What valve/bolt system do you guys like?

[RavishingEddie]

OK I have heard alot of talk about guns being better than other guns, but that honestly doesn't tell me anything. My question is what internal system is actually better in terms of consistency, efficiency and durability. I hear alot of talk about poppet valve, spool valve but what makes all these so different?

[warbeak2099]

Well the mag valves are really consistant and reliable. Poppet valves are the most efficient of the designs (Vikings, Cybordgs, Excals, etc.). Spool valves are good for being quiet and having next to no kick. It just depends on what you care most about. The Invert Mini from Empire supposedly has a mixture of a spool and poppet valve. I have no clue how it works nor does anyone except Simon and anyone else involved. So we'll just have to wait on that one.

[Lenny]

When it comes to semi's, I like spoolers best. The 'Mag "spooler" is great, and the EP spool designs are pretty good as far as ease of maintenence, moving parts, recoil, etc. (I know others can be tuned to this, it's just my preference. Though that non-spooler Ego is very eye catching...)

As far as pumps go, I love the Nelson design. Factory auto-trigger, simplicity in design, single tube compactness, etc. :headbang:

Just my thoughts.

[rkjunior303]

I stand by Cyborgs and Vikings, but also enjoy shooting DMs. So I guess I like em bouth.

[CKY_Alliance]

I like spool, they there are a lot less parts to worry about breaking and most are just as efficient as poppets..or close to it. Only thing you have to worry about on a spool valve is pretty much the pressure,lube, and orings...something goes wrong at the field no problem..something goes wrong with a poppet style gun at the field..well hope you have plenty of time to tear that SOB down..worst thing ive ever had happen is frigin poppet on a timmy messed up, talk about a PIA just to get to it.. Spool valves shoot butter smooth (unless your a dumbass and go turning screws...(IF IT AINT BROKE DUN FIX IT) but most poppets can shoot as smooth as a spool when set up right...spools can be shorter then poppets generally, umm ye..i like spools for the smoothness,quietness,efficiency, eaze of maintence, simplicity,way they shoot..it's just a good operating system..and FEP seems to have made it even better by decreasing the amount of orings..just wish dye would do that but its all good..

[don miguel]

Go for classic old school Minimag valve. Simple, yet advanced. My favorite.

[fullofpaint]

MAtrix/Shocker spoolers

Simplest gun IMO to take care of; every day agfter play lube the bolt and your set. Plus there's almsot zero kick and it's extremly quiet. Only downside is it isn;t reall effecient

[don miguel]

Go for classic old school Minimag valve. Simple, yet advanced. My favorite.
GHETTO LVL 7 ALL THE WAY! :dance:

[wjr]

As far as pumps go, I love the Nelson design. Factory auto-trigger, simplicity in design, single tube compactness, etc.

You know, ATS markers are semi and they use a nelson valve. I don't know how reliable or efficient they are though.

[Lenny]

^^^Totally forgot about the ATS series. Now thinking, isn't the Rainmaker "pseudo" nelson based (in the lower chamber)?

I forgot to add one other reason I like spoolers. Integrated bolt/valve. The bolt is the valve! That's just pretty clever to me.

[bentothejam1n]

GHETTO LVL 7 ALL THE WAY! :dance:
you quoted yourself........
personally im a fan of poppets. not a lot of kick and veryyyy effiecient (atleast for my borg)

[Chaos_Theory!]

Viks and Excals get my vote. Straight up amazing.

[CKY_Alliance]

MAtrix/Shocker spoolers

Simplest gun IMO to take care of; every day agfter play lube the bolt and your set. Plus there's almsot zero kick and it's extremly quiet. Only downside is it isn;t reall effecient


A spool valve may not be as efficeint compared to a viking or borg(which pretty much set the precedent for efficiency)..but other then that they are plenty efficient...(more wouldnt hurt for any gun) atleast my proto is and it has no efficiency mods..

[benzy2]

If all day air is available then a spooler gets the vote. I love the feel of a mag and the size of it. It just doesnt like a 68/3000. For days with limited refils the popit guns come out.

[fullofpaint]

yea but i grew up on timmy's and poppet's which are more effeceint, but DM5/6 are effeceint jsut not as much as I'd like

[buzzboy]

In smoothness I really like the spoolvalve on the older (pre DM4)matrixes. They seemed to be the best kick wise.

The only thing I don't like about them is the number of orings that can fail. That is why I like the ease of use on a poppet valve gun.

For pure mech guns though spring return spooll(I guess thats what a mag is) is what I prefer. Blowbacks/Cockers have things about them that I just don't like. Blowbacks have kick and I think cockers are just.... well I don't know. I have shot and liked playing with one but I really don't want to own one.

[K Wolf]

OK, I'm clueless. What is a spool valve? I understand how mags work. What exactly makes it a spool valve?

[cyrus-the-virus]

OK, I'm clueless. What is a spool valve? I understand how mags work. What exactly makes it a spool valve?

A spool valve is the automags younger cousin.

basicly it works on the same principal except that rather than a spring to return the bolt it uses air.

I vote for spool valves or the MQ valve system in the AEDES.

[wjr]

I found this (http://haveblue.org/tech/patents/US005572982.pdf) type of valve on haveblue.org. I have absolutely no idea how it works.

[cyrus-the-virus]

I found this (http://haveblue.org/tech/patents/US005572982.pdf) type of valve on haveblue.org. I have absolutely no idea how it works.

A......crack valve? lol nice name though. it looks to me like it would be just an inline blowback (basicly) I tould help if they didn't have all thso god dmned lables over the whole thing....

[PumpPlayer]

And I didn't know "slidably" was a word.
I'll bet that'll be worth a bundle when I drop it on a triple word score...


That's the old SATCO 700 (http://www.vintagerex.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewmarker&marker=SATCO%20700&man=Sport%20Arms%20Technology). I really like some of the features of it but given complexity and a decided lack of available spare parts, I don't think anyone could reliably play with it.

Doc takes one apart (http://www.docsmachine.com/tech/satco700.html)


For my "best valve design ever" I'd have to vote for stacked-tube blowback.
I don't own any markers of that style and probably wouldn't shoot them if I did... however, they're all over the place, are easily maintained and repaired and arguably the best tool to get new players into the game. There's better performance to be had elsewhere but if all paintball markers absolutely had to be the same design, I'd pick the lowest common denominator.

All valve setups are a compromise. You just need to figure out what features are most important to you and chose accordingly.