My friends kid is wanting to get into paintball and is looking for a marker to get for cheap. They came to me for advice and I told them if they are willing to buy used they can get a better marker for the same price as a cheap new marker. Well he found a macdev drone for sale for 200 that looks quite clean to me but frankly I don't know much about macdevs. I see on their website that parts including solenoids are available but I don't want to tell him to get something that will have issues. So before I tell him to pull the trigger on purchasing it I wanted to know your opinions. He also found a drone DX for slightly more. Would that be a better option for him? Whats the differences.
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I'll start off by saying the Drone is a pretty solid platform for getting into electros. It's based off the dump-valve bolt that earlier Geo's and the Dangerous Power "G" series uses.
Things to ask:
Is it a Drone 2? 2s?
Does it have the gold bolt upgrade?
What regulator piston does it have (purging/non-purging)?
The gold bolt and purging regulator upgrades are worthwhile for sure. The differences between the various submodels is just incremental improvements over the years. 2 and 2S are macroless, 2S has the above upgrades as stock. -
I started with a Drone DX when I came back to the sport and had nothing but trouble.
Seriously, I bought the thing used, it would work fine at home, then I would get it to the field and it would not work. It was determined maybe the proprietary solenoid needed rebuilding. I got rid of it with prejudice.
Instead I bought a new Etek5 and freakin' love the thing even today.
If I were determined to buy used and didn't know much about paintball I would go with an Etha2 or Etha3. They 'just work' and are simple for replacing o-rings and such.
If I wanted something cheaper maybe a Dye CZR, PMR or Proto Rail. They can be a little finicky, but the fix is usually working the bolt a little and adding a little lube.Comment
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Also, maybe I've just had bad luck but the used market is a bit of a crap shoot. Nothing is ever exactly as described. If you've got expertise and time that's not such a big deal, but if you're talking about a new player coming to the game I'd be leery about recommending something used without knowing how to tech it =P -
Fart put up a want to buy thread. Folks around here are probably more likely to help you out price-wise than eBay. I've been able to score both an Etha2 and Gtek for under $300 after some digging around
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I wouldn't recommend anything Mac Dev for beginners.
They aren't well supported in the US and most field tech will have no idea how to work on them let alone what they are.
Going back a few years I used to run a Mac Dev droid, it was a fantastic gun but if things broke you were waiting a few weeks for parts. Not sure if it is the same now.Comment
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Ummmm, you mean those markers that are basically known for having problems?Originally posted by zinger565 View Post
Seriously, I went and played some back woods ball when I was starting, 2 guys showed up with g3s and they lasted exactly half a game before going down for apparently no reason. Both of them. The guys fiddled with them for half the day and really I think it was that it warmed up outside while they messed with them for these markers to finally start working again..
New player, azodin blitz if you want an e frame, emek if you want mechanical (and budget allows)
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If your friend is coming to you for advice on what to buy, they're also going to come to you when the marker needs fixing. Why not just recommend something you're already familiar with?My Old Feedback (300+) https://web.archive.org/web/20180112...-feedback.htmlComment
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Oh I agree. I recommended them planet eclipse or automag, but I also understand that they're trying to save money and etha 2's and gteks are going for 350+ so they saw the macdev for 200 and were asking me about it. I said I didn't know but I would ask on here. The parents strongly believe in making their kids pay for their own things and the kid is 13 in a rural area so mowing lawns isn't really an option and so his only money comes from birthdays and Christmas.
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Fart I just read your above comment. I grew up that way as well, so I know what that's like. Considering that, I'd look for a used stock Emek if he wants something more than a Tippmann. Emeks are arguably the best bang for the buck in paintball today. Otherwise, Tippmann & Azodin are good markers for new players.
If he wants to do things on the cheap and likes DIY stuff, you can't go wrong with an older Tippmann & some elbow grease to make it shoot nicer. He could start there & have a good backup when he gets a nicer paintgun. Newer players don't always think about having a backup.
Plus if any of the electronics crap out will he be able to afford to fix it? If I were still a broke kid I would rather run down to the local hardware store for stuff to try to fix a Tippmann with than pay & wait for electrical components that I may/may not know what to do with. For markers, reliability & fixability were the most important factors to me when I was getting into the game. It meant more play time, easier/cheaper to fix & less maintenance. After seeing the issues many of the locals had with their Matrixes and Ions I'm happy I stuck with my Tippmann in those early years.Comment
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