are ions really that bad?

itzyourboyraj · 08-28-2012, 12:20 AM

I'm just curious, are ions really as bad as people say they are? I have an original ion and an xe, havent yet played with them, but just curious to see what im in for.

BTW ima new player, been out a few times to play but thinking about getting serious into it

Tempted (Banned) · 08-28-2012, 12:58 AM

Meh they aren't that bad. Just the people who use them are. Mostly little kids who call themselves pros because they have an Ion and some Valken pants. When an Ion is working properly it is a great weekender. A lot of times they don't work properly because the "pro" thought they needed to disassemble and clean it.

theblindchicken · 08-28-2012, 01:03 AM

Most problems that arise when playing with an ion is all user error. I've got an epiphany and half an ion.. the only issues that ever come up is either a dead battery or something that got messed up the last time I cleaned it. Main reason why so much goes wrong, is because so many parts have to be removed to complete a thorough cleaning.

Soul06 · 08-28-2012, 06:40 AM

Bad as in what?
It's not bad as in "never works" but stock it can leave much to be desired. Things like consistency, efficiency and even bolt stick or FSDO could be problems you may face. That's why most people upgrade the internals as soon as they acquire one. But as far as being a working marker.....yeah it will work so long as you take care of it.

bhotz · 08-28-2012, 07:51 AM

It's a nice marker, as previously stated it needs cleaning and maintenance can be tough. You are better of getting a newer marker that is basically the ion, the GoG Extcy as I believe it's easier to clean though. GoG bought out smart parts if you didn't already know.

Soul06 · 08-28-2012, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhotz

It's a nice marker, as previously stated it needs cleaning and maintenance can be tough. You are better of getting a newer marker that is basically the ion, the GoG Extcy as I believe it's easier to clean though. GoG bought out smart parts if you didn't already know.

GoG didn't buy out Smart Parts. Smart parts went bankrupt. Other companies purchased certain patents previously owned by SP.
GoG is a new company created by the former owners of Smart Parts

dude1it · 08-28-2012, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul06

GoG didn't buy out Smart Parts. Smart parts went bankrupt. Other companies purchased certain patents previously owned by SP.
GoG is a new company created by the former owners of Smart Parts

Precisely.

As far as the ION, it's a great platform. However, as stated before, stock leaves much to be desired. I think I kept mine for over 2 years playing d3 events back in the day. I had well over $600 in upgrades (Bolt/can/eyes/barrel w/kit/board/grips/trigger/feedneck/body/screw kits/asa), and it shot like a dream. It's not hard to actually figure the gun out and clean it/set it up (dwell played a lot in mine with the new bolt/can combo).

If you consider the ion, you'll really want at least a new board, barrel, asa, feedneck, trigger, and bolt. Those are the essentials, I'd say. You can pick one up for under $150 with all of these upgrades and more on pbnation. People bashed ions because stock, they really didn't compete very well. Also, EVERYONE had one, then tried to offload them as fast as possible. It actually got annoying. And the "pro" logic, many kids used to think they were pro because they had a marker that could compete...you'll see the same logic around the fields today. The "hate" many had for SP also played into the bashing of the ion platform.

ashep01 · 08-28-2012, 11:46 AM

I had an ion and the only thing that i didnt like about it was maintenance. was such a pain if you didnt have the bolt out the back feature.

trouble5om · 08-28-2012, 07:38 PM

I have an Ion as a backup/loaner and never had a problem with it. The only downside is how you have to pretty much take the whole thing apart to lube the bolt.

kamdog211 · 08-28-2012, 07:52 PM

I had the first gen ION a while back and it was an OK marker for the money. The only thing I didn't like about it was the build quality. If you plan on taking it apart many times, the parts started to wear out quickly. Screws threads would get easily crossed. Of course it could have been all my fault.

For the money, IONs gave you a lot of bang for the buck.

trouble5om · 08-28-2012, 11:55 PM

One word of advice, be cautious when buying upgrades. Next thing you know, you dropped enough money into the ION to have bought a higher end marker.

Rebel_816 · 08-29-2012, 12:10 AM

ions are great little guns, i had one a few years ago. a lot of the issue was at the time they were the best thing you could get for less than $500 because the only other "entry level" markers were spyders and tippmans, so it attracted a much younger crowd because of the price. mostly teens that didnt bother to read the manual and learn how to take it apart and clean it/ perform maintenance, or how to troubleshoot it and at the slightest problem they started messing with the settings without having a clue what they were doing.

otherwise they're great, they arent hard to take apart, just a bit time consuming. people always bashed the plastic body, in reality its a nice feature because you can beat the hell out of it out in the woods or speedball field and wont see any scratches.

JC001 · 08-31-2012, 01:30 PM

cptnemo66 · 08-31-2012, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trouble5om

One word of advice, be cautious when buying upgrades. Next thing you know, you dropped enough money into the ION to have bought a higher end marker.

I agree! Thats why the ION isnt all that good of a gun. By the time you upgrade it to a "good" gun you have spent as much or more than a better gun.

Rebel_816 · 09-01-2012, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cptnemo66

I agree! Thats why the ION isnt all that good of a gun. By the time you upgrade it to a "good" gun you have spent as much or more than a better gun.

you can find them with upgraded boards, clamping feednecks, triggers, and on/off asa's for about $125. thats pretty hard to beat.

Milky Spore · 09-01-2012, 04:59 PM

no. especially considering how cheap you can get them used now. they're one of the best values. always was, despite having to upgrade them, nothing could touch them for the price point.

cptnemo66 · 09-01-2012, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel_816

you can find them with upgraded boards, clamping feednecks, triggers, and on/off asa's for about $125. thats pretty hard to beat.

If you hunt and have patience you could get an up'ed Shocker SFT in the $125-150 range. Doesnt make the ION look so good now. I know I would rather have the sft.

Tempted (Banned) · 09-01-2012, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel_816

you can find them with upgraded boards, clamping feednecks, triggers, and on/off asa's for about $125. thats pretty hard to beat.

You can get them cheaper than that. $80 for a nicely upped Ion is about average.

Racso · 09-01-2012, 07:07 PM

No they are not. People pay $200 for a gun and expect $1000 performance out of them. Are there better guns out there in similar price ranges? Yes. Are they completely useless? No.

cptnemo66 · 09-01-2012, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racso

No they are not. People pay $200 for a gun and expect $1000 performance out of them. Are there better guns out there in similar price ranges? Yes. Are they completely useless? No.

Never said it was bad, just there is better bang for the buck.

Tempted (Banned) · 09-01-2012, 08:00 PM

When an Ion is working it is a great gun. When an Ion is broken it is usually from user malfunction.