On/Off vs Standard Screw-In ASA

[BlindFaith429]

I know now-a-days, On/Off ASA's seem to be the norm, especially with all the new guns out on the market.

Is there any issue / flaw with the old-style screw-in type ASA's? Obviously there is the little bit of air leak when screwing in or unscrewing the tank, but is it really that big a deal?

[Toestr]

Most of the cheap HPA tanks use an aluminum bonnet, which wears the threads on the tank very quickly. You almost need to put antiseize on the threads. Brass and steel bonnets are much better.

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[RAZRBAKK]

For me it's a safety feature. I de-gas between games, and I'm never charging a tank that's currently supplying air to my gun. I will eventually on/off every gun I own.

[Seajay]

Not really... the screw in ones are pretty simple and if they leak just change the o-ring/lubricate.

The lever style ones had the most inconvenience to them... Some of them were harder to use, and the lever could get caught on something degassing your whole marker.

The only major difference I can think of is that some of them degass the marker, and some don't. So.. turning off the air supply can still leave your marker pressurized and get a couple of shots off.

[MrBarraclough]

Even with the ones that vent, most regulators tend to act as check valves, so often there is 1-2 shots worth of air still in the gun even after degassing.

[gabe]

I use both and only prefer on/off ASA's because I can plug a tank into the gun and keep it displayed or play with it without the gun being aired up. My real preference is for a straight out the front air fitting on the ASA so whatever is available that keeps the hose fittings centered and no sticking out to the side.

[Jonnydread]

I use them out of pure convenience on any of my bottomline guns, but I've never had a real issue with the traditional screw-in ones.

[MrBarraclough]

Less likely to chew up o-rings and/or tank threads when you can easily degas before removing the tank. Yes, I know that proper unscrewing technique will degas before getting the tank all the way off. But venting past the tank o-ring and out the threads can still stress the tank o-ring.

It's also very nice to be able to flick a little lever or knob on the ASA to instantly stop a leak whenever you suddenly have a macro line go bad or you pop an o-ring somewhere and start leaking down the barrel. And it is much easier to test out repair/replacement jobs at the field where you might not have the remote line with slide check handy that you usually keep at your workbench.

[RedLeaderSB]

I don’t know why it isn’t common knowledge to grease bottle threads and orings.

[Seajay]

PPPSSSHSHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

[Cdn_Cuda]

Mostly just liveability. An on/off is just nicer to use than fighting to unscrew a tank out of a standard ASAs. I know you can just shoot while unscrewing, but just flipping the on/off is way nicer.

[Grendel]

I use both and prefer On/Off with vent for ease on me physically and the bottle's oring. I "upgrade" everything that I can while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing setup.

[gabe]

I will say this: it's hard to get away from CP on/off asa's on everything. The direct mounts just work super well and are cheap.

[BlindFaith429]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I didnt think such a simple question would draw so much discussion.

On my AC I'm building, I've got a standard ASA, but was considering converting to an on/off unit. However, trying to find a specific one in a specific color, and the part has been long since discontinued.

May have to just keep my eyes peeled.

[Cunha]

I used to be all about on/offs and they are still pretty nice especially CP ones that are super easy to turn.

But its nice having a non on/off that has no O rings to fail at all so you've got 1 o ring on the tank bonnet and thats it. Nothing to think about. It's gunna work.

So these days I wouldn't go out of my way for an on/off except to dress up a gun to look nice for sale or something.

I don't like duckbills though or ASA's mounted too close to the frame.

[gabe]

The CP's are in pretty much all colors so it should be easy to match. If it's some one-off custom color or splash I would just run the ASA that came with it and not worry about the on/off function.

[Rainmaker]

I just really love DP lever RAPS ASA's, something about the lever operation of the ASA just tickles my fancy personal preference really.