Exalt is done?

[Psycho91]

I had the same thought the other day, there's no cheap gear anymore, the more expensive masks and loaders are also $300 like WTF, a cheap loader and mask these days is what $100 or a little more and if you want a decent marker that's $300 give or take

[Araphel]

Inflation is a thing. Find an old magazine ad from 25 years ago and plug those prices into a CPI calculator. A $139 model 98 would be $263 dollars in today's money; a $50 revy, $94.

[coyote]

Cheap and acceptable starter gear with minimal shopping.

[coyote]

I think you are suffering from what I like to call the "MCB disconnect".

We live in a culture of gear snobs on this forum. It affects our outlook when recommending " beginner gear" . We suggest what we would by for our younger selves. We do this with the perspective of spending years or decades playing. That makes us outliers. That perspective pushes us to " but once, cry once" purchases.

Typically a noobie year purchaser is likely use the stuff fewer than 5 times. Then eventually it will find its way to Craigslist, eBay, Reddit, or Facebook marketplace. The asking price will be 75 percent of retail. Someone here will link the post. We will make fun of it.

Entry level gear is for entry level players. It takes a year or two to decide if that's what kind of paintball player you are

[Chuck E Ducky]

Honestly that’s not a bad starter set it’s got everything you need for $300

[JonM]

If you think we’re gear snobs, you should see what the people on Reddit are like. If anyone so much as posts a photo of a Spyder there, you’d think they insulted the community’s mothers.

[Trbo323]

Cheap and acceptable starter gear with minimal shopping.

Nice find

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[Chaos]

Yeah if ANS actually gives you everything in the package without swapping something out for something else lol

[Chuck E Ducky]

They are super shady. I avoid them at all cost.

[iamthelazerviking]

Cheap doesn't always mean good, especially with Azodin. Also I wish they wouldn't offer such big heavy loaders and tanks.

[Trbo323]

Cheap doesn't always mean good, especially with Azodin. Also I wish they wouldn't offer such big heavy loaders and tanks.

Their designs in general are really good. A lot fewer parts for a new player to keep track of compared to a spyder or tippmann. Cocker threads so you can get a good barrel that will stick with you and all the e markers work on 9v rather than 9.6v

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[mercpb]

agreed, Azodin for blowback feels like GM for pushrod V8s... they're squeezing a lot out of an old platform, it works pretty well for what it is

[Drcemento]

I just ordered up a few of their barrel swabs in case this is true. They have been the only ones to hold up over the years - I still have the first one i bought! I can't think of anything i have of theirs that I didn't like

[Chuck E Ducky]

I found a field with a massive stock of Redz 😉

[PBGunny]

Wish you would share location... I need to replace my old Redz 5 down 2 side pack.

[Cyberpyr8]

I just ordered $150 of Exalt gear. I hate to see them go out of business, but I don't want to have to depend on the second hand market for some of this stuff. There's some companies I wouldn't miss but I tend to buy Exalt stuff for barrel blockers, swabs and other small items. Let's hope this is really just a supply chain issue and not a stability problem.

[mercpb]

...Lots of people push new players to a etha 3m but to get that setup with a decent hopper and tank it's close to $700. I know times have changed but I used to help players get into the sport for $200. That's a drastic change that most people just can't do.

I love the discussion of making paintball accessible and would add that cheap viable packages are in fact out there --- right now I see these numbers
- Enmey package $300
- EMEK package $400
- Mini GS package $480

I do think low/midmarket is being serviced decently well. All those include tank ang useable mask --- how much lower can we get, brand new.

I do think there's a CULTURE issue where a kit showing up for Xball practice with a mini is going to catch flak, when it's 100% serviceable.

Well, plus tariffs will be a wrecking ball, none of this is US-made.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Well, plus tariffs will be a wrecking ball, none of this is US-made.

approx 80%- 90% of paintball equipment is manufactured outside the US.

+ 10%-20% for non Chinese
+ 50%-100% for Chinese ( currently )

Maybe Nelson revival? Let’s Go! Make Paintballs Great Again.

[Trbo323]

- EMEK package $400
.

Umm. No?

https://ansgear.com/planet-eclipse-e...all-gun-black/

Marker alone is now $400

I was talking $200 new. Not used gear if that's what you are looking at. The used market is too unstable and a lot of new players like having a warranty with their first marker while they learn the ins and outs of maintenance

I don't really understand how blowbacks are now considered unsuitable for a first marker. If not a pump I would bet most players here started with a blowback, did that somehow taint our experiences playing the game?

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[mercpb]

Umm. No?

Sorry you're right --- it's $385.
https://ansgear.com/planet-eclipse-e...n-package-kit/

and agreed, a blowback (Azodin) is perfectly fine too
Hell I trade markers with renters all the time in recball to show them it ain't the gun

[Jonnydread]

Only drawback to that package is the single pane lens, otherwise that's a more than appropriate first setup.

[nak81783]

I'll play the inflation card.

I think I paid $300 or $400 for my first start package in 1999 - Spyder SE, JT Crossfire single, a 14oz CO2 tank, gravity Viewloader, standard elbow, a pull-through barrel swab, and a barrel plug.

I quickly paid another $125-ish for a Smart Parts All American, a thermal lens, a simple belt pod pouch, and two pods.

That's $425-525 in 1999, which is about $800-1000 in 2025, depending on which inflation calculator you use.

So today:
Etha 3M with Speedster loader: $400
Empire 68/4500: $160
JT Spectra: $50
4-Pod Pack (e.g., Omega, BSX): $25
4 basic pods: $8
Exalt barrel swab: $12
Exalt tank grip: $15
Case of paint $60

Total: $730

Upgrade to Etha 3: $150

Total: $880

Did I miss anything? Check my math too. And my 1999 numbers didn't include a case of paint. Still leaves room for some other (not all) accessories - nipple cover, thread protector, maybe some Exalt Throwback or clearance pants, knee/elbow pads, etc.

Blowbacks with a gravity hopper and 48/3000 tank are still viable options that bring the price down considerably. My biggest complaints with them are:

1. All but the most expensive still seem to be set up for CO2 use. To get a couple to run on HPA recently, I had to shim the reg to 850+ psi. Most of the basic tank regs I've worked on start at 750-800psi, which results in low velocity, typically 230-260fps.

2. They tend to need the tougher-shelled paint. Combine that with the lower velocity and it results in mostly bounces at anything outside of 15-ish yards.

[Trbo323]

Edited

something weird happened with the link the first time I clicked on it, see below

[nak81783]

Trbo323, In your Tapatalk, are you not seeing the link mercpb provided? It is an Emek package, not an Etha 3M package.

[Trbo323]

Trbo323, In your Tapatalk, are you not seeing the link mercpb provided? It is an Emek package, not an Etha 3M package.

Ok that's weird, I swear the first time I clicked on that it brought me somewhere else that was marker only

That's a decent package, throw a thermal lens in that mask at some point but hit the field otherwise

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