Paintball Guns/Markers Reviews are Digested into One

Paintball Gun Review digests the reviews from many players, and extracts the strengths and weaknesses of each gun, mask, hopper, or other paintball gear.

Now you can get into the fun and exciting sport of paintballing, knowing that you won't be wasting your money!

All paintball guns listed below have been reviewed by various players for value. These paintball guns are good choices; markers with significant problems have been excluded.

Most paintball markers under $300 or $400 have junk stock parts and require upgrades for good results.

With few exceptions (e.g. the Tippmann A5), if you want rates of fire above about 10 BPS (balls per second), you should budget for an electric paintball hopper.

Paintball guns that actually shoot 20 BPS and above and never chop paintballs, have excellent accuracy and gas efficiency, will cost anywhere from $600 to $1500. We will look at these in the future; currently we look at guns under $300.

Types of player
Players usually fall into two categories: recreational and tournament players. Tournament players take the game seriously, investing over $2,000 in paintball gear. They also attend tournaments in teams of 3-10 people. A common tournament team game is "Speedball", where players play on an enclosed field with a single central flag and hide behind small scattered walls and barrels. A top of the line paintball marker can cost $700 - $2,000. A recreational marker can however be purchased for $50 to $300.

Paintball tips for buying a marker

• Avoid the cheap paintball guns, they really have problems (except the selected ones below).

Beginner or Low-End Markers, $50 - $99 Most guns at this price are junk, but the ones below are selected for value	Lower Mid-Range Markers, $100 to $160 Most guns in this price range have problems; the ones below have very few	Higher Mid-Range Markers, $185- $285 Guns at this price show signs of quality; the ones below have it
M3 Black Dragun Compact Electronic Marker 15BPS Street price: $99 Fast, reliable, and accurate, but LOUD and not waterproof. Good starter or backup gun, players liked this gun. Read Review	32 Degrees Icon-E Electronic Marker 13BPS Street price: $150 A tossup with the Tippmann Custom 98, the Icon-E seems to have fewer negatives Read Review	Kingman Spyder Electra ACS Electronic Marker 20+BPS Street price: $265 A tossup with the Smart Parts Ion and Diablo Wrath. Fast 20+ BPS, doesn't chop paintballs, and durable. No real weaknesses reported. Read Review
Viewloader Orion Mechanical Marker 5-7BPS Street price: $60 A good beginners gun, doesn't chop balls Read Review	Tippmann Custom 98 Mechanical Marker 11BPS Street price: $150 Known to be tough & reliable, performs without the complexity of electronics Read Review	Smart Parts Ion Electronic Marker 17BPS Street price: $285 A tossup with the Kingman Spyder Electra and Diablo Wrath. Small profile, light, accurate, quiet, doesn't chop paintballs, not field strippable, sloppy trigger Read Review
Kingman Spyder Victor II Mechanical Marker 8BPS Street price: $60 Another good choice if you prefer Spyders, but it is LOUD Read Review	Kingman Spyder Rodeo Mechanical Marker 8-10BPS Street price: $150 Has none of the negatives of the Tippman Custom 98, and no complex electronics to fail Read Review	Diablo Wrath Electronic Marker 20BPS Street price: $275 A tossup with the Kingman Spyder Electra and Smart Parts Ion. Fast, accurate, doesn't chop paintballs, fast field strip, sloppy trigger. Read Review
Zap Amp Transformer Electronic Marker 10BPS Street price: $80 If you want an inexpensive electronic marker, here it is Read Review	Kingman Spyder TL-X Mechanical Marker 5-6BPS Street price: $120 For reliability on a budget Read Review	Kingman Spyder Pilot Electronic Marker 14BPS Street price: $250 A tossup with the Tippmann A-5 and Fenix Read Review
Diablo Sabotage Vertical Mechanical Marker 6BPS Street price: $50 A good cheap paintball gun, but it is LOUD Read Review	Diablo Inferno Heat Mechanical Marker 7BPS Street price: $139 Solid, reliable, accurate, players like this gun. Loud. Read Review	Tippmann A-5 Mechanical Marker 10-15BPS (18+ w/e-grip) Street price: $250 Tough & reliable, no need to tweak or adjust, has Cyclone hopper Read Review
		Kingman Spyder Fenix Electronic Marker 14BPS Street price: $270 A quality electronic marker Read Review
		Tippmann Pro-Carbine Mechanical Marker 7-9BPS Street price: $219 A rugged and reliable beginners gun, has the feel of a rifle. Trigger issues can be dealt with. Read Review