Opinions

[turbo chicken]

For the price of a used one ... i don't think you can beat it.

They work good enough for what you pay for them. I dad purchased one a while back and loves it. He has had no problems with it mechanically and he play weekly. But then again he is knowledgeable enough to trouble shoot and fix any issues that arise.

If I was ever to buy another electro i'd get a good ole spyder and throw a reg on it and call it a day. Because on pure semi mode i cant pull the trigger any faster on an expensive electro that i can on that.

[Pneumagger]

They are decent guns. They require a bit more care because it's all budget machining... but when they're working they're just like every other EP gun.

I think they get the bad rap because now you have over abundance of noobs and AGG kids with markers they never "earned" or "paid thier dues" for. These kids all act they are the most arrogant thing on the field now that they have a real electro.
Couple that with the fact that high end gun owners may feel secretly put off that this $200 gun works just as good as thier $1000 gun.

Back in the day, when people saw a nice gun (autococker, Angel, Shocker, RT Automag) they classified that player as good. Not because of the gun, but generally because a player holding that gun was experienced enough to invest $1000 in a marker - people didn't have mommy and daddy buy all thier gear like today. For some reason newbies think a fast high end gun makes them just as good... which legit "high end" players frowned upon. Then all the noobs with high ends decide to be lemmings to blend with the "experienced player" crowd and mock everything lesser than their own. You see it all the time on the Nation - Players with beginner gun "X" and defend it with all thier honor; they upgrade to another better gun and bash the hell outta thier once treasured gun.

I owned an ION once as my first electro. I liked it alot and I upped the crap outta it.
For what it cost, initialy, it was unbeatable. When I got done upgrading it I could've just got a shocker or Emag.

[GT]

for the price I would rather go for a promaster.

[paintballfiend]

for the price I would rather go for a promaster.

QFT

[paintballfiend]

The thing with Ions for me is that EVERYONE has one. Maybe that is why I like my mag even more, it's "rare", a mistery(sp?) to the other people on the field. The way I see it is that any gun can run well, it's all a matter of preference, except Viewloader and BE of course. I LOVE the way the Mini feels, and for a little more I could get some pretty decent used "high-end" guns. However, the Mini just feels better.

[turbo chicken]

The way I see it is that any gun can run well, it's all a matter of preference...

^Why doesn't everyone realize this??

[iambored]

The way I see it is that any gun can run well, it's all a matter of preference, except Viewloader and BE of course.

Quoted For Partial Truth
The old BE's were decent

[Lenny]

(What's wrong with multiquoting)?

Nothing, it's just very few people use it these days (more from the forum newbs) and I'm glad to see someone finally using it!

[buzzboy]

What type of operation is this using? Is it like a m98 with a single acting ram instead of a spring?

It runs off a spool much like that of a shocker but a little bit different.

[bryceeden]

ok, first off i know that i am going to get teased, flamed, or what ever you want to call it. But, i must ask. This is an opinion post, so let's hear them (but in a respectful and courdious way).

What is wrong with the ion? Yes, i know, everyone and their uncle larry has one. But, as far as performance, do they lack something that other 1,000 dollar guns have? I think that they are probably the most customisible guns on the market. I personally don't think that they are made that cheaply, and if they are is it too expensive to upgrade them?

just a few questions i have. if you post something please explain. please don't be four and be like "ion are for newbs". all opinions are wanted. thanks for you time.

I have sold alot of them and the biggest problem(this has already been addressed I know) is the On/off button flat sucks. Basically other than that they are a pretty good gun they are definatly VERY cheaply made but for the preformance they are an awsome price, they are prone to alot of easiliy fixable problems like minor air leaks and stuff. Also when taking them apart to clean and lube you have to be careful or you can really mess them up but basically they are a good gun for the price. Also DO NOT GET THEM WET the boards fry real easy. But for the price I would reccomend them as a beginner gun, this one is going to get me flamed but you might also consider the Spyder VS2 or VS3 they arn't as customisable but they are alittle easyier to care for and in my oppinion the VS3 preforms just as well and is made alittle better. Just my 2 cents.

[bryceeden]

HA! I have every manual for every gun I have ever carried.

As do I, but I need some alot more than others(like the Ion and definatly the freestyle I hate that gun)

[iambored]

Well there is nothing wrong with the ion. I've educated myself since my last anti-SP post and have determined how childish it is to blame SP or the ion for the real problem of wipers and arogant brats.
The ion is a break-through, it lowered the cost of a mid-class marker considerably. But I would say that I've seen a few were the problems out of the box are just plain out unexcusible. Fryed soleniods, cracked frames, bad valves and these are noticable but overall they aren't that bad but with the market thats challenging it I wouldn't buy one.

[jenarelJAM]

I very much agree with both Lohman and Pneumagger.

Nothing is wrong with the ion.
The ion is a great marker for its price, it does its job well. Sure, there might be small problems with it(apparently the on/off button), but they're a cheap "high-end" marker. I think part of the reason that they won't be accepted into mainstream "high-end"-ness is because they're so common. There's definately a uniqueness factor in paintball. Last time I went to the field, I had people asking me left and right what my viking was. When I took my emag to the field, it was the same way. People look at "XSV" ego's and go "whoa, that's sick!" without a thought, just because it's a rare "high-end" and has some team's name on it. Not that it's not an awesome marker, but there is definately a superiority thing going on. The more money you spend, the more proud you feel about your marker. Exceptions to this rule, that I have seen, are: pumps, markers built from scratch, markers with custom work, where the owner doesn't spend thousands of dollars, ends up with a nice gun, and wouldn't sell it for anything.
I believe 100% in what pneumagger said about people stuanchly defending their current marker, and bashing it as soon as they "upgrade" to a marker that probably wouldn't make much of a difference. People will always see what someone else has, and want it, and forget what they have themselves. The grass is always greener on the other side.
I admit, I am somewhat under the sway of the "high-end" craze myself, but I actually like ions. Actually, I like stock ions alot better than "upped" ions, simply because it means the player is on a budget. The upped ion, to me, is the ion with a bunch of unneeded cosmetics (and I know there's more to it than that, but that's what it feels like to me).
As for what they "lack" when compared to $1000 markers... I personally bought both of my more expensive markers because they were supposed to be really reliable and easy to maintain. I haven't really had many problems with them. I went over to my friends house this one time and he had his ion sitting on his bed, in pieces, and we spent probably close to an hour trying to get the eyes hooked up and the gun reassembled. I guess he chopped. I understand there's an upgraded body to fix that, but all the upgrades you would need to do to get rid of the little things like that would replace over half the marker. Especially with the used market how it is, I'd rather buy last year's new model for $400.
Actually I want to switch to pump too, alot to just be different, save some money on paint, and really be considered "good", but only if I can prove it, not because I can shoot fast and get lucky shots. Putting myself at a disadvantage would make things so much less stressful, because getting shot out wouldn't be a "fair comparison," and shooting someone else would be sweet victory.

Plus, I like guns that keep their value...
$700 into an ion, I think you'd be lucky to come away with $400.
$500-600 into a mag or viking, several years go by, you can sell it for close to that.

[SR_matt]

ok here are my experances and views

the field i worked at when the ions were released, the guy that ran the field was one of the techs that went in to assemble the original run. i saw so many of the ions go down right after their release. if you are going to produce a gun or anythign for that matter do enough beta testing to make sure it works right.

kid that used to work at the field with me got an ion, took half the day to get it set up, walked onto the field. my friend and i looked at it and said "phssst smart parts" he responded with "smart choice" then his noid blew. he shot less than 100 balls that day and the reg was not set to high.

another friend got an ion and ended up basicaly rebuilding it totaly and replaced almsot all the parts. the gun did become decent but it still did not feel like a solid well functioning gun.


now a different friend has rebuilt an ion mostly and has a new board and all. it is pretty nice, it is very fast but it doesnt feel great still

so over all my dislikes are
-low quality
-ploopyness due to the spool valve type opperation
-smart parts buissness pratices
-it is made with out many upgrades and features that hmm magicaly SP developed the day after the ion was released. yet again if you are going to release something, make it good.

i have gotten to not look down on them as much as i did before but for the price there are many other guns i would rather have.

-matt

[FARMER00]

yeah they are decent guns but the main thing that people are forgetting is the
SMART PARTS MARKETING
when the ion came out it was in every magazine multiple times it was at every major event in every store and they had all the players that they own endorse it.

they are good guns but you have to remember the reason they got to where they were wasnt because of the cost or performance it was mostly because of the marketing and all the promotions about it. smart parts is by far the best in the industry for this.

its all about the marketing