Max Flo Reg

[automeister]

So why do you not see many Max Flo regs on markers other than shockers and Impulses? has anyone tried this? Am I missing something?

[Quickling]

I have always wondered why you never saw a sidewinder, palmer stabilizer or other high quality reg on a shocker.

[Jonnydread]

I ran a sidewinder on my shocker for a while, but I didn't really see any improvements in consistency compared to the maxflo.

[F1FX]

The main reason is the max flo setup is big and most common available ones are low pressure version. They do make a high pressure version tho. Shockers run at a low pressure (sub 200 psi) so regs like palmers stabilizer needs internals changed to work correctly at the lower pressure range.

[Pumpytrilly1]

So a lot of bottom line maxflo s actually had the bottle screw onto it. The red version shown above was uncommon and a later version/option from what I recall.

They're also a bit heavy, tall, and bulky.

I seem to remember 88ci 3k tanks were common. Then people went to 68/45 tanks with more of a direct mount on off asa.

So they just fell out of style from memory. I really should put one on my Spyder amg though.

[Ecapnation]

Aside from the later sft style ones they are generally large and clunky for what they are. That and the pressure range is sometimes too low to run guns other than spoilers.

[Jordan]

I really like them, personally.... I have a couple set up on my own stuff. They're consistent, reliable, vent if they overpressure, and are easy to rebuild because it's all orings inside - no proprietary reg seats - but... they're bulky.

The later manifolds use a bespoke dovetail mount that gets lost a lot, apparently - they're tough to find for some reason - and high pressure versions are much less common than the LP versions every Shocker and Impulse came with.

[Jonnydread]

I'm with you, I really like the maxflo regs. I would run them more often if it were easier to find HP variants.

[JeeperCreeper]

I think theres a few things to consider. They were more popular back when everyone ran drop forward asa's. The direct mount versions made it so that tank was married to that marker, so you would need another tank if you had more markers to to play with. Also add the fact that SP became less popular after going after everyone for pattent claims, and you start to see why they didn't become a mainstay. I also feel like a lot of people in recent years just want to buy a marker that functions the way they want it to, and rarely change parts around. There's not as much reason to dump a ton of money into upgrades, as most modern markers operate pretty good from the factory, and there's no more rate of fire wars as most places are capped at 10.5 - 15 BPS. Also the rise of gas thru grips makes it harder to just slap an ASA on anything.

[Jordan]

Direct mount was pretty common when they came out - AGD Flatline, AA, Angel A.I.R, etc - but yeah, screw-in tanks just got so common and cheap that all those reg/tank setups died off.

[Dusty Bottoms]

The SP Max Flo adjustable regulators have three distinct generations, and came in High Pressure and Low Pressure variants. The initial Gen 1 Max Flo's were 300psi regulators, but later versions were 4500psi rated. Gen 1 & 2 are Manifold regulators, but the final Gen 3 is a more compact inline design. The high pressure variants had an adjustable pressure range up to 1200 psi, which made it useful for markers like Automags. The lower pressure versions were more useful for cockers and electronic guns like the Shockers and Impulses.

At the time of their introduction in the 90's, adjustable regulators were the norm, and regulator setups were very expensive. The Max Flo series was a high quality regulator, and was popular for high end users of guns like cockers and mags as the 90's came to a close, but it also had stiff competition from other great adjustable regulators made by Air America, Centerflag, Paintball Mania, etc. The Max Flo did have the benefit of Smart Parts extensive marketing in magazines, as well as their inclusion with Smart Parts guns.

In the early 00's the Max Flo got a facelift for the Gen 2 versions. The machining and attention to detail on these is really excellent, even the little on/off knob has a nicely machined little handle. I've used a few of these Gen 2's on Automags, and the flow rate is excellent. They can really make an RT or X valve in an Automag sing! However, it is still a large, heavy, clunky looking regulator, and in the early 00's competitive paintball was quickly transitioning into the modern speedball age. Players started to abandon drop forwards, and bulky, heavier gear in favor of more streamlined setups. Electronic guns became the high end norm, and pre-set tank regulators that screwed into a conventional asa became the defacto standard. The need for expensive, adjustable regulators, both low pressure and high pressure, quickly diminished.

However, in an attempt to make the Max Flo more compact and lighter, SP did introduce the final iteration of the Max Flo adjustable regulator series, the Gen 3. The Gen 3 Max Flo is unique, being a inline design. It's not near as bulky as the earlier Gen 1 and 2 variants. It also has the same excellent machining and attention to detail as the Gen 2's, and just looks extremely high quality. I don't have any actual data, but I don't think the Gen 3 Max Flo was produced for very long before the series was cancelled. They are much more rare than the Gen 1 & 2 variants, especially the High Pressure version. I have a mint silver Gen 3 Max Flo sitting in my parts bin just waiting for a nice enough host mag!

In the Automag online community of the early 00's, the best known user of the Max Flo regulator for Automags was a guy named Zak Vetter, who went by the name 'Z-Man' on Automag Org. He made a series of videos way back then demonstrating the 'rapidfire' abilities of a RT/X valve Automag when paired with an adjustable regulator like the Max Flo. He had a couple mags setup with Max Flo's, and even had a website dedicated to this subject were he went over the pros and cons of the available adjustable regulators for use on Automags. Here's one of his old videos were his friend is shooting one of his Max Flo setups on his E-Mag and comparing the flow rate to a preset Crossfire tank:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQImwcsPH1w

[Ecapnation]

Would you consider the fixed output ones gen 4?

[Dusty Bottoms]

From a company standpoint I guess the fixed output Max Flo Micro is a Gen 4. However, I don’t consider the Max Flo Micro a true ‘Max Flo’, because the change from adjustable capability to preset is huge. It’s really a completely different design using the same name. With the fixed output Micro you have the worst of both worlds, there’s no adjustability for a user, but it’s also a proprietary two part reg. So basically the front is your asa and the back half is your tank reg. They have to be used together. It was basically a way for SP to dictate what tank you used, and also prevent you from using another company’s asa as well. It’s not surprising it wasn’t popular.

The Air America Armageddon is also a two part regulator system. The front half acts like a gun mounted asa, and the back half is mounted to your bottle. However, that’s a fully adjustable regulator, so it’s providing a benefit that the preset Micro doesn’t.

[automeister]

How can I tell if a reg is a high pressure unit?

[automeister]

As a follow up if someone has a high pressure version they want to sell let me know

[Jordan]

How can I tell if a reg is a high pressure unit?

There was a discussion on this in another thread, oddly. Here's my best stab at it.

I dug through my MaxFlo stash and found my HP Maxie and another like yours, marked 4500. Both have the HP piston, so it's likely yours is the HP version.

Here's my pictures... first one is the labeled HP version, second picture shows the difference between HP and LP pistons. There are a couple other differences, like springs, but piston diameter is the quickest/easiest way to check what you have.

HP = small piston. LP = large piston

[Dusty Bottoms]

Also, not a fullproof way because someone could have switched gauges for some silly reason, but the Gen 2 and Gen 3 HP MaxFlo's have factory pressure gauges that go up to 1100-1200psi. The low pressure MaxFlo's have factory gauges that only go up to, I believe, 600psi.