What is it that draws you to a particular marker.

[Grendel]

hmmm,,,,,,,that really is a hard question to answer because [at least for me] the "rules" are inconsistent and not uniformly applied. It really depends on the subject for me.

• LAPCO (Old School) markers a big part was the aesthetics, a Grey Ghost anodized Grey setup Cali-Style just appealed to me as a perfect setup in the late 80s. I tried to buy one a couple of times back then and they were never available when I had the loose cash. This just drove my lusting after LAPCOs then I got ahold of some bolt and hammer assemblies and was able to take mediocre mid range Nelsons and get much smoother actions. Then the Grey Spirit came about and it had the same look as a Ghost but was bore-drop which I preferred in Nelsons. Ever since them whenever any of the LAPCOs come available and I have free cash I go after them. I have owned several in all sorts of configurations. Currently I am down two 3; Grey Ghost [Cali-Style], Grey Spirit w/removable barrel and Project LAPCO from parts that will be my interpretation of a Modern Grey Spirit if I ever finish it.
• Daily Player Marker - Open Class Stacked Tube Pump, these are judged by function over form. I have no issue with something looking good and I take care of my markers but they need to function with little fuss or muss and not be worried about really playing. This is my Pyre and 2K Sniper II they are super reliable and not bad looking but other then a rebuild every 5-10 years I do nothing to them except keep them cleaned up and well lubricated. Both have playing scars and I have no intention of ever getting rid of them.
• Mechanical Semi - Blazer, mainly same reasons as the Daily Player Marker. I love mine but rarely use it as I rather play pump
• Stock Class [modified] - VSA Phantom that I can switch between Bucket Charger or Micro-CA 2 and my Duckslide (side saddled lever changer). Stock class is not my favorite way to play so if I am going to keep stockish class markers I just want them to be reliable and available and to me that is the Phantom. Clean, Simple and Reliable. Duckslide does need to have part of the top of the slide milled off due to double feeding issue.
• Electronic Semi - Own Empire Axe 2.0 that is perfectly functional and reliable but damn has absolutely no soul. What I lust after is a 2006/7 Mac Dev Cyborg Ranjerz in particular. There is just something about this that appeals to me.

If I have to boil it down it really is Function over Form but form does matter.

[JonM]

It's typically one or more of a few things:

• The "Oooh, shiny" effect - Beautiful anodizing, chrome accents, nickle plating, etc. If it draws my eye, I sometimes can't help but drool over it.
• Stupid simple reliability - Something I can pick up and play with and I know it's going to perform well no matter what.
• Nostalgia - Pretty self explanatory here. For example, I bought back the first gun I ever owned a while back (well, the same model anyway). It was just an old Spyder TL+, but it brought back memories from twenty years ago.

I will say that the uniqueness of a marker can be either a pro or a con for me. If it looks cool, but shoots poorly, has bad ergonomics, or just seems janky for whatever reason, it's actually a turn off since I know I just won't want to deal with its issues for long.

[punkncat]

I like an Automag for it's simplicity which opposes the reason I like Autocockers...
For much of my time playing I liked to have high end items that were different than the "go to" popular markers of the time. I like to own markers that are older, but capable and in particular in the electronic arena. I find myself drawn to Planet Eclipse simply due to quality and support.

[Knuckle Dragger]

TL;DR: Autocockers because nostalgia and stuff.

I’ve always been captivated by autocockers. So much going on to launch a ball. They do it in style, clicking and clacking away.
Started when I was at SC Village (early 00’s) and I was in a bunker as my Spyder Imagine froze from CO2, a dude runs in to help suppress the opposition. Watching him focus on the target and that autococker sing was mesmerizing. When I played with my eOrracle for the first time, I finally got to experience what I witnessed a long time ago. I’ll sell every other gun on my wall before I sell my Orracles.

[XEMON]

Old but capable ....
wired and odd but playable ...

Going for light and compact if possible ...

[spikeball]

It's gotta be operation and style rolled into one for me. Second is ergonomics.

My MacDev GTI and my CCM T2 are the pinnacles of the above. They function incredibly well and look good doing it. Reliable to boot, but I think a well operating marker usually ends up being that way.

[homerj]

I like “fun” guns. That’s very broad but there’s no one or two things i look for when buying a gun. It’s hard to define. I used to always like to try try out lesser known brands, hoping to find that hidden gem. The more upgradable the better too. These days I’m mostly about simplicity, ease of use, reliability, etc. One of my favorite guns of the last several years has been the SP-1. I like the way it looks, i like the way it feels, i like the shot quality & i LOVE the snappy trigger. It’s something i can take out of the gear bag as it came from the factory & feel like i can hold my own against pretty much anything else.

On that note, anybody have the parts & air to get an SP-1 back up & running? I’ll gladly pay with cash or trades. PM if interested.

[durandal]

I like lighter pump setups that I can tech myself, besides that reliability is key.

[grendal50]

Cheap, reliable, and stacked tube. I prefer Spyders, Sheridans, and Autocockers(Trilogies mostly). I like stuff I can cut up and customize without hurting anyone's feelings

[Meleager7]

I'm drawn to every gun I wished for but never acquired, back during my first couple stints playing , in the late 80's / early 90's , then again in early 2000s

For the most part ,i've been able to add several of these guns to my collection over these past 3.5 years back to the game.

No unicorns to speak of , but some highlights for me was getting my first autococker and restoring it, building 2 autocockers from parts, and adding a shoebox shocker , gen-e matrix , a montneel, and a 68-special to the collection. Finding the banzai splash mini mag was a pretty exciting find too.

[Rainmaker]

Weird guns (Thumper, Rainmaker...). Or guns I can do odd things to (Rainmaker, cocker, Phantom...). Or guns that most people don't like (ER2, DP G3...)

Since I don't actually end up playing very much, the Reliable and Easy-to-maintain concerns are kinda not important. I'm kindof in a whatever-tickles-my-fancy phase at the moment. Which changes every other day

[glaman5266]

I used to be all about the parts customization. But these days I'm more about ease of use.

Some of my favorite markers were the ICD electros. I still have my milled down BKO. But in getting older I've been wanting more stuff that simply just works. I guess it started when I got into the WGP Trilogy. I've loved cockers for many years, but when I got my hands on a Trilogy I couldn't put it down. Every time I sold mine off I'd end up buying another one. This has since spread into my electros and other stuff. My main electro is an Etek 5, I now have a Trilogy Tactical that I don't plan on getting rid of, an Empire Resurrection, an Emek, and a pre-2K sniper. I still have other stuff- my BKO, Angel LCD, Trracer, Pro Carbine and a couple others. But in streamlining my core lineup I've achieved probably the best lineup I've had in many years in my Etek 5, Emek and sniper, with my Ressy, Trilogy and Pro Carb as backups/occasional random day use.
More notably, I wasn't sure I'd like the Emek. I generally dislike single tube paintguns, but for some reason that one seems right. Might be the overall size, feeling slightly larger than other spoolers. But my eyes have been opened and this thing is pretty much my main-main paintgun now. This thing has done wonders for simplifying what I bring to the field. It's convinced me that THIS is the setup I want and I don't need to bring a buttload of other stuff due to possible marker failures or "what if" scenarios. It has really helped streamline my gear selection.
That said, I still don't care for markers like the Shocker & DSR. Too small, too light.

Gone are my days of messing with Rainmakers and Intimidators. I rarely even tear apart a full bodied cocker anymore.

[Mr. Hick]

The older and slower I physically get the more I want something that performs without question, without trouble and beyond doubt. With the size and quality of paint being straight garbage more often than not I find myself almost always using my Emek. I still love pump play, and would prefer it over any other style most days.... but velocity fluctuations of +/- 20 and roll outs even with freak inserts are killing me. I am not to proud to admit that I go out and want to have fun. Part of having fun means occasionally hitting targets that I acquire.... lately that means accuracy by volume.

However, the 12 year old in me always wants something to fiddle with. So I occasionally buy some junky blow back on CL and bring it back to life for a couple of games before giving it away or selling it for pennies.

[Euphie]

I like active feedback. Like the trigger of an autococker or automag has a feel to it. Sure, you can short stroke it which sucks, but it feels like your trigger is doing something. When I would shoot a blowback or an electro it would feel almost as if you don't control it. I think this is also why I really liked the e-mag it just had this odd trigger feel in electronic mode, I put a dome switch in my old shocker as well to get more feedback as you can feel the switch before it clicks.

I also like a "premium feel". My Brass Eagle Tigershark had just a terrible feel, all plastic and light but.... I know objectively that the plastic was basically indestructible, and it didn't even look bad from scratches like metal would but, something built with metal and tight fit and finish just works for me. Without any irony I can say I have a better experience holding something if it has some weight to it, even if it performs no better.

I think lastly, weird stuff is cool. I used to have AKA markers because they were weird first, and the fit and finish second. I am just getting back into the game now, and I found alot of the options didn't seem too appealing, something like an enmy or emek is probably great, but plastic and light which I worry would detract from my experience (though not performance) and also they weren't weird. That is what drew me to Palmer's stuff, which I loved back in the early 2000s, but seems very weird still, and it has active feedback and they will even use brass so they aren't shy about the weight or making things out of metal. If I had to buy something else, I sure would love an old Automag RT, or maybe a pnuematic conversion of a rainmaker, those both seem kinda weird and rare.

[MAr]

Impracticality and leaks…

[XEMON]

I didn't know they came any other ways ...

[grendal50]

We talking about paintball guns still? :-P