To be honest I haven't tried another marker that is in the same market ($50-$100) as the Victor II.
Marker Setup:
-Spyder Victor II (stock)
-Pure Energy 20 ounce tank
-Java 200 round hopper
Recommended Upgrades:
Well, me being a new player and have never tried any upgrades for the marker, cannot accurately say what part of this gun needs upgrading. However, if you want the sight rail to become useful, purchase an In-yo-face offset rail for a red dot system.
Strengths:
Low price, high quality control, reliability, and it's accuracy right out of the box.
Weaknesses:
Very bright for woodland play and has a useless sight rail without an offset rail.
Review:
First Impressions; upon getting the the Victor II out of the package, which was a pain because it was thick plastic (caused me a few nicks), you feel a sense of quality while handling the marker. It's blue anodized finish is very nice indeed. The semi-transparent handle-grips by Java are a nice touch as well. The marker looks fantastic for its price range. However, we all know the saying "looks are only skin deep." So lets put this thing to the test.
The Victor II has a very nice balance, especially with the forward grip which is an upgrade from the original Victor. When the tank (a Fuel 12 ounce) is screwed on the gun has a really nice feel to it. It is very easy to maneuver this marker, especially when your in a tight area. And now the real test of a paintball marker...it's accuracy. Let's see here, what kind of paint should I use? Well, first I tried Draxxus Midnight. Midnight performed ok leaving pretty large groups of one foot at about 35 yards without breaking in the marker. I then tried PMI/RPS Marbellizers. Wow, great accuracy. I was pulling a 4 inch group at about 35 yards, only problem is this gun DOES NOT LIKE this paint. I was breaking a ball about every ten rounds even after I squeegeed the barrel. If I'm not mistaken, Marbellizers are medium to large bore, while the stock barrel is setup to handle small bore. So I then tried Draxxus Dusk...Bingo! I was pulling 4 inch groups at 35 yards and wasn't breaking balls at all. I would highly recommend using Draxxus Dusk for the Victor II. Dusk as a benefit, is cheap as well. All balls tested where used in the amount of five hundred. Here are the breaks: Midnight 3/500, Marbellizer 40+/500, and Dusk 1/500. Also tested were balls by View Loader...don't bother.
Other good features: The ball detent on the Victor II is very reliable. The Victor II also can get a pretty good rate of fire; I was reaching 6-7 balls per second. The trigger pull is long, but it is very crisp and isn't all that heavy. The velocity adjuster is very easy to operate as well. Taking the Victor II apart is a snap. This marker is very easy to maintain because of its simple construction.
Only a few problems: I disassembled this gun and found two #9 o-rings were busted on the vertical adapter. Quick fix; the marker came with a spare #9 o-ring which fixed the problem of my gun, which was leaking CO2. The gun hasn't leaked since the replacement even though there is only one ring. Even with the two busted o-rings the leak was quite insignificant anyway. Also the gun can sometimes spit liquid CO2 after a fresh fill. When the tank gets a little warmer, no liquid comes out (maybe it's just a tank problem?). During winter play (-15 degrees at the time) the gun froze up on me after firing approximately 400 rounds. It took about 30 seconds for me to get the bolt to move again. Also this gun is BRIGHT! Don't plan on being stealthy in the woods with the Victor II. Use Hunter Specialties removable camouflage spray paint, which is called Bowflage, to make your gun more discreet (I would recommend this for any marker that is used in the woods). Bowflage creates very nice breakup patterns and when you're ready for a different pattern, simply use the spray-away can to wipe off the camo. Very cool stuff. Also the sight rail is almost pointless unless you use an In-yo-face offset sight rail (only about $20 after shipping).
Conclusion:
My overall impression of the Victor II is a good one. With the simplicity, reliability, and accuracy that you get for the price of the marker, it's a pretty dang good deal. Some flaws yes, but for this price you can't complain. This may not be a "high end" gun, but it has held its own against markers that cost literally ten times more. I'm a beginner and this gun has been very good to me, so I would recommend it to beginners and intermediates. If you're new to the sport, or just want a very nice backup that won't cost you an arm and a leg, BUY THIS GUN! Keep in mind my rating is based upon the market in which the Victor II has been made to target, which is the $50-$100. The Spyder Victor II is an absolute bang for your buck!
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Saturday, March 20th, 2004 at 12:06 am PST
The CO2 that you see coming out of the barrel is being sprayed out because it has not had the chance to evaporate into a gas. CO2 does this more often in the cold becase it takes longer for it to evaporate in cold weather. The reason for it happening after a fresh fill is because there is more liquid CO2 in the gun. Great review.
good review, ive had my spyder for almost 8 months and the only problem i had was that my hose had a leak in it , $5 and it was fixt. the only thing i dont like about the gun is that the trigger pull is to long besides that it is a really good gun
hey a good kind of paint is nelson hot spot that s what my friend uses when we go to the paintball feild and play so that s your best bet (NELSON)hot spot for your victor1 or victor2 (doesnt matter)
quote:Originally posted by tippmann4evah you have too much time on your hands to write a review this long. kepp it shoirt bon' apetite
He's right, this review was way too prolonged and drawn out. I'm not saying it was a bad review, I'm just saying you could say the same thing in an indistinguishable way. You could use the gun outside playing paintball or you could write a very long review inside.
quote:Originally posted by ZWCoolkid His accuracy about the distance is off. I know people with timmy's, angels, and matrixes that can't shoot a 4" spread at 35 yards.
Is that maybee because they are shooting to fast and not aiming?
Great review. Its nice to see someone new to the sport who is optimistic but understands that this isn't some sort of uber god gun(someone said that this gun can compete with guns up to 300 dollars in price lol). You summarize your experience with this gun excellently and give people advice on what type of paint to use. I hope you write reviews on other guns in the future so that I have a reliable opinion on a paintball product that I may want to buy.
quote:Originally posted by HellfireGVO Great review. Its nice to see someone new to the sport who is optimistic but understands that this isn't some sort of uber god gun(someone said that this gun can compete with guns up to 300 dollars in price lol). You summarize your experience with this gun excellently and give people advice on what type of paint to use. I hope you write reviews on other guns in the future so that I have a reliable opinion on a paintball product that I may want to buy.
Actually depending on the upgrades you do to this gun, it can actualyl stand it own against some markers in the 300 range (ion, autococker, etc.)
I actually COMPLETLY upgraded mine and ive been able to hold my ground against many ions and autocockers on the field, which was two days ago.
I have a delrin bolt, 14" J+J ceramic barrel, e-trigger (the new rocking trigger 2.0), 32 degree 6st expansion chamber, Halo B, in-yo-face offset (with red dot laser)
i wrote a review a few weeks ago, but since then completely upgraded the gun as you can see
quote:Originally posted by HellfireGVO Great review. Its nice to see someone new to the sport who is optimistic but understands that this isn't some sort of uber god gun(someone said that this gun can compete with guns up to 300 dollars in price lol). You summarize your experience with this gun excellently and give people advice on what type of paint to use. I hope you write reviews on other guns in the future so that I have a reliable opinion on a paintball product that I may want to buy.
Not saying I think this is an Uber God Gun but my friend has a Victor I w/rocking trigger, superfly bolt, 14" J&J Ceramic barrel and Viewloader Vlocity hopper, 6-stage X-chamber, and a few other ups and holds his own against higher class markers. Currently he's shooting 30 bps from his Victor. Accuracy, distance, speed...it's ALL there. And just a few words for people who think it's stupid to buy a gun less than $100 then upgrade the hell out of it.... We can't all pull money out of our asses ;). Took a couple years for him to get his Victor performing so good. If you can afford a higher end marker then yea its stupid.
Last edited on Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 at 3:52 pm PST
