Best products from r/paintball

Hi there,

Glad you really enjoyed the your day and that you're really excited about gearing up and getting back out there.

Start by finding yourself a good mask. There are a bunch of different options out there for you depending on what kind of paintball you're going to be playing. Currently, for my needs, I found I really like the E-Flex google system. I really like how easy it is to snap a new lens in and out and I like the way it fits on my face. Go down to your nearest paintball shop and start trying stuff on and asking questions there as well. Find the mask that is right for you.

After your mask I would look at getting some basic protective equipment. Decent shoes, some elbow and knee protection. At this point in time you're not too heavy invested financially and you can make the decision on what kind of marker you want to buy.

There are a ton of places for you to find a used marker. Try and find a facebook group that is local to you that does b/s/t for paintball gear.

Again, it really depends on what kind of paintball you're planning on playing and how much money you want to put into it. Go slow, ask lots of questions, and try to get your hands on stuff before you actually commit to playing.

The trademygun site I linked is pretty good and they have a 30 day policy on all of their sales. If you're looking at buying a marker online through facebook or some random try and get your hands on it and get it over a chrono and shoot it before you put money into their pocket.

Hope that helps and I'm glad you found something you're passionate about.

Have a good one,

Well it goes like this: a marker can only perform as well/quickly as it can get air and paint, so you always want to have your loader and tank outperform your marker, and never have your marker outperform your loader/tank.

Basically, if you think you're going to stick with it, I'd recommend spending a little more. If you can up your budget for marker/tank/loader to about $350, you'd be in business and wouldn't need to upgrade for a while.

Try and find a used loader such as an Invert Halo Too, Empire Prophecy Z2, or Dye Rotor in the $50-75 range.

A tank, you're probably going to be able to find some 45-50 ci or 68 ci 4500 psi tanks for $80. There is a link in r/paintball right now for an Empire 68ci/4500psi tank brand new on Amazon for $105, too, and that would be good for ~5 years.

Now let's call it $200 left over for a marker. You could easily find a used Invert Mini for that price, which is a marker perfectly capable of holding it's own at any level. Also, that puts you in range for Proto Rail (aka PMR) markers from 2010-2012, some Proto M7s (a great marker!), or a first-gen Planet Eclipse Geo, or a used Etek3 (keep in mind these would all be used at that price, but it's always better to buy a cheaper used marker than to buy a new marker and continually be upgrading, because that would ultimately cost more).

I'm sure I left out some points, so I'll edit as I think of them, but feel free to ask any other questions.

EDIT: look thru all the PbNation B/S/T sections too. There are always good deals

First, most guns operate around 90 psi. 10-20 psi is ridiculously small.

There is a trade off that you have to confront.

CO2 holds WAAAAY more energy than compressed air ever will. If size is your main concern, CO2 would be the way to go. The reason, as you know, is because CO2 goes through a phase change and there's a lot of energy in that step.

Yes, there are 2 or 3 oz co2 bottles. You're going to want to ask on mcarterbrown.com where ot get them. They are specialty made in limited runs for people who play pump paintball. I think they go for 40 bux. The same customers also buy very small compressed air tanks.

Now then, CO2 has a lot more energy stored, but god damn is it dirty. First, you need to make sure it expands. That expansion uses up a lot of heat. If you are continuously running the bottle, it is entirely possible that everything will freeze up. BUT, if it's only 10-20 psi, that may just be a small enough flow to where ambient temperature will work. However, with a constant flow I would bet that your device would freeze up on CO2 Either way, you will probably want to buy an old school "expansion chamber."

https://www.amazon.com/Kingman-Paintball-Expansion-Bottomline-conversion/dp/B00APL4KPK/ref=zg_bs_3488731_1

That's a really crappy one. Try to buy a used one (pbnation.com or mcarterbrown.com) that has multiple chambers and FINS. The one with the fins is really great. (20 bux).

Compressed air in a small tank may struggle to provide you with enough energy to run for 1 hour. A larger tank, like a 45 cubic inch/4500 psi (called a 45/45) would definitely last you.

Either way, you will need at least two regulators. All tanks, whether CO2 or HPA, expel air out of them at 800 psi (standard) or 400 psi (low pressure HPA tanks only). So you will need to regulate the pressure down from 800 down to 100 using a high pressure regulator. If you are using CO2, (Or even if not) one of the best most consistent regulators is a Palmer's male stabilizer.

https://palmers-pursuit-shop.myshopify.com/collections/stabilizers

90 dollars.

You want to put this 100 psi air into some sort of dump chamber, roughly the size of your thumb or larger. I highly recommend using macroline and macroline fittings in order to make these connections.

http://www.oringmonkey.com/macroline-fittings-c-210.html

The straight one here is 8 dollars. It's a premium, higher costed macroline fitting. Most go for 4-5. But o ring monkey is good people and I always order from there. Pick up some 010 o rings to fix any leaks you may get in your macroline fitting later (which will definitely occur with CO2). The macroline connectors fit into 1/8 NPT threads, which is easy enough to drill and tap.

https://www.amazon.com/Vermont-American-20371-Carbon-Steel/dp/B000K1LZ76

Then feed that into a low pressure regulator. Now these are getting rarer as most guns have ditched them. Anyways, once again Palmers is going to be your best bet for CO2, and they're one of the best regs there is, hands down. I cannot say for certain that such a regulator will get down to 10 psi and work properly. This is outside the range of almost every paintball gun there is. You definitely are going to have to "Ask the Experts" over at mcarterbrown.com

Most Low Pressure Regulators (LPR) output the air through microline which is different from macroline. You want SOFT microline for the fittings. The only source of soft microline that I have ever been able to locate is from a guy on mcarterbrown.com . His handle is "maggot" and you are looking for his "autococker hose kit." 12 bux

http://www.mcarterbrown.com/forums/dealers-forum/255801-slps-kit-cocker-parts-macroline-halfblock-delrin-grips-benchmark-sliders.html#post2949265

As far as refilling, CO2 is very easy to refill from a larger bottle wit a CO2 fill station

https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Paintball-Mini-Fill-Station/dp/B0023U7RH4

As far as refilling HPA, it is really easy to do so from a scuba fill station.

https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Paintball-SCUBA-Fill-Station/dp/B001T6I1K0

Of course, be warned. DO NOT EVER PUT OIL INTO A HPA TANK AS IT CAN AND WILL EXPLODE That's really the only thing you'd have to worry about with filling.

in case you don't want to go threw the hassle of the used market:

Marker: https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Mini-GS-Paintball-Gun/dp/B00LBJUD4C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521136125&sr=8-4&keywords=empire+mini+gs

hopper/ tank:https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Halo-Paintball-Loader-Combo/dp/B003FVP506/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1521136199&sr=1-4&keywords=halo+too

mask: https://www.amazon.com/Dye-Paintball-Goggles-Thermal-Lens/dp/B016SACUTY/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1521136264&sr=1-4&keywords=dye%2Bi5&th=1

a very respectable first setup if you are looking for something that you can learn the basics on and even play decent speedball with. I would look into a carbon fiber tank and a new hopper as some solid upgrades (these will do the job for a long time, I still run my halo on my axe when I loan it out) if you choose to keep up with it and want to put some more money into quality of life. Empire sells solid markers and personally what I suggest for beginners looking to go the speedball rout. they have really good customer support. The dye I series are simply my favorite masks, easily replaced with another mask that better suits your face or is more aesthetically pleasing to you.

Not sure anybody will read this but check this out! I ended up buying this mask, pretty excited about it. I think it looks badass.

I also bought a beanie per your recommendation. It looks super thin, hope that’s ok.

The Ion should still hold up very well, just give it the routine maintainence that it probably needs after not being used in so long. I don't know the exact condition of your tank, but the best bet would probably be taking it to a paintball shop and having the employees assess the reg/leak. If you plan on really getting back into the sport and playing a lot, a new HPA tank might be worth it. As far as the hopper, I HIGHLY recommend the Dye LT-R ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VT4T4JW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_OLaMBbTGHG5HY). For $100, it performs outstandingly. It keeps up with my 15-20BPS (Empire Axe) with zero issues. Dye basically took their Rotor, removed some bells and whistles, and kept the core design for a very good price. Check out the reviews.

I've bought a mask already - I did a bunch of research (a lot on this sub) and quickly realized that should be the first thing I invested money into. Especially since I wear glasses - I won't have any fun if they won't fit under the mask. The first time I went out I bought one with thermal lenses that can be changed out. I don't remember the brand. But it fits my head perfectly and has only fogged up once. The rentals they had were nasty, quite frankly.

I've been poking around amazon and found this hopper. I've read that no matter the marker, an electric hopper is the way to go. This one seems to be a reasonable price and people seem to like it as well.

I suppose I should also add that my boyfriend and I are splitting the cost of that haul since there are two markers. Mostly. He's putting in 50 I'm putting in 75 - I'm taking to the sport more than him so I see myself using everything more. We've already talked about buying new tanks and feeders for it. And the field we go to rents tanks as well - which is great because that is still cheaper than renting all the gear.

Within the next 2-3 paycheck's I'll probably buy the GoG. I think I'm still going to throw down for this haul - I have a few friends that I could maybe drag along if I had the extra gear to help them out. Haha.

I know it's lame but I really like the look of the Tippmanns. I like the more rugged look than the sleek fancy contours of the GoG! But I once I get better I know I'm going to prefer something that performs well.

Welcome! And if you want to know whether the lens is dual pane or not, just take it out of the mask and look to see if it has black lining like this. If not, then I would definitely recommend getting new lenses, and if so, then check to see if the lining is compromised.

This can be done by looking so see if there are any lighter spots on the lining, and if those lighter spots protrude all the way through then the lining has been compromised.

Good luck, and I hope the mask fix is easy!

Some really solid advice. As it turns out, Full Auto isn't allowed on the course I played on last weekend, and I'm not sure if we're going to get to do any woodsball this summer (I live in Alaska, so it's a short season), so I guess I'll focus on Speedball and consider a woodsball marker for next summer if I can find a game.

I prefer to purchase things on Amazon so would you mind looking over this list to make sure I'm getting the right things?

Halo Too loader
http://www.amazon.com/Invert-Halo-Loader-48ci-Combo/dp/B003FVP506/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1

Mask
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005R4O0PU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A32DO2WY2M0IZT


Pack (decided I liked this style vs the vertical ones)
http://www.amazon.com/GenX-Global-Horizontal-Harness-Black/dp/B003MZKTM4/ref=sr_1_24?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1345691239&sr=1-24&keywords=paintball+pack+gen+x

Tank (Do I need a cover? someone said that you should have a cover to protect a carbon fiber tank)
http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Carbon-Fiber-Paintball-Tank/dp/B001UYIDZY/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1345691561&sr=1-3&keywords=hpa+carbon+fiber

Gun
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Eclipse-Etha-Paintball-Gun/dp/B005VQZFQC/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_2



A note about the gun: I am really hesitant to splurge on the Ethas, because while it comes pretty highly recommended, I just can't get over the fact that it looks like a toy. Also, it seems that it's more suited to speedball, and I particularly want to maintain the delusion that I'll be able to find some woodsball games. Am I going to have any issues with trying to woodsball with the Ethas?

Thanks mate, really appreciate it. I am still on the fence about this helmet:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00083DEUM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mainly because of the horror stories some of my friends have told me who have gotten shot on the sides and back of their heads. Also the full helmet looks cool imo.

As for pants go (yikes!) definitely on the pricier side of gear. But I'm sure they're worth the investment.

Now I need to find a solid pair of cleats. Getting into paintball has been quite the investment ;)

These are the gloves I use. They fit skin tight, but I like them because I don't feel like they hinder flexibility or tactile-ness (?). They breathe fairly well, but you can get some that are only coated on the palm to get more breath-ability on top of your hand. I mainly wear them for protecting my hands from cuts, not so much for protection from shots.

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https://www.amazon.com/34-846-GTEK-Maxiflex-Ultimate-Gloves/dp/B00746O6IU/ref=pd_sbs_193_3/147-9587244-9549511?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00746O6IU&pd_rd_r=0e925a26-83a7-11e9-b4c5-ef907af3647f&pd_rd_w=ysEnU&pd_rd_wg=k7QL1&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=H16SZH6BHQFZYJRENA0W&psc=1&refRID=H16SZH6BHQFZYJRENA0W

I do not know why you need a Knife in paintball, I like the pods in the back with my tank on a line so its less in front so I can crouch easier. My friend uses this one Click me for link He enjoys it, I prefer just a pod belt. The pod belt I use is this Proto 3+4

I'd say save up a little while longer and get a decent electronic marker. I was in the same boat as you a few months ago and bought a Tippmann A-5 Package off of amazon.com
I've since replaced the mask it came with, tank, remote line, and got a new barrel for the gun and I'm still not close to done. Starter markers are great for woodsball, but if you're anything like me after a few days playing woodsball you're going to start to have an itch for speedball or xball. Now I'm wishing I had just gotten an electronic marker at the beginning instead of the A-5.

you can cut off the gauntlets on the desired elbow pad you want.

planet eclipse makes elbow pads with a very minimal hand gauntlet. you can easily fit gloves over them or simply cut them off.

exalt also makes elbow pads with a very minimal hand gauntlet.

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Here are so I could find that do not cover the hand:

https://www.ansgear.com/Planet_Eclipse_Elbow_Pads_s/2177.htm

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https://www.ansgear.com/Exalt_T3_Elbow_Pads_Black_Lime_p/exaltt3elbowpadsblklim.htm

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https://virtuepb.com/collections/paintball-elbow-pads-padding/products/paintball-pad-padding-gear-guard-athletic-damage-elbow-pads

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http://www.exaltpaintball.com/product_p/alpha-elbow-pad.htm

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https://www.amazon.com/MudGear-Padded-Arm-Sleeves-Compression/dp/B0189URNSO

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https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/under-armour-adult-padded-arm-sleeve-16uaragdpdddslv20fta/16uaragdpdddslv20fta

You would rather get these if your really keen on getting a mask that fully covers your head. It is a bit more pricey, but it is worth it since it will be very comfortable and is a cousin to one of the most reputable googles in paintball, the JT Proflex.

Get a mask as soon as you can, mine was $60 and really comfy. Getting a good mask first is what people here harp on, and for good reason. You can't shoot shit If you can't see shit.

https://www.amazon.com/JT-FLEX-8-Thermal-Paintball-Goggles/dp/B000ANJDGE

this one is good

pods to go with

you're gonna love it :)

I actually just bought a gtek. I found one on Amazon a few weeks ago and bought it, but yeah they are tough to find I noticed. There is a guy trying to sell one on Amazon right now but for $2,000!

https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Eclipse-Gtek-Paintball-Marker/dp/B01AARYXO6/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=gtek+paintball+gun&qid=1556983377&s=gateway&sr=8-4

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The Etha 2 and Etek are other good options from PE in a similar price range if you want new. I almost went with an Etha 2, but they stopped making the $399 model of that (other than in camo color from what I've found) and I found the GTEK for $399.

https://www.amazon.com/Dye-LT-R-Paintball-Loader-Black/dp/B06VT4T4JW/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1502065153&sr=1-1&keywords=rotor+ltr is much better than the halo.

i also recommend buying the used axe much better marker

Do you think the tank in the link is good? I was thinking of getting it but I don't know if it's good or not?
http://www.amazon.com/Invert-Halo-Loader-48ci-Combo/dp/B003FVP506/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1373733330&sr=8-2&keywords=halo+too+hopper

I use BMX gloves. They have extra protection on the knuckles and fingers. Breath really well and are just really comfortable. Also they're cheap...

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074267HG4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You'll need to get something like the HK mount to start, but you'll then want to get pieces like this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PRIWJAY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and then also order just the hex screws that fit gopro accessory thread since the thumb twist screws add bulk. On amazon there are many various combinations of gopro extensions you can use to get a similar result.

You just need a scuba fill station. Something like this.

They mount to the bottle and allow you connect your tank to fill of the bottle.

A true bonafide, field-grade compressor is going to run you north of $3,000 unless you're looking at the little 110v PCP chinesium made ones. Those are a crapshoot and not worth the dice roll IMHO

This mask is a common rental mask with added full head protection. Rental masks are notorious for being just bad masks. If you feel like you absolutely need a full head mask, go with a JT Flex-8 Headguard. This was my first mask and I still have it. I have i4s now but my friends use it when we play.


But seriously, if you don't absolutely need full head protection, don't get it. It looks kinda stupid, and it's hot and sticky. Not to mention more area to clean when you're done playing. Whatever you get though, get it with a thermal lens.

I always recommend my pod pack when this question inevitably comes up.

http://www.amazon.com/Proto-Paintball-Fighter-Pod-Harness/dp/B001713EMC/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427829273&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=proto+pod+pack

Really aren't many options at this price that are as good from what I can tell.

I went with this

I went ahead and purchased the stuff below. I think this will be good for casual play.

Gun https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2NH25O/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Red Dot
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HPWATOC/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hopper
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036FHJLE/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's a great deal on a tank and hopper; http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003FVP506?cache=61b7619bac973d9162859a37f1c86151#ref=s9_simh_gw_d4_g200_i1&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=mobile-1&pf_rd_r=0ZS2A0ZZ28KQM5DS8Z9S&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1634797062&pf_rd_i=507846

I went with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075VJ8P4P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#customerReviews

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NTRRHQN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Good?

Positive. I guess from the product description they weren't always dual pane.

https://www.amazon.com/VForce-Profiler-Goggle-Lens-Thermal/dp/B00BL7KGO6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=Profiler+thermal+lense&qid=1554209290&s=gateway&sr=8-1

You need two things. I purchased a scuba tank to fill mine at home, etc. But if you need to fill a single tank they'll need these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JONEI4/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_26Gqtb1CHFC66

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001T6I1K0/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_O8Gqtb1WBWPST

I'd be really surprised if your local shop didn't already have a DIN adapter (it's needed to fill scuba tanks from their compressor).

Here is the fill station

It hooks up to any standard scuba tank. You can ask the local scuba shops about used tanks, or even look on craigslist for them to try to save money.

Here is a pre-packaged set up that has everything you would need, but it's a little bit more expensive than buying a used tank.

I'm using this combo with my new eNVy. Will be upgrading the tank though after I get a new mask and a barrel. It feels a bit heavier than I'd like it to be.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001T6I1K0/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_200_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BB3HGD16806YFY1S7KJK&dpPl=1&dpID=31P3Oapb1-L

This beaut

Here you go...select the 68/4500 option. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0052F61TW?cache=1194adf48645468e61b80647889779da&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1411234192&sr=8-3#ref=mp_s_a_1_3

https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Paintball-SCUBA-Fill-Station/dp/B001T6I1K0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1501702269&sr=8-4&keywords=fill+station

Step 1. Cut a hole in the box

Step 1. Buy this.

Step 2. Buy This

You're not going to find a "cheap" air compressor that can do 3000psi. Period. The cheapest method you can go is the one listed above. You can fill that scuba tank for between 5-10 dollars at a scuba store.

https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Paintball-SCUBA-Fill-Station/dp/B001T6I1K0 <- One of those and some people have dive shops closer than their local field and/or find out where the fire department fills their scba bottles.

Buy Both. I picked this set up a few weeks ago and used it last weekend. Thinking about getting it again for my 2nd gun.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FVP506/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

just a broke man trying to pick up a hobby. I recently bought a used matte red invert mini. Now that i have your attention, what do you think about this buy?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FVP506/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3MOEA5B1IA06N

So you've got 250ish for a package for your son? Instead of buying that one I'll make one for you!

GoG Enmey Gun $125

Proto Primo Hopper $14

Ninja 48/3000 HPA Tank $50

JT Proflex $63

For the around $250 mark you will not get a better deal.