The Age of the Mechanical Marker

[CatoRockwell]

AGD could make a comeback but theyd have to mass produce the mech markers enough to lower the cost significantly. Make it cheap to dtart but easy to
upgrade. Then with a little marketing, BAM!

[b-cuzz]

Agreed to the last 3 posts. I feel that AGD is going to have an opening to make a large comeback soon. If so, that'll hopefully bring new players to realize who they are and what their guns are capable of.
The fundamental problem is newer players not realizing the single most important phrase as applied to paintball...... "Fear No Gear"

[Aslan]

counter arguement

One counter to the mechanical age ending is in fact the popularity of automags. The resale value is very good on Mags. I see very basic minimags and classic automags sell for $50-$75 and modified Mags selling for $300-$1200. There are no mech markers that can even compare to that.

I've contemplated building my 3rd mag but haven't because of the cost. You gotta put at least $125 into parts just to piece together a working mag...and that's very much on the low end.

[tribalman]

as i finally got my pump kit in for my cocker after having a blade 2 :rofl: i can't wait to use it. i've played with pump before, but not for a few years. 2004 maybe. lately i've been using my e-mag in mech as my primary, battery went bad so no e-mode for me. last time i went i didn't bring any of my electros, just my cocker as a backup. while i was able to have fun and hold my own, once the open game tourney practice players showed up it got really hard to keep up. when these types show up i usually pull out an electro not to shoot streams of paint, but to have those 3 shots fired in quick succession. it really helps.

[sjrtk]

AGD could make a comeback but theyd have to mass produce the mech markers enough to lower the cost significantly.

Again i second the motion, but they can't mass produce a product the will sit on the self and collect dust while tying up revenue. I go out of my way to loan my mags out to people with electros. But at $491 a pop with the ult, i quote "I can buy and up my mini for that.". We need to get people to rediscover mags and order them, so that the AGD crew has to make more.

[Konigballer]

One counter to the mechanical age ending is in fact the popularity of automags. The resale value is very good on Mags. I see very basic minimags and classic automags sell for $50-$75 and modified Mags selling for $300-$1200. There are no mech markers that can even compare to that.

I disagree with this. A bone stock Minimag used to cost around $400 -500+ when I was in middle school & high school. Now, like you said, a nice one can be had as low as $100-120.

A Classic RT was around $800+ in '97, now their in the $175-$275 range.

I believe classic Mags where $500+ in the very early 90's, now...well you get the idea.

Even E-mags & X-mag prices have dropped a bit in this economy. Realistically, mags don't have great re-sale value in the long run, save for nice X-mags & SFL mags. Thats how it rolls though, nothing else does either really. Drop $1000 into a Tippy and expect to sell it for $300 if your lucky. Poor cockers sell for nothing these days, and I feel sorry for people who ever dropped a grand on a new angel when I see them in the sales threads.

Give it 20 or 30 years, then the values of some guns might actually climb dramatically instead of merely hold steady, or fall. Who knows what the market will look like then, or the game itself.

[Aslan]

I disagree with this.

What I meant was, most mechanical markers are virtually worthless on the resale market...Mags you can still get something for. Maybe not what you paid to buy or build them, but enough to make it worthwhile.

[Konigballer]

Thats because most mechs cost a fraction of a brand new mag to begin with. You buy a new Tippy 98 for $100-125, then a resale drop to $50 isn't that big a deal.

[chafnerjr]

I'd agree with this statement. Even just the valve is worth more than almost any tippmann after a few years use.

[cerrik]

I was out playing a little rec with some friends a while back with my Warped Minimag. It was a small group, I'd say 6 a side. I saddled up toe to toe against a guy shooting an Ego. I would pop out and put about 6-9 balls at him before ducking back in, then I would hear the 13-20 balls of his hit my bunker before repeating. After the game, he told me I was wizzing mine in his face, keeping him pinned. While his were all over the place. He was amazed at the accurracy of the Mag. I ended up getting him. But yeah, after, I looked at my bunker and saw his shots were in a wide spread pattern, and Mine were in about 6-8 inch group. So I had no problem then keeping up with an electro... since then, I upgraded to an X-valve and a ULT. Still all mech though. I haven't played with my electro in over a year.

[BlackOps]

I wanted to come back and touch on this thread again, as I had some experiences at Wayne's World a week ago that made me do some reflecting on this subject.

I recently switched from a 16 year old primary classic mag to my recently purchased X-valved mag. I was astounded at the rate of fire I could get out of this thing as a mechanical semi-auto. I had zero problems keeping anyone behind bunkers that I chose to suppress. AGD put me in awe in the 90's with the original mag, and I was just as much in awe again with their newer lineup.

What I did discover however that will have me on the prowl for a set of xmod emag lowers, is that apparently 1-2 breaks isn't enough to convince today's woodsball players to call themselves out. So apparently the age of the mechanical marker IS dead. I'm gonna have to upgrade to 20+ bps so I can force my targets to beg me to let them out of the game.

[b-cuzz]

I wanted to come back and touch on this thread again, as I had some experiences at Wayne's World a week ago that made me do some reflecting on this subject.

I recently switched from a 16 year old primary classic mag to my recently purchased X-valved mag. I was astounded at the rate of fire I could get out of this thing as a mechanical semi-auto. I had zero problems keeping anyone behind bunkers that I chose to suppress. AGD put me in awe in the 90's with the original mag, and I was just as much in awe again with their newer lineup.

What I did discover however that will have me on the prowl for a set of xmod emag lowers, is that apparently 1-2 breaks isn't enough to convince today's woodsball players to call themselves out. So apparently the age of the mechanical marker IS dead. I'm gonna have to upgrade to 20+ bps so I can force my targets to beg me to let them out of the game.

Nah, honor on the field is what's dead.

On a happier note, I just got a Tippmann A-5 paid off at the pawn shop that came with quite a ton of gear, and a way to carry it. I kept what I needed, and traded the rest to a friend for a complete Classic Mag and a few extra parts.
A-5 = $100 = nice Mag = a quite happy b-cuzz
I didn't rip my friend by any means, he was as happy as me.

[Pha|anx]

Didn't bother to read everything...

Just played at PEVs in DC on Sunday and we had a few guys from the local pump team playing. Did they hold their own? Yes. Did the shoot people? Of course...

Mechs will always be relevant so long as the marker can fire a 68* paintball @ 300fps.

People who think that you can't compete just cause you don't have a current year $1000 + electro are deluded.

[BlackOps]

Nah, honor on the field is what's dead.

Yeah, sadly I had hoped that this was relegated to the arena/speedball type play and was really looking forward to getting back to woodsball only to find that it has died there as well.

[cockerpunk]

Yeah, sadly I had hoped that this was relegated to the arena/speedball type play and was really looking forward to getting back to woodsball only to find that it has died there as well.

indeed, speedball is a far cleaner sport then woodsball ever could be. it is just to easy to cheat in the woods.


i think as long as there are people who play paintball for the fun of it, and don't mind losing a game or two, the mech market will be alive and well. if im playing to win, like i payed good money to put my pride on the line at a tournament, ill probably shoot an electro. going out at the local field though, for a fun day of paintball ... mechs are fair game and a frequent choice of mine.