where do you shop?

[promethion]

my concern buying used on a tank though is that I will get it and it will either not be able to be hydrod, or will be close to going out of hydro and wont be able to be hydrod again.

how many times can you usually get a tank hydro tested before it fails?

I was hydroing tanks that had fire damage from 8 years ago... Still good then again they were steal tanks for diving.

[need4reebs]

my concern buying used on a tank though is that I will get it and it will either not be able to be hydrod, or will be close to going out of hydro and wont be able to be hydrod again.

how many times can you usually get a tank hydro tested before it fails?

Make sure you get pics of the hydro date...then you will know if the tank is in hydro and how many years are left on the tank...Carbon fibur have a 15 year life span and depending on the tank it will need to be hydro'd either every three years or every five years

[cougar20th]

For New stuff. 98% of the time comes from Paintball Wizard in Tewksbury Ma. They are local & have always treated me well. Their webpage is www.paintballwizard.com

The other 2% is stuff they just cant get for whatever reason. Ussually automag parts.

[bbotts77]

As far as air systems go, I buy them directly from Ninja. That's mainly because they are local to me and I can just pick my stuff up right at the factory.

[M98Punk]

I support the local store to an extent... there are some things they sell where they are out of their minds, but I do make it a habit to buy the little things pods and lenses from them.... and I almost always buy paint from them... it's worth it to be able to open up a box and check the bags before I buy it..... Of course most of the paint lately seems to have dark graphics covered bags

[M98Punk]

and tanks....... the tanks we use are designed to be 200 feet below sea level or taken into a burning building... 99% of the time a tank will pass inspection. The only problem I have found was a hyrdo company not having the right boot/adapter for a 4500 tank as small as what we use and there is always idiots on the peanut gallery that are selling tanks that have 10 years of life in them for quarters on the dollar

[oldironmudder]

Support locals & buy from them. My local field is a Ninja dealer & I went through him even though I could have gotten it cheaper online.

[going_home]

Used is the least expensive, and in this economy, the most preferred way personally.

Once in a while you can strike gold on Craigslist if you dont mind trolling it regularly.

If I do buy new, I get it from the local pro shop.

[djinnform]

Ans

ANS is great because they have the best selection, including exclusive to ANS colors, like the new Freak backs in White! Since you have to pay tax and shipping, their prices are full price, no discounts either. Their walk-in store has a lot of small and hard to find parts, old and new. Their sales dudes are very nice and confident in their answers to questions, although not always correct.

They also have all the mag pressure Ninja tanks.

[Frizzle Fry]

ANS is great because they have the best selection, including exclusive to ANS colors, like the new Freak backs in White! Since you have to pay tax and shipping, their prices are full price, no discounts either. Their walk-in store has a lot of small and hard to find parts, old and new. Their sales dudes are very nice and confident in their answers to questions, although not always correct.

They also have all the mag pressure Ninja tanks.

They also sell poorly milled and anodized CP knock-offs and fake GA tank regs that could kill a man!

Seriously, these guys are sketchy, and the team there probably isn't the same one who used to run such a good business back when Bonebrake and AGD were doing business with them... I've seen some iffy anodizing come from them with "custom colors" and I've had to deal with PayPal and the "manufacturers" of some parts ANS carries who were very upset that they weren't genuine but were but were being sold under their name. I've also had to return blemished pieces over and over again until finally demanding a refund.

Avoid ANS at all costs. And be wary of I&I.... They both sell knockoffs and factory 2nds as new.

If you're gonna shop online, Compulsive is good, as are the people who run all the "Tippmann Parts" and "Smart Parts Parts" styled sites (all one company). I personally stick with Boston Paintball and forums/craigslist unless I have to go elsewhere..