Which Emek 'Upgrades' are Worth Getting?

[Toestr]

Well, I'm looking at getting an Emek as my first ever gun that I buy brand new, and much like a retiree getting his first Cadillac I want to get all the options.

However, I don't want to fall into the trap of buying 'upgrades' that do nothing other than take away performance/reliability.

I'm mainly looking at an aftermarket trigger, the POPS asa, and maybe a PALS hopper; but are there any other parts that are worth getting? Does the deadlywinds switch add anything major to the trigger pull that an aftermarket trigger couldn't? I might also have a look at some of the 3D printing parts for the it too. Are there any that have a similar texture quality to the stock parts?

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[glaman5266]

I don't own an Emek so I'm not sure if this helps or not, but my understanding is that the ID Fang trigger, DW hAir valve & POPS ASA are pretty much the core upgrades. The DW valve probably isn't necessary unless you want to get your trigger pull SHORT.

[scphantom9195]

I have an ID Fang trigger on my MG100. It is so much smoother than the stock trigger. And it's adjustable, where the stock trigger isn't. It was well worth the price.

I have heard good things about the DW hAir valve, but do not have one yet.

[Mr. Hick]

Get you a decent barrel kit and run a few cases through it. Then you'll know what you want to see changed.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Worth getting? I would say a good barrel and a powered force fed loader. The rest of the mods are just to help you shoot it faster if thats what you want.

The bang switch is and can be finicky. (I see issues with these the most)

Trigger upgrades are nice lets you adjust the trigger a lil bit to your preference. DW valve shortens the throw of the trigger and a pen spring return spring makes it lighter pull.

Worth it, thats up to you...

[Jordan]

Get the POPS ASA, and a barrel if you prefer aftermarket. I didn't like my Emek enough to keep it but the POPS was worth the $80.

[Spider!]

Finding the right barrel can be difficult because the marker starts forward from the grip and is long. It makes a 12 inch barrel seem longer. That took me a bit to get used to.

I have both pals loaders. They are tough and work as advertised. In normal play I don't have to shake a full loader. They keep up well. They work on non-pals markers as a regular loader. I had trouble shooting up hill though. While I liked them, I was willing to give them up to use an ID custom body

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

Finding the right barrel can be difficult because the marker starts forward from the grip and is long. It makes a 12 inch barrel seem longer. That took me a bit to get used to.

I have both pals loaders. They are tough and work as advertised. In normal play I don't have to shake a full loader. They keep up well. They work on non-pals markers as a regular loader. I had trouble shooting up hill though. While I liked them, I was willing to give them up to use an ID custom body

9 or 10 inch barrel is perfect for this marker. My check it dragon series barrel is 9 inches and i let a friend run it on his emek and he wouldnt stop saying how perfect it shot. Little anecdotal i know. but it i did agree that the length was perfect.

[Magmoormaster]

I don't have an emek personally, but some of my teammates do. One teammate has run his Emek with the Emach trigger, no trigger spring, and just recently got the hAir trigger. Even before he got the hAir kit, the trigger was borderline walkable. The hAir trigger kit made it even easier to walk it. i'd say at least get an upgraded trigger, either emach or inception. The hAir kit will make it faster but at a certain point it might not matter.

The POPS and a good barrel should go without saying.

[latches109]

I got this off ebay: https://ebay.us/DuM1Y6

DW hAir valve, fang trigger, & SSC soft tip bolt.

I like the hAir valve and fang trigger together. I haven't had any new brittle paint to test the soft tip bolt. I think the idea was to get a CS2 like bolt in the emek.



edit: The hAir valve makes the bolt release feel more crisp... less squishy than the stock valve.

[jerryjjackson69]

The order of the upgrades depends on what you want to do with it, and the equipment you want to use with it.

Do you use different loaders that may require feedneck adjustments? You may want an upgrade feedneck thumbwheel for ease, or a new feedneck with this feature that is also low profile. (Be sure to order a PALs or Non-PALs compatible upgrade, the different body styles mean different feednecks). If you are going to use a single loader or the PALs then you might skip this upgrade, but it is of lower importance overall anyway.

How durable and "correct" are the threads on your tank? Will you be running a low pressure output? If you have stainless steel or brass threads on your tank, and are running low pressure, you can skip the POPs, although it is nice. If you are running high pressure, or aluminum threads (or both!), then the POPs becomes a necessity.

You will definitely want a barrel, but you probably already have a nice preferred cocker barrel or kit that you use. If not, just grab a $30-$40 one piece barrel in .684-.690 cal and run with it.

The Inception trigger is the best and is very nice, I would strongly recommend it, but it's not needed unless you are playing tournaments. You can still get good speed out of a stock trigger.

The other hot items are the Bang Switch or the Deadly Wind HAir valve. Both are nice and do what they are supposed to do. Hair valve is definitely superior. Neither is needed though. I would get one of these last if you feel like you want it. I would strongly consider the HAir for tournament play, but I myself prefer the Bang Switch strictly for tactile response. The HAir is faster and has a lighter and shorter pull. If you end up with a Bang Switch then throw away the yellow seals it comes with and install the black Eclipse seals from your EMEK spares baggie. I think the Bang Switch is best used on an MG100 First Strike DMR type build. HAir is for throwing paint in a tournament. Rec/Big Game/Scenario the stock switch is just fine, especially if you have the Inception trigger that I consider more important than the HAir or Bang Switch.

EDIT: You don't need a soft tip bolt, there is a lot of "lore" out there about them, saying they are quieter or more or less efficient. None of that is true, the only difference is the material that is contacting your paint. The stock bolt will shoot ridiculously fragile paint with no issue, the soft tip might let you push that boundary a bit further, but it's not needed. However, there is nothing wrong with a soft tip bolt either, if you like it or just want it then go for it. It won't hurt anything. Just don't feel like you need it or that it will make your EMEK perform any different.

[jerryjjackson69]

I'm not saying soft tip bolts in general, I'm speaking specifically with the Gamma Core or Emek. The stages of bolt acceleration mean that the bolt is moving so slowly when the bolt contacts the paintball (if the paintball wasn't already resting against the bolt) that the material doesn't have a significant effect on paint handling. The soft tip is really just so that the feature is there like other competing high ends also have a soft tip. People eat it up. The CS2 does have a hard tip Emek bolt included, really just in case the soft tip (which has proven to have no real drawbacks) fails somehow. Markers have come a long way since the Automag. The soft tips were a fix for a problem that has since been addressed in a far more reliable manner.

[latches109]

"..that the material doesn't have a significant effect on paint handling..The soft tips were a fix for a problem that has since been addressed in a far more reliable manner"
Eclipse just released a Gamma Core soft tip bolt claiming its "softer on paint" and "increases performance" -made me think of this thread.

[jerryjjackson69]

Technically correct, but again, it is not significant. They are just supplying a demand. They released that product mere days after I wrote that, and had me facepalming that I was just saying it wasn't worthwhile in the same thread where I mention being a Tech for them. I really wish they gave us SOME heads up about what is coming down the pipe!

[wunderbarsafari]

Finding the right barrel can be difficult because the marker starts forward from the grip and is long. It makes a 12 inch barrel seem longer. That took me a bit to get used to.

Also agree with this. I often use a 10” CP on my Emek and Gmek. If you’re used to older or stacked tube guns, the emek makes your barrel feel 2” longer than you’re used to, IMO.

Aside from barrel of choice, I think the POPS is nice. I have yet to buy an upgrade trigger since my emek is my backup, but I may spring for that too.

I have a bang switch and don’t use it. Meh. Haven’t tried a DW valve but obviously they are fast. Also have hear of people having leaks, maybe user error, I dunno. Depends on if speed is important to you. I’d say try it out first when you get it and then see if it leaves anything to be desired.

[Toestr]

Thanks for all the recommendations guys.

I don't have too much in the way of cocker barrels at the moment other than an ICD stock barrel. I might pick up a CP 14", because I like my barrels looong for pointability.

POPs is a definite yes, because I do have a high pressure tank with aluminum threads, and they're already looking pretty worn. I'll probably be looking at a steel or brass bonnet soon. Are tank bonnets universal (or almost universal)?

I want to use this gun as a high performance, yet reliable all season isgun. I would like to keep the variable of batteries out of the equation entirely, so either a PALS or GOG hopper is what I'm looking at.

I've shot a couple stock Emeks at my local field already, and was impressed (especially by the low force bolt), but I've never used one in game. I do tend to like my setups tighter, so I'm not sure how I'll fare with this setup. I'll see about renting one next time I'm at the field.

When I was shooting the Emek, I did find the trigger a bit sloppy, so I thought an adjustable trigger would do it good. If the trigger doesn't fix it, I might look into one of the upgraded switches, assuming it doesn't take away from the reliability factor too much.

Another thing is body kits. I like the general form factor of the Emek, but would like some rail space for some sort of sight. Not really a fan of the eclipse rail kit, and I still kind of question the quality (or perceived quality) of 3D prints vs GRN.

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[nerdcore]

I've got a PAL Emek, and a gen 1 (non-PAL). I kept the PAL version all stock (except for POPS) and added the low-cap PAL. It felt odd to upgrade anything that increased its possible rof since there'd be the issue of easily outshooting the PAL.

The non-PAL version, on the other hand, I went full throttle. ID Fang + DW hAir valve (and POPS). Shoots great, but I borderline need my Spire IR to keep up if I really let loose.

If all you need to mount on a 3D printed or GRN body is a sight, the materials used should be plenty strong with a rail system. You could even make a homebrew mount.

[Ecapnation]

Pops ASA, a good barrel, and a lighter trigger spring.

Honestly that's all they need and this is coming from the guy who makes all the 3d printed bodies.

The thing that people forget is that PE will not warranty the bag switch or the hair trigger. So if you use anything other than their components and your gun goes down an event where they're working they will basically go lol I can't help you.

[The Inflicted]

Note that if you combine the hAir trigger switch and the EMach trigger, the safety will no longer work because the activation point for the trigger switch will then be within the short range of motion the safety permits. This has to be corrected by adding JBweld to the front of the trigger or grinding a bit of material from the rear of it, or a bit of both.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Interesting I didn’t have that issue with the infamous trigger. First one I got was Sharp because they did not finish it well. But they ended up sending me a replacement from the latest batch and it works well with the DW valve. Safety works normally as well.

[jerryjjackson69]

Triggers with adjustable pre-travel will still allow the safety to function. The Emach will not. I've seen some interesting defects on Infamous triggers to say the least, but to be fair I haven't seen any of the latest batches.