Bob Long Protégé -- By: Richard

Bob Long brought one of the first electro-pneumatic markers into paintball and sent the markers into speed and performance that was unheard of before. Well Bob Long is back in 08 after his hugely successful Marq series with now the new Protégé markers.

What really sets the Protégé apart from other high end guns is going to be the ability to upgrade to four Anti-Chop Eye sensors. Normally the gun has a set BIP (Ball in Place) delay that the gun will wait for after the eyes have sensed a ball in the chamber before it will shoot. The reason for this is to make sure that the ball is actually settled in the breech before firing. The Protégé can be upgraded to have a pair of eyes at the top of the breech, onto the stock pair it has at the bottom. The pair at the top will see the ball as it drops in and tell the bottom eyes when to anticipate to fire, eliminating the ball in place delay. The extra pair of eyes shaves precious milliseconds off the cycling time which add up when you need to achieve such high rates of fire.

Operating on an inline Poppet-Valve system, the Protégé is unlike any other high end marker available today. Just as accurate as a spool valve but easier on gas puts you up around 2000+ shots on a 68/4500 tank. The Protégé is the only gun available that you can go through a full case without having to refill.

As well as being light on air the Protégé is light in weight. Weighing in at only 1 pound 14 ounces it is tight and compact. Bob longs milling has always been amazing and unique and the same is present in the Protégé’s open bolt body.

The insides of the Protégé are a lot easier to maintain then the original Intimidators the Bob put out almost a decade ago. Easy Bolt out the pack stripping allows for easy access to lube and clean the gun. The solenoid is manifold mounted which eliminates confusing and messy hosing.

The Protégé is a definite recommendation for any player looking to get into a high end marker for tournament play. Available in many colors it is easy to find one in the perfect color to show off to your friends.

Extreme Rage 20/20 Echo -- By Eric

The Extreme Rage 20/20 Echo is an excellent paintball mask. Extreme Rage listened to the real players and made a mask that has all of the features people want. They even put the typical “upgrades” people normally have to buy on their mask right out of the box!

The 20/20 Echo comes with a built in fan and a thermal lens. This combination almost guarantees that you will NEVER have to deal with fogging while wearing this mask. It also has a silicon beaded strap to keep it from moving around while it is on your head. The mask also features a flexible face mask for extra comfort and increased bounces off the mask. Two separate visors are included, one soft and one hard, so the player can choose which one they like more. Another popular upgrade for masks is a mirrored lens, which comes stock on the 20/20 Echo. It also includes a mask bag to protect your mask while you are not using it.

The Extreme Rage 20/20 Echo is a great mask for anyone. It even comes in camo for the woodsballers out there. The thermal lens and fan virtually eliminate fogging, and with all of the comfort features Extreme Rage put in their mask you will barely feel it while you are playing! Even with all of these great features, the 20/20 Echo is still affordable at the low price of $39.95, less than the competing Dye I3 and JT Flex-8.

Buy one now at EVPaintball.com!

WGP Trilogy Autocockers -- By Eric

The Trilogy line by WGP was designed to allow anyone to own an Autococker marker. High prices had kept the Autococker a strictly high-end marker in the past, but with the introduction of the Trilogy line you can buy a real Autococker for the same price as a Spyder or Tippmann. The original Trilogy line consisted of the Sport, Competition, and Pro models. The Trilogy SF (Select Fire) markers, with an electronic grip frame, were released later.

The Trilogy markers feature a lightweight uni-body design, the accuracy of a true closed-bolt marker, a velocity adjuster, a new integrated 3-way, a high performance LPR, and a push-button safety. The Sport and Competition models have a compact hinge frame, while the Pro model has a full sized hinge frame to make it easier to pull the trigger. The Competition and Pro models come with an inline regulator and the Sport model comes with a gas-thru foregrip. The Pro model comes with a 2-piece barrel with 2 different sized backs. The SF models include an electronic grip frame with 5 modes; Semi auto, Full auto, Ramping mode, Demo mode, and 3 shot burst.

These markers will give you excellent accuracy for a great price. If you get one of the Select Fire models it will also have a high rate of fire to go with the accuracy. The Sport sells for $100 (remanufactured), the Competition for $120 (remanufactured), the Pro for $150 (remanufactured), and the Tactical SF for $295.

You can buy any of these at EVPaintball.com!

Barrels, the Best Upgrade -- By Chris

The Barrel. This is the most important upgrade you can make to your paintball marker. Barrels come in many shapes, colors and sizes. But what does it all mean and is there a REAL difference between barrels. The answer is YES! Most barrels start their life and tubular blanks or as solid hunks of aluminum, or more exotic, titanium. They are honed out on special machines to exact ID (inner diameter) tolerances and then turned and milled with ornate designs. They are what guides our paintballs to their targets. So, what makes them so important? Let's start at the beginning, the polish. The brighter, more lustrous shine the barrel has on the INSIDE, the easier the paintball travels down the barrel. Better the polish equals less friction which then translates into more and more accurate shot and better air efficiency.

The barrels porting is huge. Most stock barrels have little porting at the tip or none at all. What this does is as the ball leaves the end of the barrel, so does all the air at once. This can have a tremendous effect of the flight path of your paintball, as the air escaping can actually push your paintball on one side or the other, causing the ball the wing out at different angles. Porting allows the air to escape in a uniform manner before the ball exits the barrels, which reduces the amount of air which can effect your accuracy. The amount of air that is ported out is dependant upon the barrel. Some have a little porting, and others have enough porting that it eliminates all influential air.

Another key thing is barrel length. A common myth is the longer the barrel the more accurate the gun will be. This is false. Longer barrels offer only a tactical advantage, allowing you to push your barrel through or around cover. The best barrel length is between 12 and 14 inches.

The next feature, and most importantly for barrels, is the ID (inner diameter). The standard paintball size is .689 caliber. This size can fluctuate from .679 to .697, and the effect it has on your paintballs and the path it follows is the most crucial. Literally all your one piece barrels are the bore size .689 which will work with 80% of all paintballs. Many people try to size the paint to their barrels, and some spend a lot of money to find that perfect fit. The best way to cure this is to upgrade your marker with a barrel kit. This usually is comprised of several sized bore back pieces with a sized front tip. The top of the heap is the Dye Ultralite barrel system. This is a 3 back system of .684, .688 and .692 and a sized front tip. This system offers an awesome polished internal bore and more than enough porting. They also have a back bore piece of .688 size and made of Titanium. This is tougher than steel, lighter than aluminum and polished like a mirror. Another great barrel kit is from Smart Parts. This is the Freak kit. It offers a back receiver, sized tip with 8 color coded inserts with different sizes., ranging from .682 to .697. They are made from light weight aluminum or stainless steel. This kit offers extreme versatility. Others kits from CP, REDZ, J&J Ceramics and EVIL all have similar features, and like DYE and Smart Parts, offer amazing “out of the box” performance.

To size a paintball to a barrel, place a paintball in the back of the barrel. If it rolls out, go to a smaller bore size. If it gets stuck, go to a bigger bore size. You want the be able to blow the paintball through the barrel with your breath, like a blowgun. This will give you the most consistent shot, the best air efficiency and shot on shot accuracy.

The bottom line is this, the barrel is THE MOST IMPORTANT upgrade you can make to your marker. Buy a good barrel or barrel system, and see how it improves your game.

A Great Starter Gun -- By: Richard

Getting started in paintball can be somewhat overwhelming if you don't know much about the sport with so many choices in the under $100 price range for full gear sets. When I first started playing paintball I didn't really know anything about the sport except that I wanted something thats was going to work, be easy to maintain, and shoot well.

I purchased a Spyder Victor II that I still have today and that has always worked great for me. The Icon-X by 32 degrees is basically the same as the Victor II that I bought and is even made in the same factory just with a different name. The only difference in construction is that it uses standard screws, and has a better, longer lasting Autococker style ball detent.

Everything on the gun is straight forward, its has mechanical operation that shoots semi-auto up to around 8 balls per second. The double trigger its comes with has a great feel to it and allows you to shoot up into the faster ranges pretty easily. It also has a nice rubber fore grip to hold on to and give you the best stability when playing.

One of the great things about the Icon is its ease of maintenance. To maintain the gun all you have to do besides keeping it clean is just drop a few drops of paintball oil (Non-Corrosive to O-Rings) where you screw on the tank and fire some shots through it without the barrel and your gun will keep working in great shape. To get into the internals of the gun if you want to do a full cleaning of the insides is actually really easy as well, just one pin pulls out and all of the internals just slide out the back.

The Icon will accept all Spyder upgrades including new grip frames, bolts, and barrels the products for upgrades are already there for you.

With a price of only $39.95 for a reliable starter gun theres not a better gun for your money you can find out there. Full starter packs for the Icon will put you at about $70-80 for a Anti-fog mask, CO2 tank, and Gravity Hopper. Some upgrades to your first package could possibly be a Thermal mask, and a larger CO2 tank but either way your gonna have a great time playing with no troubles.

WGP Synergy Equalizer Marker -- By Eric

The Synergy Equalizer is one of the newest markers from Worr Games Products, makers of the famous Autococker. It features four different firing modes, a break beam eye system, and an LED light system to indicate firing modes and battery status. It also has a custom clamping feedneck and a high performance regulator. The Synergy has a maximum firing rate of 22 balls per second. It is specifically designed to work well with VL Force Loaders. It is a perfect marker for entry level play and for people that want to get an edge on their opposition.

Buy it now from EVPaintball.com!

Perfomance Gear: Jersey By Morgan The Terrible

People who play paintball are always looking for ways to improve their game. While most of the fundamental properties of this grand sport must be improved by good old fashioned hard work and exercise, there are pieces of gear designed to improve upon the player‘s basic physical levels.

Normal upper body clothing is designed to hold in heat, and only allows a few channels of exhaust ventilation, such as around the neck line. Heat rises carrying with it perspiration from the body which becomes trapped within the protective mask/goggle system causing fogging of the lens and faster physical fatigue. A jersey is designed to ventilate heat 360 degrees and pull moisture away from the body, reducing lens fog and increasing player stamina.

Despite a jersey’s thin appearance and light weight design, the materials used will help reduce the impact shock of a paintball. Most jerseys are made with a nylon/polyester material which will create more friction upon impact thus slowing the velocity of the incoming paintball. Some jerseys also incorporate padding in certain areas that are prone to shots, granting the wearer maximum protection while maintaining superior breath ability and wearer mobility.

While any jersey will provide ventilation, there are some brands such as Dye/Proto, or Empire to name a couple that offer a better blend of padding and breath ability, and also offer other features to enhance overall game play.

Wearing a jersey while playing will go a long way in increasing individual performance while reducing visual impairment, and physical abuse.