Tom Kaye Retires from Paintball, AGD Under New Management

[InexactMelissa]

Indeed farewell and good luck. I hope you find lots of dinosaur bones, invent something else that's great, or just spend a lot of quality time with a PS2. In fact, my vote goes to that quality time with the PS2 as you've already done more than your fair share to the community and are owed some downtime.

Whatever your choice, the NY StudSquad will be thrilled to see you at any paintball event, and for each event that we don't see you, at least your legacy will be present.

Best wishes Tom!

[TAW]

Hello Mr. Kaye,

I've used Airgun Designs products for years and plan to use them for many more. It was not until a couple years ago when you sent me an "Official Forum Membership Card" that I learned that you were not just a business man to your customers but a friend as well. Thank you for going that extra step to show us you really cared. My family wishes yours the very best.

Take care and keep in touch, Tracy Whitcomb


P.S. When I called you about the Proto valves you asked me to keep a look out for fossils. My father in law is a bush pilot up here in Alaska. He flies the USGS around sometimes to do their surveys. He only knows of a deposit of plants and small fish. He said they wash down a stream so some are scattered around the banks but up higher in the mountains there is a vein of them. He said he would drop me off in a lake in front of the glacier near it sometime this summer to check it out so stay tuned maybe one of these days I'll have some pictures.

Once again Sir, Thank you for your time

[Doobie]

simply... followed by...

[RtDaNiMaL]

heroe's may die, but legends will always live.
Tom you are deffinitely a legen ina ll of the paintball worlds hearts and you will never be forgotten.

Dan

[UltraMag527]

Our Founding Father

Indeed a Legend! Only if I had the talent to make a video game!!! Best Wishes and GOD speed on your new adventures.

[than205]

umm.. I'll join others in being speechless.
Much thanks for everything.
I wish you happiness in all that you do.

[1stdeadeye]

Wow. I missed a lot while in Dallas.

Good luck in your new endeavors Tom!

Congratulations Dave on your new business!

[kman]

Mr. Kaye, you are a true Icon in this industry. I have respected you and the Automag since 1992 and will continue doing so. After many gun purchases over the years my Automag is the one gun I will never get rid of. I love that gun. I really don't post much in here, but I had to when I saw this. So I just wanted to wish you and yours the best and good luck. You will be missed.

[Maclete]

When I first heard this, I thought, no way.... Sorry to see you go Tom and I wish you'd reconsider, but we all have our reasons....and for some strange reason, I believe AGD will never be the same....

[minimag03]

Thanks for everything you have done for paintball and for AO. I also wish you luck in what ever you decide to do.

Questions
Will you still be posting on AO?
Does this have anything to do with Pro-Team and their patent on the hAir trigger?

minimag03

[cledford]

Someone in the PBN AKA forum posted this and I thought it was decent post...


Ok, hadn't been around anything in a while, but I had to stop by P's site to see what was new. I get to FP and see this.

Who the heck canceled Christmas? Cause that's kinda what this feels like.

For those who haven't been around so long (ie a few years ). If you don't remember when AO wasn't owned by AGD, when PBN really was just a new site with a bunch of pathetic newbs, when PBC, WARPIG chat, and IPR raged with the fire... you might not have the same impression of who or what this guy really is/was. That was the internet back a few years ago, and paintball was an entirely different beast, with teeth, blood, and bones, not the molded plastic and machined metal and stupid pink ano like it is now.

I may not be old-school proper, but I've been around a little. I started playing about 6 years ago, actually, I played my first game in 97, but really started "playing" in 98. I dunno, a lot of folks may have forgotten what it was like, but RT's were the freakin raging inferno back then. Imagine a gun so fast that you literally couldn't use it. That's what they made. A gun that was literally not useable because it was too fast. Electros were still plodding around like toddlers back then. Cockers were heavy slugs of crap. Mags weighed 7lbs. Loaders didn't break. Back men might carry 7 pods if they were really slingers. People played in camo, not cause it was cool... that was just what you wore. Probably because where you played, it actually worked. Then all the sudden, out comes this freak of nature that practically anyone could sweet on. I had one a few years back, when the evo 1 wasn't out yet. We hooked it up, pulled the trigger and the whole field stopped.

Tom was one of the few people that actually thought up new things. Powerfeed, constant air/NO2, decent machining, and actual engineering.

I dunno. There are few people who I have this kind of respect for in this game. And it's not like I really like the guy, cause he's always came off kind of odd to me in his posts, but it's just for what he did.

I don't usually say stuff like this, but this sucks.

Ian Cherry

"DK1"

[joez]

I sure didnt see this coming, and am really sad to see you leaving the industry. You are a true inovator, and whether the new-school players of today realize it or not, the old school will always know this. It is a shame to see what the game and industry has come to, and you sure are right about being the last of a group that has been gone for years, unfortunately. The direction this game has gone, i really cant blame you for leaving. The last of the orriginals is gone.

I wish you luck on your future endeavors, and hope AGD doesnt change to much. Good luck, and Thank you for all you have done. You will always be a King among men in my eyes with all you have done. Im sorry to see you go.

[Digits]

Peace out my brotha from anotha motha

[Maghog]

The sport owes you so much Tom, but it has become to greedy to ever admit it.
Your character personifies what paintball meant to me, getting together, telling stories, shooting each other, helping each other out and having an all together good time.
Now paintball has turned into a cut throat business with selfish intentions. The only way you would be able to continue were if you would follow the trend and become a monster yourself.
My admiration goes out to you for throwing in the towel, since you cannot allow yourself to be flushed down toilet as the spirit of the sport has been in recent years. I wish you all the best and thank you for everything you've inspired me to do,
Dan@Triggernomics

[[NA]WARLORD]

It truly is sad to see you go Mr.Kaye, our prayers and best wishes go out to you on this tough decision. I cant seem to grasp that AGD and Tom Kaye wont be synonymous anymore, but good luck in your future endeavors.

I started playing back in the 80's with my Nelspot 007, then moved on to a Bushmaster copy known as a BloodSucker. When the Cocker/Mag wars came about, most of my team went Cocker, as myself and a few others went Mag. Seeing all the know it alls on the team sitting around trying to figure out the timing on their new purchases, while we, the mag few was out playing, will always be a priceless memory, and is still talked about to this day, lol. Of all the markers I have ever owned, I always find myself with some sort of Mag in my hands at the end, Thank You for your ingenious design, and pioneering a great sport with great products. You sincerely will be missed.