Exalt is done?

[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.

Or sub in this https://ansgear.com/planet-eclipse-e...age-kit-black/

and a 48/3000 to my 2025 list to bring the total down to $510. Gets it back to the high end of what I paid in 1999 with much better gear. Removing the case of paint (also not in my 1999 list) gets it down to $450.

[Killshot_Kustoms]

There are plenty of cheap ways for someone to get into he hobby now. Good used emek with the PAL hopper and a steel 48/3000, $300, New GI Events / JT E-Flex (one of my favorite masks) under $50. So for $350, you can have a new player rocking an extremly reliable gun, and comfy mask. One of the bigger problems with the stagnation of our hobby IMO is the paint. It is garbage. New players go to a field or event (big game) that is field paint only, stuck with GI garbage. GI has the biggent market share, and can force stores and fields to only use and sell their paint. Players rent guns or and have a bad time because of the shit paint and don't come back..

[Chuck E Ducky]

Well with the 25% tariff on them I don’t think GI is going to control the market with the same factory. So maybe we will see better paint. It’s definitely going to effect there paint
market share. They already run on razor thin margins hell they are cutting the size down to stay afloat and leaving them half empty. It’s going to be interesting to see how it affects the market. Social, APX, and Valkin did have a US facilities I bet they are sitting pretty right now. GI I bet is not happy right now.

[Trbo323]

There are plenty of cheap ways for someone to get into he hobby now. ..

Yes there still are my point was that those ways are not generally told to new players these days. Facebooks mindless hoards just tell them to go buy a $400 marker without thinking about the fact that they still need all the other gear

I feel like that's a change in the last 10-15 years that didn't used to happen. The budget is basically thrown out the window and I think that's harmful to the sport since the new players don't know any better and if they think they must spend $700 just to get started they may think it's not worth trying the sport

Sent from my motorola edge 2024 using Tapatalk

[The Hobbit]

Another possible contribution is visibility of these packages. The kid at the birthday party, that wants equipment, probably doesn’t know where to look. Walmart and most other big box sporting goods stores don’t carry paintball equipment anymore, at least not around me. The online vendors aren’t going to be common knowledge to a new player.

What comes up on Amazon for equipment? That is probably the first place people will look.

[Psycho91]

Boy I opened a can of worms in here didn't I 😂

[nerdcore]

I keep returning, hoping to read official news about Exalt, but no...

[The Hobbit]

I forgot what the topic of the thread was. Seems every super active thread here turns into a debate on how to save paintball.

[imped4now]

I just checked with the owner of a large shop that moves a lot of inventory. He said Exalt is alive and well.

[Trbo323]

I just checked with the owner of a large shop that moves a lot of inventory. He said Exalt is alive and well.

How recent did he order though?

Sent from my motorola edge 2024 using Tapatalk

[imped4now]

Very recently. No issues with placing and receiving orders, as he goes through inventory quickly.

[nerdcore]

I just checked with the owner of a large shop that moves a lot of inventory. He said Exalt is alive and well.

That's a relief! They make my favorite swabs!