this may sound stupid. but whats the best elbow

[GoatBoy]

How rough are you guys with your elbows?

I've had one break on me in the past. I believe it was because I left it tightened on the loader all the time, and after a few years, it finally broke. That sucked, so I bought two more; a VLBow and a 32-degrees one I think.

Now, I break the guns down after every game, and that includes removing the elbow from the gun and the hopper. And I don't put them back on until I'm at the field, ready to play again.

The other thing to consider is how much tightening you need to do to get the elbow to fit... If you have to tighten it a lot, it's probably putting a lot of extra stress on the plastic. I like my elbows to fit fairly snug against the tubes WITHOUT tightening. Then I'll use the screws to do the final securing. If it's a little too loose for my taste, I wrap electrical tape around the tube going into the elbow.

[Athius]

BUY A ULE BODY!!

Well do like i did i bought a ULE body!!!

[Derman2k]

I'd have to say the Atomic elbow too...I had it on my mag before i got a warp.

[sharpshooter1286]

i have a red vlbow cuz they were on sale on pbgear.com and i did have to put tape on the powerfeed cuz it didnt fit at all and i didnt trust that plastic thing they gave me..i handle it carefully and i dont have any problems

[Mav D MagMan]

I'd have to say ACI (not just because I get them for free).

They look good (important of course!), tighten down well (they have a flat inside opening for the hoppers, and noon-damaging teeth for catching on the metal of a marker), and last quite a while

Mav

[ugabiged88]

I have a ACI elbow that has lasted for a year or two. Buy ACI!

[funkmunky56]

ACI recently redesigned their Elbow, and it's gotta be one of the toughest I've seen out there. I especially like the "teeth" on the inside, that produce better "point-grip" on the neck of your loader and your marker, instead of just relying on all-around friction to hold them together. On top of that, ACI is backing them up with a lifetime warranty, and you can't beat that! They're thick-walled, the colors are deep, and the hardware on them (thumbscrews, etc.) are solid and well-fitted. we jumped up and down on one at the store, and didn't break it.

I would caution AGAINST metal elbows. There's a REASON for plastic elbows, in my opinion. Let's work it through.

$200-1000 on a marker --- $5 on an elbow --- $60-120 on a motorized hopper

where would you want the break to occur in an unavoidable accident? (i.e.- Marker falling off the table, dropped from the Castle at EMR, knocked out of your hand by a rabid recballer suffering from a 'nam flashback brought about by his ghillie suit and AT-85 "realistic" marker) Personally, I'd rather the weak spot be in the elbow, rather than snapping off my powerfeed, or breaking the neck off my loader. With an aluminum elbow, you're chancing having to replace your marker body (or at least spend 50 bucks at a custom shop getting it reattached) or having to buy new shell halves for your hopper, which may or may not be available where you're playing, living, etc., and when they are, are usually way overpriced.

I'd rather have to buy a new 5 dollar elbow at the field (which they WILL have) and get back to playing (well, unless the psychotic flashback guy did more than knock your marker down, in which case, you're prob'ly not worried about your elbow, or playing, just continuing to breath until the ambulance gets there)

'Nuff said. Buy ACI... they need the money. Quality Control on their barrels sucks my arse. --Dave:

[cheetah256]

this is my choice too. i bought 3 of them two years ago, and all three are still working great.

Originally posted by Halliday
APP Atomic Elbow

http://www.allenpaintball.com/

Costs about $4, and has a unbreakable guarantee. I can't find a place online, other than APP, that sells them. My shop down the street has them!

[the_next_guy_]

buy an ajustable one, then sand off the thumb screw thing, and put on one of those satainless steel pipe bands. They hold super tight and never break.

[252]

i've had my Armson for 3 years...no cracks, still solid as a rock.

[GoatBoy]

Originally posted by the_next_guy_
buy an ajustable one, then sand off the thumb screw thing, and put on one of those satainless steel pipe bands. They hold super tight and never break.

Man, that sounds like the long way to go about solving the problem.

How about buying a good non-adjustable one, then slicing some slots in the elbow so the tubes can be squeezed, THEN using the stainless pipe bands.


I do agree though, the stainless pipe band method appears quite sturdy. I'd be hesitant to call ANYTHING unbreakable though.

[sneakyhacker420]

http://www.allenpaintball.com/elbows.html

the APP Atomic Elbow is said to be unbreakable, and with it in the package is a card, which clearly states if the elbow is ever damaged in any way, they will replace it for free, all you have to do is send the elbow and card back into APP


i have the Atomic Elbow on my mag, and use a couple of hose clamps to keep it on there really tight so that i doesn't move around one bit

the APP elbow is also lower profile than most elbows from my experience

[robertjuric]

Originally posted by Halliday
APP Atomic Elbow

http://www.allenpaintball.com/

Costs about $4, and has a unbreakable guarantee. I can't find a place online, other than APP, that sells them. My shop down the street has them!

YAY a fellow APP atomic elbow user.
They're great. Its not that hard plastic like on VL or ACI.
Ive got a clear one, I love it. You can get them at pbgear.com though.

[Can_Opener]

I work at a field, and our rentals break elbows like crazy for some reason. Never, I repeat never get a 32 degrees elbow, overtighten the screws just a little too far and its done. Our VLbows dont fit right at all, and the screws strip out, but the actual elbows dont break. We just recently went though about 20 of those crappy ACI elbows within a week, they break vertically along the teeth on the inside, so watch for that. Overall I'd say the APP atomic is the best choice (what I use) but I've never used the Armson yet.

[rehme]

yes i would say the aci i have one and it is not "hard" plastic that will crack if you tighten it down to much.

it is a softer plastic that wont crack if you really tighten the screws down.

also it has the teeth on the inside that wont slip like other elbos do.