What marker should I buy for my kid?

[shooter311]

I need to start off with saying I hate these threads so much!!!

So my son is an outdoor nut and every year for his birthday he asks for a guided fishing trip. This year he told me he really wanted a paintball trip!!! YES!!! So I wanted to get him a good setup. I have tons of markers, but my newest marker is probably my DM7. I want to buy him something that is new and something that he can use in woodsball and speedball if we get there. I want something reliable that will last him for a super long time (can use it now as a kid comfortably, but as an enormous adult as well). Also, I would like something aluminum, so that we can anodize it whatever color/pattern he wants. I don't want to drop $1,500 on a marker or anything crazy, but I am open to spending some money.

I don't know anything about new markers at all. My first choice was going to be an AXE 2.0 and Halo Too hopper combo on ANS for $350. That seems hard to beat. However, I don't know if there has been any new markers made that are the go-to and are the marker to get (I know the Emek is the go to, but I'd like something he can be a beginner speedballer with and hold his own, also something anodizable).

Let me know what route you guys would go with. I will say if he ever wants to play pump/mech/magfed I have plenty of markers he can choose from, but when he shoots markers in the yard he always goes electro.

Thanks!

[Schytstorm]

A Planet Eclipse 160/170/180 is probably the way to go if you want an aluminum electro. I don't have a ton of experience with other manufacturers, but I like my 170R and 180R way more than I liked my Mini GS and Axe 2.0. you can generally find used 170's in the $450 range and you can get a Dye LTR for $50-$70 or a Spire IR2 for about $80-$100.

[Jonnydread]

If you want something electro I'd go Etha 2 or 3. Same valve as the Emek so it'll be super reliable, but it's got that electro stank on it

[scottieb]

So much stank.

[tyronejk]

My vote is for a Etha 2/3 as well, or maybe an earlier Gtek if you want an aluminum body to anodize.

[Jonnydread]

+1 I love the OG Gtek

[JonM]

Eclipse is definitely the way to go. As mentioned, you can get a used 170R or 180R and it will fill your needs perfectly. If you're looking for customization, you could always go with an Etha 3 with a body kit from Inception Designs. Simon does has one of one anodizing jobs done on his FLE, Ripper, and Dragon Scale body kits. That being said, that road can get pretty pricy for a dressed up Etha 3. Still, aside from the lack of an LCD or OLED display, performance will be nearly identical.

[Trbo323]

Etha. Don't worry about the anno stuff. If this is his first marker he is not going to anno it and even if he wants to down the road you can throw an inspection designs body on it for something that both looks better and can accept an anno

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[Ecapnation]

Etha 2/3

They are pretty bullet proof and shoot just as good as the higher end gamma core guns

[EvilCreature]

While I generally shoot PE guns now (CS1, EMF100, so both cores) I would say the Axe is a very affordable, solid platform, or at least was for me, for years. I won a series in Chicago and took fifth at World Cup shooting an original Axe in like 2015 and still keep one around (currently lending it to a young gun who wants to get into the sport). I wouldn't pay extra money for an LCD screen or anything like that, stock board is fine. Not a lot of upgrades for it, that exist or are really needed, so it is easier to avoid the "put as much into a starting gun as a mid/high end would cost" trap and either sell it and upgrade or just have it for a solid performer/backup in the future.

If you have the budget, PE is a great option, but if you want to spend the money on paint/other gear, get an Axe and spend the rest on a decent tank/mask/hopper.

[shooter311]

Yeah, that is what I was thinking. I have owned an Axe and it was super reliable and shot like any other electro, so for $350 for marker and hopper, I just wonder what do I gain by spending an additional $400 for a 170/180R. That is not rhetorical. I legitimately wonder what I get for that price.

[Trbo323]

If you have the budget, PE is a great option, but if you want to spend the money on paint/other gear, get an Axe and spend the rest on a decent tank/mask/hopper.

I definitely agree with this. Getting your son a comfortable mask reliable hopper and large enough tank is way more important than the marker. If any of those pieces are crap all he will remember is how he couldn't see, his marker wouldn't shoot and when it did he ran out of air quickly

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[Hobbes]

Sticking to the specifics OP outlined, the Axe deal is hard to beat for brand new.

The CZR+ is in a similar price range and already has some cool annos (if its an ourdoor nut he might like the camo one), but the frame is plastic

Then it looks like a big jump in price to get into the Etha 3/Shocker Era territory.

[Brandon]

If I was going to get my kid an Electro, which I'm not, he has an Emek and doesn't play too often. Id get him an Amp, it's a reliable marker with the option to switch to Mech via a frame swap, a rotor and a decent tank.

[shooter311]

So I do have plenty of tanks and masks (proflexes). So I mostly need a Marker and Good hopper (I have Revy's and Eggs and only 1 rotor which is finiky).

So my first thought was an ETEK, but the plastic body is the issue. One thing he has been asking for after seeing all the ano'd gun I recently did, is he wants a custom anno'd marker he and I ano together. So I would like something we can ano together. So I looked at an ETEK with an ID body kit, but that puts the marker up to roughly $1k. I figured for $1k there would be way better options than a $500 marker with a body kit on it. Wouldn't it make more sense to put that amount of money into a 170/180R instead?

This is where I am lost. I have shot a $150 mini and a $1,500 Freeflow Matrix of some kind and I don't see the difference! I don't want to drop an extra $500 on hype. So I need help! What is better the Emek with ID body or a 170/180R. I will say having an electro that can convert to Mech is very appealing to me, not that it would be to my kid at all, but I like the idea!

Also, this may sound weird, but I would like to buy him a new marker, something in a box that is his and only has been his, and hopefully is viable for many many years even if it ends up as a backup laying in a gear bag.

[EvilCreature]

Honestly, a lot of what you get from one spool-based PE platform to the next is choice of material (plastic or metal) and ergonomics. They all use one of two cores, all are compliant for tournaments, things like triggers are largely interchangeable, and the rest are creature comforts.

That can be said for a lot of markers these days, actually. PE are well designed, well built, very reliable, and offer different ergonomics packages. My PE markers do a lot of things slightly better (in my opinion) than my Axe but ultimately both will put paint down range very consistently, both shot-to-shot and day after day, assuming you lube the thing two-three times a year and have decent batteries. I don't think having an Axe over a PE gun will hinder the time he has unless it is important to him to have a particular marker. The grip you use on an Axe is different from just about any PE gun unless you get a version with a front grip that is separate from the trigger frame - that is the biggest difference between the two in my opinion,

[Cyberpyr8]

I think that Axe deal on ANS right now is a steal! I have considered buying one to give away later this year. I would say for a kid that's probably good. It's not too big but not a mini that he might outgrow later either. I prefer the 170r over the axe, but if I were buying for a kid (I didn't see you mention the age/size), I would get the axe to be sure it isn't too big. The Etha's are good for kids too. And the GRN bodies are tanks. I have cut a few down and they aren't easy to cut. For a kid, they can take the abuse. And later on if he likes it and wants to stick with the Etha, can get the Inception body kit to jazz it up. But again, they might be a little big for a younger or smaller kid.

I know you said you have tanks and other gear, but let me pitch the 36/4500 tanks. They are a fantastic tank for kids. I have 4 of them now. I normally lend out my Emeks with them on there and it is great for anyone, but especially for a smaller kid. a few weeks ago I lent my setup to a kid who was 8, and playing with a large group of adults. He was a beast out there! He was able to shoulder the marker and move with it. He didn't struggle to aim and shoot and ran up to bunkers with confidence. But it will shoot 4+ pods and a hopper on a PE marker easily. But it also isn't too big and let's the kid just waste tons of paint. If you need to, fill it to 3k and limit what they can shoot. Now I'm not going to lie, they aren't cheap. But to me for a kid they are worth it. I let my nephews use them in KC back in February and they were great for them at 11 and 15, but both skinny kids. They could handle the markers with ease.

[shooter311]

Ohh shoot, I didn't mention, he is turning 12 y/o. He is like 5', and he is strong he is a dedicated wrestler, so he can handle a bit of weight. I have a 48/4.5k I figured I would set him up with. I think he would be able to handle that just fine.

Assuming he takes after me and not his mother, he is going to be tall, I am 6'5" and extremely handsome (not that it matters in paintball, but I feel it is very important to let people know).

[Cyberpyr8]

That being the case, I would say grab a 170r if you can. I just bought and sold one a month ago for $450. Worked great and looked almost new. They are easy to find. It will be a longer setup and grow with him. At 12, I have seen a bunch of kids that age come to the field with their brand new minis not working after getting into the settings (flashing led's, purposely and accidentally) and not know how to fix them. At least with the 170r it has a screen to make changing settings (or setting back to defaults) easier for you.

[Drcemento]

the issue with the Axe and its younger brother the Mini is their not so great eye design - you have to keep them CLEAN or they will corrode and not work. the mini in particular is terrible. paint also seems to find its way into all kinds of areas that it should not be. I cleaned up and sold a couple to my sons friends and they seem to have constant issues, Almost always centered around broken paint and gooped up eyes, where the EMEKs, 170's and 180's just power through and rarely break anything. the blinky light electronic settings thing is just infuriating and kids have a tendancy to constantly screw with it.

they also have so many friggin screws and oddball o-rings just to get it apart and do anything.


Eclipse, hands down - always worth the extra $$$. I'd highly recommend staying mechanical - I have two teenage boys. one has to have top of the line everything and he worked his butt off to get a geo R-4 having moved through a 170, 180 LV-1.6 to get there. that dude blows through so much paint, while his older brother loves his EMEK and shoots half what his brother does. I always say if they shoot less paint we get to play more. - does'nt always work out but we try.

[shooter311]

That is great info. That was my big question, was for double the money, what was the improvements. Reliability is one of the most important factors for me.

[Drcemento]

the Axe is an improvement over the Mini for sure when it comes to cleanability and breakdownability, but it just does not hold a candle to the eclipse designs and interfaces in my opinion, and watching teenage kids actually use both brands for quite awhile now has put me firmly in eclipse territory.