the old man has questions

[old_dog]

newb old Dad here. LOL
My son (8yrs) and I joined a few forums to get the scoop on ugrading his tlx to full auto.

I thought that with the addition of an E-Frame his gun would be fine, we already have a j+j 14" barrel and shocktech delrin bolt.

I contacted one of the forum members about an E-Frame for sale, he returned the mail with an acceptable price. BUT nope my son doesn't want to go that way !!!!??? He's decided he wants a new gun.

I can't afford a brand new gun for him at this time so I thought "refurb" would be ok.
His choices are below
1-- Kingman Imagine Refurb
2-- Kingman E99 Refurb
3-- Kingman E99 Avant Refurb
Are refurb's a good way to go? and which is the better gun and why or are all spyders basically the same?

My son and his buddy play woodsball "one on one" and sometimes I get into with them. Needless to say when I play with them they flank me and I get killed. Lots-o-fun

I guess that's it for now
BTW I find this is a good/clean and well run forum so I have no prob with my boy visiting here. thumbs up

thanx in advance
OD

[vwjimmy]

Do you learn new tricks old dog? LOL!!! I am probably more 'old' than you.....
Any of those referbs are fine. The differences are mostly in the cocking method and the finish. All of the internals are the same except the bolt. Even the frame is the same.
Glad we have got the Dad seal of approval...we try very hard to keep it clean and usuable for all here!
Welcome to the Forums!!! Hope we can continue to provide support and fellowship for you and your son!

[Muddytaco]

welcome to the forums.

as jimmy said all of those guns listed are basically the same, aside from the cocking method on the bolt, so your son can basically pick "the coolest one" in his eyes.

and the reason spyders are basically all the same is its a good platform, aside from little changes spyders are almost the same as they were 10 years ago.

[ShadowX]

Same from me as from vwjimmy.. Welcome to the Forums!

Ok. Well, seeing that he is now shooting a TL-X, he has picked a great beginner marker.

"Upgrading" to the E-99 Avant or Imagine would not be any different than his TL-X with the E-grip trigger frame. So, I am guessing he wants a new marker for looks, or he does not realize that the performance levels will be the exact same. Heh, typical younger boy I am guessing, Lol.

If he really wants to upgrade markers, I suggest the Smart Parts ION.

They sell for about 200 brand new and you could get a slighty used one for about 150.

They are a little more money than the E-grip Spyders, but the performance gains are WAY better.

The ION is substantially lighter weight (good for the younger guys), less recoil/kick, more accuracy, and a more stable marker for the money.

Also the markers are fully electro-pneumatic and they do have the Full Auto he is looking for, along with Semi and 3 round burst firing modes.

Also, Refurb markers are usually ok to purchase. Just be sure that the store you are buying from has some sort of return policy or contacts with the manufacture.

Let us know if you have more questions or concerns.

Hope I was help!

[old_dog]

howdy and thanx for the welcome .

My boy loves his tlx and basically just wants FULL AUTO, know what I mean "splat the heck out of anything that moves" I tried to convince him that by upgrading to the e-frame he would have what he wanted, but nope. so having a second gun is ok by me, everybody needs a backup.

vwjimmy, about my age NOT!!! I was a tad bit embarassed to do the age thing when signing up on this site so I lied hehehehe
I waited until I retired to have a kid, he's 8 now and I took early retirement at 52 so you do the math. do I win??

ShadowX, thanx for input. If my son continues this paintball thing the way I think he will, I can't see any probs with getting him something that is both competitive and upgradeable. But until he's old enough to join a team a Spyder is oki doki.

thanx again

OD

[Sandman_Bravo]

Got me beat; I was born in '65! Oh, and welcome to the forums.

[DRAGON]

I would not get an 8 year old an Ion lol. Stick with one of the coices you mentioned. I have no idea why someone would mention a marker(Ion) that is so finicky for someone so young. Stick with the ease of operation and maintenence of the Spyder for your young one. Don't forget he'll need an electronic hopper for those markers or else he may very well be shooting you with paintball soup. Welcome to the forums -

[vwjimmy]

Well Dog, you win! Got me by 18! years....anyway, we old guys have to stick together! I agree with Drago...stick with the Spyders...they are indestructable in comparison to the Ion...just what an 8 year old needs in a marker! You guys will find that an E trigger even in semi auto is quite quick!

[druid]

Originally Posted by DRAGON

I would not get an 8 year old an Ion lol. Stick with one of the coices you mentioned. I have no idea why someone would mention a marker(Ion) that is so finicky for someone so young. Stick with the ease of operation and maintenence of the Spyder for your young one. Don't forget he'll need an electronic hopper for those markers or else he may very well be shooting you with paintball soup. Welcome to the forums -

Agreed. Ions are somewhat labor intensive to disassemble and maintain and using my 8 year-old as an example, I don't hteing she'd quite get all of it. The only way I'd even suggest the Ion is if YOU were to perform all the maintenence on it...

[old_dog]

I really don't know anything about ION's or any other high end gun for that matter, and from what I've read on this forum Yes I would have to agree that an ION for an 8yr old is a bit much.

My first experience with paintball was back in the early to mid 80's We rented guns at the "field", actually it was in the bush in the pacific northwest and played CTF. Tons of fun.

Before I allowed my son to play with the gun I insisted that he get all the gear and learn HOW to troubleshoot field strip lube and replace "O' rings by himself. I'm proud to say he's faster and more thorough than I am.

really good info people thanx.
We are going up to our cabin in the Smoky's this weekend and I'll try to take some action pics of my boy and his buddy then maybe I can post them.

OD