Eclipse 180R

[iamthelazerviking]

Just announced. Like the 170R being a "poor man's" CS2, this is a poor man's CS3.

$1100. And will be a mechanical frame.

[Handy]

GTEK 180R | Planet Eclipse

Looks nice. I'm curious what the mech frame will look like. My complaint about the M170R (and CS2 mech) was the little bump under the trigger so they could use the same grips.

[Brokeass_baller]

If it's similar to the bump on the Gmek, it's not bad. Comfy when shooting with your index, easy to ignore if shooting with your middle.

[hillcow]

The bump is gone on the mech frame

[uglyduckling]

No bump on the CS3 mech frame, unless I'm mistaken. I don't see why the 180R would be any different
The Gmek had more of a finger groove than a bump.

[The Jayster]

Ha! I had called it: a lower pressure core to enhance the shot quality. Good move. Also, I really like the fact that they've included a modular barrel kit with inserts. A big issue with the basic PE barrels (on the Ethas and Gteks for instance) was that PE stopped selling different barrel backs a long time ago and so to get different bore sizes you had to purchase an expensive barrel kit. Now you can just buy relatively cheap inserts. That's one big thing the Shocker AMP had over the 170R; not anymore now I guess.

[lhamilton1807]

Yep, happy to see that as well. Frustrating they still sell shaft 4/5 compatible barrels but don’t support the rest of the system anymore.

[Brokeass_baller]

Freak kits were always an option. 🤷

[uglyduckling]

The stock .689 barrel was always fine, unless you wanted to use a shaft 4 or 5 on a cocker. PE was just tired of leaving money on the table when they could be selling inserts and barrels lol

[Jonnydread]

Poor Man's? $1100? Man inflation is brutal

[ford]

$1100. And will be a mechanical frame.

Jeebus! $1100? Inflation is real.

What was the 160r going for back in the day? woof.

Don't get me wrong... I see the quality of life improvements in this since the 160r but man, is the mid-range marker really supposed to break the 1k threshold?

I guess the Etha 3 is midrange now, Emek is entry? If that's the case, I wish they would offer an 'upgrade kit' to turn your Emek into an Etha 2/3.

[lhamilton1807]

Considering the original Gtek was like $500 the price has gone up a long way in the last 7 or so years.

[uglyduckling]

$550, I think about $700 2023 dollars. The Gtek also introduced (I think) the GRN parts for the first time, presumably in place of more expensive aluminum parts (frame, feedneck, bolt cap, etc). It had no oled screen (unless you upgraded to the OLED $$), no mech frame compatibility until later on, etc.

So the price has gone up, but the Gtek is also much closer in terms of features and production cost to their flagship gun than the original one was.

[lhamilton1807]

uglyduckling true, but as time goes by what was high end a few years ago often becomes standard at the mid range, and that typically includes some price normalization. The biggest change I see here is the new core, although the nicer barrel kit is a good touch. But maybe the inflation over the last few years is here to stay. Will have to see if other companies push out equally expensive mid-range guns or if this doesn’t sell well enough at this price to be profitable for them. Maybe they’ll sell like hotcakes and il be completely wrong.

[iamthelazerviking]

Yeah, I mean sure it's cheaper than a new CS3 and will perform similarly...if I really wanted a nice electro I'd find a used CS2. Saw one on FB for 700, that's a great deal.

[Brokeass_baller]

Yeah... Another reason I'm going to keep on keeping on with my Gmek. Dremel out two of the dump chamber rods and *boom*, lower pressure.

[Jordan]

That's good enough data for me...

Does it make a noticeable difference?

[Brokeass_baller]

I don't really know, to be honest. I took a few shots with my trigger gauge and I averaged 1lb 8oz pull weight. High was 1lb 10oz, low was 15oz. That's still a really nice trigger pull.

For comparison, I gauged my nicest Autococker, with medium springing and Dye/FreeFlow UL frame. I averaged 1lb 6oz, but the high was 1lb 12oz, and the low was 14oz.

So it at least made it as nice as a nice Autococker. I played with the Gmek 3 weeks ago, and was shooting 280-295fps.

[Brokeass_baller]

I think the big thing is efficiency. Being dwell insensitive, I think the lower pressure allows the bolt guide to close quicker, resulting in less useless air lost during the shot cycle. Or something like that.

[glaman5266]

I think the Gtek price increases are becoming absurd.

I understand inflation & increased costs. I understand trying to keep a core marker in their lineup updated. But when the only real differences are a different bolt engine & some different textures in certain places (with neither likely having any significant effect on performance) I don't understand the $1k+ price tag. I can shell out just a little more & get a full-blown Geo 4 or get a similar-performing Etha 3 for less than half that cost.

I think the Gtek is slowly being priced out of it's own market. It was the core of the midrange for years & I don't understand why PE is pricing it out of that. I mean, aside from maybe thinking they're leaving money on the table... In which I wouldn't blame them. They're a business after all. But it really sucks for consumers.

[ford]

More thoughts riffing on the price tag for what has generally been the mid-range marker... thinking about it from my inverse... the PE perspective.

Let's say PCB related components and aluminum have gone up substantially...

Do you keep building the 170r with a higher price tag or offer something new to semi-compensate to at least give the buyer something fresh for their hard earned dollars?

It's been a number of years but I recall Jack saying in one of his fireside chats that the high end gamma core was always going to be reserved for the CS line. The notion being the entry level Ethas and R line was going to stick with the Gamma Core. Adding a fancier bolt system with this release could be a concession to account for the increased costs.

Wishing them a lot of luck with this release... Really hope the cost of things start coming down soon.

[Cyberpyr8]

When markers are 1600 (LV2) to 1800 (CS3), and Etha 3's run around 500, them mid range is at that 1k range. It sucks but that's where PE is priced these days.

Dye has guns in that same range too. The DSR and DLS are priced similarly. Most decent guns these days are above 800. Except for the Etha3 and CZR, there's not a lot of new guns out there for umder 800 that are worth it. Of course the used market will probably continue to grow.

[Brokeass_baller]

Same. Ever since the Ion, the term "high-end" has meant nothing to me.

[glaman5266]

I disagree with the $1k midrange notion. That would place the Mini GS & Rize in the low-end. But there's no way I'd lump them in with Tippmanns & Spyders.

To me, midrange stuff has similar performance to the high-end stuff but without the bells & whistles, which it kind of always has been for the last 25 years (see the B2K, Ion, Defiant, Etek, Impulse, etc.) So in current terms, that would equate to the Mini GS/Etha 2 up through the Gtek 170R. And there are plenty of good offerings in that price bracket. The 180R may be the midrange of PE's lineup, but not for the rest of the industry.

If the Gtek is eventually going to replace the Geo as a high-end, then fine. But then they have nothing in the $500-800 bracket. I think that's a questionable business decision. But even that aside, for anyone to say this is a reasonably priced "midrange" marker is absurd.

[Cyberpyr8]

Welcome to 2023. I think the low range is pretty much gone. New minis are 450ish. They are the low end of midrange. But the amp, DSRs and now gtek lines are all 8-1000. I would say the Etha3 and mini are low end if anything. The basement is the tippmann and spyders. But that's really not new.

[RedLeaderSB]

https://spares.paintball.de/markers/marker-spare-parts/planet-eclipse-lv2-cs3-ft-soft-bolt-tip/a-21480

I want to know if the soft tips can swapped retroactively to 170r or emek. Kinda want that 3 finger design. The text on the site doesn’t say it will work, but doesn’t necessarily preclude it either?

[zinger565]

I don't believe the original Gamma Core bolts are machined for the soft tip inserts. You'd still have to pick up one of the gamma upgrades (ST3 is the current I think?) to use is, and at that point, it already comes with a soft tip.

[iamthelazerviking]

Buy the ST3 bolt

[Lotus]

What I want to know is if the 180r core is swappable with original Gamma cores. If the external dimensions are the same, it's still the same basic bolt as everything else. They also tend to sell spares so it wouldn't be impossible or even that expensive really to just buy all the parts and stick it in an existing gun. That is assuming it all fits.

[lhamilton1807]

I’m highly skeptical of being able to swap in parts from the OP core into an OG Gamma body. If they did that there would be no incentive to buy a new gun from them…

Plus the 3tha, Emek, and MG/EMF100 all still use the Gamma core like the 170R. Spare parts will be available for them until the OP and OP-R cores are downgraded to their beginner lines in time.

[uglyduckling]

Hard no

[latches109]

What I want to know is if the 180r core is swappable with original Gamma cores. If the external dimensions are the same, it's still the same basic bolt as everything else. They also tend to sell spares so it wouldn't be impossible or even that expensive really to just buy all the parts and stick it in an existing gun. That is assuming it all fits.

on ANS video the bodies air ports look in the identical positions, The OP-R valve chamber is a little longer, reducing that back portion, but, if the air ports are in the same location then this would not matter - it would still seal up. i bet you could shove an OP-R bolt in there and 3d print a back cap to lock it in place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx4ybw8kCn0

try it and let us know

[Hooptie]

Thank you for sharing these images. It speaks a lot.

It does look like a 170r frame can mount to a 180r body (and vice versa). Which can be a positive for mech frame users. ( disregard, looks like the holes toward the bottom of image don’t line up)

[latches109]

Etha 3 and 170R