Best Electro for the Money??

[Kloki1971]

Let me preface this by saying I love my mags, but I'm interested in trying something in the electro catagory, besides the E-Mag. Wondering what others recommend for an electro on a shoestring budget. Give me your thoughts.

[geekwarrior]

Ion, mini, rail....theres a ton out there

[aqua_scummm]

^^^^Ion? tell me you're kidding.

Promaster, definitely, especially compared to an Ion. Comes with a better reg, better board, installed QEVs, and more. All for like $20 more. An Ion is only $225, but by the time you're finished upgrading it with new parts, you're better off going for a PMR or mini

[Kloki1971]

Ion, mini, rail....theres a ton out there


Have you tried the Mini? I have it on my list to check out... What about Fusions?? I probably sound like a newb, but I've only ever played Mags (since the 90's) so I have no idea about electros at all...

[geekwarrior]

^^^^Ion? tell me you're kidding.

Promaster, definitely, especially compared to an Ion. Comes with a better reg, better board, installed QEVs, and more. All for like $20 more. An Ion is only $225, but by the time you're finished upgrading it with new parts, you're better off going for a PMR or mini

no, im not kidding. For the moeny, Ions are good guns. You can find one for 150....the stock reg is fine, as is the board. Feedneck, on/off, and a barrel...Are there better guns out there for the money....sure, but the Ion isnt bad. :rolleyes:




Have you tried the Mini? I have it on my list to check out... What about Fusions?? I probably sound like a newb, but I've only ever played Mags (since the 90's) so I have no idea about electros at all...

I own a Mini, like it so far. Do a search on here for the Mini, and you'll find some reviews from a few AOer's...Never tried a fusion, but I hear they're good to.

[Dover]

Save your money and get an electro grip frame for your Mag, a proper one like a Hyperframe, you will not regret it. The Luke blade trigger makes it incredibly easy to walk, and with Level 10 you don't even need eyes, which can get covered in paint.

For under $200 USD you can find a great Hyperframe, they are super durable, fast (13 bps or 20 bps boards), Tournament Legal, run off a 9 volt, and best of all you keep your Mag setup, or just build another setup cheap and easy, all you need is a rail, ULE body and fore grip.

Budget E-Mag: $100 Hyperframe, cheap rail with internals for $20, fore grip for $10, and ULE body for $120. Just replace your A.I.R. valve on/off with the Hyperframe on/off, drop it in, and you are rocking the poor man's e-mag for $250 USD.

High-end option: save your pennies and buy the actual E-Mag lowers, they let you run electro or mechanical at the flick of a switch!! Most come with the rail and use a battery pack as fore grip, so all you need is the ULE body.

[Pneumagger]

There's ALOT of electros for a ton of priceranges, but If I had list what I felt was the best buy "for the money" this would be it (in order):

Used Viking - For $350-$400, you get arguably the fastest, most efficient, and reliable electro of any price range. Needs no upgrades. Older borgs will put you in the same bot here. A borg is basically a stacked tube viking and has most of the strengths associated with AKA markers.

Used ION - for around $200 you can find nearly new ions with many of the necessary upgrades (trigger, feedneck, reg). Or you can get used bone stock ones for even cheaper. Promasters operate a bit differently and have larger profile, but can give you the same value/utility as an ION.

Older Angels - Although reliability and available parts may become an issue, they commonly sell for $150-$250 and offer good price per performance.

Shocker SFT - Althuogh I don't feel the price per performance is as good as the markers above, $400 will get you nice condition shockers. The shocker makes this list because it's pretty well a tourney ready gun at a $400 used price tag, and holds resale at this level very well. Most SFTs, regardless of age, seem to hold this value so it may gun to look at if you consider selling in the future without much loss. Small profile, fairly fast, decent efficiency with bolt kit, and very light - although it is a bit more maintenance.

[kruger]

I have to go with the Dye Matrix 03. They are great guns and the price is really shootin' down lately. And you can get all the ups already on it.

[mag_lover05]

DP fusion/invert mini.


/thread.

[Kloki1971]

As always there are many different (radically) opinions... Keep them coming, I'm checking reviews for all of the named markers to help me make my decision. I appreciate all of the input though.

I've shot a Viking-aka and found it to be Very smooth, but the availability of parts scares me..

The Invert I've read some really mixed reviews. Everything from it rocks out of the box to it chops until it stops....

I've heard TONS of negative feedback on the Ions without major ups...

So question remains....What's the best for the buck?

[skriptal]

for 400 and a bit of looking around you can get your self a fully upped Freestyle, Those guns are FAST!

[nathanjones008]

HANDS DOWN THE RAIL. IT IS UP WITH TODAYS TECHNOLOGY AND HAS MANY UPGRADES AND IT IS CHEAP :dance:

[craltal]

As always there are many different (radically) opinions... Keep them coming, I'm checking reviews for all of the named markers to help me make my decision. I appreciate all of the input though.

I've shot a Viking-aka and found it to be Very smooth, but the availability of parts scares me..

The Invert I've read some really mixed reviews. Everything from it rocks out of the box to it chops until it stops....

I've heard TONS of negative feedback on the Ions without major ups...

So question remains....What's the best for the buck?


I wouldn't worry about the need for spare parts for Vikings. As long as Destructive Customs is around they'll always be a place to get them fixed on the off chance something does go wrong. They were built like tanks and rarely have problems that require any major repairs.

I believe the problems with the Mini's were from the first batch were there were some minor board issues that caused the problems people were experiencing. Just about every gun has initial release issues. I wouldn't let those steer you away from them.

Ions get a bad rap because they are targeted at a market that doesn't know squat nor bothers to spend the time to learn how to do things properly. Most of the people who have problems with them don't understand what they are doing and shouldn't be behind the trigger of an electronic gun.

"Best bang for the buck" is such a broad category. Unless you are set on getting new, a used gun from a year or two ago is going to be the best deal.

[Toll]

Vikes/borgs/GenE/DM3 Matricies

Those are my old standbys just because I've shot them and liked their qualities. All of them are built like tanks...Basically if there is an issue, check the battery.

[Ken Majors]

My opinion (not necessarily popular),,,is the Ion is the best bang for the buck.

As long as you don't start throwing money at it trying to make it something it is not.

A stock Ion will perform as well as you need it to. If you are not an experienced tournament player, i.e. "pro", than the Ion in a stock configuration will perform to your needs.

A used Ion with a clamping feed and an upgraded barrel can be had for $200 or less.
Hard to beat that price really, for what you get.

[Warwitch]

Vikings ftw. Its like the anti-mag but I absolutley love mine.

[ricwhic414]

HANDS DOWN THE RAIL. IT IS UP WITH TODAYS TECHNOLOGY AND HAS MANY UPGRADES AND IT IS CHEAP :dance:

I would completely agree with you but I just got a marq6 and even for the extra money it is the greatest thing I have ever used. Honestly you get what you pay for.

[blizpaintball42]

I picked up a DP Fusion for giggles, and though I haven't used it in a game, like it a lot. (I picked up my Ego at the same time and I like that a whole lot...) The Fusion reminds me a lot of a bushy though. You can pick up brand new Bushies with PDS for like 250 beans or less from what I've seen. I've owned several of those as well, (one older one now) and love them.

I have yet to see any Ion work right. One of the kids on the young guns team I help out had one, that leaked constantly, so he sold it to buy an "upped" used Ion, that leaks constantly. When working at the field a few weeks ago, three different kids with Ions came, each with a different problem. Even if you buy one used, you can still get a Gen3 Trix for about the same money. "But old Matrices are big and bulky". So? I bought a Toxic back in 03, and I refuse to get rid of it because as big and bulky as it is, it rips heads off, and it looks great.

I'm a big fan of Eblade autochoppers too. I've seen them at pretty low prices on this forum lately.

But I do have to agree, if you can get ahold of a Hyperframe for your mag, that would be the way to go!

[CKY_Alliance]

Buy a used dm4 with everything you need on it for like 400 bucks.. it won't be the lightest out (they aren't heavy either) but it will mow like a john deere...



Only thing you really need to watch for on a DM4 is the solenoid wires..they don't like to stay on, but if you do have trouble with it solder the crap out of it and you will be fine.



Or a Pm5...actually PM6's can prolly be had for 500 or less..(P=Proto M=Matrix)

[pump]

B2K......i bought my last one for 50 bucks

after market parts are cheep used at ICDO
GBR ram and a Trayless kit available new

they take some smarts to get running, but when you do, just as good as any marker..also i love them

[bryceeden]

Hands down the Mini. For the $400 it is definatly the best value. I've sold tons of Minis and everyone loves them, they're very low matenance and preform way better than the Ion or Promaster. Basically just get the Mini, you won't be sorry.

[Lohman446]

Hands down the Mini. For the $400 it is definatly the best value. I've sold tons of Minis and everyone loves them, they're very low matenance and preform way better than the Ion or Promaster. Basically just get the Mini, you won't be sorry.

First off, let me assume we are talking new

It depends what "the money" is. For me I have to agree I like the Mini best in the sub $400 price range - in fact I have two of them. The "flawlessness" might be a bit overstated, as I did have to tune them and put in the updated poppets to get them correct, and I far prefer some aftermarket barrels to the stock one. Keep in mind this is after reasonably experience with a Rail.

If the price point is sub $300 I think the Ion shines.

[glickstue]

Brand new Alias based Timmy's can be had for less than $500 at the moment. I picked up a NIB Ripper 2 and an A-bomb for less than a grand about a month ago.

[93civiccpe]

The mini is a good little marker for the price range, but I'd have to agree with everyone who has said AKA Vikings.

Those guns are tanks, super efficient, good with even brittle paint... very rarely go down. As for spare parts, it uses common o-rings & parts easy to find. I don't know what else you'd need, but Jared at Destructive Customs can get you just about anything and fix anything and the AKA store is still running last I checked, they just aren't making any new markers.

The only possible thing I could see that you might be worried about is what to do if the board breaks or fries. There are plenty of WAS boards out there and extremely easy to find, and still a bunch of pandoras as well. On top of that APE is supposedly making a universal board you can wire and program to work in any marker. No worries there either.

I have owned just about every marker listed in this thread so far. As far as the most reliable, I'd say an e-mag or a viking. The viking takes the cake since I can shoot an entire case of paint from my 68/4500 tank with it, and still have air left.

If you are on a tight budget, and have to pick up something cheap, try to find one of the newer runs of the invert mini. It has a small feel, is pretty reliable as they've worked out most of the bugs, and the efficiency isn't bad. It's a decent marker for the money and the back-up to my viking.

If you are looking for a viking, pm me as I might have a line on a couple.

[cpt]

For $300 you can get a new Nerve. Comes with everything (even a barrel bag) They were to be the next step up from the shocker but due to marketing (and $1200 price tag) didn't sell. They are pretty nice. My main marker. My back up is a Ion with feedneck, trigger, ASA and barrel I got for $180. They both work well, are reliable and since I shoot semi they work as well as any gun out there. I played a couple of games with a mini and just to small for me, just personal preference. Go to a field and ask guys to let yo handle their markers and when you handle the right marker you will know it. Another thing is there are not many Nerves around so the "wow" factor is pretty good.

[mpsd]

Top quality: Ego
Top cost/benefit relation: Mini

That's my humble opinion. Still, I wouldn't change my Mags for anything! Mags FTW!!! :shooting:

[mutigerfan04]

Well I prefer the DM3 route myself. I own 2 of them. It is always funny when someone asks you what your shooting. :cheers:

[Kloki1971]

Well thus far....

I bought a Hyperframe, for giggles to make a poor man's Emag (thanks Dover thought I'd give it a try!). But I'm still toiling with which fully electro to buy.

The leaders at this moment are (in no particular order):

Mini
Viking-AKA
and the Promaster.

But that is based on all of your reporting, the reviews I've read, the price (new- if possible), and my personal choices based on looks.

The hard part out here in NM is its a Tippmann world, you rarely see any other markers except Spyders at the fields. It makes it hard to check out other people's markers. No one I've seen has a Mini, even at the shops! I've tried the Viking and liked it, especially the low pressure system. The promaster appeals to me for some unknown reason. Maybe it is because the company is smaller, a little more indie in feel. IDK. Anyway, definately enjoying the reading and suggestions. One thing is very obvious from the posts, Either you love Ions or you Hate them... Kinda like the Cockers in the day.

[skife]

I like e-cockers, they can be had dirt cheap, i sold my nightkast last fall for $200 on ebay. i still kick myself in the nuts for selling it.

i'm in the same market, i want to get back into tournament paintball right now and need something fast reliable and cheap.

i've been looking at ions, shot a few of them, nothing i really like i dont think, but then i shot a buddy's 06 ego and it was AMAZING, it just felt so right. hard to explain.
i am also looking at buying a DM3 matrix or somthing odd like that.

[buzzboy]

Buying New
Fusion-Don't shoot to bad. Shoots like a BKO. Not bad but not my thing. Cheaper than others though
Promaster-I really like these for the money you can find them for.
Cyborgs-Expensive new but worth everything you pay for. The 07's kick arse
Mini-These things are soooo small. The only thing I didn't like was that it was kinda small for me(no lie).

Used
Vikings/Excals-What is there to say. They just rule in every way. A little big for some but w/e
DM3-Only matrix worth it's cost IMHO. One of the fastest guns I have seen in person behind my Viking
Cyborgs-Top of the line in all ways. Size, speed, efficiency.
Ego-Most like them but too mainstream for me.
Impulses-Not sure why they're so cheap. A nice one shoots just as good as any other stacked tube.
Angel-Older angels can be had for pretty cheap and hold their own well


If I was to buy another used gun right now I would most definatley get a borg. They are just so smooth.

If I was to buy another new gun I would get an emag. Not on the list but I really like them lots.

[jenarelJAM]

+1 Viking.

I love mine. I can't really say anything here that hasn't already been said above. It's an amazing marker and will never give you problems. I don't regret it at all.

+1 ion

Never owned one, but several of my friends have/had them, and as long as you don't expect it to be something it's not, it's imo by far the best "bang for your buck"

[madcrisis]

i bought a NIB stock ion for 180, new trigger for 20, and feedneck for 30. i love it. i dont need to go more than 17bps if i cant hit something then i need practice. but it has never broken down on me.

[buzzboy]

Only think I don't like about ions, besides that they're made by SP, is taking them apart such as if you get shell stuck in the bolt or something. Other than that, they are great guns for the price.

[skife]

local store around here lets you buy on credit, i'm thinking of a proto rail.

[Railgun]

I can't comment on a lot of the choices but I just got a used Promaster. Like you I wanted to get one budget but nice electro to fit in with my collection of mechanically triggered markers.

I was also considering the Ion since as has been pointed out there's a lot of nicely upped used ones for a good price. But what got me was the size (fat and long) and the need to pretty much take most of it apart to reach the spool for lube or other work.

By contrast if I bust a ball in the Promaster it takes a second to slip the bolt out and run a swab down the whole upper body and barrel. And even removing the back section to remove the spool for lubing is quick and painless.

And when you see them together side by side the Promaster is smaller by a long shot and I found it noticably lighter as well.

And as a final note I just like looking at and touching the anodized metal more than plastic. But that was a distant consideration and it was the other factors that made up my mind for me.

[Chaos_Theory!]

I've shot a Viking-aka and found it to be Very smooth, but the availability of parts scares me..

Its actually REALLY easy to get parts for AKA markers. The only hard to find part imo are 03 eye covers.

[skife]

so saturday, i went down to the local store and applied for a $425 line of credit, they will call me today, hopefully proto RAIL here i come

[Kloki1971]

Like you, I went ahead and made a decision. It was tough, but largely due to the circumstances of the funds I had available (Amazon.com gift cert), I went ahead and ordered a Mini Invert. I really wish I had the cash money to buy a Vike, but not this time. So I wanted to thank everyone that chimed in, I really did research the markers you all brought up. Thanks!

[paintballfiend]

I've been trying to find the perfect electro for almost a year now. I am not any closer now in deciding than I was a year ago. :(