Redefining AGD

[Emag2005]

Suggestion to stay completive with the other companies. You know if you can't beat them join them. To get back into the market you would have to hit up the tournament realm again. Have features like ramping or something.
AGD is known for Quality and saftey (I respect that a lot)
Make the features like:
Ramping Cap at 15 (Industry Standard Ramping)
Semi mode
Game timer
Battery level
Lighter smaller battery (lithieum it is smaller lighter and holds twice as more juice. Can explode under extream heat i don't know what the temp it has to hit to do that)
Hybrid mode(Love that design)
Manual (really reliable)
Maybe low preasure(A lot of players already have low preasure tanks so they don't have to buy something extra but to do this would be costly and have a lot of R&D and couldn't have hybrid or manual )
I personally love the original design and will never get rid of emag or warp

P.S. I feel like TK is like Mr. Miague(SP)Karate kid). He doesn't talk very much but when he does it's like wisdom and every one wants to read it or like silent bob one of the two. I might of just rambled a little bit on this post.
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*see wood being karate chopped*
Mr Miague can you do that
Don't know never been attacked by tree
Mr Miague what belt do you have
JC Penney $9.99

[Automaggot68]

Ok um.
What did you just say?

You know if you can't beat them join them. To get back into the market you would have to hit up the tournament realm again. Have features like ramping or something.
AGD is known for Quality and saftey (I respect that a lot)
Make the features like:
Ramping Cap at 15 (Industry Standard Ramping)
Semi mode
Game timer
Battery level
Lighter smaller battery (lithieum it is smaller lighter and holds twice as more juice. Can explode under extream heat i don't know what the temp it has to hit to do that)
Hybrid mode(Love that design)
Manual (really reliable)
Maybe low preasure(A lot of players already have low preasure tanks so they don't have to buy something extra but to do this would be costly and have a lot of R&D and couldn't have hybrid or manual )
I personally love the design and will never get rid of emag or warp but we are the few the prowed the AO.

P.S. I feel like TK is like Mr. Miague(SP)Kartie kid). He doesn't talk very much but when he does it's like wisdom and every one wants to read it or like silent bob one of the two.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*see would being karte chopped*
Mr Miague can you do that
Don't know never been attacked by tree
Mr Miague what belt do you have
JC Penney $9.99

[Alpha]

It isn't word of mouth.

On the contrary. I can think of at least 5 people that I've reccomended get Rogue markers, and have told dozens to purchase rogue parts and upgrades.

Why? He was kind to me, helped me out, and just went that one extra step to make me understand. Of course, his high quality products help too.

So what do I do for him? Well any members of PBF know what the RPG Army is. Anyone who's been to my website (approaching the tens of thousands for index page views rapidly) has read my reviews of Rogue Products. All good might I add.

Its the word of mouth advertisement and guys like us who keep AGD, Rogue, and Tuna's fridges full.

[phantomhitman]

yeah, but thats not what keeps big companies running. even if you love something like paintball, you still have to make money. Because eating pb&j everday sucks......remind me that I am out of pb.

[BlackVCG]

1. Under cutting the dealers. This is probally one of the bigest problems at AGD. It is hard enough to sell some AGD products at the local level, however it makes it impossible when the manufacture sells the product cheaper than the dealer. To me, this is the big sin. So -why sell a product that someone can get cheaper factory direct? Big no-no This is going to take more than an olive branch to fix!

I'd just like to make quick comment about this post...

For the longest time AGD was against under pricing its dealers. AGD sold everything at MSRP and never had "attic sales" or specials going on that priced stuff near dealer cost. In fact, when the online store first opened everything was MSRP and people moaned and groaned about how ridiculous the prices were. When told to go to their local dealer to get a better price I think a lot of people came back and said "Well my dealer doesn't stock AGD parts, and they don't want to!"

I think it came to a point where AGD decided it would be impossible to get a nationwide dealer network getting products to potential customers, so it started pricing its products at a more affordable rate for ordering direct.

Mind you, I haven't been on the store in probably the last 8 months or so, but last time I checked a lot of stuff was still MSRP. Just things like the ULE Custom, low priced Warps, etc.

Your point is very valid, but you have to keep in mind AGD got to a point where I think it needed to become its own dealer to support all of its potential customers.

[Dayspring]

You gotta understand how a regulator works, and even more specific, how the RT based regs work and why you get the rapid recharge.

They tried to do the Xvalve as an inline. It didn't have the same recharge capability.

Flatline- flawed design in that it required a non-standard oring (Reg seats). They were out or production for almost a year while the new seats were spec'd and made. Otherwise a fantastic regulator. I have 2!

Q.

Whats the best thing AGD ever made?

A.

A Regulator!

from the flatline to the valve its self.... this cant be denied that AGD knows how to make regulating devices... so why not make a top of the line regulator with extreme flow rates... wait they did! so why not take the regulator/valve design and turn it into a damn Inline Regulator for under $75 and make it damn good looking at that (regulators are fugly)

boom AGD back in business

or am i just being to broad with my assumption on the regulator aspect?

[GT]

I'd just like to make quick comment about this post...

I think it came to a point where AGD decided it would be impossible to get a nationwide dealer network getting products to potential customers, so it started pricing its products at a more affordable rate for ordering direct.

True, but that is only part of the problem. For example; Let me start this by saying I have a friend , who stocks AGDs stuff. Pre-Xvalve tehy carried all the cool goodies and upgrades. They found out the same day everyone else did on AO that AGD was comming out with an AL version of the retro, Xvalve. AGD neglets to let their dealers know that they should be liquidating thier stock before a new "better" product comes out. To this day dealers are stuck with $300 retro valves. Case in point their are stores that still have RTs and all SS RTPs in stock.

[cledford]

Word! Look at the AKA markers - they are essentially slugs and there is a huge aftermarket cutting them up. A marker no longer in production is still viable and desired due to the opportunity for keeping up with current trends. The thing about the AKA markers is rock solid design and mechanical engineering - but can be cut up and will taken ANY of the drop in "current hot board" of the week.

I don't think a new super gun is going to do it. The definitive paintball gun is not going to be any better than any other high-end marker... just over-engineered. The kids won't buy it... they won't understand... won't care.

I do not see a reason to reinvent the wheel. There's nothing wrong with continuing to use the XValve and LX as the underlying platform.

This is what I would personally do: Don't worry about the shops for now... accomodate the 3rd party people and tinkerers. Customization is key... cosmetic and electronic.

One-piece slug body and rail that supports ACE. A grip frame (maybe a slug variety as well) that 3rd parties/tinkerers can convert to an electro in 30 seconds with their own parts... cheaply. A new sear that helps to accomodate this process. Otherwise, the marker is mechanical out of the box.

It does not necessarily have to hold a board/battery... what's important is room for a solenoid. I can think of a lot of reasons why you'd want to be able to mount your BlackBox electronics... externally. And it can be done in a cosmetically acceptable way. Otherwise... make sure a couple of popular aftermarket boards will work in the frame.

Why put in stock electronics at all when these kids will rip them out and put something else in anyway?

[KayleAGD]

So what you are saying, Miscue, is that if AGD starts selling the AGD Home encapsulator for say $300 a piece, and it lets people 6 cases of paintballs out of a box of Knox gelatin and bottle of tempra paint, that they'll have a strong market impact.

No Tom will build it, then overbuild it, then make it ready to sell.... then wait ....... and wait ....then move on to make the next product..He is an engineer, that is what he does..

[SlartyBartFast]

AGD neglets to let their dealers know that they should be liquidating thier stock before a new "better" product comes out.

Every manufacturer in paintball does the same.

In other industries, manufacturers offer mail-in-rebates and other incentives to allow stores to liquidate old stock before announcing new products or price drops. In paintball, manufacturers don't bother keeping anyone in the loop.

Being small and desperate, the manufacturers release product and drop prices to sell their inventory and increase their revenue and don't care about their distributors. What happens is short term gain for long term losses. Because unless a product is super popular, f you stiff a store once they're likely to never carry your merchandise again.

Except now the big boys have come into the game and now sell through regular retail stores (BE, Tippmann, WGP, ZAP, Kingman, etc). The tolerance for manufacturers neglecting the distribution chain will be ZERO for those products. That can only a good an healthy thing for the long term of the paintball market.

[SlartyBartFast]

No Tom will build it, then overbuild it, then make it ready to sell.... then wait ....... and wait ....then move on to make the next product..He is an engineer, that is what he does..

First rule of business: NEVER let an engineer run the place. Keep the geeks under lock and key and under tight control.

(and I'm an Enginnering graduate and work for an engineering related company, so I know what I'm talking about)

TK is an exceptional example, not only is he briliant in many fields, but he seems to alternate between severe ADD and severe tunnel vision with various activities and interests.

[SCpoloRicker]

SBF speaks da truth. Silly engineers...

/Marketing guy
//does, in fact, have a soul

[SlartyBartFast]

SBF speaks da truth. Silly engineers...

/Marketing guy
//does, in fact, have a soul

Just don't let marketing gain control of design.

[BlackVCG]

!!!

Marketing! The only people that will ruin a design that is better looking than the old design and costs less to manufacture and assemble. All because you removed a useless feature they think the customers "want."

These are just some of the things I have to deal with as a design engineer in the automotive world. It's the same everywhere else, unfortunately.

[deathstalker]

!!!

Marketing! The only people that will ruin a design that is better looking than the old design and costs less to manufacture and assemble. All because you removed a useless feature they think the customers "want."

These are just some of the things I have to deal with as a design engineer in the automotive world. It's the same everywhere else, unfortunately.

Don't forget that most end users are not engineers like you. The features "they" want are going to be very different from what you want. I'm sure with both of our respective cars, we can find good and bad, but it's very subjective. I'm not a big fan of Japanese cars, but I own one. My responses to a survey on my experience with it are likely to be very different from the responses of others, even if our overall satisfaction is identical.