Comments on 2nwyka's Review

2nwyka Monday, March 14th, 2011 Period of Product Use: 1 year Paintball Experience: More than 5 years Similar Products Used: Spyder Victor II Viewloader Triton II Tippmann 98 Custom Spyder TS PMI Piranha R6 AutoCockers Marker Setup: 2k4 Superstock AutoCocker -DYE/Superbolt/STO pneumatics -WGP Flame Hinge -Custom Engraving -Phychoballistics Featherlight drop 14" Stiffi .686 2010 Tippmann A5 -FOG Shroud -CAR Stock -Ninja 62/3000 -X7 Low-Profile hopper -16" Stiffi .689 2007 Viewloader High Voltage -14" Stiffi -Viewloader Revolution X Recommended Upgrades: Inline regulator Low-Profile hopper New barrel Bolts E-trigger is a possibility and rather nice, but I don't have one or want one. Strengths: Accurate! Well spaced handgrips Looks cool Durable Cyclonefeed Weaknesses: Heavy Expensive to upgrade Air Hog Heavy Leaky... Review: All right, folks! I'm here to give you my review of the Tippmann A5. Having owned one of my own for quite a while, I feel pretty confident that I've seen every aspect of the A5 in action, and here's what I thought of it. User-Friendliness: This is where Tippmann could use a little bit of work. Supposedly, you are able to remove three push-pins and have the internals out, however it's not quite that simple. You have to first unscrew the VA, loosen almost all the screws on the exterior of the body, and remove the tombstone and triggerframe, all of which takes much longer than simply halving the marker. Putting it back together gets better with practice, but it typically takes a few tries to get every piece lined up and put together correctly. On a positive note, this makes modification easy and allows bolt-on components to be installed in just that manner, bolted on. Tippmann gets a 2/5 for user friendliness. Ease of Operation: This is different from the category above because it deals with the actual setting up and firing of the marker, rather than the maintenance and modifications. To set up the A5 is a little more complicated than any other marker. First, you must attach the Cyclone hopper in a special manner, and sometimes it may not fit, requiring modification. With that done, you can screw in the barrel, which has fairly short threads. Add the paint, cock it and pump the Cyclone primer once, then put the tank on. You're ready to rock. This is a fairly easy checklist if you've done it multiple times, and as long as you get the hopper on and cock it, it will work, but it's a little complicated, and for that it gets a 3/5 Appearance: This is a strong category for the A5. It is styled like the Heckler & Koch MP5, with similar body styling, foregrip placement and style, and sights. In fact, most owners will style their A5s to look like the MP5 from many off-the-shelf modification kits. It looks mean, and with a few cosmetic upgrades it'll blow the socks off any of the meanest-looking markers on the planet. 5/5 Consistency: I was a little surprised at just how consistent this marker was. I was driving tacks at 100 feet with Valken Red Box and the stock barrel, and with CO2 it dropped only a small amount. With an inline regulator, the consistency skyrockets above its already good accuracy. This gets a 5/5 Efficiency: This is not a strong suit for the A5. It'll barely get 300 shots off of a 48/3000 and only slightly more with my 62/3000. I added an inline regulator to it and that number doubled. It required a little calibration, but for the most part it shoots 275-280 without any difficulty at 350psi. I get easily 800 shots before my accuracy drops, which makes things cheaper for me. The stock efficiency has to get a 2, though. 2/5 Reliability/Durability: This is a mixed subject. It's durable as a hunk of iron (and about as heavy :) ), but it can have some reliability issues. Mostly, it's air leaks. I've never had problems with the physical cycling of it, which would be a huge dent in its reputation, but I have had multiple leaks from many locations. It is very reliable, and very durable, so I'll give it a 4/5. Cost: An A5 goes for around $150-200 these days, which is a significant drop from its original price of $270. At these kinds of prices, you get a lot of marker with a lot of options. 5/5 So, overall, the A5 isn't a bad marker. It's reliable, durable, and easy to upgrade, but also is inefficient and not easy to maintain. Overall, I'd give it an 8 out of 10! Conclusion: This is an excellent marker. It's accurate, dependable, upgradeable and durable, but sacrifices some user-friendliness and efficiency in its quest for durability. I'd recommend this marker as a backup or main that belongs in any woodsballer's gearbag. It isn't suited for speedball or hyperball, but on the scenario field it's hard to beat! Rating: 8 out of 10 Last edited on Saturday, September 1st, 2012 at 7:44 pm PST

'Ol Paintless Sunday, October 16th, 2011 | 12:32 am PST "Accuracy: I still can't get over how accurate that marker is! It has a shorter barrel than my Cocker and still shoots straighter and flatter. I was able to hit the same spot at about 50 yards a total of 5 times before a ball went haywire (only about 2 inches off). The stock barrel is just fine for woodsball because most ot the combat takes place close to the user. This gets a 5/5" - Hmmm... Something about that doesn't seem right to me. Maybe there is something wrong with your 'Cocker or you need a new barrel. There is absolutely no reason a fully functional Autococker should be less accurate than an A5...