Thinking of Buying a Mini, but...

[BallardsGhost]

Before I buy a mini, I was wondering if a Mini is a better marker to buy compared to an Epiphany? There seems to be some issues with the Mini, and I was wondering if there are some for the Epiphany as well. Since both are new markers, I wonder if I should stay away from both until they get the kinks out in future models and/or upgrades. What does everyone think?

[<IONFREAK>]

Pretty much all the kinks are worked out with the mini as long as you have a check valve. and the epiphany is hardly a new marker. it doesn't have any problems from what i have heard though. except the back of the barrel is composite. one bad dive and you need a new barrel.

[FulRacAttack]

ehh well idk i thin the rpos of the mini outway the cons and the epiphany is a nice marker but idk too much like and ion to me and that is my old marker

[JChan819]

To me, the Epiphany is an upped Ion. But it's not to the point where it doesn't need ups out of the box. Overpriced, in my opinion.

Mini's the way to go. I want one soooo bad.... That and a 'borg. -_-

[pulseisbetter13]

I would highly reccomend a mini over a epiphany, just because the epiphany is just an upped ion. Also, my friend has talked to many semi-pros and they all love the mini, actually more than there $800 guns in some cases! Rule out the epiphany, and instead compare the mini with the proto rail. BUT, i would still go with the mini. My friend is getting one, then i can tell you more about it...

[Rippin' Spyder]

My friend has one. He loves it besides the stock barrel. Small and light to use. I'd pick it over an ion/epiphany. ;)

[mjr_paranoid]

The mini seems to have the cool factor that the ion/epiphany never will.

In my mind comparing the two is like comparing a 2005 shocker to a kingman VS series.
Just no comparison.

The mini seems to be a great marker at the price point it is at.

I honestly would not touch an epiphany unless it was under 150.

I will likely be ordering my mini this weekend when my spare parts ebay auctions finish up and I have the cash. I am halfway there already in terms of bidding and there is still 3 days left, so I am confident my goal of getting a mini without really spending any addtional cash will be realized.

For ref I have an egg2 z-board (needs new shells, but it works well enough to test and break the marker in), freak, and 68/4500 adjustable screw in nitroduck tank just sitting here waiting to get used on it.

I am also going to try out my old cocker threaded SS boomstick and see if that helps the back heavy complaint many have had.(to anyone who has never held a SS boomy, it is basically big heavy tubular freaking hammer)

One thing I noticed about the mini that I haven't heard any one specifically complain about is if you do not have a screw in HPA tank you either need a new tank or at least a new reg. That seems, well, bogus.

[paintballn29]

in my opinion they suck. my friends that work at the local paintball field in my town say that they are way to small. just wayyy too overated. i think you should maybe do some more researching on the perfect gun. just find the perfect gun, if you're small and everything and don't have big hands then get it. but i'm 6'1" and my hands have no room on a mini at all. the epiphany is ok, it's nothing great, and it has a lot of ups on it so you don't need an upgrade on it, only a board, everything else is good. do you play speedball? and is it your first gun?

[paintballn29]

oh, if i were you, i'd get a used dm4, dm5, bob long timmy, or pm5, pm6. you can find those cheap on ebay. if you're really experienced, go for a used 05 ego or any kind of ego. ego's are almost as small as invert mini's but they're a little bigger (just the right size).

[<IONFREAK>]

The mini's size is pure preferance. I have let some pretty big guys hold my mini and thought that it was perfect. And thats with a 45/45. If you have a 45/45 and think that it is too short you can buy a smart parts preset on/off valve that screws on to your tank and then into your gun. That makes it about 1 1/2" inches longer and then you have an on/off.

[Johnson2K10]

Epiphany= metal expensive ion. dont get it. i would go with a Pmr or mini both are affordable and incredible. Im gonna get a PMR.

[paintballn29]

yeah but the epiphany has a freak barrel, and is needed less upgrades than the mini. the pmr is ok, but you have to buy a new trigger. well that's my opinion, and a feedneck, and maybe a barrel, i wouldn't get a new one but it depends who the person is that is shooting the pmr.

[4x4le]

The grips and trigger guard are usually bigger than most high ends on the mini. So I dont see how the mini could be too small unless you hold the body of the gun :dodgy: . On the ephiphany, the back of the barrel and the insert in the back are going to need replaced your first bad dive. Do some research and you'll quickly find out why.

If your friends dont like the mini, let them post what they think. Something tells me you havent played with one yourself.

I dont get whats up with people that hang around forums for guns that they dont like.

[mjr_paranoid]

yeah but the epiphany has a freak barrel, and is needed less upgrades than the mini. the pmr is ok, but you have to buy a new trigger. well that's my opinion, and a feedneck, and maybe a barrel, i wouldn't get a new one but it depends who the person is that is shooting the pmr.

I am sorry but you are just talking nonsense.
Exactly what upgrades do you think a mini needs out of the box? A barrel kit?
FYI, the epiphany comes with a freak jr and no inserts.
All you observations seem to second hand or hypothetical. Your are like two steps away form me declaring shannanigans on you.

Seriously, you are the same guy that wrote in a review of the Russian legion 2007 Shocker that your Ion was
Ok, for one, my ion is so much better looking, and it has a better performance, this gun rocks but i spent $300 in upgrades for my ion just because and it's half the price as the Russian legion, unless you're really rich, and you want a pro gun, pick this, but the ion is spectacular, it beats this gun by far

I look at you sig and you seem to really be an ion hater, since you replaced almost every peice of your original marker with aftermarket parts. The price of all those ups is tremendous. I almost wonder why you wouldn't get a better marker than pump so much money in such a short time into this one.

(BTW it's a 68/4500 not a 45/68 you are looking for)

[<IONFREAK>]

Yeah the freak jr. that comes with the epiphany is plastic! the tip is still aluminium but the back is all plastic except for the threads. that is why 4x4le said that you would need to replace it after your first bad dive. and i said it the the second post.

And mr. paraniod, his ion isn't all that upgraded. he only put the nessicary (sp) parts on his ion to make it worth having. besides the body. Even my ion isn't considered very up'ed to some people and i have a virtue board, orange bolt, sp 360 qev, ans xtreme trigger, check-it unimount, check-it feedneck, and a PL sceptor barrel kit.

And how does he seem to be an ion hater? All his sig says is what he has on his ion and what he is looking for to buy.

Think before you type.

[4x4le]

I would be one of the people to break the barrel too. When Im going into a bad slide or trip, the first thing I do is throw my gun so I can catch myself properly. I did this with my mini already and it just tumbled down field. I was worried about it but I picked it up and it kept shooting. It didnt miss a beat but it loosened my feedneck and I had to finish the game with the hopper on sideways. I was astonished nothing broke after seing it take that tumble.

[mjr_paranoid]

Yeah the freak jr. that comes with the epiphany is plastic! the tip is still aluminium but the back is all plastic except for the threads. that is why 4x4le said that you would need to replace it after your first bad dive. and i said it the the second post.

And mr. paraniod, his ion isn't all that upgraded. he only put the nessicary (sp) parts on his ion to make it worth having. besides the body. Even my ion isn't considered very up'ed to some people and i have a virtue board, orange bolt, sp 360 qev, ans xtreme trigger, check-it unimount, check-it feedneck, and a PL sceptor barrel kit.

And how does he seem to be an ion hater? All his sig says is what he has on his ion and what he is looking for to buy.

Think before you type.

blue lowrise q-lock feed neck- aprox 30
blue ndz roller trigger- aprox 30blue bullet drop forward- aprox 30
blue s.i.t.h. trigger frame- aprox 99
redz pepper stick barrel 14"- aprox 45
blue shocker body- aprox 130
blue hybrid grips aprox 25
blue long cp/no gauge reg- aprox 60
a.p.e board- aprox 119
blue virtue laser break eyes around 25
subtotal = 593

Ion - aprox 225

Total = 818 (I am assuming the poster forgot to mention a QEV and bolt upgrade, so you can probably tag another 60 bucks on there.)

Brand new shocker NXt - 699
Brand new BL timmy - 799
Brand new Ego etek - 675

Maybe you should learn how to do math before you flame someone.
Way to go on enhancing the typical Ion users rep.
I did think about it, and to up a gun that much is just foolish. You might as well just build it from scratch or go get a marker that meets your expectations out of the box.
The ion hater remark is what we like to call a metaphor. Since so little of the base is left, then it must have been just horible when taken out of the box.

[4skins23]

You go to the mini thread and ask which gun to buy in that range. How original.
Did you figure everyone here would tell you to buy a Brass Eagle?

[Zaunji]

Even though the mini is much better then the epiphany, people should atleast see that its more then an Ion. The epiphany fixes everything bad about the Ion. It is metal, not plastic (but still weighs like a brick). It has upgrades such as the trigger (which is pretty nice), low feedneck (though not clamping), freak jr. barrel (but with a big insert), firebolt, on/off ASA (its OK), better regulator and adjustable volume chamber. It looks better then a mini IMO(though I'd still have the mini). The Epiphany uses a higher pressure to operate then an Ion (thats why it can't use a QEV). Though to kind of replace the QEV, there is the adjustable volume chamber. It is a good idea, but you still need to take the whole thing apart to adjust it.

Don't think that I like the epiphany, I'm just saying its not all crap.

I honestly would not touch an epiphany unless it was under 150.

Thats not gonna happen, Ions don't even sell for that much (unless they are all stock and are in horrible condition).


FYI, the epiphany comes with a freak jr and no inserts.
FYI, it comes with a insert, though its like .691 or .692, and is too big for most paint.

[mjr_paranoid]

My apologies, I meant to say no extra inserts.
I am not an ion hater (ion users are another matter), and have reccomended them before.
I personally just do not want to use one. The 150 remark was just my way of saying that I wouldn't pay retail for one. I am also not a fan of the epiphany. I just personally can't justify the cost of it for what you get.
But if someone likes them they are certainly welcome to use them.
I did see an ANS ion package (http://cgi.ebay.com/ANS-Smart-Parts-Razor-ION-Frame-Trigger-Body-Neck-Black_W0QQitemZ260102503736QQcategoryZ108181QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)that looked like a decent deal. 250 for the marker with roller bearing trigger, clamping feedneck, ANS aluminum body,90 degree trigger frame, and QEV. That particular package I would reccomend to any person just starting out as a great intro marker or as a fantastic backup marker.

[Zaunji]

Yeah, I hope you didn't think that I was provoking flaming or anything.

[mjr_paranoid]

No worries, I wasn't clear or completely on target. You had every right to call me on not being succinct and you have every right to voice your opinions.

[paintballn29]

actually, no i jsut don't like how ion's look, that's why i upped mine so much. well, i should've listed the other parts i bought for my ion that i used to have on it. that's why i said it costed a lot. but the stock ion is pretty good. i'm more of a high end gun kind of guy, so i wanted my ion looking like and performing like a timmy, ego, dm, or pm. and plus, tooo much kids/rookies where i play have ions or minis or pmr's, so i just wanted to have an upped ion so they couldn't tell it was an ion, and be like, you have an ion too. and asking if i like it and all, but instead i have workers and sponsored kids asking me if it's a shocker or what? i mean, i'm not a shocker hater or anything, i kinda like how they look and sorta perform. when i wrote that forum, it was like january right? i have upped my ion every week since. stop gaining up on me just because i have my opinions, every forum i reply to or whatever, is my opinion so back off. wow get a life

[paintballn29]

i think this thread is pretty much an argument now because that kid probably made his choice already and he hasn't replied to this thread ever since he started it.

[Wii60]

ok, heres my 2 cents, get the mini

the epiphany is an ion, face it
its based on the ion
ions are not good
not FIELD STRIPABLE

that alone turns me off of it

the MINI is field strippable
new simple design
new technology
NOT A MAG

obvious choice is ion :dodgy:

GO WITH THE MINI

[danilo]

I would get the Mini, that's my gun of choice within the price range.