Why not restart production on E-Mags and X-Mags?

[rawbutter]

Ok you guys tell me, what would be 'revolutionary" and actually producible.

I don't think AGD really needs something revolutionary. It just needs better marketing.

Think about it.... Someone new comes to the market, and they look around at their local brick-and-mortar store or shop online at a place like actionvillage.com, but they never consider mags because all those places don't carry mags. Why is that? Why do they carry Angels and Ions and Tippmanns, but not mags?

There's one other thing that would help, though. A cosmetic overhaul. Let's pretend (by some miracle) that a newcomer gets pointed to AGD's website, and they find the RT-ULE Custom.... which looks like this.



It's not too bad. But then they pop over to actionvillage and notice the new G3.



So, since these two guns are pretty much the same price (let's not even compare anything else), which do you think the kid's gonna pick?

But it doesn't have to be like that. With a little wheeling and dealing, AGD could give the RT-ULE a complete overhaul. What if, when newcomers went to AGD's website (or any other paintball website, for that matter), they saw this instead of the plain black RT-ULE?



Suddenly, the costmetic choice is a little tougher.

I've said this before, but since Tom might actually read this thread, I'll say it again. I don't think AGD needs something revolutionary... it just needs a cosmetics overhaul, and some marketing. Imagine if the RT-ULE had these kinds of options:
- choice of Tac-One, Dallara, or Karta body
- choice of frame (Y, vert, 85%, intelliframe, etc.)
- choice of trigger (tunablade, maybe?)
- choice of color (for the whole marker.... not just the body)
- and a clamping feedneck (for good measure)

It would hurt if the whole thing were a tad lighter (I'm sure there's plenty of little places to eliminate some weight), and it would be cool if AGD could also offer e-triggers and pneu-frames as well, but that might be asking for a little too much.

[questionful]

AGD's marketing could definitely improve. I will see if I can't photoshop some CCCP posters. :)

[snoopay700]

Well, I don't know if this would be actually producible, but. . .
One day during one of my many boring classes I was trying to think of a way to make a valve better than the RT valve. It occurred to me that the awesomeness of the RT valve came from the order of the stages the air went through. A classic valve goes: regulator-->on/off-->DC (Dump Chamber). The RT goes: on/off-->DC-->regulator. So what occurred to me that day was that the best valve system would HAVE A REACTIVE TRIGGER and still go DC-->on/off-->regulator. I forget what my reasoning was against DC-->regulator-->on/off, but I remember I had some. Anyway, I'm pretty sure DC-->on/off-->regulator. is physically impossible, but I'm not sure. I'm no genius. It's late and I have no idea what I'm saying, but I remember I thought it was brilliant at the time (how most of my stupid ideas start out ).

Oh and two other things that might be considered revolutionary. One, is an RT valve that is made specifically for the purpose of performance. AGD's RT valves, are too similar to classic valves, maybe for the interchangeability of parts, maybe for some other reason, I don't know. But what I was thinking is that an RT valve could be made that is pretty much a single assembly, placed inside of a dump chamber. It would be a cylinder about a centimeter in diameter, and it would go through the dump chamber in the same orientation as AGD on/off assys. It would have a spool regulator, which would wrap around the on/off. I can never explain anything, perhaps I'll scan up a sketch later. But basically it would keep the RT's on/off-->DC-->regulator, but have all the assemblies in one, in the hopes of having everything go faster, and be more compact.

The second thing is an integrated forcefeed thingy that goes in the space a warp usually occupies. Perhaps integrating hopper, warp, and gun would cut down on some of the weight, size, and appearance that scared people off. What would be awesome is if it were pneumatically powered. But that would kill efficiency. . . Anyway, I think a big push at the same old battles could be considered revolutionary. The RT valve was genius, Mr. Kaye, but you know making something that awesome was just asking for something even better.

PS
Instead of trying to make a better gun, maybe you could just include a Paintball Strategy Guide with all the guns you sell. That might make more of an impact on today's paintball.

PPS
No matter what, chuff chuff!

The main problem i see with your design is it needs to go to the on/off first because that stops the air flow, otherwise the bolt would keep popping forward until the pressure in your tank got too low.

There are other things that you can do to make it smaller and more compact, but then you run into other issues. It's possible, it's just gonna be hard. I've actually got a few ideas racing through my mind, though i doubt many people that are in the market for a gun would like them (except for a few of those here).

[mag79]

So, since these two guns are pretty much the same price (let's not even compare anything else), which do you think the kid's gonna pick?

But it doesn't have to be like that. With a little wheeling and dealing, AGD could give the RT-ULE a complete overhaul. What if, when newcomers went to AGD's website (or any other paintball website, for that matter), they saw this instead of the plain black RT-ULE?



Suddenly, the costmetic choice is a little tougher.

I've said this before, but since Tom might actually read this thread, I'll say it again. I don't think AGD needs something revolutionary... it just needs a cosmetics overhaul, and some marketing. Imagine if the RT-ULE had these kinds of options:
- choice of Tac-One, Dallara, or Karta body
- choice of frame (Y, vert, 85%, intelliframe, etc.)
- choice of trigger (tunablade, maybe?)
- choice of color (for the whole marker.... not just the body)
- and a clamping feedneck (for good measure)

It would hurt if the whole thing were a tad lighter (I'm sure there's plenty of little places to eliminate some weight), and it would be cool if AGD could also offer e-triggers and pneu-frames as well, but that might be asking for a little too much.

Why is it all mag lover can see that but Airgun?

[maniacmechanic]

not to be a naysayer BUT , the 1st thing I noticed in this thread was the starter & the title
A guy (?) that just bought a E Tac less than a month ago & now has it up for sale and now he's wondering why they don't build more E Mags ??????
personally I own 10 diff Mags ; E Mags , RT Pros , a Pump Mag & other assorted Mags & a bunch of bodies and assorted parts ( just like a lot of guys )
personally I like my Mags , I like the heft & feel of a Mag , I like the aftermarket parts from guys like Rogue , Jay8451 , Luke & the other dealers , I like the fact that within a few minutes I can have a Hyperframed Karta Mag or a Karta E Mag or a E Tac , the list can go on
I like it when I go to the field on sunday & someone says ; when did you get that & I say I built it this week ( haven't seen that done with a *hocker lately)
I like the inovation that WE bring to the field , the Ego Mags , the Spyder Mags , the Pnu Mags , really with the level of intelligence around here dog gone near anything can be done
I think ( opinion ) as long as ADG keeps making the base parts we need ( sears, valves , on /off pins ect. ect. ) we Automaggots will be around & innovating thing for decades to come
Just my 2 cents

[thahouse]

Personally i would love to see more AGD products available in Canada, and more players carrying these markers. There is a small cult following for mags up here, but since there is scarce parts to get locally, most people veer from it and go with a tippy or whatnot. I would love to go to a local store, and see AGD parts/markers on the wall/display case, and be able to purchase parts in convience rather than having to wait 2-3 weeks to get my stuff from the USA. It just sucks, because i need a few pistons, and nobody sells them used, and to order from AGD, it would end up costing me almost double of retail just to get the darn thing...so i have a couple valves sitting here collecting dust.

As for markers, I personally think that AGD would be able to enter the market again and get far more people to become maggots, providing they sell markers with a cosmetic overhaul, or at least get into more advertisements instead of letting the followers convert people to mags, and such.

Granted, I know that it costs alot of money to invest in this, but i do know that alot of people would die to posess a chord/karta E-mag, devilmag or an Xmag if they ever saw one in action..

I do get a ton of people fascinated with my mags, and they do show genuine interest in these markers, but sway away from it when they find out that i get 99.9% of my parts from the states...

[dstud2000]

how about just a quality bolt on electro frame that bolts right up to any current mag and uses a 9v. Just keep it affordable and well built like the current mech frames. You can still build your own from parts, upgrade your current collection or make it option with your new purchase from agd.

[cockerpunk]

a revamp of the electronics would be good.

after next semester i should know enough about electronics to build myself a battery that puts the current setup in the emag to shame. not that the stock battery was bad, but in the last ten years, battery technology has gotten MUCH MUCH better.

with a smaller, lighter battery, that would easily cut the ULE Emag down to the current weight of guns.

[dstud2000]

forgot one thing, warp feed that does notrequire an additional hopper, that is the other thing I really want.

[Hgblues]

I've had a ULE X valved side feed mag sitting in a box for , oh, 5 years or so. Level X , ULT, intelli frame, All the latest and greatest airgun offered in a paintball gun. I played half a tournament with it, and put it back in the box. Couldnt keep up with the electro's, plain and simple. Considered the Emag, but the price and the big battery pack, and the weight kept me away from buying one.

Then, finally! I saw all the custom mods being done. Now I'm building what I see as "revolutionary" for an AGD product. ULE, Level X, warp left, X valved, ELECTRONIC operated, with a 9 volt battery inside the grip. With parts from airsoldier and scenario dreams, and all the trial and error mod pioneers that came before me, I'm hoping to end up with the gun I wanted 5 years ago, when I played 4 games and stuck it back in the box, forced to finish the tournament with a "much more qualified for tourney play" , Bushmaster!

mag's sell the agd valve, simplicity of maintenance, and unmatched reputation of a quality product. I started using a mag in '98, a warp feed in 2000, and was the poster child for the warp feed on airgun.com for several years, and I have no doubt in the quality agd produced.

So, revolutionary? The ULE, X valved, maybe lighter railed, ELECTRO PNEU, mag with electronics in the grip. And yea, I'm making the gun myself, but it won't be up to the quality standards that AGD would produce, i'm sure.

[senghing27]

It needs to be Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

*cues music*

Heres a side question tho, isn't Mr. Kaye not in charge of AGD? I thought AGD went to the man second in charge and what not....

I say build a time machine, go back in time, and patent the electronic paintball marker....

[snoopay700]

It needs to be Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

*cues music*

Heres a side question tho, isn't Mr. Kaye not in charge of AGD? I thought AGD went to the man second in charge and what not....

I say build a time machine, go back in time, and patent the electronic paintball marker....

He still owns the company and is still the man in charge, he's just not the president i'm pretty sure. It's something along those lines.

[mostpeople]

I don't think AGD really needs something revolutionary. It just needs better marketing.

Think about it.... Someone new comes to the market, and they look around at their local brick-and-mortar store or shop online at a place like actionvillage.com, but they never consider mags because all those places don't carry mags. Why is that? Why do they carry Angels and Ions and Tippmanns, but not mags?

There's one other thing that would help, though. A cosmetic overhaul. Let's pretend (by some miracle) that a newcomer gets pointed to AGD's website, and they find the RT-ULE Custom.... which looks like this.



It's not too bad. But then they pop over to actionvillage and notice the new G3.



So, since these two guns are pretty much the same price (let's not even compare anything else), which do you think the kid's gonna pick?

But it doesn't have to be like that. With a little wheeling and dealing, AGD could give the RT-ULE a complete overhaul. What if, when newcomers went to AGD's website (or any other paintball website, for that matter), they saw this instead of the plain black RT-ULE?



Suddenly, the costmetic choice is a little tougher.

I've said this before, but since Tom might actually read this thread, I'll say it again. I don't think AGD needs something revolutionary... it just needs a cosmetics overhaul, and some marketing. Imagine if the RT-ULE had these kinds of options:
- choice of Tac-One, Dallara, or Karta body
- choice of frame (Y, vert, 85%, intelliframe, etc.)
- choice of trigger (tunablade, maybe?)
- choice of color (for the whole marker.... not just the body)
- and a clamping feedneck (for good measure)

It would hurt if the whole thing were a tad lighter (I'm sure there's plenty of little places to eliminate some weight), and it would be cool if AGD could also offer e-triggers and pneu-frames as well, but that might be asking for a little too much.

Good call Rawbutter, good F'ing call

I completely agree with this, tom?

[paint magnet]

Ok you guys tell me, what would be 'revolutionary" and actually producible.

DON'T ask for:

More efficiency
More accuracy
More speed
Lighter weight
Smaller size
less kick
cheap price

These have all been done and are no longer selling points.

Its certainly not clear to me what the paintball masses would consider a revolutionary product. Especially since most recent products have been trashed before they became popular. Note the eggo, HALO, the original Matrix, etc.

AGD

I still think it speaks well of AGD engineering that the Mag, despite being nearly two decades old has always had the low recoil, minimal size, speed, and accuracy that other markers have only recently begun to approach.

As for me, I like to play paintball. Therefore, I don't like spending time fixing broken guns. My Mag always works and I get in more play time...that's revolutionary enough for me.

I think this is the next step in the evolution of the marker. Developing a system that is high capacity & feeds from the side or below, and that is simple and reliable. We put men on the moon, is this not attainable?

Um, like the Warp Feed?

[ThePixelGuru]

Actually they weren't profitable so the idea of discontinuing them was floating around anyway, the timing just happened to coincide and made the decision easier at least that's what Tom had posted on the issue. AGD never received a C&D order that's just rumors.

I never said AGD got a C&D. I said that Smart Parts' actions played a role in AGD's decision not to continue producing E/XMags. Good to point that out, though - a lot of people think that, and it's nice to set the record straight. Wouldn't want people to hate SP for the wrong reasons, after all. :)