Starting Gear: Hopper and Bottle (And WGP MG-7 Pro/H18 Eros-SE)

[Lollingsgrad]

I saw some advice that was to invest in a decent mask, hopper, and bottle then spend whatever's left over on the gun. This was based on the idea that if you get this kit first you can move it to whatever gun you fancy. Plus you can always take a hopper and mask recballing and getting a consistent feed whilst actually being able to see is a nice advantage.

My knowledge of what's on the market is poor at best, but this is what I think I know:

• I should get an Invert Halo Too
• I should get a fibre wrap 1.1l 4500psi bottle

Can anyone help expand on this a bit? Are there other products on the market which perform as well as the Invert Halo Too? I'd like a range of products I can say yes to because I'm searching in the For Sale section here, spending some time watching sales go by to get a feel for prices. I've seen a set of E-Vents I intend to pick up for my mask if the price is right.

Is 4500psi really necessary? I've seen some scenario sites (I prefer woodball, but really I just like paintballing) that specifically say they only fill to 3000psi. Is fibre wrap even necessary? I'm not a small guy, I run around with those recball Tippmann 98s with their old metal bottles all day and it does nothing to my arms. If it was really that bad on gun handling couldn't you just get a coil hose and strap it to your person? I'd really rather not spend more than £50 on these, but damn my idea of what's a reasonable price seems to be way off when it comes to these.

Also whilst I'm typing words, has anyone played with a Hangar 18 Eros-SE? You can only get them off Just Paintball. I'm sure they're a massive compromise but I figured they probably float through secondhand for next to nothing from time to time and as long as their passable, well, it'll get me paintballing won't it?

 

[Rat]

hi Loll, welcome to the wonderful forum, and game!

Seems you've taken out the time to do a decent amount of research before shelling out lots of moolah, which I give you thumbs up for.

regards air tanks and the 3000 vs 4500 psi fills, i think most prefer the 4500psi because it will allow upto 4500 should they o to a site/tournament thats fills upto that mark, and without having to buy a new tank either. the upside to the 4500 is more air more shots etcc.
Dont forget that the lifespan of an airtank is approx 5 years from new and then its retested (i think either yearly or bi yearly thereafter) so moneys worth in buying new.

again all depends on budgets, playing formnat/styles etc.

welcome to the forum once again
Fibre wraps are not only lighter but generally feel safer (IMO) compared to over pressured steel, but again its down to preferance. you could get a fibre tank thats the size of a 2 litre bottle of cola (for example) or one the sixe of a small coconut (lol!) again its down to what the player wants/comfortable with and/or gives them a better playing profile.

 

[Liam92]

halo too is an epic loader for the price, i have it sitting as a spare in my bag. it never gets used but i know if anything goes wrong with my main hopper it'll work fine

yup 4500 is worthwhile because you can fill a 4500 to 3000, but cant fill a 3000 to 4500 so always have your options open. plus they are a more comfortable shape than the 3000's anyway.

the eros is really really uncommon i've never seen one come through any forums and have only seen it online.
best go for a large brand like dye/eclipse for a good 2nd hand gun which will keep up with the high end markers

 

[Rat]

not to mention going for "named" brands you get better access to spares/accesories and technical help

 

[Lollingsgrad]

Cheers for the advice so far guys. I just want to put the gun choice a bit more in context since it's coming up. An Eros-SE market is a full auto electronic marker getting 15bps, and can be bought new WITH a 3K steel air bottle for £129 new, so imagine what that costs used! The question isn't so much is an Ego/etek/PMR with a 4500psi fibre bottle better; I know it's better! I'd just like to hear why the alternative is so much worse. I should note I've only ever been a punter recballing and have no experience with competitions. I'd really like to know why I should be shelling out potentially £200 more.

 

[Liam92]

theres a reason nobody is selling them second hand... people dont buy them. a 3k steely like i said cant be filled up to 4.5k, and is heavier and more uncomfortable against your shoulder.
rat mentioned one of the most important things which is that spare parts are always going to be easily found for markers which almost everyone has, so if you cant get what you need the day you need it, shops will have plenty in stock. like i said i've never even seen a hangar 18 marker so they may be an unknown wonder (ehem sarcasm ) but from what i've been able to see after a quick search, they only have NPPL semi auto. so you cant use this at competitions where it uses ramping modes.

i know this might seem a good deal from your point of view, but listen to the guys on here as they have a good idea what they are talking about: there is a reason trusted brands are trusted in the first place

EDIT: yes this gun only uses semi-auto so cannot be used in alot of tourneys in the UK

 

[hello_moto]

liam 92 is providing misleading info.

Used to own an Eros-SE; in fact i got it from Just Paintball. It's more commonly known as a WGP MG-7 Pro. Having said that, it is actually manufactured by a Taiwan-based company called Air Challenger which WGP have simply branded with their logo to give it some "cred". It is tournament capable with semi-auto, PSP ramp, NXL full auto & 3 shot burst as standard.

It's a spoolie although to get at the bolt requires full disassembly of the marker; it's no bolt-from-the-back job like Proto/DYE markers. Shoots reasonably well but trigger isnt so great. Aluminium internals but full composite body so doesnt really have a feel of quality aesthetics to it. Ugly as hell and the "tactical flames" decals only compounds the problem.

Customer support is very limited. Forget about approaching Air challenger directly as they will only tell you to contact your local UK distributor. Out of interest, i actually queried Just Paintball about spares and they said it would need to be specially ordered in so no immediate replacements on hand for a quick fix job - not great if you have an upcoming event!

In short, a good starting marker but looks like crap and abysmal after-care support. Better off spending the £130 on a 2nd Proto/DYE/Eclipse marker.

I opted to go for a SLG UL which i subsequently modded to resemble an NT. Hasnt failed me once and a definite head-turner:

http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?142738-1of1-customized-amp-lasered-SLG-UL-looks-like-an-NT

 

[Lollingsgrad]

Yeeeeah. Damn. You're almost certainly right. Cheers for telling me about it though, I think I'd rather have a nice secondhand marker, but this will depend on how much money I have left after buying all the stuff I have to jam onto the marker. I may still take a risk on the Eros-SE if Just Paintball will give me a good deal on a 4500psi fibre bottle with it instead of the 3000psi aluminium one they're doing with it, because at least then I've got a good hopper, mask, and bottle which as I gather is what really matters in the low end. I wouldn't really worry about needing to repair the marker though, because the situation will either be:

1. It was naff and broke in the warranty period, in which case no problem
2. It lasted a while and broke outside of the warranty period, in which case I'm probably about ready to decide if I'm willing to invest in a really good marker. If I'm not, well, I'll have picked up some good, resellable kit (mask, bottle, hopper) which I hopefully picked up secondhand, meaning little to no loss.

So I guess what really matters for me with the Eros-SE is, what's the marker like in terms of range and accuracy?

 

[hello_moto]

http://www.mg7paintball.com/

Vids n pics speak louder than words. For your viewing pleasure. My personal experience of the stock 14" one-piece barrel was that it was fairly accurate (tight grouping with little spread) but loud.

As for range, i didnt see any significant difference in comparison to shooting with a 14" DYE UL barrel or Invert Nightstick; both of which are compatible with the Eros-SE as it has autococker threads.

If you are after a bottle - check my sale thread for a 48/4500 Guerrilla tank. Arguably the lighest setup available in the UK, weighing in at a total of 800g including Myth G1 reg.

http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?142588-48-4500-Guerrilla-air-amp-DYE-parts&highlight=

Certainly cheaper than buying new^^

 

[Lollingsgrad]

To be fair... that looks pretty awesome, I can't believe there's a whole site dedicated to maintaining ONE marker. Thanks for the information storm. I'll see what the best new package I can get from Just Paintball with the Invert Halo Too, 4500psi fibre bottle, and H18 Eros-SE is, then I'll start looking around on the forum to see if I can do better. As for that bottle of yours; I don't doubt for a second it's worth it but I'm seeing stuff like this and the brand names don't mean anything to me at the moment.