Don Carnage
03-06-2007, 12:46 AM
I'm fairly new to the AGD family, and my biggest regret in paintball was that it took me years before I bought my first mag. I'm a rec/scenario player who loves being able to work on their own gun. Last summer, a field owner showed me an old 68 Classic he was selling for $75. I knew vaguely what an automag was, but had never used one. After testing it and seeing how quiet it was with almost no recoil, I gladly forked up the cash for a friend who didn't have the money at the time.
That same day I saw several other players with super-fast electro's cheating by flipping on full-auto or ramping when no one was looking, and several other people (mostly kids) receive the brunt of these people's desire to show off how fast their electro's could go. At that point I removed the e-grip from my A-5 and swore never to use it again. I never wanted to be one of those cheaters, or even accused of it. I knew I wanted to try a different gun and wanted something with no recoil, light weight, consistent, durable, and 100% mechanical.
Later, when I got home, I opened up the automag and was blown away at how disgusting the internals were. I'm sure the prior owner had never once cleaned it. The buildup along the bolt spring and inside the reg looked like mud. I was amazed that a gun that dirty could shoot so well with no problems. I also learned of AGD's star warranty and decided a mag would be my next gun.
I'm now the proud owner of a shiny new RT Pro with the ULE Trigger and the old Tippmann is officially a loaner. I rant and rave about how wonderful my mag is, and can't help but wonder why I never heard of such an incredible marker before. Being a mag owner is like being in some secret club. The few others I've met since I started using mine, all talked to me with an almost sense of brotherhood for knowing the 'secret'.
This left me again with the question, "Why don't I see more of these around?"
Many will say it's because most players are fickle and want only the newest bells and whistles of electro-eyes, 25+ bps, ramping, etc. And while that may be true to a good extent, I disagree.
The current mags, while non-upgradable as far as performance, lack the cosmetic options that many other markers have. While colored ULE bodies are a good start, whatever happened to the colored X-valves? I understand the costs involved in designing a new product, but an ano-job is cheap. Also, if AGD offered anno'd triggers that match the colored ULE body, they could sell them for $20 extra and have very little overhead cost.
It saddens me that the slug bodies are gone because that means so are Deadly Wind's custom bodies. It's kinda funny to think how much money I'd be willing to pay for a purely cosmetic part, but I'm not alone.
Lets look at scenario players. Scenario guns, for the most part, are as technically sophisticated as a VM-68. However they look like modern firearms, and for that they go for hundreds of dollars. Scenario players will pay cash hand over fist for fake magazines, silencers, weaver rails, bi-pods, and other gear that is only for image. Because of that, most manufacturers will gladly sell them junk markers.
The Tac-One is a good step for AGD. When Spec-Ops paintball made their 'custom' guns for the various types of players, they were all modified A-5's, save the sniper rifle. For that they used a Mag.
Most of us can agree that AGD needs a new mag body to update their image. I believe they need to take it one step further. Make 2 bodies (at least) and increase the accessory options. I already made the suggestion that I'd love to see a ULE Minimag body. (The scenario guys would love it) And there's another thread of some very good suggestions for new bodies for sleeker 'speedball' guns.
But why stop there?
What about a foregrip option on new guns? Throw them in the ano vat with the ULE bodies and triggers so players can have matching grips too. Why not made a long rectangular 'fake magazine' foregrip for anyone who wants a Tac-One? Most players don't have access or the know-how to anodize or mill their own guns. Don't assume that they'll have their parts anodized if they want them. Do it for them, charge a little extra, and then advertise that AGD is the ONLY paintball company that will color match your valve, body, foregrip, and trigger at the customer's request. Beat that, Ion.
As far as performance, the X-valve with Lvl 10 and ULE trigger is about as good as it gets. In lieu of demonstrating their newest performance upgrade, AGD needs to show off the incredible customability of their markers. I'd love to flip through a paintball mag and see an add with the newest bodies and a caption that reads, "Upgrades, we don't need no stinkin upgrades. Options, we got plenty of those."
Anyway, that's my rant. My only hope would be for AGD to succeed in having a mag in the hands of more players.
That same day I saw several other players with super-fast electro's cheating by flipping on full-auto or ramping when no one was looking, and several other people (mostly kids) receive the brunt of these people's desire to show off how fast their electro's could go. At that point I removed the e-grip from my A-5 and swore never to use it again. I never wanted to be one of those cheaters, or even accused of it. I knew I wanted to try a different gun and wanted something with no recoil, light weight, consistent, durable, and 100% mechanical.
Later, when I got home, I opened up the automag and was blown away at how disgusting the internals were. I'm sure the prior owner had never once cleaned it. The buildup along the bolt spring and inside the reg looked like mud. I was amazed that a gun that dirty could shoot so well with no problems. I also learned of AGD's star warranty and decided a mag would be my next gun.
I'm now the proud owner of a shiny new RT Pro with the ULE Trigger and the old Tippmann is officially a loaner. I rant and rave about how wonderful my mag is, and can't help but wonder why I never heard of such an incredible marker before. Being a mag owner is like being in some secret club. The few others I've met since I started using mine, all talked to me with an almost sense of brotherhood for knowing the 'secret'.
This left me again with the question, "Why don't I see more of these around?"
Many will say it's because most players are fickle and want only the newest bells and whistles of electro-eyes, 25+ bps, ramping, etc. And while that may be true to a good extent, I disagree.
The current mags, while non-upgradable as far as performance, lack the cosmetic options that many other markers have. While colored ULE bodies are a good start, whatever happened to the colored X-valves? I understand the costs involved in designing a new product, but an ano-job is cheap. Also, if AGD offered anno'd triggers that match the colored ULE body, they could sell them for $20 extra and have very little overhead cost.
It saddens me that the slug bodies are gone because that means so are Deadly Wind's custom bodies. It's kinda funny to think how much money I'd be willing to pay for a purely cosmetic part, but I'm not alone.
Lets look at scenario players. Scenario guns, for the most part, are as technically sophisticated as a VM-68. However they look like modern firearms, and for that they go for hundreds of dollars. Scenario players will pay cash hand over fist for fake magazines, silencers, weaver rails, bi-pods, and other gear that is only for image. Because of that, most manufacturers will gladly sell them junk markers.
The Tac-One is a good step for AGD. When Spec-Ops paintball made their 'custom' guns for the various types of players, they were all modified A-5's, save the sniper rifle. For that they used a Mag.
Most of us can agree that AGD needs a new mag body to update their image. I believe they need to take it one step further. Make 2 bodies (at least) and increase the accessory options. I already made the suggestion that I'd love to see a ULE Minimag body. (The scenario guys would love it) And there's another thread of some very good suggestions for new bodies for sleeker 'speedball' guns.
But why stop there?
What about a foregrip option on new guns? Throw them in the ano vat with the ULE bodies and triggers so players can have matching grips too. Why not made a long rectangular 'fake magazine' foregrip for anyone who wants a Tac-One? Most players don't have access or the know-how to anodize or mill their own guns. Don't assume that they'll have their parts anodized if they want them. Do it for them, charge a little extra, and then advertise that AGD is the ONLY paintball company that will color match your valve, body, foregrip, and trigger at the customer's request. Beat that, Ion.
As far as performance, the X-valve with Lvl 10 and ULE trigger is about as good as it gets. In lieu of demonstrating their newest performance upgrade, AGD needs to show off the incredible customability of their markers. I'd love to flip through a paintball mag and see an add with the newest bodies and a caption that reads, "Upgrades, we don't need no stinkin upgrades. Options, we got plenty of those."
Anyway, that's my rant. My only hope would be for AGD to succeed in having a mag in the hands of more players.