Paintball advice

Klesk

Klesk

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2003
Messages
1,104
A friend of mine is getting into paintball, and a couple of co-workers have said "sure" when asked if they would join us in a game, so I was thinking of jumping in. Any advice on what to buy? I don't want to spend too much, as I can't see us getting together more than 2 - 3 times a year, but then again, I don't want to buy crap stuff and end up buying better stuff after the first match. Someone told me that Spyder stuff is good in my price range, and that there are a lot of accessories for them. Good advice? Any particular model?

Should I go with an electronic trigger? For what I want to spend ($150 - $200), I can buy a really good mechanical trigger, or the bottom of the line electronic trigger. Is the electronic one really worth it?
 
Tippman 98 custom. About 130.00 plus you'll still need a mask 35.00, co2 tank 20.00 and paint 15.00 for 500.

That pretty much spends your 200 dollar budget, but you will get one of the best markers on the market. It is the Glock of Paintball.

Badge54
 
Tippman's good. Any of the midline Spyders and Piranhas are good too. Similar pricing.

Phil
 
I think someone was trying to trade away a venom. I'm not sure which model.

I just got rid of my Talon (modded to hell) too, damn. I woulda just threw it to you. The guy I gave it to lives in waipahu, so if you see some idiot running around with it, tell him I said you can have it. :D


If you're only going to play 2-3 times a year, I'd think about renting.
 
Thanks, Kyle, I'll keep an eye out for him :D Actually, one of the things that got me thinking about this again was the guy with the Venom. We had a trade deal pretty much worked out when he changed his mind. I don't blame him, he had a good reason (the Venom was a gift), and no one lost anything on the deal. I did, however, have it set in my brain that a paintball marker was on its way to me, so I started talking to friends and co-workers about it, and just kept thinking about it. I'll probably end up with a Spyder, I just can't decide if I want to keep it fairly cheap (TL-X), or kick it up a notch - and then, whether I should go electronic or mechanical (E-99 Avant or Rodeo).
 
Keep in mind you'll need a mask, tank, podpack, pods, loader, some clothes you dont care about, and some disposeable shoes. Don't forget that paint and air will cost you a good 60-70 bucks each time you go depending on what and where you get it.

You will also want to upgrade from the stock barrel, if nothing else.

As I remember from back in the day when I played, www.paintballgear.com is good for guns (they also have equipment packages) and www.countypaintball.com is good for accessories.

A Spyder TL will serve you well as long as you're not planning to "Go Pro." If you want the e trigger later, you can buy an e grip.

I just realized why I don't play paintball anymore... It's expensive ;]
 
i work pt @ a gunstore and we sell paintball guns...

spyders break all the time and have a high return rate...

tippmans are the benchmades of paintball,,,

they hardly ever break, are decently priced and work great,,,get a 98..or an A5,,,

:cool:
 
a Tippman Model 98 is like the AK 47 of paintball.. these things take ABUSE! and yet they still keep on shooting. If i were you though i would go with a regular spyder like a shutter or TL and get used to opening it up and cleaning it and how everything works. It's just one of those things everybody should do starting out. i dont personally see how the person above thinks spyders break all the time :rolleyes:

most importantly: take what EVERYBODY says with a grain of salt, in paintball everybody and their mom is a "pro" and thinks they know everything. so far it seems we can all agree that a tippman 98 custom will last you forever.
 
8 out of every ten guns that come in for repairs are spyders,

i know the numbers are high because more spyders are sold then any other also, but the bottomline is tippmans have a low breakdown rate,,,

I am sure the poster that disses me owns a spyder and thats cool, they look great, but i stand by my recommendation,,,

I don't care what someone buys,,,,we sell spyders and tippmans, and I dont get paid to sell either,,,

tippmans are benchmade like,,
 
At my store (been in the pb industry for 13 years) Spyders come back but if you keep them clean and oiled, they are good guns. Tippmanns are work horses but a bit harder to work on since you have to split them in half to get to the internals.

Piranhas are ok too, just a Spyder made by PMI.

Stay away from PMI and Java CO2 tanks and Scott goggles (lenses are hard to find).

Jt and Vforce goggles are good.

Remember it's a game and have fun with it.
 
Going along the goggles line:

Get make sure you get a thermal lens (fog the least) and try on the mask before buying(for comfort). Having a mask that wants to slip down your face while you're running around is annoying and distracting(not a good thing when people are shooting things at you ;)).

And gloves too. Getting hit on the bear hand really, really hurts. ;)
 
I've seen a number of A5 hoppers shatter during play when hit with a paintball. Not a simple off-the-shelf replacement. But other than that, the A5 is nice.

Phil
 
IMHO, the mask is often more important than the gun. Get a cheaper thermal lens (won't fog up, a huge potential problem) and a gun that won't screw up much (tippman is great). Then buy plenty of paint and a good squeegee to clean your barrel out when you bust a ball. You should be set.
 
if you like pb you will end up buying more stuff beleive me. i wouldnt go with the 98 only becasue i dont like the for-grip, too far up. spyders are pieces of crap. no offence yo anyone that has one, it is only my opinion, they break alot, and they are not reliable. my first gun was a tippman A5. that gun will last a while, its a tippman they are made well. and it is fairly tolerant to being abused. i wacked mine around a bit and all i ever did was have the tech guy at the paintball feild i go check it out. (this guy helped create the basis that autocockers use, the blowbacks) it is a lil over your price range. if not the A5 then i would sacrafice comfort for less green. this would be my gear if i were you

gun- tippman 98 custom
barrel- 14inch cp, stock barrels are really horrible
tank- c02, compressed are tanks are like 120 and you dont wanna spend that
mask- jt proflex, i love this mask it is flexible on the chin and ear areas and really comfortable
pods-no need for them
hopper- just a regular hopper dont spend more for the mech. ones
sqeege- redz makes a good double sided one
gloves- just suck it up when you get hit in the hand it is not that bad

that is about it, you wont get it all for 200 tho. like someone said it is expensive. wanna know another road to go?… airsoft…is dirt cheap
 
TimJMayer nobody dissed you... :)

chazz: I guess I can see why you would say spyders are crap if you're so used to beating the heck out of your tippman and never oiling/maintaining it. you really date yourself by saying your first gun is an A5, as it's a pretty recent model by the way. I'm guessing that Klesk expects to oil his gun at least, as the bare minimum and even as it says in the manual. More people have started on spyders than any other company in the industry, and many tourney players still keep a spyder along with their thousand dollar markers.

Klesk, buying a marker online will have obvious advantages: much much cheaper prices than in store front shops. This kind of purchase is a gamble though, for obvious reasons. Lots of places will give you free maintenance with the purchase of a marker at their shop, so that's something to consider. Plus you get to handle all the markers at the shop to see what you want and whats most comfortable.
 
i am not saying i totaly disregard my gun, it is not like i have a 60 dollar gun i got at sports authority. i oil it, tune it, and strip it occasionly. i was saying that they can withstand being banged around. i have not oiled it after a game or two and it does not phase the gun. you do need to oil any gun. may it be a a5 or a dm5. your are right it is a recent model and i wouldnt consider myself a expert at paintball, if you have been in it longer than me by all means you should over ride what i say if you know better.
 
What about the Worrgames Autococker Trilogy for about $150? Back when I played a lot (4 years ago or so) I was a huge Autococker fan but there wasn't a low priced version like the Trilogy available....seems like a cool gun for the money.
 
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