Tippmann 98 Custom Basic
Flatline Barrel w/ Tactical Rails
GTA Expansion Chamber
Double Trigger
TechT Hair Pin Trigger Kit
Cyclone Feed System (Votex Mod, Lightning Rod, Squishy Paddles, QEPH)
Low Profile Hopper
Collapsible Stock
Red Hot Power Tube w/ Derlin Bolt
TechT Zero Kick Hammer
Response Trigger
Remote Line
Adjustable M16 Sight Rail
Tippmann Bravo One
G36 Barrel
Cyclone Feed System
Aluminum Power Tube w/ Derlin Bolt
E-Grip
NcStar MARSH Front Hand Grip
Tippmann TPX
Remote Line Adapter
TechT Low Pressure Spring Kit
JT Tac5 Camouflage (Completely Stock)
Recommended Upgrades:
Low Pressure Spring Kit
Strengths:
Accurate
Light
Great Backup Marker
Weaknesses:
Cleaning Broken Balls
Review:
I bought this marker to add to my collection and use a side arm when I run out of paint in my primary. Usually when I run out of paint I get rushed by one or two guys and usually end up getting eliminated from the game, but now I have a last resort. This marker works beautifully out of the box. I noticed the last review done on this marker was in April or '09 and I hear Tippmann has worked out all of the bugs since then. I am seeing a lot of negative comments that simply aren't true with this marker anymore.
Strengths:
First of all this marker is light and compact compared to your typical marker. It shoots very straight, I have yet to use a Hammerhead barrel so I am not sure how much better it could be. The clip loading is both awesome and a bit tedious. Overall its just a basic paintball marker, but in pistol size. Its great. I strongly recommend the TechT TPX Low Pressure Spring Kt. Before I installed it, I was getting at most 2 full clips per 12g CO2 cartridge. If I adjusted the velocity to get more shots, the balls didn't go as straight. If I adjusted for more power, the balls would break very easily and I'd maybe get 13-14 shots. With the spring kit, I am easily getting 3 full clips and I am shooting and roughly 280 fps(not confirmed). Not one ball has broken in my TPX since the spring kit.
Weaknesses:
The number one problem for me is when you do actually break a ball in the gun(very rare), you need to take it apart to get the paint out. Typically when you break a ball in your marker, the paint usually just comes out as a blob. Not the case here. In my experience the paint just stays in the gun. Disassembling this marker is not very hard at all, I find all of Tippmann's markers very easy to clean and maintain.
Conclusion:
I am sure if you read the reviews you'll learn to be cautious with this marker, but I can assure you that whatever those guys are complaining about, Tippmann has fixed it since the last post made in April 2009. It worked beautifully out of the box and even better with the lower pressure spring kit by TechT.
Score: 8/10
It gets an 8 because cleaning it can be a huge pain in the ass. Once you break a ball you can either sit out of a game for about 20 minutes and clean it, or you can continue to use it and risk breaking more balls. This can render the marker useless once you break a ball. If you dial the velocity just right that you are getting good accuracy and no breakages, you will love this marker when you run out of paint and your enemy is closing in on you.
Rating:
8 out of 10
Last edited on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at 7:38 pm PST
I like the review. It's a fair analysis and there's some meat to it. I dislike reviews that run a few sentences at best and offer no real information, so kudos there.
That said, the last review & commentary on this marker were not in April of 2009. Including your review, this marker has had eight done in 2010. Only one of those gave it a low rating (of 2 no less) and it's a disputed review. All the others rate it 8 or higher. My ow review was on May 27th and another member posted a review only two days before this one.
Overall it would seem that Tippmann has addressed some of the issues with the marker that used to plague it, as almost all of the newer reviews (ignoring the disputed one) give it high marks.
