Welcome
Joff,
If you want to get your own marker, you would be best to try as many out as possible. Paintball can be as cheap or expensive as you want, and what you need to determine is the level of commitment you want to go in at. You will likely find that certain marker's suit certain game / scenario types.
Before you purchase any of your own equipment you ought to get down to Sparklies for an Academy Day, or failing that a walk-on at something like L.P.S. (end of the month near St Alban's). A lot of the people who post on this thread are often there, and have a wealth of experience about Pball. I'm sure if your very nice they may even let you ohhhh and ahhhhhh over there markers (if your very very nice you may even get to breath on the odd trigger!!!). As long as people are polite I've let normal punters have a go on my Angel, and most others here follow the same policy (in fact some will spend hours helping you out / fixing your equipment).
We all tend to be biased re which marker is best, Tippmanns Vs pyders, Impy's Vs Matrix's Vs Angels Vs Timmy's, cockers versus electro's etc etc. So it's a very subjective and personal choice (likely influenced by your prefered game type). Some players swear by markers others turn the nose up, however these players are enjoying the own game in the scenario's they enjoy. It makes me quite angry when some people flame markers of which they have no experience off, or inject some marker snobbery into threads. Once i even heard a player say Angel's were cr*p markers because he had shot someone out twice with his Spyder. My response was, the marker dosen't make you a good player / baller, the marker's just a tool each with it's own benefits. Some players prefer limited paint, sniper type, woodland craft games, with accuracy over range. And others like fast moving Super Air games where Rate of Fire is crucial, and the game is fast paced in the open.
If you decide you want to progress to playing frequently or tournaments etc, a base marker may prove a false economy, and you will find yourself in a spiralling expense cycle which will likely end in re-mortgaging yours / your-parents house, alternatively you could turn to crime. The point I suppose is: the worst feeling in the world is being "out-gunned". It can also be easy to get a little dispondent in such situations, with games becoming turkey shoots; but remember some of the guy's your playing against may have invested 1000's of pounds in their equipment and have been playing many moons.
By talking to people and witnessing / taking part in the various scenario's you may find that with a little extra saving and with Santa just round the corner you'll get the marker and equipment you want. My ten pence worth.
Stongle(d)
Excuse the spelling my spellcheckers not working
