Most people who’ve played even a decent game of paintball will remember a great story maybe even just a single shot they’ll never forget, friend or enemy. The rush is surreal adrenaline, fear, and loathing all play a hand in the sport of Paintball. Whether it’s your first time out or your a long time player we all have one thing in common, we decided to get out and shoot our friends for fun. It’s not cheap, it’s not for the feint of heart, but it isn’t too serious either. There is a line that you get to draw as far as how far you want to take this game. If your comfortable spending less than a hundred dollars and getting a friend to come over for a one day duel you can buy a couple starter kits that usually come with enough CO2 to have a match or two (100 -200 shots) and call it quits. If you think that you’ll play more than even that one day, do not spend your money on a kit like that! If you have access to Ebay it’s a great place to find all sorts of great deals. Buying used is an excellent way to save money especially if you do your research prior to buying so you know what problems have come up since that particular marker’s release. My recommendation is ultimately to buy a decent condition used Tippmann or Planet Eclipse. Depending on your budget you can get these going way back just avoid the collectible area unless you don’t mind the premium pricing. Some classics like the SL94 are classics for a reason and are worth their weight in gold just being as light and solid as they are. Not to mention the “hot-hod,” mentality of the era just about ending with somewhere around 30 BPS mark being hit out of the box in some cases. But with great bps comes great welting and that got old pretty quickly compared to how fast things seem to run by in the paintball industry. The age old but heavily emphasized goal of accuracy and air efficiency now continue to be worked on by the great engineers of the industry. Who knows what they’ll come up with next but I think the community is about due for some innovation or an overall reduction of cost per player, for new players.
For the new guys
If there is a field near you and you want to give it a shot I highly recommend getting a mask first and foremost. Watch some reviews of people that seems to be similar to your build. Mike from Techpb or whatever he’s calling his channel now…(shout out Mike!) He’s taken a lot of heat for stating his opinion on some paintball politics and he tried to start a paintball oriented business that didn’t go too smoothly but, he made right by everyone that placed an order and did it with dignity. That’s a tangent, point is, he’s very knowledgeable and if you know little about paintball markers and their operation he’s a great resource. Also those of you who aren’t necessarily new but want a good brush up on various paintball topics and techniques check him out Mike Phillips. Mike’s Autococker timing guide is a must for any autococker owner. A much more modern and style oriented personality is Brad from Paintball Ruined My Life (PBRML). He does a lot of gear reviews and live shows to talk about the sport as it comes. He was a store owner for a while now you can find him at the SAC Paintball Store in Sacramento, Ca and on his youtube channel. As for you with aspirations of realism I recommend NightmarePB. He has a lot of magfed videos and some pretty hilarious paintball fails. Plus his channel is a bit more personal feeling than a lot of other paintball channels which is different but nice. And last for now anyone with aspirations of being a paintball ‘sniper,’ please, please, please check out Thehiddenhedgehog. His videos are amazing to say the least, and some of the shots he pulls are absolutely unbelievable. The way he tells the story of the battlefield is unparalleled to my knowledge. It’s as close to cinema as our sport has and I’m excited to see where this guy ends up not just on the field but with skills like his I don’t think a full length paintball feature would be too off the charts of an expectation.
Beyond the videos I recommend setting a budget and sticking to it, build your fantasy gear bag on paper. See where you can trim the fat, getting the right mask is key. Anti-fog and dual pane are not things you should cut out. Specific color ways, hot off the press gear, and extras is what your looking to cut mostly if you’re on a budget. I’m not saying wait a whole season just to save twenty bucks but sales are also a really great way to save some money. There are a lot of sites that offer a %10 coupon or better for joining their mailing lists, use those. I think one money saving tip that is often over stepped is buying an accurate marker. Paintballs are not cheap, so the faster you can get balls on target and avoid a snap battle or firefight the more money you are going to save. Although I remember switching from a 98 custom to 04 autococker and kind of missing the excitement of not knowing where the next ball would go exactly, it is a switch that was well worth the price of a used autococker at the time, cost $140. If you are going to maintain your gun frequently that leaves a lot more doors open for you, if not there are several good options and a couple great options depending on your budget. I know it’s going to sound a little high but to get started in this sport ideally you want about $500-700 for a good starter kit with HPA tank, mask, marker, hopper, and a couple cases of paintballs. If you are going to be playing more than just the average renter this is about the amount you want to have. If you are only going to rent again I suggest only getting your own mask and maybe paintball oriented pants, they will get messy. Here’s a list of what to get in order of importance in my opinion.
- Mask
- Marker
- HPA tank *not CO2*
- Hopper
- Good Batteries
- Tool kit
- Cleats with some ankle support
- Pants (paintball pants would be best)
- Top (paintball jersey is great for getting bounces but not necessary)
- Gear bag
- Pod harness
- Pods
This list could be expanded to include a tournament gear bag which would include more specific and “extra items.”
- Barrel swabs
- Barrel kits
- Rebuild kit
- Additional marker(s)
- Headbands
- Gopro (to study team dynamics)
- Different size HPA tanks
- Padding for neck, arms, shins, chest, and groin (male and female)
- Ball hauler – makes refilling pods much easier and faster
My current recommendation on best value for used markers is Planet Eclipse. They make a great product out of the gate and when you buy used your avoiding a lot of possible depreciation. I picked up a nice GEO 3.5 for $650 with some extra barrel backs, but they can be had at less than $600 at times. Do your research as to where you are going to be able to play and get a maker that fits your scene and your budget.
mvousdesign 