Considering a new marker...

[401kill]

Thinking about moving on from my 2011 Proto Rail, it's been a good first marker but have spent a lot of time cursing / fixing it between games. I'm willing to try to fix it again, if the price is right, but also want to look at my replacement options.

I'm probably looking in the £200 - £300 price bracket. So far I've looked at:

- Another Rail (I do like the marker and a friend has a new one which hasn't given him much trouble)
- Eclipse Etha
- GOG eXTCy
- Buying a higher-end marker second hand

I'm looking for something which I can rely on for a couple of years without breaking the bank. I play once a month -ish so doesn't need to be anything too fancy.

Any advice or marker suggestions would be great.

Thanks
Ben

 

[CameronS]

Got an Nt 11 with upgraded boarded and limited addition anno

 

[NitroBall]

You could pickup a very nice secondhand Ego or Geo within your budget, Eclipse guns are easy to maintain, plenty of parts around as these are popular markers.
You will enjoy your days of paintball having a more reliable marker.

 

[NinjaSquirrel]

Ive got an Etek 3 AM for sale that might tickle your fancy.Not sure if Im allowed to post the link outside of the Sales section.

 

[NitroBall]

You can direct a link from here, other than that, no dealing in here please.
The OP may not beable to respond to your link as yet as he/she has no access to classifieds.

 

[NitroBall]

Infact, do not post a link in here, dont want others jumping in to find later tonight there are a dozen posts linking to the sales thread.

 

[NinjaSquirrel]

No worries mate.Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[5amwise]

As stated above you could pick yourself up a nice planet eclipse marker such as a geo or an ego for that kind of budget. personally i would say that would be your best option in terms of reliabilty and performance, but thats just my personal opinion. in the unlikely event that you would have an issue with a planet marker theie support staff are fantastic and will help resolve the issue (usually free of charge)

 

[401kill]

Thanks guys. So far the consensus seems to be that the money is better spent on a second hand PE marker.

Is there anything in particular to look for when shopping around between these? I've read some comparisons between the Ego and the Geo and most people seem to be saying that the choice comes down to personal preference. The Ego is sounding more attractive from the point of view of maintenence time and efficiency, which it seems to score over the Geo. Bearing in mind my relative (in)experience, am I likely to notice a big difference with either marker, or are they both so much better than the Rail that it doesn't really matter? How does the Etek compare?

Am I safe enough picking up any version of the markers above, or are there specific years / revisions to prefer or avoid?

 

[5amwise]

The etek is a fantastic marker and is basically an ego on a budget and doesn't have a display (have to fanny about counting flashing lights to change parameters, unless it is the AM version with the upgrade).

I personally prefer to the Geo platform but both are absolutely fantastic markers and will not disappoint. Also the new IV core system allows older versions of the Geo to be upgraded to similar performance to the most recent Geo 3.5

and as for the egos the SL74 was probably one of the best models of the ego and the 08's were a bit hungry on batteries