Flatline Reg vs others

[Mindflux]

Back when I was active in PB, the Flatline 4500 regulator was the one to beat. No shootdown, reliable, etc.

Now it seems AGD doesn't even produce these anymore and while you can acquire them used a post by tunaman leads me to believe they require special care to remove with a tool that only AGD and authorized tech's have.

At any rate, are there any other adjustable regulators on the market worth a darn? A lot of companies I remember such as AA, Worr Gas, NitroDuck etc seem to be gone.

I see talk about a Ninja regulator that's remarkably inexpensive (under $40) that can be shimmed to high OR low PSI.

So that said, is it even worth it to acquire a flatline regulator anymore?

[kruger]

If you need an adjustable reg, then, the Flatline is a great choice. I can only speak for myself, but I have taken the reg off the tank with no special tools. Tuna, and I am only guessing here, is concerned about the liability issue. The adjustable regs are not that common anymore. They were the thing to have if you wanted an RT gun to really fly. But, batteries have mostly come to dominate the PB world of guns, so the adjustable regs not that relevant because the marketing has been more towards ramping of electro's.

[Mindflux]

If you need an adjustable reg, then, the Flatline is a great choice. I can only speak for myself, but I have taken the reg off the tank with no special tools. Tuna, and I am only guessing here, is concerned about the liability issue. The adjustable regs are not that common anymore. They were the thing to have if you wanted an RT gun to really fly. But, batteries have mostly come to dominate the PB world of guns, so the adjustable regs not that relevant because the marketing has been more towards ramping of electro's.

Well I could only assume an adjustable reg would still help with shootdown? I could be mistaken, I've been out of the loop for 5 years.

Thanks for your response.

[Spider-TW]

Actually the bottle regs have gotten faster. You can often RT off of a 800+ psi crossfire bottle. The ninja regs are plenty fast as well. Shootdown now is either from an old un-aligned automag valve or some other air restriction. Response time has made up a lot of performance, where higher pressure was used before to compensate for regulator droop during recharge.

I have a 3k flatline that I have tried to use on different markers, but it's performance never exceeded its inconvenience.

I still have a max-flo inline that is faster that anything else I have, but it is not as reliable as the new bottles.

[Mindflux]

Actually the bottle regs have gotten faster. You can often RT off of a 800+ psi crossfire bottle. The ninja regs are plenty fast as well. Shootdown now is either from an old un-aligned automag valve or some other air restriction. Response time has made up a lot of performance, where higher pressure was used before to compensate for regulator droop during recharge.

I have a 3k flatline that I have tried to use on different markers, but it's performance never exceeded its inconvenience.

I still have a max-flo inline that is faster that anything else I have, but it is not as reliable as the new bottles.

So what's making the newer regs better? I have a crossfire bottle, but it's out of Hydro. (It would easily pass) and it's a fixed output reg.

[punkncat]

I personally always seek out an adjustable tank reg for my mags when possible. Mags "gulp" a large volume of air with each shot. Under a slow ROF most regs on the market can keep up, but when you get really rolling you see many of them dropping velocity at best, and actually causing cycling issues at worst. I have had even crossfire regs do this, and they are renowned as one of the fastest flowing on the market today.

I have owned a Hyperflow, which was awesome, but hard to find parts for now IMO. Max Flows work quite well, but I personally have had some issues with them, and call them Max Leaks. I just picked up a Raptor from a friend, but haven't used it...I am sure it will be fine, they have a solid reputation, and of course the Armageddons, and Conquest regs are known to be good as well.

I find the only disadvantages are that adj tank regs are heavier, and require that you dedicate a tank to a particular marker. In some cases I have seen people use qd drops or rails and swap between markers that way.

Overall, IMO, to get the BEST out of your mag, you gotta put on a very high flowing, and high pressure reg. It is an AMAZING difference.

[Spider-TW]

So what's making the newer regs better? I have a crossfire bottle, but it's out of Hydro. (It would easily pass) and it's a fixed output reg.

I think a lot of it has to do with just being smaller, but also the seat and pins have changed some. The older crossfires are at the edge I think; you need a well tuned and unrestricted RT setup at the least.

My max-flo likes to leak whenever it gets dirty, and no amount of lube will fix it until it gets wiped out.

With the bps caps over the last few years, RT'ing has been pushed aside, and as Kruger noted, electronic rate limits have pretty much taken over. On the good side, I find rate indicating chronos are fairly common now, so it is possible to set up an RT for a particular rate. It is hard for me to RT around 12 bps though, it feels more like flopping my finger than riding the trigger.

I haven't heard much about the new crossfire regs, but the ninjas can be had at higher pressures. I think both have hydro programs where you can upgrade your reg as well.

If you have shootdown, check that your asa has some decent sized passages in it. Some of them have four tiny holes, which can't compete with one nice fat passage.

[Mindflux]

I think a lot of it has to do with just being smaller, but also the seat and pins have changed some. The older crossfires are at the edge I think; you need a well tuned and unrestricted RT setup at the least.

My max-flo likes to leak whenever it gets dirty, and no amount of lube will fix it until it gets wiped out.

With the bps caps over the last few years, RT'ing has been pushed aside, and as Kruger noted, electronic rate limits have pretty much taken over. On the good side, I find rate indicating chronos are fairly common now, so it is possible to set up an RT for a particular rate. It is hard for me to RT around 12 bps though, it feels more like flopping my finger than riding the trigger.

I haven't heard much about the new crossfire regs, but the ninjas can be had at higher pressures. I think both have hydro programs where you can upgrade your reg as well.

If you have shootdown, check that your asa has some decent sized passages in it. Some of them have four tiny holes, which can't compete with one nice fat passage.

Interesting. I'm pretty sure my ASA Just has one large hole where the on/off pin is. Though I'll have to look more closely.

Thanks again.

[aerosaaber]

Ninja also makes a special 1200psi output reg. I just got one with a big tank to go with my recently acquired mag. Only played with it a little but and have just put in a ULT so it's far from being really dialed in, but she was RT'in pretty good when I hit the sweet spot.

[sjrtk]

I have a Max-Flo, 3k Flatline, and a Raptor Rex for adjustable regs. They all work well but anymore i use the new crossfire regs, They are lighter and i see no shoot down with them. The Raptor is nice because you lube it with 10w30 motor oil so a quart of Mobil 1 will last till i can't shot with it and more.

[Mindflux]

Well I ended up picking up a flatline off here from another member. It's been recently rebuilt but when I inquired with Roman @ AGD about seat regs he said they don't have any and haven't found anyone to make more.

Perhaps I should have just got another screw in... I don't know.