Underrated Gear?

[ChuckLove]

Hey guys! What is that one piece of gear that you absolutely love but don't see many other players utilizing?
For me, the items that come to mind are the Virtue Vio Extend 2 Goggles and Tank Reg Extenders.
What about you?

[Menso]

APP 30 round pods. They fit perfect in the squeegee pockets of pants and sure beat having to lug around a pod pack in the blistering Texas heat and humidity all day.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

Tank reg extenders get stuck on tanks unless they are reverse threaded in my experience.
I can't think of anything underrated, but lots of older markers get shit on, mostly from people who had one and had a bad experience with it.

[jerryjjackson69]

Some companies design them with really easy to use wrench flats in case they get stuck, and some even give them floating on/off pins so when the marker is degassed or the tank is off the marker then the extender doesn't hold pressure. But I agree, a lot of the smooth/round older ones that hold pressure are an absolute nightmare that end up shredded by pliers and vice grips.

[DavidBoren]

Full-time employment... paintball is expensive.

Drop-forwards... everyone treats them like a gimmic from an age long since dead... until you need one.

Fitted baseball cap, worn backwards... keeps the mask strap in a consistent spot, protects the back of the neck, and it's a hat when you're not wearing your mask in the pits.

Football cleats... sure footing is where it all starts, and stops.

Inline ASA regulators... stupid non-upgradeable spaceguns ruining it for everyone.

Violence of action... not equipment, but very underrated on today's battlefield, I mean paintball fields. Too many people are lazy cowards when it comes to making moves.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

The drop forward one is really funny since now it's really popular to have a small marker that sits tight (especially on a xball or airball field). I still cant get over how much i loved a dm6 with a big drop forward and short barrel a player let me hold in staging one day. SO TIGHT, SO RIGHT!

[punkncat]

Cheesus that last line has me hard as a ROCK!

[snoopay700]

I used to love drop forwards, until I didn't. I care far more about the shoulder to trigger spacing than anything these days, and whatever equipment gets me that I use. More often than not it's a direct mount.

[SignOfZeta]

The PMI Trracer. It’s better than most Nelson “tournament pump” clones but nobody cares because it was cheap and they made like 300,000 of them.

JT Flex. Although it’s not unpopular by any means there are still people every year paying twice as much for worse masks.

GOOD SHOES.

[Memornix]

"PMI Trracer", Yep. I always have one in my bag, you know, just in case.

[Arthur]

JT Flex 8 is my fav mask for over a decade and running... Saves me from point blank dome shots and resulting headaches.

[Flounder]

A cup. When you need one you will wish you had it already.

Just ask DPrekel

[Jonnydread]

I learned this lesson around 16 and will never NOT wear a cup again. Capitalpaintball shot me in the junk on Sunday just to reinforce that.

[Butch3r]

I've been there, ended my day early cuz I could barely move after. I did buy and use a cup until I got a good set of paintball pants, crotch is designed like a trampoline and has no problem just bouncing balls off without them breaking. A good set of paintball pants can be very underrated.

[iamthelazerviking]

Ah yes. I have always worn one, have yet to take a nut shot but will not risk it.

[Arthur]

Full-Clip USA was an awesome brand, they are long gone now.

[russc]

Red dot sights are super underrated. The mistake everyone makes is trying to dial them in at like 50 yards. Set them for like 20 -30 feet or less, to give you the ability to get guaranteed one-ball kills when you should be getting them, and giving you confidence when you're posted up and waiting. The rest of the time either shoot like normal or just use it for rough reference.

[Menso]

Any recommendations? I want to try one on my MVP.

[russc]

The BSA 30mm is a classic. I think there are lots of clones and variants. Bit heavy but great field of view, and pretty much indestructable.

For my personal guns I've been working on integrating a Burris Fastfire RDS.

[wunderbarsafari]

Clear lenses - Maybe it was the lasik, but I have this crazy habit of seeing brightly colored, reflective faces poking out of the brush. Weird, huh?

Short barrels - Sure muskets are great for airball but man do I see a lot of people bayoneting spools on the rec fields. I like to switch between a 10” and 14” myself, but to each their own.

Regular clothes - I know we like to play dress up. I like my JT jerseys. But IMO there is a world of better and cheaper outdoor clothing out there that is perfectly suited for paintball. Give me light hikers, ripstop pants, a long sleeve shirt and call me a noob.

[Jonnydread]

I quite enjoy my yellow lenses for deep woods, but clear is always a safe bet.

[Knuckle Dragger]

I have never worn a jersey or padding. Usually jeans and T-shirt for normal days and add a Dickies jacket for cold days. I am considering some of those slider shorts with crotch protection though.

[Ghost Flanker]

Your “clear lenses” and “short barrels” comments resonate with me. I see better without any color filters. Period. And short barrels absolutely excel in situations where you need to stay tight and keep small behind hard cover.

[Jonnydread]

I'm going to say the eNMey. People get wicked hard over their Emeks, but I have had great experiences with the eNMey and find it much more enjoyable to shoot. Only drawback is the Gardner stench, but hey I bought it used!

[Flounder]

They are a solid shooter, I have 2.

[iamthelazerviking]

+1 for tank reg extender. I always use my Ninja extender. A little beat up now, but still works perfectly. Yeah, it gets stuck but I have an adjustable wrench in the toolbox so no big deal.

Also another +1 for JT goggles. The Spectra frames, no matter if attached to Flex or Proshield bottoms, so comfy. I rock Shields still.

[nerdcore]

Plain ol' sweatbands. Sweatin'-to-the-oldies style. Headbands & headwraps, even nice ones, still offer mostly style over function. Function takes priority for me. I do have a variety of sweatbands, but none of them are extravagant.

Other non-paintball-specific apparel, although a lot of gear and items cross over easily and often, so I can't really say it's all underrated.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

I don’t see much posted about the RSX... and see them shot even less. Replaced by the xls and CVO. I bought mine lightly used when they were pretty new and it has never failed. Lightweight, sleek, smooth...

if i HAD to complain, I’d say it’s a battery hog. But I don’t play enough for that to be a issue.

I ran into a guy at the field who has been playing since the beginning of the 2000s and he swears by the rsx, he uses the xls (xtra long shocker?) hed owned almost every popular electo since starting and i mean a lot of markers (icd, dye, smart parts, angel, planet eclipse etc). So riot I agree that you made a great purchase.

[Lotus]

Smart Parts Ion

Seriously, it's the only gun I can think of that I can build from all aftermarket/third party parts and it still be tournament legal and actually usable in modern speedball. I've got two of them now, and the only part from Smart Parts are the banjo fittings. They're actually nice once you get past the crappy stock parts that came with it. Hell, the Shocker RSX/XLS are really just nice Ions if you look at their operation. Don't get me wrong, a stock Ion isn't something I'd touch, but they can be truly nice guns.

[ChuckLove]

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I always joke around with people at my local field and say "nice Ion" when they're using a modern shocker.

[Dusty Bottoms]

I tried to think of something I use that's underrated, but really most of what I use is just considered 'outdated'. At one time they were not underrated!

I will say that I had stayed away from HK Army products during the whole 'agg' era, thinking they were for punk kids. However, I've used my HK Hardline Pro pants and Eject pod pack for about three years now, and I can say that they have worked great and been very durable. Maybe HK is underrated by some of us older players?

[DavidBoren]

I also think that about HK Army... mainly because I have been in a real Army, and am completely turned off by people using it as a catch-phrase or marketing maneuver. The Army freaking sucks, and that's the cold reality of it... I don't want to associate with anything of the like ever again.

That being said, I was a punk kid once upon a time, and I don't need no name brand HK Army crap to bring all the agg to the field, all d@mn day. I am fast, loud, boisterous, aggressive, silly, vocal, all-in-all-the-time...

[cellophane]

I have a pair of HK pants and the fit on them is TERRIBLE. I can't move without thinking I'm going to blow out the seat... and that is just trying them on around the house. My Carbon pants are pretty dreamy though!

[MAr]

the hardline pants were/are tough pants. Good quality materials.