~*Smart Parts Lowers Prices*~

[bleachit]

Why buy a spyder when you can buy another gun at the same price that DOESN'T have a cheap spring loaded bolt and has BREAK BEAM EYES and weighs half as much.

Don't hate SP cause they're smart.

Yeah, it may seem like a hostile business move, but after all, they are a business.

/chuff-chuff

you missed the point I was trying to make... stealth fighter was complaining about noobs shooting 13bps at him... the ion is hardly the first cheap marker capable of 13bps... so that comment was rather pointless on his part.

and then for savantix to imply that spyders dont work and cant keep up with any other marker is a load... they may not be as "reliable" or "consistent' but they can keep up with any other marker. may require a new board, but they can do it.

[neppo1345]

you missed the point I was trying to make... stealth fighter was complaining about noobs shooting 13bps at him... the ion is hardly the first cheap marker capable of 13bps... so that comment was rather pointless on his part.

and then for savantix to imply that spyders dont work and cant keep up with any other marker is a load... they may not be as "reliable" or "consistent' but they can keep up with any other marker. may require a new board, but they can do it.

I never said they could't keep up. The stacked tube blowback platform is easily capable of 20+ cycles per second. But try to do that with even a good loader, and good paint and you're going to be better off trying to shoot Snack Pack Brand pudding instead of through the gun.

Yeah, you can get break beam eyes installed, but the ion has them. You would need a new board and body milling too.

I was simply saying that the stock ion is a better gun than the most Uber Upped electronic spyder.

[thefool]

I never said they could't keep up. The stacked tube blowback platform is easily capable of 20+ cycles per second. But try to do that with even a good loader, and good paint and you're going to be better off trying to shoot Snack Pack Brand pudding instead of through the gun.

Yeah, you can get break beam eyes installed, but the ion has them. You would need a new board and body milling too.

I was simply saying that the stock ion is a better gun than the most Uber Upped electronic spyder.

Hmmm... put a quality reg on a spyder give it eyes, a new board, and a new valve
it will be just as good as an ion without the cheap looking body, sticky trigger, and trerrible effieciency (with stock bolt).

for examle i would rather have this http://www.acp-products.com/marker_apocalypse.html

than a stock ion.

THe only type of ion i like is the completly after market ones because they look nice and shoot well. but at that point theyre just shockers.

[nirvana1234]

smart parts really has the industry by the balls.

this whole price drop thing has got me thinkin about gettin an ion myself and ive always hated them. ive had my eyes set on an A-5(i cant afford a tac one ) but 230ish for an A-5.....ekkkk

[Pyroboy597]

Thefool... Why would you POSSIBLY want that over an ion.

[thefool]

:P
not over an ion
over a completly stock ion

it would probably be about as nice to shoot without looking cheap

but then agian i would rather have a nicer gun to begin with

I'm just playing devils advocate

As for a completly upped blowback vs an ion id say they are about the same but an ion can be made to be much better. Where as you can only do so much with a blow back do make it more reliable and to reduce kick and such.

[Pyroboy597]

Agreed. Yes, a spyder with hundreds of dollars in ups can shoot similarly to an ion.. but the ion can be upgraded as well. An upped ion shoots like a shocker (I have shot both, and own the upped ion)

[thefool]

exactly what i was thinking... but what i never understood is by the time you put all those upps into the gun its preatly much a timmy or shocker respectivly for about the same price so why not just buy the evolution right away? I guess its just for the sake of upgrading and becasue people buy in chunks rather than an expensive gun at once.

As for why smartparts reduced prices i think the right answer is that something new and big is coming out as several people have already said.

[Pyroboy597]

I think they are simply trying to steal more of the market. They are a well established company that does more business than most, especially in the last year or so. They know they make a lot of money, and now they are going to make even more. If everyone buys their guns and likes them, they can release something new (if and when that does happen) at a higher price and have thousands of people drooling over it.

As for the ion upgrading to be like a shocker..

If I had a consistant job, and could get financing on a shocker I would have :P. However, I bought my ion like the first day it came out and was the only one with an ion at our field for two weeks or so. Now everyone has one.

[Lohman446]

I never said that I would get out or couldn't run the tape line, it just annoys me now a days, because everybody in that back corner has an Ion, you don't see spyder imagine's or other cheap wal-mart electronics, you see just about every form of Ion you can think of.

It's o.k. that you misinterpreted my post, I guess I didn't clarify well enough.

You whined about "newbs" suddenly having some way of helping to "level" the playing field. Exactly what were we supposed to think?

[NukeGoose]

"Waah, the cost of a high end gun is too high, beginners are always outgunned!"

===>

"Waah, now beginners are able to shoot too fast for their skill level and can't control it!"

------------

Go up to a beginner with an Ion, and tell him that he shouldn't be allowed to shoot as fast as you can because you've played longer / know what you're doing / have a deeper wallet. See how well that goes over. In case none of you remember what it was like starting out, I still remember buying my first 'real' gun, it was a mechanical Piranha, and I paid more for that than Actionvillage is selling Ions for now. I'd go out and not only be at a skill disadvantage but at an equipment disadvantage, plinking away single shots while the regulars were out there laying down incredible (at the time) streams of paint with high-tech Cockers and occasionally Angel LEDs and LCDs with their revvies. I remember borrowing a Shocker 4x4 for one day and it was amazing. If someone had sent me a message telling me that in a few years there would be a gun faster and lighter than an Angel for less than what I paid for my old blue Piranha, I probably wouldn't have believed them. Yes, some beginners will undoubtedly overshoot other people because of this, but to deny them a fast gun simply because they can't afford one is rediculous. You can't walk out onto a field and expect not to be shot, because the odds simply aren't in your favor - one team will be shot out entirely, and it's rare that every player on the winning team will finish the game. You may get an extra ball (or 3) but by the time you walk off the field you'll be fine.

The lower price on Ions will help somewhat with the high cost of playing paintball competitively. You can take an Ion and be competitive at any level of play. The Ion helps to level the playing field for beginners and provides a great low-cost gun to competitve players. The only ones who should be complaining about this are the store owners who bought Ions at the old price and now have to sell their stock for the new price, but that is hardly a unique or special situation.

[SpecialBlend2786]

"Waah, the cost of a high end gun is too high, beginners are always outgunned!"

===>

"Waah, now beginners are able to shoot too fast for their skill level and can't control it!"

------------

Go up to a beginner with an Ion, and tell him that he shouldn't be allowed to shoot as fast as you can because you've played longer / know what you're doing / have a deeper wallet. See how well that goes over. In case none of you remember what it was like starting out, I still remember buying my first 'real' gun, it was a mechanical Piranha, and I paid more for that than Actionvillage is selling Ions for now. I'd go out and not only be at a skill disadvantage but at an equipment disadvantage, plinking away single shots while the regulars were out there laying down incredible (at the time) streams of paint with high-tech Cockers and occasionally Angel LEDs and LCDs with their revvies. I remember borrowing a Shocker 4x4 for one day and it was amazing. If someone had sent me a message telling me that in a few years there would be a gun faster and lighter than an Angel for less than what I paid for my old blue Piranha, I probably wouldn't have believed them. Yes, some beginners will undoubtedly overshoot other people because of this, but to deny them a fast gun simply because they can't afford one is rediculous. You can't walk out onto a field and expect not to be shot, because the odds simply aren't in your favor - one team will be shot out entirely, and it's rare that every player on the winning team will finish the game. You may get an extra ball (or 3) but by the time you walk off the field you'll be fine.

The lower price on Ions will help somewhat with the high cost of playing paintball competitively. You can take an Ion and be competitive at any level of play. The Ion helps to level the playing field for beginners and provides a great low-cost gun to competitve players. The only ones who should be complaining about this are the store owners who bought Ions at the old price and now have to sell their stock for the new price, but that is hardly a unique or special situation.

I'm too tired and lazy to make a nice long post of my own, so QUOTED FOR TRUTH

[NoForts4Me]

Wow, Stealth Fighter is taking one of the worst e-slappings I've seen on here in a while.

Costs were bound to be driven down eventually, just like in every other market, SP was just the first high profile company to do it. I owned an ION specifically because they were cheap and I wanted to try out an electronic marker. For the price (especially $199) they are a steal, and a great performer. True, you have to add on a lot to get them to a higher performance level, but you can ad what you want, when you want to. That is also the problem...I had $425 into mine total, and was wanting to drop another $200-$300 into it, so I just sold it. Decided it was time for something else.

Gaining market share and penetration is how you get business. The ION can also be seen as a stepping stone marker, as someone who is a newer player that sticks with the game and decides to upgrade, may more likely purchase a high-end SP marker if they liked their cheap ION. Smart business move on their part.

People gripe about the effect on resale, but I've been camping out in the BST forums waiting to steal a loaded X-valved Mag with ult, and I haven't found one. They are still holding their value well, it appears (good job Mr. Kaye on a well built product). I also haven't seen any of the mythical $250 timmies or DM's or Angels I see people talking about. Yes, older ones, maybe, but that may be due more to changing technology (like computers) than about what SP has done.

[Destructo6]

Maybe they're moving MSRP closer to the street price for their markers. I paid about $240 a little less than a year ago for my ION. Then again, maybe it will mean IONs will go for less than $200 retail.

At any rate, I don't see a problem. Getting more marker for less money is a good thing.

[paintballfreak90]

200 at the village