[Xdanisx]

Has paint changed at all in the past 10 years or is it all just the same stuff?

[Starks]

Used to be a lot more oily. Fish oil. Tasted nasty. Today's paint appears to be more viscous and stays at the site of the break without being too runny. Today's paint washes out a lot easier. Caliber has also moved down in size.

[HPS Paintball]

Quality has also went down on the lower end paints.

[Xdanisx]

Originally Posted by HPS Paintball

Quality has also went down on the lower end paints.

Has quality gone up at all with higher end paint?

[drgonzo]

Originally Posted by Xdanisx

Has quality gone up at all with higher end paint?

Depends what your measurement of quality is. By some reckoning the current "best" shell in the industry is the RPS Advantage shell, which was introduced about 10 years ago. However the marking fills in modern top end paints were not around 10 years ago.

The formulas of today's paints for sure differ from past paints, from the same manufacturer, let alone <10 year old manufacturers. Whether that is considered a certain level of "quality" is up for debate -- there is no objective standard.

[Xdanisx]

Originally Posted by Starks

Used to be a lot more oily. Fish oil. Tasted nasty. Today's paint appears to be more viscous and stays at the site of the break without being too runny. Today's paint washes out a lot easier. Caliber has also moved down in size.

Why has the caliber gotten smaller? A way to ever so slightly save money as less product is being used in th paintball, or to help combat against breaks?

[Dyoel182]

Probably from better or different machines. There used to be space for air in the balls but todays are much tighter.

[Japy]

more likely a method of reducing production costs.. paint is significantly cheaper now then even 5 years ago. That same paint has also shrunk in size and lost some weight.

Paint today tends to be less oily on the shell, and stains a little less than 8years ago. IMO its also more biodegradable, but industry experts tell me its practically the same in that regard.

[Jinx18]

It's to save money. Say the ball gets 0.01" smaller. Doesn't sound like much but 2000 in a case and selling thousands of cases adds up quick.

[Xdanisx]

Paint is cheaper? Polar Ice is going for 67 online. I think 4 years ago it was like 50.

[Japy]

polar ice i cant speak for, but based on what ive heard thats because the cost of polar ice production has gone up.. last i heard it costs the same to dealers as marbs do.

i took a break from paintball back in '02 or '03.. back then paint was a minimum of 65 a case.. when i came back in late '09 it was around 40-45 a case for low ends. I remember paying 85 a case for marbs back in '97-'99, 70-75 for premium and like 65 for diablo midnight... evil which nobody ever bought back then was definitely over 90.

Today I can buy Evil\UltraEvil\Marbs for 60 a case at my local field. Naturally we only get ultra in periodically but still.. paint is far cheaper now then it used to be.

[Xdanisx]

Well I guess in my area paint has gone up in the past 4ish years. Iirc, tourny grade paint was going for 65 a case, now my local field is selling Heat for 55. I'm seriously thinking about changing fields...

[cmdrsuds]

Find a BYOP field.

[cmdrsuds]

Fox 4 paintball is in MA...

[Xdanisx]

Originally Posted by cmdrsuds

Find a BYOP field.

That's what I'm working on, but my roommate really likes the field we're playing at now and I don't have a car. We're gonna try another BYOP field, hopefully it's something we'll both like.

Originally Posted by cmdrsuds

Fox 4 paintball is in MA...

I'm at school, brah.

[Barney]

The quality of paint is definately down. I have to wonder if the more environmentally friendly formulas are to blame.
Barn

[Xdanisx]

Originally Posted by Barney

The quality of paint is definately down. I have to wonder if the more environmentally friendly formulas are to blame.
Barn

Are tourny grades worse too, or just on average paint is worse? I mean I'd assume if your gonna pay top dollar you better get something equaly as nice, nawmean?

[Barney]

The ultra evil is still pretty awesome stuff though I don't think it's as consistent as some of the old evil.
Barn

[die.another.day]

Originally Posted by Barney

The ultra evil is still pretty awesome stuff though I don't think it's as consistent as some of the old evil.
Barn

The old evil is classic paint. Best paint ever made.

[theVicious1]

I think its better. High end paint is more brittle, has a thicker fill, has a longer shelf life, and is cheaper(I know that's not performance, but it matters). Evil and ultra evil are awesome, and I've heard a lot of good things about valken.

Some of the mid level paints are on par with some of the high end paint from 10 years ago and can be very affordable. When empire bullets (RIP) were available they were great. Round shell, pretty brittle, good fill, and bright colors. And if you can get xball podium it is literally a tourney grade paint with a killer shelf life, at the cost of mid level paint. I've shot it 8 months after production and it breaks on padded jerseys cross-field, real nice. Bang for the buck, that is my favorite paint to shoot.

Low end paint has gotten both worse and better, the flood of seconds paint having a big impact. Some companies do it right, most seem to miss the mark. I don't mind a thick shell with ugly colors and a thin fill, but the paint must be round. I don't remember which brands were decent because I won't buy them anymore, it pays to pony up for a good midgrade. The extra $5-15/case is worth it, you shoot a lot more when it doesn't go straight or break.