mean.

MONSTERâ„¢ PRE-CARDIO RATING: 7
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REDBURN™ PRE-CARDIO:
Let's get it on....

REDBURN™ packs a ****ing punch. I was BURNING and BUZZING after about 10 minutes. If you are looking for a energy shot you can feel from the word "go", this is probably for you. It does have a strong aftertaste, so don't say I didn't warn you. Endurance was good and I felt a moderate mood boost / alertness during cardio... the effects lasted (strong) for 60-90min, and then I started to get VERY, VERY hungry.

Normally after cardio I feel very relaxed... but not this time. I felt amped / hyper / very "tense"... I'll see if I can describe it better with the next dosage if it happens again.

REDBURN™ PRE-CARDIO RATING: 8.5

Unfortunately, didn't make it to the gym today so I'll have to try 285 for reps (incline) tomorrow.​

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:djparty:

 

[pu12en12g]

MATRIX™ PRE-CARDIO:
Tried the RED pill.... time to take the BLUE pill....

One full bottle of MATRIX™ on a mostly empty stomach (VERY rare for me).. this stuff did NOT go down easy... definately can't wait to try the new flavor. Ok, so after I took this stuff and I was getting changed, the repair guy showed up (NO HOMO) to fix my heater for the 2nd time in 2 days (still not totally fixed but at least it's working in manual mode).

Anyways, so I had to wait so none of my shiat gets stolen... and here is me about 30-40 minutes after Matrix:
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This stuff is ridiculous and I feel a tingle, like a buzzing circle around my skull or something when I move around... NO JOKE.

Stay tuned... this is getting interesting indeed.

EDIT: My arms are tingling like crazy, and I feel kinda nauseous.​

It was pretty wild... cardio was GREAT, but I was pretty wired + nausea for about 2+ hours. I would say this is a good replacement for the Herbal EC stack from a stim standpoint.... definately NOT a "subtle" stim effect.

For me personally, I think 1/2 bottle will do the trick

EDIT: It also shut down my appetite for several hours... it's just now rebounding.

:djparty:

 

[pu12en12g]

Yea, I like that pic bro. "Neo" Does this give you a 20x redbull pump or what?

Redbull:
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Matrix:
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....any questions ?

:djparty:

 

[pu12en12g]

REDBURN? PRE-GYM:
Ain't nuttin but a peanut....

REDBURN pre-gym was outstanding, and the taste is growing on me (can still use improvement obviously but I already mentioned that).

1 full bottle on a mostly empty stomach, followed by cardio and then I hit the office. My goal was 285 for 6-8 on incline but I only managed 5. But the rest of my workout was great... I mean I wouldn't say it was mindblowing but the energy / clean stimulation was there and it didn't fade. Not sure what else you can really expect from a energy drink.

Cardio was a breeze, but I didn't notice increased sweating that others have reported... it seemed normal to me. The increased focus lasted for several hours, and again there wasn't much (if any) "crash" effect. Some people might not care about this, but it's a big deal to me. When I got to the office, I still was feeling amped / hyper like before... two thumbs up to the whole ErgoPharm team, you have a winner.

REDBURN PRE-GYM RATING: 9

REDBURN PRE-OFFICE RATING: 9
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1/2 MATRIX PRE-OFFICE:
Lightweight budday....

1/2 MATRIX pre-office + granola bar... much better. Clean focus and stim effect. Not too much change in mood this time (been getting questions about that). No tingling or strange effects.

MATRIX (1/2 bottle) PRE-OFFICE RATING: 8
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:djparty:

 

[m4gnum]

Thanks for the review...I'll be picking up some Matrix ASAP.

 

[mmowry]

Thanks for the review and I agree Matrix will get you wheels spinning!

 

[yeahright]

I really enjoyd the Matrix. Didn't even know Ergopharm was coming otu with a drink. I can't wait for the final version of Matrix to be released.

 

[macedaddy]

waiting on final version of matrix! i tried an orange one at the Arnold (someone brought it to me, it wasn't there at a booth or anything) MAN DID it have me floored! and i love STIMULANTS and my beloved Stim X!

GREAT review PT!

 

[crader]

Mmmm tried ergopharms at the Arnold..I loved the stuff. Can't wait for it to come out.

 

[pu12en12g]

waiting on final version of matrix! i tried an orange one at the Arnold (someone brought it to me, it wasn't there at a booth or anything) MAN DID it have me floored! and i love STIMULANTS and my beloved Stim X!

GREAT review PT!

Thanks man... this stuff is hardcore. Can't wait to try the final version, but I think it got lost in the mail. :food:

 

[RedwolfWV]

Great review! Pics made it awesome.

 

[cavefish]

How about we skip the BS and get to the important thing: how does it taste with vodka?

 

[zbtboy]

Very good review! Nice work.