*** Help with Quality Paint Brand / Distributor ***

[Splats]

This question has been asked before, but my question is more specific than "best paint". It has been my experience in North America that choosing a good paint is dependent on 1) Manufacturer 2) Location 3) Distributor. In other words, a good paint can be ruined by a poor distributor and location may cause prolonged shipping, which in turn effects the paint.

My question is this: "What reputable paint manufactures are here in Europe?"

My team is looking for a good sup-air tournament grade paint and I thought that seeking out "local" paint companies and then looking into their reputation would help me narrow it down.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jonboyyow]

Sterling paint is awesome, we have been using it for a couple of years now.
http://www.sterling-paintballs.com/

 

[Chazum]

Sterling paint is awesome, we have been using it for a couple of years now.
http://www.sterling-paintballs.com/

What sort of sterling do you get?

 

[jonboyyow]

We have used Shield, Claymore and Mace

 

[jmelech]

I find shield bounces a lot, I've also not had great experiences with Dark Sports though some like it and H18 I avoid like the plague.

It terms of manufacturers in Europe I would recommend higher grade sterling but otherwise high end DXS/RPS from decent suppliers like BZ and LiPS

 

[Canon Fodder]

I've used a lot of Sterling recently - couldn't tell you which one, whatever jonboyyow's got on the day generally - good stuff, flies straight and breaks on the very rare ocasion I hit something with it.

 

[stongle]

I think you should ignore some of the above. You're not really seeking a brand, but a retailer or distributor. You want to be getting paint from a good retailer whom sells multiple quailities / grades or brands. As you rightly point out Paint is largely dependent on quality of storage and transporting. If "Sterling", for instance is poorly shipped and stored, it will be sh*t no matter what the forum advocates proclaim.

A good retailer will change paint for batch, grade or brand if a particular box is shooting a bit pony. LPS have a good reputation.

If on the other hand you and your team is a bit mustard, you might be getting paint from a distributor / wholesaler. In that case you can be a bit more parochial and / or vociferous in your brand choice. Generally you can expect better storage conditions and priority shipping. Back in the day we had Ultra Evil air freighted from the factory to events (you had too, it had a storage life of about 4 minutes). However, until you are factory sponsored you want to be able to switch brands easily. This is something you should consider no matter how much your "incentivised" buying discount is sold to you as "sponsorship".

Talk to retailers first, then make a decision on service. You owe it to the retailers to support the local stores - lord knows it's difficult enough in the current market! Manufacturer or wholesalers selling to the end customer is wrong and where UK ball went t*ts up.

 

[Splats]

Thanks for all of the advice. Especially Stongle, good point about helping out local retail. Had a quick chat with local "shop/field" and they are going to source something for us.

Thanks again!