My Beginner's Paintball Kit (Paintball Markers)

I know I promised to do a blog about my whole list of gear at the end of my last post, but if I put everything into one entry, it would probably end up being 10 pages long, and nobody would want to read it.  Instead, I will make several posts about individual pieces of equipment along with my reasons for purchasing each item.  Some posts may have more than one piece type of equipment listed if the entry is too short, so this will be a work in progress.  I will post a link tree at the bottom of every entry once all of the items have been discussed so that people can navigate to specific kit pieces if they wish.  
It might also be worth disclosing that these first several posts have been put together over a relatively short period of time.  That’s mainly because the blog is new, and I have quite a bit of subject material to work with right now.  The posts will start to spread out a bit once I have to search for new subject material, so if you have stumbled across this blog recently, be sure to read it from the beginning and follow them in order if possible.  If not, that’s fine too.  Now, on to the first piece of gear!

My First Marker:  Spyder MR100 PRO

Spyder MR100 Pro with Stock Removed

This was my very first marker that I purchased just under a year ago when my friends first mentioned that they would be setting up a private course close to where we all lived.  However, as you may have noticed, I didn’t follow my own advice to avoid purchasing anything until I played a few times.  To be honest, I haven’t really used this on any field since my first outing.  The MR100 Pro is a decent beginner’s marker that also proves to be very economical and reliable on the field even though it lacks in rate of fire.  
The marker is semi auto, and fully mechanical, and the double trigger does allow for quicker trigger pulls.  I run CO2 through this marker along with all of my other markers, and the MR100 doesn’t miss a step.  In fact, this marker is very efficient and will get around 1200 to 1300 shots out of a 20oz. CO2 tank.  My only complaint is that even though the marker comes with a collapsible stock, I never use it with the stock attached.  I find stocks to be a purely cosmetic feature for most paintball markers since wearing a mask doesn’t really allow you to rest your cheek on the stock anyway.  Also, there are no sights on the top of the marker due to the position of the feed neck.  All in all, this is a good, inexpensive marker.

Marker # 2: Spyder Fenix 2012

Spyder Fenix 2012 with after market barrel (brand unknown)

I purchase the Fenix because after playing once, I knew I wanted something with an electronic trigger.  The field we were playing on was relatively small, and favored encounters that required a lot of suppressing fire, and my semi auto marker wasn’t cutting it. Experienced paintballers are probably rolling their eyes at all of the Spyder markers on this list, and I am aware that they aren’t high quality markers.  However, the Fenix did allow me to hold my own against players using much more popular and expensive markers without shelling out over $250.00 even though there were some drawbacks.  

I wouldn’t enter any competitions with this marker, but that isn’t my goal anyway.  Out of my three markers, this one gets the most use, and I am learning to work around its shortcomings nicely.  Will I eventually trade up for a better electronic marker?  Most likely, but this is working for me right now.  I’ll probably still hold on to the Spyder as a backup for years to come.

Marker # 3: Tippmann A-5 2011 Model (With Added Response Trigger)

Stock Tippmann A-5 with Response Trigger

Let the eye rolling continue, but I purchased this marker for a few very specific reasons. The first was that I knew once I started playing on larger, more objective based fields that I would want to change my play style.  I’m not as young as I once was, and the thought of sliding and diving around the field simply doesn’t appeal to me.  That’s not to say that using an electronic marker makes it necessary to jump around the field like a crazy person, but playing with a marker like the A-5 demands a bit of patience and tactical thinking when you are playing against more advanced markers that can fling ropes of paint around the field.  
If you never have before, I would suggest watching some videos on YouTube posted by Trails of Doom.  Glen, who runs the channel, almost exclusively uses an A-5, and he is able to pull of some crazy, sneaky maneuvers that I have never seen on other channels where players are using newer markers.  

It’s all about how you play, and I wanted to use a platform that would force me to approach the game differently.  I’ve only used this marker on the field a few times, and I was frustrated by the weight and awkwardness of it after using a much lighter and shorter marker.  I have recently purchased a remote line and harness to help alleviate those issues. 

Many of my recent purchases have revolved around the use of this new setup, so I hope my choice will pay off in the long run.  If not, I have other options in my arsenal, and I can always trade up later on.  My other motivations for using the A-5 revolved around Tippmann’s excellent reputation for building some of the toughest, most durable markers on the market.  Also, since the A-5 has been around for so long, there are more after market customization options available for this marker than any other still being sold (as far as I know, but correct me if I’m wrong).  

I haven’t bothered customizing my own A-5 aside from installing the response trigger upgrade which allows me to fire full auto, but I haven’t tested that on the field as of yet.  My biggest concern with the A-5 so far had been the weight, so I don’t want to add any more extras that would further bog me down.  I also purchased an Apex 2 barrel kit, but haven’t really had any use for it as the old field was too small and densely packed with foliage to use the higher ramp settings.

There you have it!  I will most likely continue to change what markers that I use as I grow into the sport, but I don’t have a huge budget to throw at new markers.  Paintball markers are easily the most expensive piece of kit that you will buy for paintball, and while I could have easily spent the money devoted to the purchase of all three of these markers on one monster of a marker, I chose variety over having just one marker.  

Perhaps you have different opinions about how a first marker should be chosen.  Feel free to leave your first marker purchase choices and stories in the comments below.  Until the next time!
~Krimmit