What do you guys think about the new Rikochet Apache?

[magman109]

Just what the title says. Do you guys have any opinions about it? Do you think it will sell? I use to have a 2k and I would get quite a few bounces off it. Thats about the only possitive I see. Looks tall and I doubt it will be as fast as an egg. I also dont understand why Rikochet keeps using weed-wacker string for an agitator? Don't they know that everyone hates it??

[poolshark5226]

they changed the paddle for the Apache, its not the 'weed whacker' any more

[felony]

i have heard good things, but am still waiting for a official review.. from real people, not warpig.

i am in the market for a new loader. I have shot a friends z eggy for the last 3 weekends and have had not one prob with my emag. I can get it even short if i cut the feed neck if i got my own.

options options.. would like to see the apache in action though

dan

[InexactMelissa]

I ordered one almost 2 weeks ago and am still waiting for it. :(

Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

[Meph]

I think it's a nice alternative to force-feed loaders. However for the sudden major jack in price it seems like they also want to have the force-feed price ala Halo.

They claim 18bps feeding, but I need to get my hands on one to see how consistent this is and if it actually does feed that fast. That and if it feeds better, like a halo, when on the marker.

[fallout11]

I actually liked the weedwhacker string.
Unlike paddles, it won't damage brittle paint.

[billmi]

Originally posted by felony
i have heard good things, but am still waiting for a official review.. from real people, not warpig.


I'm not real.... :-(


Originally posted by Meph
They claim 18bps feeding


I'll be doing a performance report shortly, like the previous loader line-up. They've redesigned the paddles on this loader 3 times now, and have finally locked in (as of 2 weeks ago) the final production design.
See you on the field,
-Bill Mills

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by billmi
I'll be doing a performance report shortly, like the previous loader line-up.

Looking forward to seeing it.

You'll disappoint a lot of people if you don't porve that pixies can make gravity work faster though. ;)

[Phil]

Speaking for myself, while I sometimes find your "just the facts" style reviews helpful what I find missing is a conclusion that helps me make a purchase decision. As a consumer I would prefer a Consumer Reports style review with the product being run through some serious testing to find faults, a comparison to similar products and a rating system.

[LittlePaintballBoy]

Scroll down the page. There is already a review/thread about them. RoadDawg's review (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=128205)

[sneakyhacker420]

check out road dog's thread on the apache, and check out the post about its official release to the public - i have some pics of it in both threads and the whatnot

also, BTW, its Ricochet... not rikochet... or rick-o-****

[RoadDawg]

So far, even though I haven't used it yet, I'm impressed. It's got a quick empty rate, it's quiet, it's way light, it isn't bulky, & fits perfectly on a warp. I've been a big fan of Rico's since I first threw one on my warped mini a little over a year and a half ago. The 2k's were noisy but I loved ths shot counter, which is one thing I wish they had kept, instead they have a timer. The smoke shells look sweet too. Nice and transparent but still dark enough to match my setup. I'll post pics when I get my film developed. It's also not as tall as I thought it was gonna be. In fact it's pretty darn close to a normal 2k size. The box claims 20 bps but the guy at the LA Open table told me it was turned down to 18 to avoid breakages. It has a nice battery system. It has a clip that holds both 9v's and is pretty heavy duty. Shells aren't made of the same material and as a result seem stronger then the 2k/AK's. Also be on the lookout for new 2k shells that will make your 2k look like a Apache and boost your bps up to 15 instead of 11, which IMO would be great if it does, but I'll wait and see it in person.

[Meph]

Everybody does drop tests, and I hate those. You need that very split second of tension from the stack of balls when doing tests to see the true peek performance of the loaders. Especially the force fed buddies, ala Halo and Egg w/ Zboard (kinda). Drop tests completely eliminate that part of actual on-marker condition and alter the real best performance you get from them.

And for the 15bps claim on the regular gravity feed 2K's..... allow me to turn the other way and not comment.

[RoadDawg]

Originally posted by Meph

And for the 15bps claim on the regular gravity feed 2K's..... allow me to turn the other way and not comment.

Supposedly it adds the "cup" feature and moves the motor to where it is in the Apache. Only thing that makes the Apache quicker is the dual 9v's. Now like I said I'm not holding my breath and will wait to see it before I totally believe it.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by Meph
Everybody does drop tests, and I hate those.

Too true. Drop tests (aka hopper emptying times) are meaningless.

The only valid way to test hopper speed is on a gun that is set up to fire at known rates of fire and can be automatically controlled. Like Bill Mills did for the WARPIG hopper line-up.

Think of it this way, the egg benefits and reports what is probably far too high a number because since the feed neck is empty, balls get 'flung' down the neck faster than gravity. WIth a marker and cycling bolt, there's a stack of balls to push into the breech.

The Q-loader numbers are also suspect. Emptying to air with no resistance means that the spring is continuously accelerating all the balls left in the loader. The last ball out will be travelling MUCH faster than the first ball out. In real-world use, EVERY ball will behave as the first ball out.

A straight stack of balls left to drop out into the air will report far higher numbers than possible from gravity stick feed for the same reasons. The last balls out have been accelerated by gravity for the whole height of the stack. In reality, a ball (and the stack) only accelerates 0.68 in and then comes to an immediate halt. So a stack 100 paintballs tall may empty at an average rate of 50bps or more. But on a marker that stack will never feed faster than 11.5bps.