Complete beginner, any advice welcome please :)

[basktm]

Hi all, i'm wayne, :lol:l thought i should introduce myself before i hit you with a thousand questions.

Anyway here goes, me and my son have been going to sites now for a few months, we've been about 4-5 times, i've decided that its costing so much and also the equipment at these sights never seem to quite match up to the day, as to be expected.

I am about to take the leap into the unknown and get us our own stuff, i have no idea what im getting, so i thought i would ask you nice folk your opinions.

We want to take the next step, first to own our own stuff that we can use on sites, then and or find some way we can have the same fun without being held to ransom for paintballs.

i have spoke to a few shops and have come up with a basic starter deal that would suit us both (son is 13)

Extreme Rage X-Ray Thermal Headshield
Sonic hopper
BT delta or Omega

This would cost £220 as a package, or for £240 i could have the JT flex 8 thermal headsheild.

Also looked at these 2, more money at around £300 but if its substantially better then worth putting the extra in.
http://www.bzpaintball.co.uk/

check the proto rail package (£305) or the A5 started pack £310)
i do know that markers and masks are personal, but as i have no experience, exept the hire stuff at site im a bit in the dark, i have read through a lot of posts but am more confused now than when i started

So i would like your opinions on this stuff for this sort of money, and also links or numbers to where i can go other than sites where i have to pay for their paint

Sorry for the long post, but thought the more info you had the better

Anything else you need to know please ask.
thanks wayne

 

[Liam92]

hey welcome to the sport

well first off as far as markers go i always say the same: stay away from the "scenario" markers which are things like BT's Tippmanns etc. (generally any of the bulky ones made to look like real guns). instead i suggest going for tournament style markers (brands such as dye, proto, planet eclipse, invert) as they are generally: lighter, faster and easier to maintain. even if you keep playing in the woods these guns will destroy any competition for the exact same cash. so long as you use an electronic hopper then you will be good to go as this allows you to make use of the high rate of fire.

i can strongly recommend the etek range from planet eclipse as i have seen player after player abuse these guns and they will just keep working. on top of that they do shoot good and are a breeze to clean out, unlike bulkier guns like tippmann a5 which requires a bit more time and work.

however before buying markers the first thing to buy is a good mask. this should be your priority since a good mask which is comfortable for you and doesn't steam up will be more use than a shiny gun when you cant see personally i would not go for the full head masks purely because balls are much more likely to break, whereas if it hits a hat or something that you are wearing, its a little more likely to bounce. however if you and your son would rather go for the extra protection the headshield is a good mask, seen quite a few scenario players use them.

one thing you need to consider with buying tournament markers is that they do not work on co2 tanks, so make sure either your field can supply an air tank, or you can buy your own and make sure you have a place to fill it. if you choose to buy your own i would recommend buying a 68 cubic inch 4500psi (the air pressure it holds) fibre wrap tank as these will give you more shots, are lighter and more comfortable to use than the smaller steel tanks you are likely to see at a lower price range at online shops etc. it honestly saves you money in the long run because every player i've known to buy a steel tank ends up upgrading later anyway.

hope i've not thrown too much information at you if you have any more questions give me a shout.

P.S. i would just add that when buying paintball gear (markers especially) it is a little like buying a car. you can buy a brand new car for a lot of money, or buy the same car 2nd hand for a lot less. the for sale section of this forum has everything you will ever need, so you would be able to pick up some bargains. obviously if you would rather have the peace of mind of buying new so there are no problems thats also fine, but if anything does go wrong with your marker, there are plenty of places that offer repair services

 

[basktm]

however if you and your son would rather go for the extra protection the headshield is a good mask, seen quite a few scenario players use them.

yes at first we would or i would :lol: also we have been using Delta force sites mainly, and as a rule headshots dont count, so i always poke my head up and let it take the shots
Do you know which of the 2 i listed would or is better Extreme headsheild or JT flex 8 headssheild ?

one thing you need to consider with buying tournament markers is that they do not work on co2 tanks,

Thats the problem im facing, not knowing anywhere but the scenerio type sites (deltaforce ect), on these, well the ones i use, you have to use their air and paint and when they charge £120 for 2k its a mortgage to really fire at a rate you would like

Also i could be wrong but i have been told most if not all tourny markers are electronic not machinical and from what i know these sties wont allow you to use electronic as it gives a massive advantage ?

If i was to find other places to play then i would prefer to go for a tourney marker, but i have really no clue where to start or how to get involved, im based in somerset so any links would be helpful

Thanks again for all your help, i know it must be annoying to have so many people coming here blind

Also i assume im looking for walk-on or woodsball, is that correct ?
im not a fan of the speedball type thing, much more a stealth player than a run and gun maniac i really enjoy the scenario type games.

 

[jmelech]

if you have your own gear you won't be using sites like delta force and you will be buying paint for a lot less than that, I have no idea about sites local to Somerset but theres bound to be one nearby that does walk-ons. I have used my etek at delta force without a problem but at other ones it may differ.

Check out http://www.ukscenario.com/forum/ which is all about woodsball, they also have a walk on section like the one on this forum where you can see all the upcoming walk ons across the country and find one local to you (I have to drive 1hr30mins to my closest one haha).

 

[basktm]

i think its best i contact most of the centre we use and ask what they allow, marker wise.
i have found a few walk-ons near me, so this has really put the cat amongst the pigeons, so to speak

Their is about 10-12 of us that go quite regular, but its only me and my son that want our own stuff, to go a bit further in the sport. So decisions, go for comp stuff that might not be allowed in site games, so would still have to use theirs when we all go together or stick to walk-ons and get some good gear and lose the group thing ???

 

[Liam92]

like jmelech said as soon as you get your own gear you will move away from sites like delta force. Paint generally goes for £30 for 2000 for people playing regularly with their own gear at the walk on events mentioned. these are much more fun since you are playing against more experienced players and not just a load of guys out on birthdays, stag do's, youth group trips etc.
unfortunately i'm from the distant north so not sure about the sites near you but its likely you will find one reasonably closeby that does walk ons.

the flex8 mask is the mask i've seen most of, which is meant to be a bit more comfortable than the rigid plastic ones that you will be used to. a word of warning though: as soon as you step out of delta force headshots do count so its just another thing to consider

 

[Blue Beanie]

buy a tournie gun anyway, i'd reccomend this slg package here;
http://www.paintballwarehouse.co.uk/search.php?Category=22
it's a great gun and it comes with all that you will need and i can tell you that shop is the best

 

[basktm]

thanks so much to all that have posted.

and for all the help, that SLG package does look quite good and is the right sort of money for us

Got a lot to think about now i thought i kind of had an idea about what to get and now realise i have no clue what so ever

Can i go along to walk-ons and such and just have a look at whats going on and what people are using ?

Also thanks for the advise about the headshots counting as well, i may op for a mask instead of a headsheild, i can handle 1 to the head

think i'll take the advise here and look for a mid-range second hand marker and get us some good masks/headsheilds and then get the rest as and when time or money allows, i assume you can still hire the bits of kits at walk-ons and such ?

EDIT
also found this package for £300
Proto Rail
3000psi 48cu Air tank
Primo Loader
NXe 3 pod pack
3 x 140 pods
Flex Squeege
Ant-fog Mask
500 Paintballs

what does this sound like ? i assume some things would need changing or upgrading ?

 

[SabreWolf]

Full head protection goggle systems will not serve you well in the summer, you will steam up like your in the shower, aswell as cook to death.
Your not likely to take many in the back or top of the head anyway since people generally aim for the largest part of the body and also your usually facing your opponent.

For the amount of times your going to maybe take one to the back of the head, the full head gear has way more cons than pro's.
JT Flex 8's without the full head gear are perfect for what you need.

As for that package you have just mentioned, i would go for the proto rail package rather than the SLG cause they are more reliable.
The paint that comes with it will be rubbish anyway so you dont really need that but the rest looks fine to me as a good starter package.

Since this marker is an electronic trigger system, they are damn fast at firing, it will be completely different than what you have fired before when you have played, the loader may be fine for now while your just starting out, but i personally would upgrade it to a motorized loader at some point in the future because this marker WILL out shoot the speed that your paint loads into your gun with a gravity fed hopper when you have got used to using it.

 

[basktm]

ok guys, thanks for all the help, i kind of decided to go for a PMR for myself and thinking of an ION for my son, second hand, they seem both to be quite good markers and not very expensive.

My son will have to save up and pay for his (its a look after it type thing ) thats why i thought the ION would be with-in his reach in a few weeks.

Also mask wise we are still thinking of the JT flex 8 head sheilds, on the assumption, the top and back come off to leave just a mask ????

Need hopper advice now please, again probably going to try and find a sensible set on here second hand, so just need some ideas and names to look for please.

thanks again, and soon might see some of you on the field