Paintball enthusiasts... got time for a few questions?

It would be easier to answer this for you if we knew if he will be playing woodsball ( playing in wilderness or natural spaces) or speedball a corse of artificial bunkers to hid behind).

1) co 2 or air, which is better and why?

CO2.

Pros:

It’s cheep. The tanks run between $15.00 and $25 dollars for a 20 oz tank. Such a tank will last most of a full game day. The average cost of filling such a tank is between $3.00 and $5.00 depending on where you get it filled.

Cons:

Many mid to high end markers do not use co2. If liquid cot gets into the marker it’s o-rings can freeze and become damage. This will cause then to leek. The gas flow is temp sensitive. The colder it is, the slower the gas will flow. If the tank get’s too hot, the pressure valve will blow.

If he will be goofing off in your back yard of local woods, then co2 may be the best choice.

If you go with co2, I would recommend that your tank include an anti-siphon. This will help prevent the liquid co2 from entering the marker. Some markers require it to use co2.

2) mechanical, electro, pneumatic... which is better and why?

pneumatic ? Well almost all paintball markers are in a sense pneumatic. That is they are powered buy gas or are pressure.

Whoever, weather the trigger can be either mechanical or electric.

Mechanical.

Pros:

Simple and reliable. Mechanical triggers seldom break down. Also, the marker will fire slower. This saves paint, gas and therefore cash.

Cons:

The marker will fire slower! So if you’re a speedball player, you going to be at a disadvantage. You will only have the semi-auto mode (one pull of a trigger, one ball shot). Low end mechanical markers are seldom accurate. The often use more gas as well. Also if he will be a woodsball player, they’re much louder and will give you position away.

Electric.

Pros:

So many.... An electric trigger may give your marker many more firing mods (I will not get into them here). Not all electric triggers do. The marker will fire much faster. This will allow you to keep up in a fire fight. Better electric triggers will also include anti-chop eyes. These prevent the marker from firing when there is no ball in the breach. This keeps the bolt from chopping a ball that is part way in. If you chop, paint will get into the breach. Then it gets onto the next paint ball. When you fire it, it spreads the paint into the barrel. Each paintball fired after a chop, will be very inaccurate.

Cons:

They are more likely to have problems. They require batteries. They cause you to use more paint, gas and therefore cash.

3) Smart Parts SP-1... my son and I both think this is a good unit... what's your recommendation.

I prefer their ION model more. However anything from Smart Parts is a good choice. Also Tippmann makes good markers. The 98 is a popular starter marker.

Hope this Helps.

If you don't know the answers to these questions, maybe you are not ready for this activity. Just a thought....