What markers hold their value the most?

[Andyb117]

Hello guys,

I am new to the sport and need some advice/answers, hope you guys can help.

Since I am only starting and need to buy all my kit, marker, loader, playing gear and so on. I was wondering if it is best to take a chance and go with second hand paintball equipment and save myself a few quid or spend a small fortune getting all brand new equipment?

Second hand equipment really appeals to me for the money savings but I would hate to buy a equipment that I think is in full working order and find its not upon arrival/first use. I want to save money not throw it away on gear that doesn't work like it should.

That brings me over to brand new gear and equipment. If i was to go down this road and buy all shiny new stuff I would have to worry about all the equipment being faulty or breaking as its covered under warranty. Only issues is of course the cost.

I will be playing speedball mostly. I will be able to spend around £1000 for all my gear but the more savings i can make the better.

Hope you guys can help!

 

[Devo]

Hi @Andyb117 welcome to the forums,

I can't speak on behalf of anyone else on the forums, but I have never had an issue with buying second hand bits. In fact I bought 2 Brand new Mini GS's and both were broke, i also bought a brand new 2013 Reflex and that too was broke, so i personally don't like brand new markers (probably just extremely unlucky).

But if your set up is around the £1,000 mark i would buy a second hand Ego 11 (or similar) for £400 (ish), spend another £60-80 on a second hand 4500psi air system (be sure to check the test dates), then the same again on a Dye Rotor. Thats your maker, air system, and hopper set up for around £550.

The rest of your gear comes down to personal prefernce, i love my Empire E-Vents but alot of people like the Dye I4's for the goggle of choice. Best bet is to try and wear a few of them and see what fee's comfortable. I would buy these brand new though, that way you get a bit more life from them and your looking to spend about £100 on these so your now up to £650.

Next up is your battle pack, again this is another item that does not matter if it is second hand or new, but I am a big fan of the new empire packs. This is really up to you and what you feel comfortable with, but i wouldnt pay more than £50 for your pack, so thats a total of £700.

now you have £300 to spend on trousers jersey and pads should you choose to do so.

Hope this helps?

 

[Dusty]

You've probably more chance of having issues with a brand new marker to be honest. If you buy second hand most of the time the kinks are all ironed out for you and the thing will run as sweet as a nut.

I'd buy a new mask and air bottle, they need to be well cared for from a safety point of view and you don't know if people are kicking their stuff around or not sometimes, plus you get the full 5 years lifespan on a new bottle too.

Loaders, markers and whatever else can be bought for decent money second hand.

 

[Canon Fodder]

I'd suggest secondhand, in fact in your situation I'd advise not buying at all at first. Us paintballers are generally an amiable bunch.

You've said you're interested in trying speedball. I'd suggest finding where you think you might play then asking on here who is going and asking nicely if anyone is prepared to lend you equipment to try both speedball and some equipment. At the very least you could turn up to watch and most of the players I know are only too happy to talk to people about thier kit and why they like it.

you might even find someones got something they are looking to sell at an event, at the very least it would give you an idea of what to look for secondhand.

Markers are second only to cars in terms of depreciation.

 

[phil-boy]

From a NEW point of view, New is good and does entitle you to some form of warranty, where as secondhand does not give you as much protection - But as Dusty said sometimes a secondhand marker is better than new because it should work fine and its already lost some of its new price tag. As to markers holding their value - thats a big Myth. Like most things once you buy a new item you will then loss some of its value just like driving your shiney new car from a garage forecourt. If you look at the forums you will get an idea of cost, the following is an example.

New Empire Vanquish - £1245 Retail price
I have seen a couple of second hand ones that are 6 months old going for £800 - £850 ish - There's one on here at present that's £790 odd and has been here for a while.

The way I look at my gear is that I want the best that I can use due to being in a sponsored team and will give me best value for money. As I change my kit on a yearly basis I have a rough idea of what the secondhand gear is worth and hopefully as the items are normally within a year of new still retain some of their value.

The other thing for you to think about is that your budget of £1,000 will get you alot if not all your items new (subject to the gun you want) and depending upon what you are playing could mean that after the initial purchase you keep it all for a couple of years before replacing, if in 2 years time your gear is worth £400 say then not bad going.

Paintball Gear is made to take a beating, most pants and jerseys do take lots of abuse and you can get a decent set of second hand pants for £50 odd, same with a jersey, its just a question if you want all the items to match colour wise or manufacture wise.

For your budget I personally would buy a brand new set of goggles and air bottle, everything else take a look on these forums. Guns are a personal choice and whilst I may recommend you to buy a Empire Gun, the next person may advise to buy a Planet Eclipse Gun, there is no right or wrongs on gun choice, but the best thing would be to try a few out and see how they feel in your hand. At your next walk on or tourney whatever you play, ask people to have a go over the chrono or see if you can use in a game. Most people will let you fire a few balls to get an idea.

If you did want all new then if you were to use one of the shops that advertise up the top of the page, most of them would probably do you some kind of discount for a bulk by.

Any more help you need then just ask, theres lots of good people on here happy to help out.

 

[Devo]

Maybe not quite so relevent, but the Planet Eclipse GSL seems to have increased in value (or at least not lost anything)....so maybe when the next run of limited edition Planet Eclipse guns come out you can "ball out"?

 

[Tom]

A little added extra that you get the benefit of in the uk even when second hand is the tech support provided at events

You don't get the full warranty but if you buy wisely for the types of events that you will go to and the manufacturers / traders / tech guys that support and attend those events then you get a high level of support available

Any problem you can have can get very valuable free tech support
They obviously are not going to do a complete service, rebuild and new parts for free

But go in with honesty such as 'I bought this off some bloke and it doesn't work' or 'I took it all apart and messed it up' then every tech in the uk I've seen at events will go that little bit further to help you out

 

[lettucecheesecake]

Second hand all the way mate. I think ive only bought 3 spankers in over a decade due to team deals. As others have said its still chance on either. It is worth doing some homework before you buy over on pbnation and see what problems seem to pop up and be in the know if you come happen to come across it. Lenses for your gogs would be the only thing I would advise to buy new of you get a set second hand even if they seem mint
The markers at the mo that seem to be holding the best value are luxes, you do need to drop some cash into one but with the latest oled being pretty much the same as the 2 they're holding their worth pretty well. Geo3's are going for 500ish but with the 3.1 and the 4 no doubt on the horizon the 3's value will inevitably drop. Based on what I've seen recently. Luxe 2 750.(geo 3 550) Z2 loader 60. gi bottle with 2ish years left 90. Thats 900 (700 with geo) for an up to date setup that will last easily 2 years if you dont become a magpie like most of us. If you're thinking of joining a team most now have custom tops maybe even complete kit deals.

 

[Kevin Winter]

I would ALWAYS buy secondhand. Even if it costs a few quid to get some issues sorted, or a full service done, then you are looking at a massive saving - usually at least 40% of newer markers,

 

[daniel ellis]

eclipse or tippman depending on air or woodsball