[YeloSno]

Hey, I've decided to expand this thread with pics and some more information. Last thread I couldn't do that, so here goes. Sticky if you like. If you have a recommendation, kindly post it please.

Here's the best advice I can give about purchasing gear. the gun is highly preferential. I love older guns for their performance, style and value.

Buy as much as you can used, though be skeptical with masks. Make sure they're very clean, foam is 100% in tact, and there aren't missing pieces.
With Clothing, avoid clothes with tears and stains if you can, make sure to wash them right when you get them out of the box, try avoiding using bleach.


1st things first, here's my recommended and proven hierarchy of purchases.

1. BY FAR the most important item, the protective equipment. Purchase the best you can (doesn't mean most expensive. branding is a big part of price differential), don't skimp on protection! A shot to the eye because your mask is uncomfortable or foggy is the worst way to end your time playing paintball permanently. Likewise, falling on something that will wreck your knees is a great way to make the rest of your life a lot more annoying as well.
   
   
   
2. Look into these masks:
   
   Empire E-Flex The eflex is an attempt to combine some of the best features of one of empire's previous top of the line mask with the features of empire's best selling mask. The Empire Event and the JT Proflex. Aside from this mask being somewhat uncomfortably narrow for some people, it offers the same amazingly god like airflow of the proflex, but with a lens replacement system that isn't an aggravating pain in the *** to handle. One downside is that it then doesn't have proflex-tier visibility, but tradeoffs are tradeoffs. Still a good mask.
   
   JT Proflex/Flex7/Flex8/Flex Revolution The proflex is the bestselling paintball mask to date due to simple, modular design, lightweight parts, extremely wonderful airflow (good as it gets, really), and perfect visibility. The downside is that the lenses are a real ***** to install and maintain compared to all these quick-changing options.
   
   Vforce Grills and Profilers are a phenomenal choice, too, but the Single Pane Lenses will fog up in colder climates, however. VForce now uses Dual pane lenses, so the masks are now all-weather and WELL worth the price. They're my go-to choice now after using only proflexes from 2006 (when I started) to the end of 2015 (when my mask finally kicked the bucket and it was time for me to try something new)
   
   Virtue Vio These are what killed the i4 (which sucked, anyways) in my opinion. They're somewhat modular and have improved airflow while maintaining a comfortably small profile for a mask. The aesthetic game is definitely on point, but that doesn't stop people from developing hideous color combinations. The "foam" on these are actually really nice and visibility is great in non-mirror lenses.
   
   
3. Hoppers. Pretty dang important. I've went through only TWO main hoppers through my entire life as a paintballer (long time).
   
   The ones I'd advise looking into are:
   Invert Too With the $8 Empire Freeway and the $13 Magna Clutch Drive, this loader is one of the most cost effective anti-jam-integrated-programming ball feeding player killers on the market.
   Pinokio Loaders Pros: CHEEAAP, super consistent feed rate, lightweight and durable design ||| Cons: lol they kinda ugly, it's got some parts to it
   Empire Prophecy Z2 Pros: cheap, low profile, top 5 pick, light ||| Cons: Smaller capacity, lots of parts.
   Dye Rotor Pros: SO DAMN DURABLE AND RELIABLE. EASY maintenance. Used rotors <$80 = amazing investment, best choice for guns without eyes, batt. efficient ||| Heavy, ball capacity technically on the lower side, taller than competition
   Hard Corps Torque 440 Loudmouth Pros: light, simple, cheap as ****, feeds fast and reliably ||| Cons: good luck finding one
   Vlocity Jr./Sr. Pros: Cheap, Simple, Feeds great, holds lots of paint ||| Cons: tall, loud, not battery efficient
   Virtue Spire Pros: shortest and lightest quality loader, feeds great (not on every gun though...), durable as **** ||| Cons: Expensive as ****
   Valken VMax2 Basically the modern rendition of the JT Revvy/ReVLution: Simple, not many parts, durable, doesn't feed very fast but plenty to be perfect & cheap option for mechanical and pump play
   
   If you're short on cash and a beginner, look into the JT/Empire ReVLution/Revvy (Or the Invert Reloader, same thing, new style) hoppers. phenomenal, reliable, consistent and cheap at ~$25
   
   
   
4. Now that that's dealt with, look into a tank. Try to buy new if you can, if not, get a tank born within 3 years of current date or newer but is used. Info about the brands out there:
   
   ok so awkward time: most tanks are sourced from a very small number of places and due to recent events, this section will look very different.
   
   Guerrilla/Tiberius/First Strike - It's better to avoid these, in my opinion. The brass internals lead to a lot of internal destruction in these and it hasn't gotten any better with the years and Tiberius's acquisition, then consolidation.
   Crossfire - These used to be of the most durable and reliable of the bunch and the best of their time. I have a box of the blue and red label regulators they used prior to the SS regs. After around 2011 or so, quality took a sharp decline and they are now out of business.
   Ninja - Pretty decent. Seems like the go-to, but I'm not a big fan of them. They are one of the most innovative brands, but their execution wavers from time to time, so definitely do your homework on the tank you're buying before you do. Ball valves aren't incredibly reliable and most of their bonnets prior to the latest are pretty ****ty and susceptible to getting chewed up in your ASA.
   Immortal Air This isn't really new, but the company is run and taken care of by a legend in the industry who was head of Air America. His stuff is top notch - Dan Colby ftw.
   SAFER/DYE While the old Dye Throttle tanks were ****, this new one seems to be the most innovative and thought through tank design in a few years. The tank is some kind of polymer/carbon fiber tank instead of having an aluminum or steel core. I honestly have no idea what to say about these, but I have a feeling they might be competitive to Ninja, at least pricewise.
   PMI Anything that is Pure Energy/PMI is in good hands. Apparently these are some of the most consistent tank regs you can buy after the (Reactor II and newer). I've been hearing about Quality control taking a huge hit after KEE was acquired by GI, so I guess be wary of tanks made after late 2015/early 2016?
   
   
   
5. Pod pack and pods, also very important. Do not be afraid to spend a bit extra. I've used one pod pack for the past 5 years. A crappy one won't even last you 2 months.
   
   Great Brands:
   Empire (react, love em, has lasted me longest of all)
   Bunker King High quality, but comes at a price. HK makes knockoff versions of some of their products.
   Critical These will last much longer, but are different from the norm and take a little getting used to.
   Planet Eclipse Luxury NXe.
   Dye also super pricey, but comfy and durable and efficiently designed
   SLY sturdy as ****, stiff back support, low breathability, but the support is incredible if you don't scrunch yourself up and the padding is supple on the outside.
   Critical Paintball pretty awesome and unique, to say the least. Has a break in period and a really good and ergonomic design element
   Valken Flashy or no, they're as great of packs as the Empire packs used to be Pre-G.I. Period.
   LYSKheavier than all others and slightly expensive. Due to magnets over velcro, they last longer as well, but loosen occasionally)
   And finally, NXe (prior to Tippman --> KEE --> G.I. acquisition) - super famous for their quality and inexpensive products, they are now run by Tippmann, but it's still the same shtick...
   

This is all from personal knowledge over the years. Never rely on only one source for your information, please look around on your own as well as this is just the tip of the iceberg.


[color="Red"]

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTES TO MAKE

1. Protection and comfort/visibility are literally number one. Playing paintball with a slingshot is still fun, playing paintball and breaking limbs, exacerbating arthritic conditions, losing your vision permanently, or even getting aneurisms is completely preventable and unnecessary. Buy protection and the perfect mask first and make sure you aren't skimping (don't confuse this with blowing/wasting money) on it as that's what determines how your day and the rest of your life goes.

FINAL PRECAUTION: When buying used as a beginner, PLEASE, PLEASE buy smart! You can do this in a variety of ways:

1. If concerned, use a reliable third party member to facilitate transaction. Ask a moderator how you can do this and where.

2. BUYERS PROTECTION EXISTS. ALWAYS ****ING USE IT. ALWAYS. NO I DON'T CARE WHAT SOB STORY HE GIVES YOU: IT'S 100% YOUR FAULT IF YOU GET SCAMMED BY GIFTING/M.O. TO SOMEONE/ANYONE. If it's a big deal, cover the typically ~3% transaction fee. Paypal has this. Square register has this. DO NOT USE VENMO.
3. RECORD/SAVE ALL TRANSACTIONS/DISCUSSIONS FOR AT LEAST 180 DAYS POST-DEAL. You never know when you come across a scammer and the information is paramount to save your hide

[YeloSno]

Now you're ready for a gun. buy used, saves you loads of money and you get super high performing markers (what we call guns) for the same price as a new low or mid-grade marker.

There are 2 main categories of the higher end markers.



1: Spool valve (Dye, Proto, Smart parts markers excluding the impulse and nerve, Dangerous Power excluding fusion, and Hostile Creations) these are markers where all the functioning and moving parts are concealed inside the marker. They're smoother, quieter, and the more efficient ones cost more unless you're going to be upgrading them. These are generally higher maintenance, but are also lighter and most often have a lower profile than a poppet (excluding certain Inline-Poppets like the Mini or gen2 Marq). Spool valves are naturally an inline system where the valve is behind the bolt in a "sleeve". Spool valve markers typically require synthetic or Dow33 based Grease and must be cleaned and relube after every case of paint or two to maintain its internals. ALSO: Dump valves like the Dangerous Power "G" Series and the Planet Eclipse Geo Series are basically dumbed down spool valves. They tend to be far more air inefficient, but are simpler to build and maintain for that matter. They are also far more durable to stupidity.

Examples of spool valves:




Smart Parts Ion







Smart Parts Shocker HE bolt







Pre-2k7 Dye Matrix Bolt System







First Endeavor Paintball (FEP) Quest (2007)







Dye Matrix








MacDev Droid







Eclipse SL91 (on the left. It was designed to be the SL91, but was cancelled, then later turned out to be the Eclipse Geo2, which is still the simple dump valve that the Geo was, but with a sprung propshaft, or guide, and a much higher quality bolt system)
The SL94 is a Stacked tube poppet valve (shown to the right)




2: Poppet valve (Egos, Intimidators, Marqs, Invert Mini/Empire Axe, Alien remains, Independence, Dangerous power Fusion series, Mokal Aura, etc.) (Bob Long makes inline poppet valves, which also have concealed bodies, they are called the Marq Series). These markers are typically louder although more consistent (tighter shot grouping) as well as efficient (more shots per fill of an air tank) stock. They are much lower maintenance, but still need to be lubricated and have more parts to take care of as the system is naturally mechanically assisted. Poppet Valve markers usually tend to have more "recoil" or kick, and have far more parts inside than a spool, ie; Springs, valve stems, cup seals, Rams, and bumpers, etc. ALTHOUGH poppets are still incredibly durable when maintained properly and not thrown into a tree, ocean or volcano, with lack of proper maintenance, they will fall apart on you. Poppets also tend to have a lower resale value than spools for the most part, so if you want a quality gun for less, best bet is getting a poppet. (EXAMPLE ONLY) An ego7 (2007) runs for about $275- $300 when a dm7 runs for about $280-$320.


How a typical poppet works.

LPR (Low Pressure, or Horizontal Regulator): Supplies air to solenoid and Ram (the thing that moves the bolt). The lighter the ram, the higher your pressure will tend to be (to a certain point) when dropping it in. As the spring breaks in, you can lower the LPR. All markers (exc. cockers) have LPRs which typically should be kept below 100psi. A consistent LPR helps with preventing paint from being chopped and your marker from shooting inconsistently.

HPR (high pressure, or Vertical regulator): This supplies are to the valve which then escapes through the bolt and behind the paintball. These are vital for a consistent shooting paintball marker.

Ram: the metal stick with bumpers that uses air and/or springs to move the bolt (that's attached from above) forwards and backwards, thus cycling the paintmarker. The ram is also used to strike the valve open, letting air in through the bolt and behind the ball.

The valve: Sometimes a Balance valve (pressure controlled poppet) or a poppet valve (a valve with a seal held in place and reinforced by a spring.), this is in front of the ram and routes air from the high pressure reg to the bolt and ball.

NOTE: Tippmanns are also poppet valves, they go under the "inline poppet" category, where the bolt is in front of the poppet valve instead of on top of it, and in this case, the Tippmann markers (except the X7 Phenom) use a power tube and hammer instead of a ram-poppet system, which is like a more durable and more simple version of a ram.

Examples of Poppet Valve Markers:



Bob Long Marqs, Edge and Darq







Atomix Abomb Generation 3 (Bob Long) Intimidator







Infinity Legend






WDP Angel Gothic A1 Fly







Debounce1's Liquid X mill ICD bushmaster

[img][/img]




Immortal Viking with Ultralite frame








Autococker Valve System (Stacked Tube, Closed Bolt)







Eclipse Ego System







Invert Mini (Pressure Controlled inline Poppet)




3: Pump Markers (Snipers--cockers converted to pumps, Phantoms, Metadyne Pump, Sanchez Machine SM-1, Palmer's Nasty, Punisher's Phantom, Nelspot 007, PGP markers, STP markers, ACI Maverick, both Trracers, TigerShark and so on...) Sniper pumps are essentially a manual operated poppet valve in its purest definition. They replace the cocker's pneumatics (ram, Low Pressure Regulator, and 3-way or Solenoid) in the case of a cocker and put a Pump handle in place of that which attached to the pump arm, pushes the back block backwards in order to cock the marker for each shot. All pump markers work this way, except the way they are designed to perform that action are slightly different. With Phantoms, Punisher's markers, Palmer's pumps, and markers of the like function by the Pump motion pushing back the bolt, which allows air through a valve, which is stored behind the bolt when it is pushed forward into firing position. When you pull the trigger, it trips a sear, which then opens the valve and releases the air through the bolt and out the barrel behind the ball.

Single tube (body) pumps are "Nelson Style" and Stacked Tube (1 over the other, like many shotguns) pump are considered "Sheridan Style".

Pump is far more economical, the markers will also last MUCH longer than spools OR mechanical/electronic poppet valve markers. The maintenance on these are almost zero, this style of play will lead you to be more accurate as well whenever you switch over to a semi/full auto marker. Why play pump? Well, it's damn fun and is full of soul





Chipley Machine (CCM) S6






How a sheridan style pump works (PGP as an example)







Warped Sportz 2001 Dark (VF) Cocker that was mini'd and converted to a Sniper




ALSO: Cockers are poppets as well, but different kinds of poppets. They are still a stacked tube poppet like the ego, but they have a closed bolt operation (bolt is all the way forward, sealing the ball into the barrel of the marker, when it fires, it shoots, cocks the gun, then seals off and shoots). This makes it more susceptible to rollouts so a smaller bore barrel is necessary if you want the paint to fly at your opponents and not a couple inches in front of you. Cockers have the cocking solenoid on the OUTSIDE of the marker, on the front block. The front block ALSO holds the Ram and LPR in place as well. Cockers can be incredibly consistent and efficient markers, but take a bit more time and energy maintaining and tuning them. They can be quiet and smooth like a Spool valve, yet have the efficiency and durability of a poppet.

[YeloSno]

Extension of post 1

Brands to trust in general.

Empire/KEE/JT, Planet Eclipse, the rest listed above for other items aaaaand....

MacDev The wizards from down under. Their stuff isn't the cheapest, but they generally make end-all products.
Sanchez Machine The look may be simple, but the functionality is prime. Used, they're well priced too.
Lurker Paintball, BOSS Products (for their Axe stuff), Thin Air Sports, Nummech and Inception Designs These 2 companies have more ingenuity, science and love in their products than any other right now. Whatever they make, they make the best of. No. Seriously.





Extension of post 1





Don't forget, just because a marker is "old" or the manufacturer is out of business does not mean the guns suck AT ALL. For each brand, there are thousands of dedicated followers and machinists that continue to provide parts and services for those markers!

Great Value for Pumps under $300:

• Empire and PMI Trracer, ACI Maverick, WGP Ranger, Kingman Hammer, and basically all bargain nelson style (single tube bodied) guns.
  
• Azodin Kaos Pump (all generations)
  
• Phantoms (if you're into that stuff... They're actually phantastic platforms, just a love or hate style, though, yet super modular )
  
• Snipers, which are just cocker-spec bodied pump guns ((Just be careful. The quality of the pump is HIGHLY dependent on the components within. With a Pump, you want a heavy hammer, soft to medium-soft springs, and high quality valve such as a Check-IT, CCM, PPS (palmers), Maddman, TJD, Niche, Belsales, Karnivor, so on so forth))

Great Value for Poppet Valve Markers under $500:

• Many Cockers
• ALL Empire/Invert Inline Poppets (Axe/Mini)
• Infinity Legend
• BOB LONG MARQ SERIES
• Bob Long Intimidators generations 2/3/4/5/6 (have dow55 or something with dow55 in it on hand)
• 2009 Alien Independence and newer (also known as Alien Indy/ND), Alien Invasion
• Smart Parts or JT Impulse
• ICD Promasters and Bushmasters (Upgrade city)
• Although they are a lot of work at times, pretty much all Angel/WDP guns out there except a stock A1.
• MacDev Cyborg 06, 07, and RX
• Vanguard Creed (V2/AR-V, same ****)
• Valken Proton
• ALL Dangerous Power Poppets (Fusion series, etc)
• All Azodin guns made after 2011
• Planet Eclipse Ego7/8/10/11/LV1
• Planet Eclipse Etek5 (holy **** this gun is amazing. It's a CSL in LV1 skin, basically)
  
• Keep to note this list will expand as time goes on and more and more guns' values in the market drop as new tech that's kind of pointless comes out. Same for the spools and pumps.

Great Value for Spool Valve Markers under $500:

• DYE DM6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15 (yeah they're boring, but they also generally work pretty decent)
• Proto PM8 and Proto Rails 2011 and newer
• Vanguard Demons are pretty cool, but finding replacements and service centers is hard.
• Smart Parts Shocker SFT and/or NXT (no performance or compatibility changes except longer frame and body, BB eyes and t6 aluminum body) (This includes all special private label shockers like Octane NXT/SFT, Hybrid Traitor/Hybucci Traitor NXT/SFT, Strange SFT, Toxic SFT, etc) (Best bang for buck)
• Smart Parts Ion (Yes, Ion)
• GoG eXCTy/eNVy (basically a really, really nice stock Smart Parts Ion/Vibe. These do WONDERS with a DeadlyWind Hollow Point u3 or NewDesignz Skeleton Bolt System and a Clippard QEV)
• ICD Freestyles (7 and up - highly suggest you be a fan of tinkering and have the determination to do a job right)
• ALL MACDEV Spool valve markers
• Planet Eclipse Geos with the Geo 3 or IV core within it as well as the Gtek (also a killer deal)
• Dangerous Power G4/G5 (Especially with a Two Fat Guys bolt engine (seriously, please buy this in conjunction with your G series. as well as some Lurker Lube as stock DP lube is ****)

in the end, it's all personal opinion. I love all sorts of guns, which you can see from checking my curator corner thread

hope I helped

here's a random suggestion...
Buy
- any decent name brand 4 or 5 slot pod pack
- 68cu/4500psi tank (Tanks have a 15 year lifespan, so as long as there is at least 8 years left on the tank, you should be absolutely fine and will have something recent enough to keep you happy until it spoils) ($50-90)
- Invert Mini ($120-$150), Empire Axe ($220-$250), Smart Parts Shocker NXT ($200-$250), 2007 Macdev Cyborg ($200-$250), Bob Long Vice ($250-$300), Bob Long Protege ($180-$250)
- JT Proflex Mask ($40-$60, I suggest buying and installing a second strap; $5-$15)
- Knee or Knee/shin pads ($10-$50) Arm/Elbow pads ($10-$35)
- Empire Z2 ($50-$75), Invert Too ($30-$50)


Also: Mechanical guns are totally chill and fun options as well. You'd be surprised how awesome a non piece of **** mechanical gun is to play with. You'll see people who have played anywhere from a year to 2 decades rocking things like a cocker or a built azodin completely shamelessly. Paintball is about finding your happy spot and taking advantage of it!



I prefer shockers, minis, or axes, currently for a beginner "tournament" or "speedball" or "all purpose" e-marker, there's a million ways you can customize them to make them work to your satisfaction, and if you can master maintaining and using one of these and the platforms are very forgiving.

When buying markers (last step) buying used is the best way you can go. You can pick up a high end, $1000+ msrp'd marker that's just a couple years old for the price of a BRAND NEW mid-range or even low-end marker! They're always lighter, smoother, and more efficient and consistent compared to the low end or mid end marker and can most likely outlast them in your gearbag and in general.

One more thing: I am NOT saying that the newer low end markers are terrible, by all means the New Spyder Electra ($145) can perform almost on par (will reliably shoot 12.5-15bps) with an older DM or Ego, it's just heavier, less efficient, louder, less ergonomic and less consistent before any modifications are done to it. Of course, all of this can be upgraded to make it a beast of marker in time, but as far as the greatest bang for your buck for a stock marker goes... Look into older High End markers or newer midgrade markers.

Want to give back? Now's your chance to help! If you know of any rare paintball information, media, vintage content, well composed HD shots of paintball guns and gear of all sorts from all eras including all the mods and upgrades of the time, contact me and ask how you can contribute to my everlasting public database!
https://drive.google.com/folderview?...Tg&usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?...Tg&usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?...Tg&usp=sharing

[pizzapowers]

This should be stickied immediatly, very good information, just a couple things IMHO
1. If your looking for a cheap good preformance hopper, buy the Viewloader VLocity ~$50, feeds 22+ BPS (important if you have a gun that can really mow) Guns with high rates of fire will be limited severely if your hopper can't feed the balls as fast as your marker can shoot them
2. Everything you can get used, GET IT! (with the exeption of a mask, as above stated) Buying everything brand new is EXTREMELY expensive. Especially on this site, most items are only lightly used and have been taken very good care of. Heres an example of a typical setup, bought new and used
NEW-2011 Proto matrix rail(great entry level speedball marker) 300, Dye rotor 140, 48/4500 tank 130
Used-2011 Proto matrix rail ~200, Dye rotor ~90, 48/4500 tank~80
Money saved- $190 and everything will be in the same working order
3. I COMPLETELY AGREE go with an older (pre 2007) High end marker over a new low end. THEY WILL PREFORM MUCH BETTER!! The only thing to consider is that their parts have probably been discontinued so getting them repaired when they break can be very costly.

Thats about it. great thread YeloSno hope this gets stickied you obviously spent alot of time on this

[zCyanidez]

Sticky it, but the pinokio should be added to your hopper's. Work great, and can be bought used for quite cheap.

[pballerfolife21]

Wow this amazing...hope people respect the time and effort it took to make this thread

[YeloSno]

Thanks, and forgot about the good ol' pinokio! Will do

[white-G NT]

stickied now, THIS NEEDS TO BE STICKIED lol, loved it but how could you forget pictures of the most popular poppets of all? egos, i meen u have a sl94 but you dont really touch up on it

[YeloSno]

I want people to see other options which are perceived as unobtainable or "unfavorable"

[Irish916]

IMO the pictures are a bit unnecessary but good info regardless. Nitrogen tank before hopper for many reasons.

Originally Posted by Irish916

The solenoid part has been beat to death...

Some different ideas. I'm assuming the player has a ****ty mask, spyder/tippman, gravity fed, c02, jeans, longsleeve, neck protector -esque set up.

a carbon fiber tank before a good hopper. A good nitro tank will work with any gun they buy for the rest of their career without wasting money to rent a steel tank or sinking more money than they have to into c02 refills when compressed air is free with entry. Makes your set up instantly lighter and more consistant. Plus you can't shoot very fast with c02 anyway because of the time it takes to convert from a liquid to a gas. consistency + lowered weight > unlikely rof limit raise.

Also I wouldn't buy new, you could and prices are much cheaper recently but It's still cheaper to buy a tank with a year or two left for $80-$90 and spend $20 to rehydro in the next few years. An out of hydro tank for $50ish + $20 to rehydro isn't a bad idea either.



my recommended hierarchy. Still assumes foggy mask/tippmann_spyder/gravity fed/c02 set up. I'd recommend starting with a spyder or tippmann to build basic gun skills and have very little invested if paintball isn't your thing.

Some useful tips
Don't get obnoxious colors, they don't look cool. Stick to black/red/blue/olive and you won't be made fun of. Applies for masks, jerseys, pants, packs, headgear.

Contrary to popular belief, khakis aren't cool and don't go well with 6 color proflexes. If your wearing khakis the only valid excuse is you're broke...like I can afford $25 a case at practice because I sold my paintball pants because the economy sucks, no one's hiring, and these were $3 from goodwill/they're stolen broke.

Get a gearbag somewhere along the line. Makes things much easier to travel with and move your gear and protects your gear how a duffel bag can't.

Don't bother with gloves, neck protectors or cups. Gloves are fine, I don't use them personally. Neck protectors are a waste of money, neck shots are uncommon with correct form your hands, forearms, mask, gun and hopper get shot most. Cups reduce running speed, chafe and are redundant with paintball pants as basically all of them have padded crotches.

Wear track or soccer cleats. You might have some soccer cleats already. Advantages are obvious. Don't bother with paintball cleats. They're heavy, expensive and generally inferior to a solid pair of nikes.

Don't upgrade gear on what position you think you play. Every player can use a 14 or 16 inch barrel without a problem. All packs regardless of 3+4 or 4+5 can hold about 7-9 pods, in a tourney most players carry 5-6, back players might want 1-2 more. Any properly tuned gun has enough efficiency to play back with. 45/45 tanks aren't a great idea for back players but it's very possible to shoot 6 pods and not run out of air with almost any gun.

As you improve you'll play a bit of every position because they build off each other. Corner players need to know how to play on the front lines, back center players need to be able to play everywhere. You also won't have time to change and reload a pack and switch tanks very often between points in tourney play where this applies most.

This list is written taking into account increasing player skill and importance of which skills to learn in order, as well as which gear gives a better advantage or removes a handicap the earliest feasible time for a smoother adjustment to tourney play.

1) Mask - older I3s, proto axis/pro axis and profilers are also great and about $50-$30. Paintball isn't fun when you can't see ****. A headband or sandana could also be gotten here. Sandanas are about $20 for a regular black or nothing special camouflage one, rare ones run for ridiculous prices. A headband or sweet band runs for $10 and under. Both keep the sweat [and maybe hair depending on length] out of your eyes, sandanas also keep paint out of your hair and some sun off your neck.

2) HPA - reasons above. Ninja, dxs, cp, crossfire, guerrilla air, macdev and dye are all great. $70-$100 depending on condition, hydo date.

3) pants and arm pads. Used pants on here run for $50-$25 on here. Proto, Dye, DXS, Smart Parts, Eclipse, and JT all make good pants. Knee pads with BDUs are an acceptable substitute. Get knee pads regardless if you don't play on turf or grass. Volley ball knee pads can work just as well as paintball pads. Don't try bike knee pads lol.

elbow/forearm pads - makes bounces off forearm more likely and you can slide without cutting up your forearm and elbow now. Most pads now days have thumb loops to prevent sliding. Older dye pads and new and old proto pads lack this and I prefer it as the loop digs in and gets me heated after a few hours. Dye, proto, eclipse, empire are all good choices for about $15-$35 used depending on condition. like new $35 pads > new $50 pads.

stick with a long or short sleeve t-shirt, don't buy a jersey right away. Save the money for paint and level up your sliding stat with your new pads and pants. It'll help for playing against better players later and making runs and short bumps without being shot...and you won't look like the jackass with a spyder and dye gear who can't shoot a bug out of the air.

4) a good hopper - Good hoppers allow you to set lanes if your gun can keep up and removes the handicap of a gravity fed hopper for things like shooting opposing players in so you can move up safely.

Rotors and prophecies are great. Rotors are very expensive new and run for the low $100s used. Prophecies I'm not sure, still expensive but less than a rotor. Halo B/Empire Reloader B/VLocity [and JR] are older but still good and run for about $30. I don't like torques or Pinocchios. I wouldn't bother with them.

5) a good pod pack. NXe, Empire, Dye/Proto make good packs for about $20-$40 used. The last 3 are smaller but feel a bit less stable. Nxe packs are bigger on your back but are arguably the best packs. The pro teams series are just different colors a black NXe elevation pack is nearly the same...but only comes in black. Stick to 4+5 and 3+4 packs. Anything holding more than 9 pods is stupid and useless. Get used to wearing a pack with a pod or two for recball. You might want the extra pod for when you use paint to lane players off break, shoot players in, and run and gun instead of strictly for head/chest shots.

6) a tourney competent gun. There's lots of price ranges and generally it needs to have psp ramping 10bps and semi. Honestly don't go below 06 but anything after 08 is going to be quite a bit more expensive. Don't bother with mid end bull**** like pmrs or anything dangerous power makes. You have much better choices for much cheaper.

$200-$300 range

dm6, ul'd pm7, ego6, alias intimidators, sft/nxt shockers, marq6/7/rapper, bob long protege and infinity legends are all good choices. All these guns are significantly better than the mid end stuff and saves you on average about $150 assuming a mid end runs at $400.

$300-$400 range

dm7, ego7, nicer private label shockers w/ aftermarket parts, Droid, BL Vice, and BL Closer are good choices. A bigger improvement from the last year than usual. Shockers are basically a perfect version of what you cold have bought slightly cheaper for lower performance. Droids are nice spool valves with amazing efficiency. The Vice is an higher end protege as the closer is to the marq6/7/r.

$500-$700 range

DM9, Ego9, Dye NT, BL Victory, luxe, Geo. First two are just big improvements from 08. The NT, Victory, and Luxe are different but great all round guns with some nice features like toolless maintenance. Geo is Eclipses spool valve, feels similar to an Ego, shoots like a spool.

$700 is more or less a waste of money imo. Bottom line is the higher price the nicer it gets. Everything sucks till about $200, increase in features/quality drops to insignificant after $700. Make sure you like your gun and feels good in your hands. You'll mentally play a bit better but anything works.

6) a jersey - all of them are pretty similar. They have ventilation and sometimes padding. Get one you like.

[YeloSno]

I would agree with you on the tank and hopper... But many fields actually rent out HPA tanks now, so it's not as big a deal anymore. The hoppers, though... Like hell they'll toss you something decent.

Playing pants, pads, and all that other equipment has been mentioned, but it's not vital for the vast majority of people.


It's been years and I still don't own a non-team jersey... And I don't own a team jersey anymore... and yeah. Never really was inclined to jerseys.

[Irish916]

Originally Posted by YeloSno

I would agree with you on the tank and hopper... But many fields actually rent out HPA tanks now, so it's not as big a deal anymore. The hoppers, though... Like hell they'll toss you something decent.

Playing pants, pads, and all that other equipment has been mentioned, but it's not vital for the vast majority of people.


It's been years and I still don't own a non-team jersey... And I don't own a team jersey anymore... and yeah. Never really was inclined to jerseys.

Yeah but most fields that rent HPA tanks rent steelies. Steel tanks are only better than c02...because it's nitrogen and it's cheaper to buy a solid carbonfiber n2 tank than rent a steely a few times

My list was written with intent on making the transition to tourney play easier and cheaper but is still usable for recball. Pads and pants might be unneeded for many people but regardless it doesn't mean that a pod pack, good hopper, and high end gun are more vital for them.

I'd assume if tourney play isn't route they want to follow they'd stop after ending up with a good mask, a low end gun, and possibly a nitrogen tank. That way playing is still more enjoyable because you can see and c02 fills won't rip through their wallet and neither will renting gear.

Jerseys are listed last because they really aren't vital and a t shirt & pads will do you just as well.

[YeloSno]

I completely understand what you're getting at, and if someone were to start playing speedball from the beginning, they should probably take your advice, but I'm sharing what I've experienced and what many others have who have actually kept their stuff and stayed in the sport longer than a couple months.

It seems that it leads to great results as the vast majority of people who start playing paintball will start in a recball field of some sort without inflatable bunkers.

[YeloSno]

added more info

[YeloSno]

and added some more info

[PA1NT]

Really great thread. One thing I would add would be an animated diagram of how each marker works along with the explanation. You have one up there and it really does help people understand how they work.

[YeloSno]

True that...

I'll get on that tonight

[pizzapowers]

Originally Posted by Irish916

Yeah but most fields that rent HPA tanks rent steelies. Steel tanks are only better than c02...because it's nitrogen and it's cheaper to buy a solid carbonfiber n2 tank than rent a steely a few times

My list was written with intent on making the transition to tourney play easier and cheaper but is still usable for recball. Pads and pants might be unneeded for many people but regardless it doesn't mean that a pod pack, good hopper, and high end gun are more vital for them.

I'd assume if tourney play isn't route they want to follow they'd stop after ending up with a good mask, a low end gun, and possibly a nitrogen tank. That way playing is still more enjoyable because you can see and c02 fills won't rip through their wallet and neither will renting gear.

Jerseys are listed last because they really aren't vital and a t shirt & pads will do you just as well.

Dude i don't know where you play but everywhere i play they'll rent you a steely for $5 tops compapred to a what $130 new carbonfiber tank??

[NoShaDow]

You should mention the Invert Halo Too now, it is pretty solid and in the B/S/T for like 20 bucks.

[YeloSno]

Hmmm, I'll check that and put that in.

But yeah, bought one for $25 off Zephyrpaintball.com a little while back. It's like a Halo that doesn't suck

[Nuuze]

Great info and good reading, thanks for sharing!