Phantom vs. Illusion

[Krazy Ivan]

Hey guys, I'm buying a new pump gun. I need something new, and in looking at electros, and cockers, I realized one thing. All these will do better than my mag is sling paint faster, a little easier. So why go with more paint splatter, when you can go with less cost for paint, and maybe more fun?

Now here is my dilemna, I was looking at the pumps, ans found of course the phantom, but also another 2 peaked my interest. The carter buzzard and action markers illusion, however, since the buzzard is almost $600, that's out. Then we are left with the Illusion which I've seen getting rave reviews, and the vsc phantom.

The Phantom is $260 about depending where I go.

The Illusion is $280-290 depending where I go.

Now I definetly like the look of the phantom better, however the illusion has more reviews out there that rave on and on about it than the phantom. Whereas also a lot of stock class players seem to regard the phantom as more of a cheaply made gun. Almost resembles how semi-only players regard kingman, and their spyders.

This is very disconcerting, because I grew into paintball, always marvelling about the CCI Phantom, always wanting to try one.

I need you guys to help me out, especially the guys or girls who actively take part in stock class play, which I would like to try.

I also am aware I would need to buy the adaptor for the illusion to make it stock class.

[Darkling]

Re: Phantom vs. Illusion

Originally posted by Krazy Ivan
Now I definetly like the look of the phantom better, however the illusion has more reviews out there that rave on and on about it than the phantom. Whereas also a lot of stock class players seem to regard the phantom as more of a cheaply made gun. Almost resembles how semi-only players regard kingman, and their spyders.

Whoa....Alot of Stock players?? Sorry bro, but I don't know what you have been reading on the internet. The Phantom is regarded by almost the whole pump/stock class world and one of the greatest pumps ever, not to mention the company backing them has customer service comparable to AGD. They're light, compact, durable, simple, and the pump action is as smooth as butter (when you break it in), plus it comes stock with and autotrigger. Check out www.doropaintball.com you can get a VSC Phantom for like 250 shipped. If your looking to get into the world of stockclass, then I highly reccomed a Phantom.

Darkling

btw, check out www.stockclasspaintball.com, too, if interested. Very great site for pump and stock play.

[mykroft]

If you want to play stock class, get a phantom. If you are going to paly with constant air and a hopper, consider the Illusion (Cocker threading and Angel feeds give it a compatibility advantage).

And CCI is the AGD of the Pump world, quality-wise, although AM are pretty cool themselves.

[Krazy Ivan]

Well. I'm now getting mixed reviews here too. I did some looking around on pbnation too, they are going with the same idea that the illusion or carter is worlds past the phantom. However, I don't take the opinions of 5-year old's to heart. I do however get really messed up when i come to the holy grail of forums AO, and get 2 posts saying get the phantom, yet the only results on the poll are 2 for the illusion?!

I would play stock class, and was looking for something light, or well, comparably light. I need to have something lighter than my 11lb setup on my mag now.

A more definitive input would be much appreciated, or at least a poll result that coincides with the reply's.

[mykroft]

I voted for the Illusion (Because that's the one I want), but am a fan of the Phantom as well. For stock class, you want the phantom, it's also half the size of the illusion.

The illusion is really not intended for stock class play, unlike the Phantom.

[xen_100]

they both have thier advantages.

the illusion is a sniper II knock-off....lets not beat about the bush. it is quiet and very acurate, but it is heavier and you have to buy thier strange looking horizontal feed if you want it to be a true "stock class" marker. dont get me wrong, this is a great gun.

the phantom on the other hand it light. I mean those things weigh like 2 lbs. they get about 35 shots per 12 gram. I used mine with a 4 oz co2 alot and got 600 shots out of it. they are acurate with the stock barrel. not something you can say about most stock barrels. they are pretty quiet, but not nearly as quiet as a sniper II, but not cannons either . the auto trigger is nice if you have the vertfeed model. if you get a horizonal stock class, it is next to useless, so that is not really a feature that can be used, all the time. you can break the thing down to its last washer and put it back together again in like 2 minutes.(literaly) so if it needs to be cleaned inbetween games, that is not a problem.

all in all....i vote for the phantom

[Darkling]

Sorry, I tried voting for the Phantom but I got some error message. "The action you have attempted could not be performed as your session appears to be invalid. Click the below link to attempt this action again with a new session." Anyone know what this means?

[xen_100]

just means you weren't logged in, or your login session expired. re-login and try again

[rjvemt1]

the poll is not working so diregard the lack of phantom votes!
CCI Phantoms have been around for over ten years and if you call CCI to order your phantom you talk directly to mike(i think thats him name) and he is the one who makes them so if you ever need help you can go directly to the source! it is a Nelson based gun(the set-up of the hammer and bolt)which is very reliable, easy to maintain and simple to understand. they are also super-lite and reletively gas efficient. it also has a very streamline look to it.

basicly i think the phantom is more suited for stock-class play as opposed to just pump class.

get the phantom unless money is no object, in that case get the carter(just for the uniqueness of having one)i have only seen one in 12 years of playing.

[paint magnet]

I would suggest:

Phantom VSC with .45 frame and CCI Nickel barrel

AMP Illusion

Sterling

PPS Super stocker


All of which are very nice pumps. Basically it depends on whether you want a Sheridan based gun or a Nelson based one. As a general rule Sheridans are heavier and usually lack autotriggers. Nelsons are lighter and have autotriggers. The Phantom has an amazingly light pump stroke and is lightweight due to the Nelson based design. The AMP has an ultra smooth pump stroke and is a little heavier. It also is undercocking and takes cocker barrels, which is a big plus in my book. I personally prefer Sheridan based guns (after owning both) and would go with either the AMP Illusion, a Arrow Precision Sterling or any of the Palmer's pumpers.

[paint magnet]

On a side note, Component Concepts Inc. (CCI) and Palmer's Pursuit Shop (PPS) are just about the only two companies that you can call up and speak to the designers/manufactures of the guns and owner of the company. Both of the choices you listed are awesome guns, but consider Palmers too.

[Fred]

Re: Phantom vs. Illusion

Originally posted by Krazy Ivan
Whereas also a lot of stock class players seem to regard the phantom as more of a cheaply made gun. Almost resembles how semi-only players regard kingman, and their spyders.

Exsqueeze me???
What type of smart-parts style crack were they smoking???


I have owned two phantoms, still have one, and deeply regret trading the first one...

They are solid, just as solid as an illusion, and have been around A LOT longer. The Phantom isn't so much a marker, its a marking System. You can swap stock class to direct feed very fast, not as fast as the Illusion, but still under 5 min.

The Phantom has an Autotrigger, and is available in a myriad of setups, backbottle, bottomline, vertical air...

The stock barrel on the Phantom is awesome, and doesn't require upgrading. The Illusion barrel is nice too, but not quite as high quality.

While I like the Illusion a lot, and plan on getting one, the final finish isn't as refined as the Phantom. Give it a few years though, AM is a great up and coming company.

The only solid advantage that the Illusion holds is the barrel, which is cocker threaded, and allows for a Freak kit. Currently, the freak is not available for the phantom because the barrel has a very small outer diameter...

Don't forget PHOG.ORG, the Phantom Owners group that is actually endorsed by CCI...

BTW, (added), the Illusion looks like a Sniper (back block), but internally it is Sterling-ish... very different operation going on in there.

---Fred

[Mr.Minus]

i havent ever played with an illusion, but i love my phantom, and CCI customer service is the best in the paintball industry! AGD is second ...

[halB]

i do believe the phantom is lighter...

[Coaster]

Originally posted by xen_100
they both have thier advantages.

the illusion is a sniper II knock-off....lets not beat about the bush.

in now way is the illusion a knock-off of the sniper II. The illusion has a completely different valve, and has many more features than the Sniper II(ie dual pump arm). The fact that they look the same makes people want to believe that the illusion is a knock-off of the SniperII.

If i were you, i would go with the Illusion, because of the accesories that you can put on it. If you want a double trigger, get one; a different feed tube, get one; the list goes on. People have also said that even though the illusion doesn't have an autotrigger, they are still able to fire extremely fast due to the extremely smooth pump stroke.