Mini Owners - Backup Marker?

[mmmoose]

I'm still waiting on my Mini preorder at Action Village, and I was wondering whether I should keep a backup marker or not. For all you owners out there, how reliable would you rate the Mini?

Just as a little background, this will be my first electronic marker and I'm a little nervous about random technical breakdowns. And this is coming from a newbie paintballer with a rock solid Tippmann A-5, so I'd say my standards on reliability are pretty high.

I know electronic markers are slightly more fragile by nature, but I guess after watching the maintenance video and seeing how simple the internals of the Mini were I was convinced of their reliability. But of course nothing is perfect, and all paintball markers are bound to have some issues once in a while.

I'm definitely planning on selling the A-5 soon. I just wasn't happy with its feel overall, and I find myself playing speedball more often. And A-5 isn't exactly the best setup for that, even if it can hold its own. I also own a Tiberius 8 pistol which is being worked on under warranty as of this moment.

I really loved the construction and feel of the Tiberius pistol, back when it was working. I'm still debating on whether I should sell it too. However I don't want to be stuck with a rental if the Mini were to act up later on. And I think the Tiberius would provide a nice and compact backup marker to bring along. On the other hand I'd need to buy those expensive magazines ($120 worth) and 12g powerlets on the side too.

I was also toying with the idea of a Phantom as a backup marker, instead of the Tiberius. They seem to very reliable and accurate. However a stock class pump marker would be a lot more challenging. Anyway... I don't know what to think anymore. Ideally I'd just like to have the Invert Mini and nothing else. If it works flawlessly all the time with an occasional monthly oiling up, I'll be very satisfied.

Any thoughts or experiences on the Invert Mini and its reliability history?

[mjr_paranoid]

I always bring a backup.

My backup to my a-5 was a model 98.

Now that I have the mini, the a-5 is my backup.

[4x4le]

I always bring a backup just in case. I have never used it while I have my mini however. I just bring it just in case.

Just remember, people with 1000 doller guns do the same thing

[mmmoose]

That's very reassuring to hear that you've never had to use it. I'm also actually lead to believe that the more expensive markers ($800+) would be more prone to breaking down and requiring more maintenance. The more complex something is built, the higher the number of things that could go wrong. Right?

I've heard of the Proto Matrixes, for example, having frail wiring for the eyes. The Matrix looks absolutely gorgeous and performs quite well. At one point I was actually thinking of getting one, but after reading the reviews and the problems behind it I decided against it just on the basis of reliability alone.

If someone's going to be putting that much money down on a marker, why can't these companies at least make sure that the internals are reinforced properly? I guess that's why I'm unimpressed by the $1000 electros. I want to jump in and play some games, not spend my time fixing or tweaking my marker at a bench.

I also have to question why people are so impressed by rate of fire, if elimination only requires one hit. You'd think that buying some of the more expensive markers would end up saving you money in the long run. But when you're shooting ropes of paintballs at 20+ bps, your money is going down the drain!

[mjr_paranoid]

I used my backup today.:(

Not the minis fault.
:goody:
I wanted to see how well it worked with the eyes off.:cool:
Turns out I can walk it faster than an egg with a zboard can actually feed.:rolleyes:
I won't be turning the eyes off again. :D

I still need to take the whole egg apart to clean it, but cleaning the mini up was a breeze.:)

[MyEtekEgo]

^^^lmao, i hoped you learned your lesson but, most guns including mine are like that

[<IONFREAK>]

Bring your back-up every time you go to play. I had a tournament last week and during the first game my mini broke every possible ball going down the barrel and i got so much paint in the breech the gun wouldn't even fire. For the time being i had to whip out my up'ed ion as a back-up and ended up taking home 4th. Turns out that my mini problem was blowback and i have already sent it to paintball solutions once. When i got home i tuned it to eliminate all blowback (with the 2 balls in the feedneck test the second ball was going 10ft in the air). the next day i tested it again and it had blowback causeing the 2nd ball to fly a foot in the air.

[mmmoose]

Damn, that doesn't sound too good. Have you ever gotten it fully fixed yet? I know PBnation has a sticky thread for Mini blowback problems, and how to fix it. But even then if mine were to do that I'd probably just send it back however many times until they finally get it fixed. Anyway I think you've made your point in keeping a backup marker at my side. It's sounding more and more like a wise decision. Thanks guys.

[hardhitter56]

so what would be a good bakup by the way. we nevwe really answered that part

[mmmoose]

I'd recommend going with any reliable mechanical marker for a backup. That way if you ever decide to go to a new field and later find out they don't provide HPA/nitrogen refills, you can at least still play for the day by switching to your backup, which will presumably be able to run on CO2 fairly well. If you also run your batteries dry for either your hopper or your Mini and don't feel like buying any overpriced ones at the field's pro shop, once again switch over to the backup mechanical.

I'm considering keeping my Tiberius 8 pistol, once I get it back from warranty repairs next week. Most people laugh at pistols, but that puppy was a lot more accurate than a stock A-5 out of the box (when I was having it chronographed). I guess its consistency should be credited to its built in relief valve. My only issue with it is that I'll need to keep some 12g powerlets with me at all times, and pay about $120 worth of extra magazines to last me a game. But in the end it would be worth it...

[Supastudio]

I always follow this statement, "Better to have it and not use it, then need it and not have it".

[4skins23]

I always bring a backup just in case. I have never used it while I have my mini however. I just bring it just in case.

Just remember, people with 1000 doller guns do the same thing



Absolutely!!! If its mechanical, it WILL break eventually. Its like saying we will all die someday.

[<IONFREAK>]

Not mags. They just keep on ticking. Or a tippmann. If any problems occur with a tippmann just hose it down, squirt some drops of oil into the asa, air it up and dry fire it about 20 times without the barrel (to keep from oil getting in it too). Then your good to go.

[Mentalmonkey10]

If you don't want to keep your pistol as a backup, I'd recomend buying a used mech 'Cocker (you can find one for like $130) or a used Ion ($150ish maby).

[<IONFREAK>]

Or get a trilogy comp from academy for $100. I know it sounds bad but a guy at the local field had one and he did just as good as everyone else. Except the tournament players of course. FYI my ION pulled through for me once again today.

[jonasman6]

as of now the mini is still my backup, it has no chance of coming into a tournament unless my angel craps out, but i tested it out the other day, it isnt like any other gun ive tried, nice and consistant as well