Late to the mechanical party (as usual)

[Cyberpyr8]

I kept seeing people rave about the Emek and mech play for a while now but since I have always been an electro guy and never really had a desire to play mech, I didn't get why. But with most of the rec players refusing to play with me at our local field with my shocker I decided to get an Emek for Christmas. I knew magfed and pump aren't my thing either after trying both and mech was the only real choice for me.

Wow! First off the Emek shoots so smooth. All I have upgraded was the trigger by getting a Emach trigger. After a little adjustment it is great and fast. I bought a PAL loader but I haven't used it yet. I used my Sly 16" carbon fiber barrel since the stock barrel is so short. I have the Pops asa coming in today but other than that, I won't probably upgrade much more. I don't really care about body kits or the hair valve. It shoots plenty fast and easy as it is now.

I had the best day of playing I have had in a long time, not to mention I used the least amount of paint, ever. It was raining all day so using a mech was perfect. But I wasn't expecting to get the accuracy and performance that it delivered. I never felt out-gunned or like I couldn't make a shot. In fact, I hit shots I normally never get with my electros. I was tagging hoppers sticking out like never before. I recorded with my gopro and re-watched it. For not being able to see through my mask clearly I was able to hit decent shots. I played better and waited to take shots. I didn't rely on flushing people out with mass amounts of paint but instead moved up to get shots and took better shots when it counted.

I get it now! I'm going to Hematoma Paintball in NC in 2 weeks and looking forward to playing up there with it. I will probably go back to Hoppers next week as well. I am excited about playing again for the first time in a while. Even my trigger heavy son wants to get one. I think it would make him an even better player. We'll see if he gets one but I think seeing the level of play I had made him think about it.

[ChuckLove]

Sweet! Welcome to the Emek club! I absolutely love mine as well.
Had mine for over two years and 50k shots and it has never once let me down!

[Cunha]

Fun glad you like it. They seem like the best gun ever made to be honest. I don't have one because I have only played pump recently.

Pump play is best if you don't have a good local recball situation and you need to or want to go to specific events to get your play time. There are a healthy amount of pump only events and they are great fun.

[glaman5266]

I didn't get why.

And know you do.

Have fun with it! Play nothing but mech for a little while, then pick up an electro & see what you can do with it.

[snoopay700]

Good, good, excellent. Soon you will accept stock class into your heart and the process will be complete.

Seriously though, the more limited I've been on paint the more fun I've had. I want an Emek, but I've been hesitant because I don't use my RT or cocker for the same reason I probably wouldn't use the Emek much, that I find limited paint way more fun.

[shadow191]

Similar story to you, but I picked up a Shocker XLS last week w/ CVO frame and decided to run that this past weekend. Way more fun than I thought it would be and ended up using probably 40% less paint. I had electrics in my bag but ended up not switching at all. Never felt outgunned and was going down the snake a lot more letting other people dump pods for cover. Only time I missed the electric was when people were on the run and I didn't hit them. But that will teach me to be a better shot instead of just throwing ropes of paint at people.

I've played with my old Autococker this past year which is mech but at times would feel outgunned since it was so finicky and I never got good at shooting fast with it - plus it seems to spring a new leak every time I bring it out. I never knew how good modern mech guns are. I also realized I really like single triggers, feels more natural to me.

Will swap on XLS frame next time I take it out to test and see which I prefer but so far, really like mechanical. In other news, found my old Prolite from '95 with powerfeed and everything. Looking forward to getting that up and running again.

[latches109]

keep at your autococker! PM me if you want help getting it to fun and reliable.

[Chuck E Ducky]

The Game is a lot more fun if you just slow it down especially in the woods playing rec. I love my Emek I usually use it for Mech events or spins on the 10 main field but it’s definitely a lot of fun to play with. Having a fancy anodized marker looks great in the staging area or for BookFace photos. But there is something glorious about beating the hell out of a marker like you don’t care. I feel like if I break it I will just buy a new one at this point I have already got my moneys worth out of it.

Next step is Pump / Stock Class learning the Art of Stock Class is super rewarding and a challenge. It’s my favorite way to play.

[JeeperCreeper]

I can understand the switch to mech. It's so easy to dump a half a case of paint in one game with my electro. That's why I'm switching.

[Cyberpyr8]

Yeah I was surprised how little paint I shot all day. I didn't feel like I shot less than I needed to but I took better shots. In 2 games with my shocker I used more paint than I did all day with the emek.

[Yamess191]

From my perspective it is interesting to think there are players who don’t know anything but electronic markers.
I started playing in 1989 and back then to have a semi auto was a paint waster, and expensive compared to the sl 68’s we where using or the pgp’s. I have owned a lot of semi auto markers, including sl 68, many phantoms, vm68’s, spiders and piranha’s, autocockers, mags, and now just phantoms and CVO’s. I never really considered electronic markers. I remember when angels came out in the mid 90’s and at the field I worked at we would see the rate of fire and where amazed, but then saw how many issues they had with electronic reliability, hoppers that couldn’t keep up with the rate of fire, even tank regs that couldn’t keep up shooting those ropes of paint. That kinda left a bad taste in my mouth so I stuck with my mags, cockers and when those leaked or had problems my trusty spider or pirahna.
fast forward to about 10 years ago and wow the market changed, I hadn’t played since the late 90’s, my guns all needed a tune up and all I saw in the forums where speedball markers and talk. The electronics had taken over! And I am sure for good reason, they where more reliable and simpler than my mags and cockers, and shoot ropes around them. Now after sitting around all last year, I got the itch to play some more ball, so I broke out my old phantoms, bought a new to me phantom to play with. I also bought a few CVO’s and a couple of fresh tanks and am excited to play some woods ball again. Now maybe finally I can play in a few big games that I have always wanted to attend but never had the time/money/commitment to attend.
so looking back it was interesting for me to be in the industry in the mid 90’s and to see the beginning of electronic markers. Plus seeing all the markers in person and shoot many of them that a lot of people on here are collecting and paying 2-4 times what they cost back then where great memories. All this and the electro’s never really interested me. Kinda the opposite of OP experience... we all love paintball, just from different angles

[shadow191]

Similar story to yours, I started in '93 and first gun was a PMI Trracer, then all my friends got VM68s so I got a Prolite. Stopped playing around '00 and electrics were becoming more common at the field. Remember everyone complaining about getting shot off the break by guys who were just shooting ropes but I had never shot one.

Stopped playing for 20 years and came back in '20 and it's a whole new world. Looks like I missed the arms race of last decade but the technology is still astounding. So I got hooked into how well and fast all the new guns shot, next thing I know I'm shooting a hopper and 2-3 pods a game when 20 years ago, I maybe shot a bag or bag and a half the entire day even with a semi. Part of it's just that field paint is much cheaper (not $8.00 per hundred anymore) but mostly it's just so easy to shoot fast with newer markers. Maybe it's that I missed out on the early years where it was all about ROF so it's still novel to me and I still think shooting a ton of paint is fun. But I can see how it can get old. May get a pump soon and see how it feels compared to what I remember.

[Hobbes]

But are you really having fun if you're not using an old marker full of crippling issues like FSDO, chops, and leaks?

[Mr. Hick]

No. I always bring a couple of those with me for when things are going too well. We all need frustration and hatred in our lives.

[Hobbes]

#stayhumble

[Cyberpyr8]

I still have a Pimp for those days.

[JeeperCreeper]

But are you really having fun if you're not using an old marker full of crippling issues like FSDO, chops, and leaks?

I am and always have run an Ion so yes to all of those

[Jonnydread]

I can't hit a damn thing with my semi-auto guns anymore. The spray'n'pray mentality of yore comes back with a ferocity every time I pick one up, it's like a muscle memory that I can't turn off.

[Cyberpyr8]

I still shoot on semi even with my shocker. I can shoot fast enough but find I pick my shots better at a low rate of fire. I waste most of my paint keeping heads down shooting at doorways or windows.

[Jonnydread]

Cyberpyr8 When I say semi-auto I mean mech/electro instead of pump. I have never really used ramping/full-auto guns.

[euangelion]

Picked up an emek on here late last year. Looking forward to getting out there with it soon.

Most fun I had in recent memory playing was just randomly hitting the field with a friend and using a rental 98. Just enjoyed the day and didn't have to worry about your equipment m

Another reason I was drawn to the emek is the ability to customize it to your liking. Something that is possible with some electros but still not to extent you could when I first started playing (~20 years ago now).

[latches109]

A well tuned Autococker is a lot of fun, always has been. The emek is definitely an easier way to get the same feeling.

[iamthelazerviking]

A stock EMEK is excellent in my opinion. Stock trigger/spring are fine to me. They already shoot quick enough as-is. I have owned/gotten rid of several, but I always somehow end up with another one. Say what you will about their looks, or not having the soul other mechs do, they just work and shoot so nicely. I am a snob for the first gen non PAL version. Slap on a good barrel and a Revy, good to go. Tinkering is fun and all, but I am at a point where I want a smooth shooting marker that I know will just GO without needing a bunch of tuning, etc. So the EMEK it is.