Where have we gone???

[the mag guy]

Alright I used to be a daily paint baller and a daily poster on this site. Throw in college, a dash of no money and stir in a little bit of some hard times and you get roughly a 2 year absence in the game. I hit up the local field the other day with the trusty pneu mag and I was horribly upset. Where have all the mechanical markers, especially mags gone. I mean don't get me wrong, I have and have played with my fair share of electros, but it seems the fields are overcrowded with ions and knock off ions. I think I died a little inside. I did enjoy the ooohs and ahhhs after the first round of play, lets not forget the "what kind of gun is that?" The ref thought I had an electro set on automatic, he didnt believe me till I opened up the trigger frame. I mean even WGP is making low end electros now.
I hate to be a 12 year vet and ask noob questions but where have all the faithful mag owners gone? Has the game really gone all electro? are we a dying breed? I really feel behind in the paint ball community now. Whats going on with AGD these days? let me know people.

[Stayhuge]

I think that kids see the potential to shoot 20 bps witha <$200 gun, and they go for it, not caring about quality. These cheap plastic electros won't last more than a few years. They don't make them like they used to. The electros that I had when I was younger were pretty solid. As for mechs, they aren't the same either. I still have 3 spyders that I loan out for woodsball. They are probably 5-7 years old, and still kicking. Sure they don't shoot 20 bps, but they run well. As for me, I love my mags. The other week, my Pneumag was in pieces, so I picked up my 68 classic with a single trigger, and just ripped. The thing was dead accurate. Then again, I have been playing for 10+ years, and have gone through the electro phase. Now I just love the quality and accuracy of my AGD markers. All my friends play with mechs, mostly Tippmanns. But when we go to the field, same thing. All the kids are running around with Ions. It is upsetting

[sandfreestyle]

I just got out of my electro phase and love the mags more than I use too. Kids see the pros shooting a certain type of gun and then run to mommy and daddy screaming they want that exact gun. Being stupid, which every parent has their moment, they buy it for the kids. the kids use it twicw and then want the next big thing.

[Stayhuge]

Kids see the pros shooting a certain type of gun and then run to mommy and daddy screaming they want that exact gun. Being stupid, which every parent has their moment, they buy it for the kids. the kids use it twicw and then want the next big thing.

This is the reason why my kids, when I have them, will only shoot AGD. They will LEARN to LOVE IT!!!

[paintball72]

i dont think they will need to learn to love AGD. when they're still playing and billy is off on the side beating his ion with a hammer to make it work they will love it.

[the mag guy]

oh man, just google "ion problems" or look on any consumer report site. they definitely dont make them like they used to. I still have my original spyder that I got when I was 13. Its all metal parts and still runs great. I did replace the bolt with a delrin one, but that is it, it's still kicking. I looked at the newer spyders and they are composite/ plastic and none of the accessories I own can be put on them. They aren't interchangeable anymore. lol. I guess that's how they make money though. I'm not trying to rip on any particular marker, I just wish it was played for the love of the game and not for profit. We would see a lot more quality products and sportsmanship again.

Any news on AGD?

[Splat]

I've been out of paintball too for a couple years. Played for the first time last weekend. I desperately wanted to use my mag but the small field didn't have any. So I was forced to use a rental. The owner is a tippy dealer so he and everyone on his staff had Tippman X7s. Which are the gheyest things I've ever seen.

Wow, look at my remote pack and my marker that looks like an AR-15.

gay.


I can't wait to get some compressed air and show these fools what a real marker looks like.


btw, I was the only person there with a real jersey, I felt a little out of place. But that was cured when my team started whooping everyone's ***...

[phatty123]

It is an arms race. It happens in every business. I agree that they need something different.

-barry

[paint magnet]

I think that kids see the potential to shoot 20 bps witha <$200 gun, and they go for it, not caring about quality. These cheap plastic electros won't last more than a few years. They don't make them like they used to. The electros that I had when I was younger were pretty solid. As for mechs, they aren't the same either. I still have 3 spyders that I loan out for woodsball. They are probably 5-7 years old, and still kicking. Sure they don't shoot 20 bps, but they run well. As for me, I love my mags. The other week, my Pneumag was in pieces, so I picked up my 68 classic with a single trigger, and just ripped. The thing was dead accurate. Then again, I have been playing for 10+ years, and have gone through the electro phase. Now I just love the quality and accuracy of my AGD markers. All my friends play with mechs, mostly Tippmanns. But when we go to the field, same thing. All the kids are running around with Ions. It is upsetting

Same here, I see kids with the latest $200 electro-mech Spyders all the time, bragging about which one is best. Most are broken within 1-2 days of play.

On the other hand, I have an old Spyder (or clone, not really sure) I bought for $25. It's not electro, doesn't have a "low-pressure" chamber (which is somewhat retarded on a 850 psi gun), vertical feed, foregrip, or even a cocking knob. But it always works.

I have been through 30+ guns over the past 7 years...many have come and gone but I always go back to my .68 AutoMag. I think there's an advantage as well to staying with the same gun. I've shot other accurate and well-made markers like PPS Typhoons and the like, but I'm just so familiar with the Mag that I know where it's going to shoot every time and I play better with it.

[kurtisqpublic]

I too have been out of the game for awhile but I caved... I bought a mini the other day and love the thing. I still have my slider mech cocker and automag RT but the Mini is pretty fun and if you don't change your shooting style to match the rate of fire you can still keep yourself on a budget for paint.

[Baranha]

I feel your pain bro. I just came back from a 2 yr hiatus as well. I refuse to shoot any other marker and My Mag runs better now that I have the X-Valve. I've put many electros to shame and now the field I play at no longer talks **** about me, they call me "old school" for some bizarre reason. We're still out there and it's always a treat to meet another Mag User.

[B-Pow]

Electros are cheap and abundant, even if you go for the "quality" (I use the term loosly) electros you can get them one year out for less than 50% of original retail. When a player who is still in his first few years of playing looks at markers and sees a mag for 300+ and a DM4 for 200...he's probably going to go the route of the dm4 because it is "faster" and "cooler" and pros use dm's.

I have and use an electro often (gen4 intimidator) but I also have a fully mech autococker that is more fun most of the time. I pick my marker for the day (or next few games) based on other players ability, equipment, and ammount of fair play. I pick the marker that is going to keep the game at a challenge level that will keep me having fun (not too easy, not too hard)...unless there are cheaters...then I usually stick to the electro because I can keep heads down longer and better, make the cheater useless on the field and ruin his day.

Lately I've been sticking to the autococker because I mostly play walk on, and it helps the new players get in the game when everyone playing is not trying to "chest thump" with their gear. Equip to match conditions, not to maximize your "power"...

And anyway, any pump player would agree, sometimes it's really fun to go out on a field out gunned on purpace...keeps the game fun to be the underdog sometimes.

[drg]

It's pretty ironic that early Spyders are mentioned in this thread as examples of well-made guns from "back in the day" ...

When Spyders first came out the same things were being said about them as are being said about cheap electros in this thread.

[ThePixelGuru]

Unfortunate? Yes.
Surprising? No.

Want to know how kiddies buy markers these days? Take the maximum BPS of each marker and divide it by the price. Then multiply by the "agg factor," compare all those numbers and buy the marker with the highest number.