getting a new air bottle

[Connor Nourse]

i have a 'steel' bottle at the moment but i find it too heavy to play with during games, so i was thinking about getting a new bottle and i've seen that fibre-wrapped bottles are the way to go, so i was jsust wondering which would be the best one for me to buy? i havent got a massive budget either....thanks in advance

 

[Tom]

Just confirm if it is steel or aluminium
Most steelies are aluminium, and are a similar weight to the large fibre cylinders.
Hence if you buy a large fibre then you have not saved weight
Buy an equivalent fibre then it will be lighter then aluminium and much lighter then steel

There are some weights here for comparison
http://p8ntballer-forums.com/threads/bottle-weights.158899/#post-1444503

Get the right shape & size for you and the ergonomics are right
But note that it's not purely weight, but balance that is the true factor. If you get the right balance then you don't feel the weight.

Costwise a new fibre is approx £150, specialized ones with specific regulators or ultra light designs will be £200+
Second hand fibres usually sell for £80 irrespective of age
But check the dates, test status etc

For a guide I value fibre cylinders based on a rough lifetime cost of £200 including 2 tests (handed over) at £25 per test
Divide £200 by 180 and you have the 'value' by month, multiply by the number of months to its final date, then deduct £25 for each remaining 5 years to cover any future tests you need to pay for

 

[Connor Nourse]

Just confirm if it is steel or aluminium
Most steelies are aluminium, and are a similar weight to the large fibre cylinders.
Hence if you buy a large fibre then you have not saved weight
Buy an equivalent fibre then it will be lighter then aluminium and much lighter then steel

There are some weights here for comparison
http://p8ntballer-forums.com/threads/bottle-weights.158899/#post-1444503

Get the right shape & size for you and the ergonomics are right
But note that it's not purely weight, but balance that is the true factor. If you get the right balance then you don't feel the weight.

Costwise a new fibre is approx £150, specialized ones with specific regulators or ultra light designs will be £200+
Second hand fibres usually sell for £80 irrespective of age
But check the dates, test status etc

For a guide I value fibre cylinders based on a rough lifetime cost of £200 including 2 tests (handed over) at £25 per test
Divide £200 by 180 and you have the 'value' by month, multiply by the number of months to its final date, then deduct £25 for each remaining 5 years to cover any future tests you need to pay for

wow ok, thanks man,what bottle would you recommend for me? (roughly 6ft and use an etha if it makes a difference?) or wouldnt it matter?

 

[Tom]

A bit easier to illustrate graphically.

Each line is 6 months, and at the 5 & 10 years points you see a peak in 'value'.
Rather than straight line depriciation there is a cost to extend the life of the cylinder, so it drops in 'value' before the test then rises after the test.




This does not take into account the 'driving out of the shop' factor.
When you buy a new car you pay the premium of having a new car with the colour & specifications you want, drive it out and its value drops - because why would someone pay the full price of a car built to your specifications?

A new cylinder from the shop won't be brand new from the factory, so you still pay £150 for something new that will have lost one or two months life. Decide you want the next shiney thing and sell it then no-one will want to pay the full 'value' for your second hand bottle.
A secondhand bottle could sell for more in the first few years of life, but unless someone specifucaly wants it then they tend to go for £80. The secondhand buyer is quids in, and can probably sell it later for the same price.

Get to 7 years old and the 'value' goes below £80. However people may still be willing to pay that - for convenience of 'fibre desireability' without going all out £150 for a new one, or they can arrange a cheaper test locally. If the seller is not in a hurry they can wait for someone willing to pay £80.
As it gets older for VFM you should negotiate the price down or you're not getting the remaining life out of it.

 

[Tom]

wow ok, thanks man,what bottle would you recommend for me? (roughly 6ft and use an etha if it makes a difference?) or wouldnt it matter?

Hard to say what size to get for an individual.

It can be measured up that a bigger person can use a bigger (longer bottle) and a smller person a shorter bottle. But its not always so simple as your partcular 'comfort' position may differ.


Mike of TechPB shows how to measure how bottles 'should' fit a person

The actual choice of bottle shapes and sizes is now vast

He says the typical bottle is a 68ci, which won't give a big weight saving - but may still feel right.
The ideal is to not rush out and buy but to ask to feel some peoples bottles with your gun

 

[lizardz10]

45/4500 are good as long as you don't mind filling up after 6-800 shots