Ions: Do they suck that hard?

[paintballfiend]

Do Ions really suck like most people say they do? I don't really care about Agg value or anything like that. It seems like most people say that theirs did not work out of the box. Does anyone here have experience with them.
Thanks,
PBfiend.

[d4m4don3]

They don't suck hard, just that most of the people who buy them do because they're marketed to beginners. They don't know the 1st thing about maintaining them and tend to break the marker.

[snoopay700]

I shot one once, didn't really like the trigger or anything, wasn't really to my liking. Some people may like them but i don't because in my opinion they aren't all that great, plus i hate smart parts.

[trevorjk]

ions are fine, treat them nicely they treat you nicely. most problems come from people that know squat about guns, as posted above, the gun is marketed towards the beginner crowd.

and after having about 2 dozen brand new ions go out the door, only 1 came back with problems, and that was a faulty board wich smart parts promptly replaced. as for any other defects, non were caused by the Factory. all were user fault

[jenarelJAM]

It's pretty much like any other marker, only cheaper. The marker is cheaper, and so may have other drawbacks, that then tempt you into upgrading your marker. I think the ion is pretty much the best marker you can buy for $200 new(and cheaper used), but unless you have a lot of self control, you're probably going to start by upgrading the barrel, then the feedneck, then the reg, the board, the frame, and pretty soon, your $200 marker cost $500 and is still only worth $200 resale.

Now, about them "sucking," I think it's mostly the 'cool' thing to do in paintball, to bash every marker you don't actually own, in order to make your own sound better. (read 'guide to buying marker from pbn article :P). While the ion may not feel right to you, it also might feel perfect. A HUGE part of buying a marker is finding the one that's right for you.

My big thing is reliability and ease of maintenence. I bought an emag, and later, a viking. Now I've moved to a pump, and completely ditched the complications of electronics. The first thing I look for in a marker is widely acclaimed members of this forum promoting a marker, for the reasons I'm looking for. ie. If tunaman, rrfireblade, pneumagger, lohman, rogue, coolhand, any of the dealers, etc. (I'm sorry, I'm sure I forgot many people) share their opinion on a marker, you can be pretty sure that it's a mature opinion from someone who's had their share of paintball experience.

I forget who it was, but one of the above mentioned, I believe, tried an ion a while ago and liked it, talked about it on these forums for a little bit.

So, are you planning on buying an ion, and want opinions? IMO, the ion will not give you the "respect" on the field many people want when they buy a new marker. The best way to get respect is to buy a marker nobody has heard about(or that everyone looks at and dismisses), and to blow the pants off of everyone who tries you.
Are you looking for an increase in speed? The ion will probably be able to deliver that to you.
Are you looking for something you might want to sell again later? The ion is probably not the best bet for that, as they're extremely common, and resale is cheap. However, if you buy used, you can always sell used
Are you looking for something that will never give you hassles, never let you down on the field, and never require maintenence? Sorry, that marker doesn't exist. Even my viking, which almost never gives me troubles(I'm actually amazed how little it gives me), takes a thorough cleaning at the end of the day, without which, I don't think it would function up to its usual standards. Your marker will most likely have problems. Your job as owner of that marker, whatever it is, is to learn how to identify and fix those problems.
Are you looking for a marker that will make you a better player? Buy a pump. Really. I've used mine twice, and already found habits that I'm having to unlearn because I started with an electro, and never learned the basics the right way.
Are you looking for something that will let you go out and have a good time? This is where it comes down to preference. You're going to have the best time playing with the marker that you're happy with, that you really wanted, and that you decided to buy, and to spend money on, even though you can think of hundreds of other things that money can't be spent on now instead. It's about going out having fun, and playing paintball to enjoy it, and have a good time. It's not about "beating" the other team, it's about playing with them, and when you're done, win or lose, going over and shaking their hand, and saying, "Dude, I almost had you! I can't believe you got me!"

/end

[hmudd13]

Ions are fine, I love the one I have. I own over 100 markers and the Ion has not ever given me any problems. Like someone said above, treat it good and it'll treat you good.

[snoopay700]

While the ion may not feel right to you, it also might feel perfect. A HUGE part of buying a marker is finding the one that's right for you.

Exactly, i didn't like how it felt and everything, which is one reason i don't like them. Then there's the whole thing about smart parts just being dicks that i don't like, but i didn't know about that at the time of trying out the gun, that now just adds to me not caring for them.

[Pacifist_Farmer]

I feel like we've had this discussion a couple times.

[turbo chicken]

Ion's rule all ...

but seriously they are decent guns ... i've never seen any factory issues with them personally... my dad owns one and plays with it more than his rt pro ... he likes the ramping ... which he calls full auto ...

I personally don't like the way the gun feels in my hands ...it's just too light ... i much prefer my mech minimag, BLM spyder, or PGP over any thing i pick up now days ...

[fire1811]

I just recently sold my Ion and never had a problem with it. For the price IMO you can't beat it.
I put a new trigger and barrel on it.
The main thing with a ION is if your going to dump a lot of money into it upgrade wise, just buy a better gun.

[JimmyBeam]

nope, they can be just as effective as any other mid level marker

this was mine

[paintballfiend]

I just want an electro to fling some paint around on the speedball court. I plan to keep it stock. Also, I want to get an electro I can fool around with and learn more about how electros work. I want something cheaper so if I mess it up I won't feel so bad. I figure I should know something about electros before I go out and spend a lot more on a higher-end electro.

[StygShore]

Ion or Promaster?

Hows the ION compare to the Promaster?

I have a promaster now, and have held and fired a ION, but no long term use or anything. And I have not gotten to put the promaster through the ringer yet either. Pricewise, ICD is dumping Lasoya Promasters for 220.00 everywhere.


Styg

[Cheeze]

I've always used a Ion back in the day before I got sucked into the world of AGD. They are a nice marker to use if you don't mind the power of a 9v. I like any marker, lightweight ions to supersize beastly VM-68s. To this day I still have a Ion in my gear bag as a backup, treat it as any other gun I have and keeping it maintained.

[68magOwner]

ions are great markers, just get a lot of flack, because, a lot of new players/morons own them.