Is paintball too expensive?

[Josh Fergusson]

i agree its expensive but only if u arebuying ur own marker etc.

this is why lots of players move to airsoft as ammo cost and weapons etc is much cheaper in the long run.

 

[Tom]

It's not expensive, but it's not cheap

Buying your own equipment can be expensive, but there are setups available to meet a variety of pockets

If you cannot afford goggles, gun, hopper, pods & pod belt then you cannot afford to play
If you can pay the price of paint once a month then you can save up for equipment and instead play half as often until you have the gear

 

[T7ank]

It's expensive if you go full gear from zero.
But usually gear is less then 50% of all expenses over season. IMO it's better to buy second hand gear for recreational use.

 

[NinjaSquirrel]

Pretty much all my kit,apart from my i4s and playing pants,are 2nd hand.Ive only bought one marker new,and that had more problems than all three of the 2nd hand markers Ive bought.Yes it is expensive,but what hobby isnt?Id hate to think how much some of my mates sink into Warhammer,fishing or their track/race cars.
It does get alot more affordable once you have your own kit,just dont expect it to happen over night.Its taken me the best part of 2-3 years to get to where I am now,and Im still using a 3k steelie,and still hunting for 2nd kit.

 

[Harbinger]

Let's face it we don't like poor people anyway, And yes it is Expensive, Very! But cheaper than F**king about with cars for fun and you don't have to pay tax or insurance to paintball.

 

[alexd]

I think paintball is like many other sports, like golf. You can do it expensive and you can do it cheaply

There is a setup cost to have acceptable equipment. Which can be reduced by looking at 2nd hand and maybe not the premium or most popular options

Then you have running costs... one way to reduce this is to play pump at walkons. That will drop your paint consumption and make it a very cheap day (in relative terms)

The "problem" for most paintballers is that they are inherently keen to tinker or upgrade, resist the temptation and you can do it cheaply. Get in the habit of buying the latest and greatest, running multiple setups and not bothering how much you shoot = a big bill

What does make me chuckle is that it's fine attempting to negotiate a price... but most sellers are not desperate to sell, but some of the lowballs can be astonishing. One of the reasons I have never sold a single item (but bought loads! )

 

[Harbinger]

I think paintball is like many other sports, like golf. You can do it expensive and you can do it cheaply

There is a setup cost to have acceptable equipment. Which can be reduced by looking at 2nd hand and maybe not the premium or most popular options

Then you have running costs... one way to reduce this is to play pump at walkons. That will drop your paint consumption and make it a very cheap day (in relative terms)

The "problem" for most paintballers is that they are inherently keen to tinker or upgrade, resist the temptation and you can do it cheaply. Get in the habit of buying the latest and greatest, running multiple setups and not bothering how much you shoot = a big bill

What does make me chuckle is that it's fine attempting to negotiate a price... but most sellers are not desperate to sell, but some of the lowballs can be astonishing. One of the reasons I have never sold a single item (but bought loads! )

Can only echo this,

I started last July and bought a starter pack from Lips, included a Gryphon and a steel bottle, got fed up after day one, I got raped at the Campaign walk on ( plus people cheated ) So I bought a Bravo one with E-Grip, didn't like that, so sold it at cost and bought a Phenom, that broke as was old ( fixed now though ) and again still on the original steel bottle and Proto mask.

Now finally I decided to do it properly and in Jan bought a Mini, Guerilla CF Bottle, Halo Too and I4's, such a good choice to splash out rather than what I wasted but I suppose it was a good learning curve about doing things half arsed. lots of time and money wasted ( almost wasted still enjoyed the days out ), way forward for a Noob is to set a £300 budget, but a decent marker for £150, second hand bottle with a few years life in it, electric hopper and half decent Mask EG Tippmann's new one and job done. I've probably wasted that by now tbh.

And some people have no idea how to negotiate, always on the first day they throw a stupid price at the seller like he / she is some smack head desperate to get rid and shoot up.

Running costs I don't think are too bad on a Mini, £31 for a 5 X everything service kit, one of each every 8K balls isn't that bad but I know others can be a lot worse, Like the Phenom if Tippmann decided to be unpleasant and charge me for a new Flexvalve @ over a ton, would have left it with them I think but no twas free.

 

[Missy-Q]

Paintball is not too expensive.
People are cheap, that's the issue.

 

[Canon Fodder]

The problem is its too easy to get carried away buying equipment, most people start cheap, they go to a walk on and get shot to pieces, they convince themselves that the equipment is to blame. Since most sites now limit you to 10 or 12 balls a second this isn't what has really happened, what has really happened is the experience of the other players has got you shot, not your cheap marker but you don't know this so you start looking for another marker.

Instead use the money you'd spend on a new marker or a carbon tank on playing more, that's what will make you a better player.

 

[Buddha 3]

If you are still playing, then no, paintall isn't too expensive.
For a more complete economic explanation; what Missy said.