I've used an older X7, but not the newer phenoms, so here is my tuppence worth:
How important to you is it that the marker you use looks similar to the real thing and has space to hang accessories on it? If you are looking to go into the scenario side and want to look the part, then the X-7 could well be for you.
However, if you are not to fussed about a marker that looks like the real thing, or want to go towards tournament play, then an X-7 may not be the thing for you. X-7s are larger, bulkier and heavier than a tournament marker which can be a bit of pain in the arse on the field.That is why I got rid of mine and switched to tourny style markers.
If you look on these forums, you can get a decent starter marker for £100-200 which will do the job nicely (and will be far better than a BT4). Get one of these and start playing walk ons to get in the swing of thing, as well as learing how to maintain your marker using one that will not do excessive damage to your wallet if you break it by accident!
Once you have got into playing you can ask the other people if they will let you try out their markers on the range so you can see what different markers are like and see which one you prefer. When you have found which marker you like using the most, then you can look at buying one of those.
Hope this helps
