New to the Gear Market -- Seeking Advice

[Xanten]

Hello all,

As you can see by my post title I am relatively new to the Gear market and after playing paintball around 7 times on Rental Woodsball days I have decided that it's time to make some investments in my own gear.

Now, whilst I'm not looking to go out and spend £500 in one go I believe it's a good idea to know what you want from the start and to budget accordingly .

The below sections should cover most of the Gear I'll need but there's also a lot of items I've seen mentioned that I have no clue as to what their function is, so I may ask for some help on those :

Mask :

My Specification -

- Thermal Lenses
- Option to add fan to help clear if desired later on
- Price Range of £15-£40 ideally
- Woodland Camo
- Available for Order in the UK

Examples I've been recommended -

- JT ProFlex 8 Thermal Goggles
- VForce Vantage

The JTs fit the specifications I believe but I am a little concerned at the fact your ear-lobes show. Are there any other examples I should consider - and why ?

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Markers + Accessories :

My Specification -

- Suitable for Woodland Terrain (reliable)
- 14" (Inch) Barrel (/ possibly Flatline)
- Comfortable hand grip for non-trigger hand = Possible extra handle or flat surface
- Price Range = Unsure but not too high preferably
- Black/Woodland Camo
- HPA (local site has said they will fill it, not sure which .psi though)
- Available for Order in the UK

Accessories -

- Red Dot Sight / Scope for slight zoom (Open to advice)
- Barrel Sock (2-3 ?)

RDS = purely for looks and show-off effect. Barrel Sock is required. Haven't put Hoppers/Loaders on the list due to the Marker I'm considering (see below).

Examples I've been recommended -

- Tippman A5

Seems like it's my top choice after the extensive research I've done, at close to £200 might be trouble though !

This is the set-up I was considering :

- Tippman A5
- 14" Barrel (no clue on best make) / Flatline Barrel (for increased accuracy)
- JCS Voodoo Folding Stock
- H18 Red Dot Sight (30mm)
- Double Trigger Kit

Below are a number of add-ons I've heard but am not considering at the moment due to not really knowing the significant effect they'll have and also due to a limited budget :

- JCS Red Hot Tube (don't know what these tubes do in general / where they go on the marker)
- E-Grip (I'm sure my site will only allow Semi-Auto anyway, with the function that makes the Market become rapidfire after a few shots have been consistently fired + the Trigger is held down - don't know the termnilogy for this)
- TechT QEPH (not going to lie, I have no idea how beneficial this would be)
- Polished Internals -- I'm guessing this is actually something everyone does once they have learnt how to care for their market

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Clothing :

- Black/Woodland Top + Pants
- Elbow + Knee Pads (if they're not built-in to clothing)
- JT Tournament BattlePack Harness (unless a cheaper alternative is available ?)

I am already in possession of gloves and suitable Astro-Turf trainers.

Examples I've been recommended -

- JT Pro Line 06
- JT Team Pants

However at those prices, yikes ! Are their suitable and cheaper alternatives ?

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Anything you guys could link to me for each of these sections would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards and many thanks in advance !

/Xanten

 

[onasilverbike]

Hi, and welcome.

To be frankly honest, if you are new to it all I would suggest buying new the first time, at least until you have a better understanding of the equipment. That way you have not only the manufacturers warranty but also the help and advice of the retailer to fall back on if you have any issues or queries. Often new players have problems with their own kit due to their inexperience, and a quick call to the shop you bought it from will often put it right in minutes.

One of the best you can deal with is LiPS, see them in the site supporters section, many members on here deal with them and either Jon or Chris will give you all the advice you need, as well as a cracking package deal to get you started. Call them on 01707 325007

 

[Xanten]

Thanks for the very quick response I was recommended by my local site to buy new until I've learnt how to properly care for the equipment - which they've offered to teach me during one of their new Rental Player Training Days.

Does LiPS have a website I can take a look at ? Do they do deliveries as well as I'm based in East Anglia and not sure whether their store is nearby

Many thanks again !

/Xanten

 

[Lump]

how nice to see a well put together post welcome

 

[Ainsley]

Mask: If you're looking at playing woodland, camo flex 8s are great for your price range.....don't worry about your ear lobes too much (are they massive or something?!)

Look on BZ paintball - think they're going for about £45 new.

Marker: An A5 with all those upgrades is going to set you back near on £250...... I still have my A5, but I wouldn't really advise you to get one.....you'll only want to upgrade down the line. I went on to an etek, then etek2 and now a Sl8r. A5s are slow to strip down, are harsh on paint (even more so with a flatline) and will cost you a small fortune in add on bits that don't improve things all that much. My A5 just its in its bag and has done for a couple of years now....only coming out every few months for an oiling.

For that money you can pick up a mint 2nd hand Etek2 or similar and a good hopper (halo) with an invert camo hopper cover (from LIPS paintball). Its easy to strip, quick to clean if you get a break and can lay paint down with the best of them.

Clothing: Get some camo stuff from the local army and navy store, its cheap and it does its job......spend the extra on a good pack like a dye.

 

[onasilverbike]

http://www.lpspaintball.biz/

Not all the stuff they have is on the site and if it is available they will get it for you, even if they don't list it. They have a fast mail service, usually next day.

 

[Xanten]

how nice to see a well put together post welcome

Thanks Nice to be here.

Mask: If you're looking at playing woodland, camo flex 8s are great for your price range.....don't worry about your ear lobes too much (are they massive or something?!)

Look on BZ paintball - think they're going for about £45 new.

Nah my ear lobes are fine, I just know it'd be painful if I took a shot there. BZ have them @ £45 new, which is what I was expecting. What about the VForce Vantages / other VForce masks, are they better/worse ?

Marker: An A5 with all those upgrades is going to set you back near on £250...... I still have my A5, but I wouldn't really advise you to get one.....you'll only want to upgrade down the line. I went on to an etek, then etek2 and now a Sl8r. A5s are slow to strip down, are harsh on paint (even more so with a flatline) and will cost you a small fortune in add on bits that don't improve things all that much. My A5 just its in its bag and has done for a couple of years now....only coming out every few months for an oiling.

For that money you can pick up a mint 2nd hand Etek2 or similar and a good hopper (halo) with an invert camo hopper cover (from LIPS paintball). Its easy to strip, quick to clean if you get a break and can lay paint down with the best of them.

Yea I've seen the Upgrades are quite pricey, hence why I think most of those will be accumulated over a long period of time. Interesting what you say about the A5 though, the reason I went for it is that almost everywhere I've been I've found people saying they've used theirs for 4-5 years and have loved upgrading it and don't feel the need to change it at all. What's the majority opinion really ? When you say 'harsh on paint', do you mean they fire it quite quickly which leads to more costs or ?

Clothing: Get some camo stuff from the local army and navy store, its cheap and it does its job......spend the extra on a good pack like a dye.

My brother uses normal Camo Trousers + a Jacket, does having that gear not give you the advantage of breathable material (preventing sweating, overheating + google fog) and also elbow + knee protection ?

http://www.lpspaintball.biz/

Not all the stuff they have is on the site and if it is available they will get it for you, even if they don't list it. They have a fast mail service, usually next day.

Cool thanks for that Right now I'm trying to just get a shortlist of what I want, then I'll work out what I can afford to get first (and need first) and then go from there.

Also, would anyone be able to assist me on the Qs I have about the different Marker accessories ? Still unsure as to the answer on some of those Questions I was writing in brackets :lol:

Cheers !

/Xanten

 

[campbell08]

What he means by harsh on paint is that the gun has more of a chance of breaking more fragile paint causing you barrel breaks which makes the your accuracy for that game terrible.
Personally i have owned a Tippmann X7 for my first gun they are nice guns for a MilSim (trying to simulate military) but for general woodlands i would suggest a electronic marker like the EGO's and DM's. You can get 05 EGO's for around £200 on here its what i did and it so much better. They are lighter you don't need to spend money on upp's and has a tourney legal board if you ever want to get into that

 

[Cam Mc]

TBH the chance of getting shot in the lobes is quite low, as the ''enemy'' are going to be infront of you for the most part.

I think you're better off buying a used etek/etek 2 for the price of an A5 just because it eteks are speedball guns dont think they cant hold their own in the woods. By harsh on paint he means that the bolt hits the balls REALLY hard, if your using a semi-brittle paint, prepare to get barrel break after barrel break after barrel break...i could go on forever.

Camo trousers/jacket will be fine, because it is quite breathable (i have a ghillie suit and it is awesome) i think if you get a good pair of pants and a good jacket you will be kept cool in the heat and warm in the winter.

Hope this helps!

Cam

 

[Ainsley]

I'd go for the flex 8s.....they are a good fit, you can pop a fan on them (like you requested) and they're a good price.

Don't get me wrong, A5s are work horses. My point is that after all those upgrades, you could have bought a very very nice electro maker that will out shoot an A5, be better on air than an A5, more consistent than an A5 and therefore more accurate to a certain extent (considering paint to bore match).

When I say harsh on paint, I mean they can get a number of breaks mainly due to the operating pressure being so high (around 800psi). A GEOs operating pressure for example is around 130psi, so as you can see it will be a lot softer on the paint, allowing you to shoot more fragile paint (or poorer quality paint) without as many breaks as you would comparatively with an A5.

There's no right or wrong answer - if you go to ukscenario where a high percentage of people use A5s, they would probably point you towards an A5 as that is what they use and know. I have both, but would still point you towards an electro such as an Etek for the reasons above.

If you can afford, get some real paintball clothing for the reasons you've mentioned. Empire now do clothing with a woodland camo feel, as do DYE. It just cost more, but you get what you pay for

As onasilverbike has mentioned, buying new gives you that piece of mind when it comes to your marker and stores such as LIPS, BZ, Warped and Just paintball will give you all the support you need. If you can get to a store, try a few out and see how they feel, ask as much as you can about them so you feel confident in your purchase. You'll know what is right for you.

Any other questions mate, just ask - I like to help