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pbReview.com / Smart Parts Shocker / Smart Parts Shocker / Smart Parts Shocker / Smart Parts Shocker
Smart Parts Shocker Reviews
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Number of Reviews: |
244 |
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Average Rating: |
9.2 / 10 |
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Manufacturer Website: |
Click here |
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Suggested Retail Price: |
N/A |
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| Avaliable in spring of 2003. Everything has been changed except the accuracy. |
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| Product Availability | |
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| The Smart Parts Shocker is newer, so it should be commonly available, both new and used. Check out the Places to Buy links below for places to purchase it new. |
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| Places to Buy | |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 88 of 103 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Well,
I've worked on, and had much expierence with just about every base high end marker, and also have great expierence with many custom and private label high end markers.
Alot of high end guns are fast but they're not very precise shooting. Some are very low pressure but are not the lightest equipment. Some are very precise but don't balance well... The Shocker is perhaps the best combination of all these positive aspects that I have yet expierenced... however, with few exceptions most high end guns do get better shots per CI.... |
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| Marker Setup: |
2003 Electric Blue Shocker..... #114
Matching 68/4500 Max Flo Tank
2k2 Impulse.... #14659
I-Frame
NDZ Hammer and Ram
NDZ Valve
HSW Hypair Foregrip
SP Mini-Flo LPR
Eclipse Dart Bolt
MaxFlo 68/4500 |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
Well,
Of the upgrades that currently exist for this gun I recommend a Freak barrel even though I think the stock 2-piece All American barrel is exquisite. Also, it's not a bad idea to get a Twister Feedneck... This would prevent you from having to sand or tape your hopper too much. |
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| Strengths: |
Very Light, Very Fast, VERY Precise, Very Comfortable to hold. |
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| Weaknesses: |
Not as Gas Efficient as I would prefer. Having an eye would help alot. |
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| Review: |
I got to play for several days with a 2003 Shocker that I borrowed from Smart Parts themselves during my last Factory trip. Then I received my own personal gun... #114 in Shocker Electric Blue.
Now, I love my old 2k2 Shocker but it lacked two things that I desperately needed... a smaller body (resulting in less weight and the ability to switch hand shoot easier) and better gas efficiency.
The 2003 Shocker is much smaller, but that's obvious. It's also a fairly fast gun and with a properly tuned trigger, I rate it as possibly one of the fastest on the market since the internals can (and has been proven to) cycle at 27 shots per second. I was suprised to hear that the design of the gun had changed to an open bolt design but from the first time I shot it... I realized that the bolt method has nothing to do with precision as this gun shatters the old open bolt/closed bolt arguement.
Also, I found that this gun was very easy switch hand shoot with and the grip is very comfortable despite it's looks.
The only real downsides I have discovered are relatively minor and I'm sure will be fixed in the near future...
-Gas efficiency... about what the old Matrices were. As time comes, I have no doubt we will see bolt kits and chip replacements for the 03 Shocker to improve gas usage. Since the bolt pressure of the 03 Shocker does no effect the gas usuage at all, and is below 60 psi anyways, I do not see the need for any kind of LPR system as the self regulating bolt kit does the job admirably... Efficiency for the gun sits at around 1000 shots off a 68/4500... sometimes I get a little bit better, especially with a good paint/barrel match.
-Lack of Instruction Manual... I'm sure this was just a mistake and a result of SP's rush to get the first batch of the guns on the market... Besides, there is VERY little that the average user needs to do to the marker to keep it in perfect health.
I should point out, that the 03 Shocker does have better gas usuage than the old Shocker but not as good as a properly LPR'd Impulse... I am confident there will be aftermarket or replacement parts to improve the overall gas efficiency of this gun in the very near future. |
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| Conclusion: |
I definately recommend this marker to anyone who likes light, precise and simple markers.
I rationalize giving this marker a 10, because, despite it's two very minor faults, it still sits ALOT closer to a 10 than it does to a 9. That, and there are many guns I would give a 9 to, and this one is just a bit better... Perhaps, really a 9.6....
I see a genius design that was well-conceived and executed, but, as in most cases, there is room for improvement.
Smart Parts has definately released a bomb-shell with this one. |
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| Rating: |
| 10 out of 10 | Last edited on Sunday, August 10th, 2003 at 8:42 pm PST |
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nbossi1 |
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Monday, December 15th, 2003 |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 2 years | 53 of 60 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
BKO (not as good)
Spyder E-99 (VERY GOOD, but not on par with this baby)
Intimidators (SWEEEET, comparable to this gun, but WAY more expensive) |
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| Marker Setup: |
Gold 2003 Shocker w/ Vision
Black Freak barrel system with gold AA front (14")
Black CCM clamping feedneck
Black PHAT Flame drop and on/off
Black CP Reg
Black NDZ 15* ASA with SP 300 psi gauge
Black NDZ Roller-Bearing Trigger
Virtue Board (HOLY CRAP, it's SWEEEET)
PMI Pure Energy 88/4500 HPA tank
Halo B with v35 board, and Zenitram delrin drive cone
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
HALO or eVLution II, this thing will outrun a revvy in 3 strokes of that fine-@$$ trigger!
Freak back, but you could just keep the AA front, it's fine!
Duh, N2...
If desired, new reg, most people don't use the stock one, so couldn't tell ya if it's any good. Keep in mind, it's still a max-flo, and we know those are REALLY nice! |
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| Strengths: |
FAST
ACCURATE
COST-FRIENDLY
QUIET
SMALL
LIGHT
GENTLE
SEE REVIEW for the rest... |
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| Weaknesses: |
EFFICIENCY soon to be solved, though...
Um, THAT'S IT! |
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| Review: |
I just got this bad boy and I am already HOOKED! I will walk through the strengths and weaknesses in the following review:
SPEED
Certainly this markers strongpoint, capable of laying a sweeeeet stream of paint, provided your hopper can keep up... The trigger is infinitely adjustable, from short and light, to a mouseclick, to whatever your twisted heart desires. The magnetic tension can be a biotch, though, I wouldn't mess with it unless you like having a $700 marker for a paperweight if you fook up... Yeah, get a HALO B for this one, you're gonna need it...
ACCURACY
This is also a fantastic feature of the new Shocker! Not only can you rain down massive amounts of paint, you can put it EXACTLY where you want it! It really is as good as they say it is :-)! And yeah, there is basically no kick (you CAN'T have something with moving parts have absolutely NO kick)! Barrel stays on target = better accuracy!
AIR CONSUMPTION
True, in stock form it does use a fair amount of air, but like I mentioned above, companies are stepping up to the plate to deliver more bang for the buck. New Designz (they don't know how to make a BAD product) is working on bolt kit, and Evolve Paintball (www.evolvepaintball.com) already is promising 1500 shots from a 68 45, AMAZING. The kit is $135 plus $25 shipping... Haven't bought it yet, probaby will...
MAINTENANCE
It really is pretty simple. You have a 2 piece bolt with a bunch of o-rings to keep clean and lubed. Rocket science, it ain't. Re-assembly is even easier that de-assembly; to take the bolt out, you unscrew the guide and use it to push the bolt out the back. To put it back together, you just put the bolt on the guide, and screw it all back in... If you have a leak, it's probably just one of the many o-rings, replace and play :-)! On an aside, the operating pressure is so low that if a paintball were to not load all the way, it wouldn't break anyways. Sell your squeegee on EBAY!
PRICE
I paid about $700 for the gun, and then around $150 for the extra goodies attached to the gun (not the tank or hopper). So for hundreds less than an Intimidator (or WAY less than an Angel), you get a gun that is about as fast, more accurate, and easier to take care of (IMO).
NOISE
Pretty quiet, on par with the other guns in its class...
SIZE
SMALL, for lack of more eloquent terms, it is nice and compact, and LIGHT as a FEATHER. Seriously, a HALO full of paint weighs more than the gun!
GENTLENESS ON PAINT
Hmm, let's see, I can stick my finger in the breech, walk the trigger, and still pull back a finger when I get bored... I have yet to TRY to break paint, but I am fairly certain it won't, you know what I mean?? Let me know if you chop with yours, I'm curious ;-) ...
COOL FACTOR
The gun is straight sexy, looks even better in person than the pictures:-). Also, the operating pressure is SO LOW you can stick your finger in the breech, and wail away on the trigger, no surgery required after ;-) ! Honestly, this gun is cool as hell, I am pretty much sure to receive tons of looks and questions whenever I take it out of its case...
Well, that's about it, I can't wait to play some more! |
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| Conclusion: |
I recommend this gun to anyone looking to move up to a high-end electro with the speed of an angel and accuracy of a cocker. It's worth the price, folks; run, don't walk, to you local store and BUY ONE! A ridiculously fast gun that won't chop paint, that's what it boils down to... |
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| Rating: |
| 10 out of 10 | Last edited on Sunday, June 12th, 2005 at 2:45 pm PST |
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Jetswu |
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Saturday, November 15th, 2003 |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 28 of 35 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Toxic Matrix, Lasoya Intimidator, Angel 3
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| Marker Setup: |
Blue Shocker 2003
68cu/3000psi PMI Nitro Tank
12v Revolution Loader |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
You do not need to upgrade a single thing on this gun. Smart Parts has already built the gun with the best aftermarket parts available. See "Key Strengths" to see just what I mean. |
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| Strengths: |
1) Extremely accurate
2) Shortened Delrin bolt
3) VERY light and compact
4) Spectacular trigger |
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| Weaknesses: |
None |
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| Review: |
The Shocker is the finest gun I have ever played with. I am on Team Vooodu in Chicago, and I have played with many very expensive and popular tournament guns. The shocker 2003 is the best because it is the lightest, fastest, and most accurate overall. For instance, my Intimidator is fast, but not as accurate. Same with my Angel. And the Matrix is accurate and fast, but it is a heavy son-of-a-gun. The shocker takes all of this and combines it into a tournament gun, under $1,000 and under 2lbs. Now, many of you are probably wondering why I wasn't looking into a cocker. I mean, Nexus and Naughty Dawgs do good with them, so they MUST be good guns, right? Well, I don't want to get into the age-old debate about cockers and how good they REALLY are, but I will say this. First off, have you ever picked up a cocker? They are very heavy. Also, unless you go electro, you always risk short-stroking. And even if you go electro and spend $1,000, there are still things that you will want to upgrade. Oh, and as for accuracy, the Free Flow I tested from Matt at ProPaintball wasn't as smooth as my shocker, and my shocker shot just as straight, but flatter and farther. Okay, well enough cocker bashing. Honestly, I own 4 tournament guns. My Matrix, Timmy, Angel, and Shocker 03. Out of all of them, I am now going to the shocker regularly for tournaments. If this review by a professional paintball player doesn't convince you, or if you are still uncertain, please email me, or go to your local shop. I can give you some more tips if you email me, and if you go to a shop I'm sure they will let you play around with the gun and you can decide for yourself. All I am saying is, this is a whole new gun from Smart Parts. Forget EVERYTHING you thought and have heard about Smart Parts. They really built a true champ with the Shocker 2003. |
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| Conclusion: |
This is an excellent gun that surpasses most any tournament gun in all categories (i.e weight, accuracy, speed, etc.). It also won't cost you an arm and a leg to buy. It is also quite simple to clean and maintain. You simply remove the back nut and ALL the internals can be accessed and cleaned easily. So get out there and do some research and test the Shocker out at a local shop. You'll see why it is all the Hype among pros. |
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| Rating: |
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SM6 |
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Wednesday, November 5th, 2003 |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 3 months | 24 of 39 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
2002 Shocker
Various Impulses
Matrixes
Texas Storm Intimidator
Angel LCDs, IR3, Speed |
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| Marker Setup: |
Angel Speed w/ 4 board
Dye Matrix LCD w/ Evolve bolt, Mini-Trinity, and Sidewinder
Strange Vision Impulse
Halo B and Freak with all
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
Halo B
Freak Barrel System
5" Drop Forward (personal preference) |
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| Strengths: |
Magnetic Trigger
Weight
Low Profile
Simple Design |
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| Weaknesses: |
Manufacturing |
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| Review: |
Well, I must say I was very excited to get my hands on one of these babies. Normally, I WILL NOT buy a gun until they have been in production for at least a year. That, IMO, gives the company enought time to identify any defects and correct any bugs. It also gives me time to hear what other people are saying.
That said, I did not wait with this gun. My first one was serial number 425. I took my time setting it up, playing with different ROF (delay) and Dwell settings. When I finally starting playing with it, I noticed two things right away: 1) it was dead sexy fast, and I consistantly outshot my EVO2, and 2) it was NOT as accurate as my 2k2 shocker. Yeah, I know all about the accuracy arguments about paint to barrel match being the only factor, etc. I used the same paint, at the same time of day (in the same day), with the SAME BARREL (they have the same threads), and I can say for a fact that I prefer the accuracy of the 2k2.
After playing about 3 weeks with the gun, and put about 5 cases through it, it began to leak down the barrel. After an exhaustive search the culprit was found to be the front oring of the rear plug. We switched it out and it was fine... for a while. I'm going to make a VERY VERY VERY LONG story short. Everytime I fixed a leak, a bigger one would show up. Finally sent the gun back to SP and got another one, Red #560(?). Short story=same problems. In addition, the on/off switch fell off my board while I was working on it (mind you I didn't even touch it). After that happened I gave up and went with an Impulse. |
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| Conclusion: |
PROS:
Awesome trigger and ROF
Accuracy comparible to an angel speed or impulse
Cutting edge design
CONS:
Poor craftsmanship
I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GUN TO EVERYONE ------ NEXT YEAR. RIGHT NOW THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO, AND WILL, BE RESOLVED.
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| Rating: |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 22 of 28 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Everything. Most similar in operation to a Matrix....size and speed comparable to a Intimidator. |
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| Marker Setup: |
AA Shocker 03 w/Halo B & 68/4500 max flo |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
freak system |
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| Strengths: |
Extremely small and light with incredibly fast trigger. |
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| Weaknesses: |
First shot shoot down...shoot down with high rate of fire. |
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| Review: |
We've recieved the Shocker All American edition. Black w/AA barrel and 68/4500 max flo. This is #297 out of the first 300 shipped last week. This is the older style max flo--new ones are still in production process. It doesn't have the eye but is milled to accept one. SP doesn't think eyes will be installed in the first 1000 models.
First Impressions(btw: I'm factory trained and certified SP tech):
Size: Absurdly small, narrow and light. Seems to be about the same weight as a Timmy--maybe a little lighter.
Trigger: Lots of adjustments--without much practice I was hitting 17bps.
Air Efficiency: Looks very very good. We'll have better numbers later but I'm pretty impressed.
General: This thing RIPS and is dead on accurate w/no kick whatsoever. We have a Halo B and have been able to outshoot it several times. We are seeing some drop off when firing 280fps above 14bps. Also having first shot drop off...Our guess is a dwell setting but it didn't come with instruction so we're calling Smart Parts. We haven't taken it apart but we believe it's single solenoid/single bolt. Due to the size it must have a dump valve(like Matrix)--ie: no hammer or valve assembly. The barrel took a few minutes to install...could be rough machining... Halo neck needs to be sanded to fit in feed... not sure where the eye wires are going to run...external?
From a technical standpoint this seems to be as small as you can make a paintball marker. Since no directions came with it, we're not sure how to adjust dwells and whether there is a lpr. The marker input is under 225 so theoretically the solenoid should be able to handle input pressure w/o a LPR. We'll be completely dismantling it on Tuesday...we'll know more then.
Price: Looks like the Shocker base will be around $800-900, w/eye: $999, AA package w/max flo: $1199---looks like they are pricing it around the base timmy models
If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to email...
Brian |
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| Conclusion: |
The new Shocker is outstanding! Highly recommend it and undoubtedly future improvements from SP and third parties will only make it better. |
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| Rating: |
| 10 out of 10 | Last edited on Friday, July 23rd, 2004 at 2:47 am PST |
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Synod |
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Friday, March 5th, 2004 |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 3 months | 11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
1 year |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Impulses
Angel 4
Angel Speed
Timmys
Viking
E-Cockers |
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| Marker Setup: |
2003 vision shocker (red)
68/3000 Crossfire Carbonfibre tank
Halo B
Full Freak Kit |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
Bolt Kit
Egg/Halo
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| Strengths: |
-Fast ROF
-Beautiful Apperance (Opinion)
-Small Marker/Low Weight |
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| Weaknesses: |
-Air Consumption
-FSDO |
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| Review: |
I have had my 2003 shocker for a few months, and I must say, I LOVE IT. Before I bought it, I was in a dillemma between an angel speed and the shocker. I finally got to try a speed out, and in comparison to the Shocker, it didn't compare, so I got the shocker and am very happy with that choice (3 players on my team are getting rid of their angels for shockers, so that says something).
Strengths: This thing can just rip. I adjusted the trigger to how I like it, and can shoot it EXTREMELY fast. The vision works very well too. When I first got my shocker, I was anxious to try it out, so I slapped on my revvy (did not have the Halo B at the time), turned on the vision, and let it rip. I was outshooting the revvy constantly, and the eye did a great job. I have played in a couple tournies and have yet to have any chops, and thoes were also all played with a revvy. Hands down, this is one of the best markers for feel. Its just so small and well shaped, it can fit easy into almost any person's hands. Its so easy to stay tight around bunkers, even more so on airball fields. If you don't already have a barrel system for it, you get the all american barrel stock, which is a great thing to have as a stock barrel. Its just hard to put into words how much I love this marker :) Also, it looks pretty cool I think.
Weaknesses: Every great thing has it's weaknesses, and this is no different for the shocker. Stock, the efficiency is bad. It eats air like no tomorrow. Its not SO much of an inconvienience, you just have to fill after every game. I find I can get around 4 hoppers out of it with the stock bolt with a 3000/68. Speaking of bolts, that is the very solution to the efficiency problem, a bolt kit! Companies are stepping up and releasing bolt kits that make the shocker actually an EFFICIENT marker, even more efficient than a lot of markers on the market, so the bolt kit is definently a good investment. I put FSDO as a weakness, but in a way, its not really a weakness, if you know what you are doing. Drop off usually occurs when your dwell settings are off. With adjustment of your dwell settings, you can eliminate the drop off problems from high rates of fire and fsdo. So even thought the shocker does have some drawbacks, they are fairly easily fixed, so there is not too much worry.
Maintenence: For the shocker, maintenece either makes or breaks your gun. If you don't maintain it properly, you will probably find yourself on this site, or on forums expressing your hate for shockers. I bought my marker from a certified air smith of almost ANY marker you could possibly think of that is popular now, and he taught me that SHOCKERS REALLY LOVE DOW. If you notice, when you take out your internals, there is like a bijillion (okay, a little overexadurated) o-rings, THAT MUST, I STRESS MUST be GREASED after EVERY time you play at the field. If you FAIL to do this, you WILL notice problems with the shocker, so to prevent problems, grease all of the bijillion o-rings, and you will not run into any maintenece problems. The airsmith said, that every time he had to fix up a shocker, it was due to the owner's incompetence, not the marker's problem.
So just make sure you maintain it, and you won't have any problems :)
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| Conclusion: |
Just a great marker. You can't go wrong with it. Maintain it properly and you will love it, I assure you :)
My actual rating would be a 9.5 (because of stock efficiency), but I will round it up. |
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| Rating: |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 3 months | 10 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
various electros |
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| Marker Setup: |
OGI T1
'O3 Shocker |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
Get a new bolt kit, the stock bolt is much less efficient |
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| Strengths: |
Light weight, compact size, nice trigger, fast |
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| Weaknesses: |
Heinous FSDO, gas hog, requires O ring replacement, cheap aluminum alloy |
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| Review: |
As an anodizer, I get to fool with a lot of different markers. From my perspective, SP is notorious for using what I consider to be an inferior alloy in the manufacture of their markers. I am not pleased with their choice to retain the Impulse feed neck treading on the new shockers, because their fine pitch, combined with the softer alloy makes this a weak point on the marker.
When I first got my shocker, it had the stock bolt, and was experiencing all kinds of problems with bolt stick and first shot drop off. This was greatly improved by replacing the solenoid valve and upgrading to a freeflow bolt. It still suffers from FSDO, but the bolt stick is gone.
The stock vertical max flo reg is junk. It continually blows the reg piston O ring off, and even with the "redesigned" reg piston, this problem has not been resolved. In my opinion, there should be a recall on those new vert max flo regs, but I doubt it will happen.
Now, as for the marker itself, it is very lightweight and compact. The only marker i have ever seen that was this compact was the Automag classic, but this one has it completely beat on rate of fire and weight.
After replacing the bolt and vert reg, you can get some really nice performanxce out of this marker.
The trigger is excellent right out of the box (I think it would be a waste to upgrade the stock trigger). It's only drawback is that you have to remove a lot of internals to adjust the magnetic resistance (this applies to aftermarket triggers too). The travel adjustments are easily made with an allen wrench and require no disassembly. The trigger guard is very roomy, and players with larger hands will be able to shoot this marker comfortably.
Turning vision on and off is also very easily done on the fly via the on / off button in the back of the grip frame.
Dwell and recharge adjustments can be tiresome, and require a good bit of calculation to determine your max achievable rate of fire after making adjustments. To access these buttons, you need to remove your grip panels and count "chirps" to make adjustments.
The LED light which indicates the marker's status is very bright on the circuit board, but they use a combination lightpipe / button actuator to illuminate the on / off button. By the time the light finds it's way around to the back of your grip frame, it's very dim, and difficult to see (if at all) outdoors during the day.
The finish on the marker leaves a little to be desired. This may be attributed to the alooy they use, or just inadequate surface prep when it was anodized. The marker is polished, but the overall appearance isn't as glossy as it could be, and you can actually see the crystalline grain in the aluminum through the anodizing. I have read about people complaining that their anodizing is beginning to rub off, but I haven't used my marker enough to notice this yet.
The manual recommends very frequent disassembly, cleaning and lubrication (as well as frequent O ring replacement). You can find complete O ring kits for as low as $12 online from various sources, but they are generally nitrile rubber O rings that will wear faster than the harder urethane factory replacement O rings. Many of the FSDO and bolt stick problems will disappear if you follow a strict maintenance schedule, but you will spend a lot of money on expensive O ring kits and shocker lube. Additionally, the manual recommends changing O rings so often that you would need to rebuild your entire marker halfway through a tournament if you shoot a lot of paint.
The FSDO is a real problem for those who wish to use this for anything other than fast paced tournament ball. It's an inherent problem that occurrs when you have so many O rings in contact with moving parts. (I believe there are no less than six friction bearing O ring surfaces that see movement with each shot.) In a matter of minutes after you stop shooting, the lubricant is displaced where the O rings contact the bolt, and this causes a slight adhesion between the O rings and the bolt. After the first shot, the lubricant is redistributed and the problem goes away... for a while. Frequent cleaning and O ring replacement is the only way to stay on top of this, I can't say that enough. Untill SP does a little more research into some more advanced lubricant formulas, the Dow 33 "Shocker lube" will have to suffice.
Another issue with this marker that a lot of people have had is the solenoid maniold stripping out where the solenoid mounting screws go. The stock manifold is made of that "soft" aluminum alloy, but stainless steel replacements are now available.
In the event of a solenoid failure, replacing the part can be expensive. half of the marker's circuitry is located on a second circuit board soldered directly to the solenoid coil housing. The solenoid is not available from SP as a separate unit, you have to buy it with the board attached. If you are mechanically inclined and have experience working with electronic markers, you can get around this by replacing the pilot and valve assemblies on the solenoid with an impulse pilot and valve assembly while retaining the old coil and plunger (assuming the old coil is still operational). This will save you a good bit of $$$
The marker's operating pressure is just under 200 PSI when everything is within normal parameters. There is no LPR on the marker (though LPR kits are now available), and it really doesn't need one to function. In the event of a catastrophic failure of your inline regulator, the solenoid will be subjected to the full output pressure of your HPA tank. This could be anywhere from 400 to 900 PSI, and means death to your solenoid. The addition of an LPR kit will isolate your solenoid's input and protect it from such an occurrance. It will also slightly increase gas consumption on an already inefficient marker.
The shocker is a very quiet marker in operation. It shoots fast, and it's accuracy is comparable to most other tournament markers (though claims of accuracy surpassing that of all other markers are a bit of a stretch).
The vision anti chop eye system works well with all the paint I have used so far. I have yet to chop a ball in the breech. The FSDO has caused me to break balls in the barrel when the second shot impacts the first one(s) that didn't have enough power to make it out the barrel.
To get the most from this marker, I recommend you immediately discard the stock vertical max flo reg and replace it with a quality regulator. I am using a CP reg, and there is absolutely zero creep, it's a good choice. Also, you will want to replace the stock bolt with either the SP high efficiency bolt, or the evolve bolt. Both will greatly improve your gas consumption. Keep plenty of shocker lube and replacement O rings on hand, and familiarize yourself with proper, regular maintenance proceedures. If you have any doubts about the stability of your inline reg, I would recommend an LPR kit.
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| Conclusion: |
In closing, I think it's a novel design for a paintball marker. I wish the feedneck threads were beefier. I wish the marker came standard with the HE bolt kit, and I wish they would not burden customers with that horrible vert reg that has sullied the Max Flo name. The price is a little high for a marker that requires immediate upgrades to achieve it's full potential, and the constant O ring replacement gets expensive fast. The FSDO is a major problem that really cannot be solved due to the marker's design.
On the plus side, it's a light, fast, attractive marker that feels good in your hands and responds well to fast trigger fingers.
I have never bought a "tounament level" marker that worked perfectly out of the box, and I've owned everything from autocockers to angels. This marker is no exception. In the hands of a careless sloppy kid who never wipes his marker down after a game (you know the type), it's going to be a big disappointment. For those who take the time to understand the operation and care of their equipment, it will be a delight to shoot. (After the first shot, anyways.)
If you are the kind of guy who likes to grab your maker, shoot a case on the weekend and throw it in the back of your car for a couple of weeks then take it back out and shoot it again, go buy a Tippmann. They're designed to be used like a work truck. If you don't mind washing, waxing, and changing oil in an expensive performance car, you will enjoy owning one of these markers.
I give it a 6. I'll change this to a 7 if they start coming stock with a better reg and the HE bolt kit with no rise in price, and an 8 if they get rid of the delicate feed neck threads. 9 if they eliminate FSDO and offer replacement O rings sets for $5 with free shipping. The only thing that gets a ten in my book is Cameron Diaz in "The Mask", but that's another review entirely. |
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| Rating: |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 9 of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
2000 Shocker, Angel IR3, Cobra Angel, Impulse, Cockers |
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| Marker Setup: |
2003 Black Shocker, no vision, Halo B, Freak system/Dye Boomstick, 88ci Max Flo |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
Definitely get a Halo and a good barrel system, of course the most typical of upgrades. |
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| Strengths: |
Lightweight, small, and it's rate of fire is incredible. |
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| Weaknesses: |
It's gas consumption is a little annoying, and breaking paint isn't too common |
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| Review: |
I have had this gun for about a month or two now. It has been back to Smart Parts twice, because of a small thing called the on off switch. If you happen to purchase one of these guns... please, please, please be very careful with the trigger frame when and IF you take it off the body. I myself took it off the body, because I thought I may have had a leak because of the typical first shot shoot down (which I found out later was normal). When you put the grip frame back up to the body, you have to be ultra sensitive with the circuit board, the wires, and the switches inside, or you may find yourself with a broken gun as I did. Smart Parts has been great about fixing things that I may have not handled with the care of a "TECH" at SP. So props to them for their hard work to keep their guns on the field.
Performance-wise, this gun is AWESOME!!! Using it on the field I can shoot as fast as the best of them. It's well balanced and very light and maneuverable. It's accuracy is spectacular. Flat trajectory, insane rate of fire (we're talk'in about sending ROPES of paint at the enemy) Personally, on my 88ci tank, I get about 7 tubes and a hopper out of the gun for air. Not too bad, not too great either. I'm waiting to get the vision eye for the gun to limit the rare ball chops that may occur. I'm also looking for aftermarket bolts and internals to make this thing even better on air and so on. |
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| Conclusion: |
This gun is AWESOME!!! Oh wait, I said that already. I would recommend this gun to someone who, in particular, doesn't tinker with their gun... they just turn it on and play. It is liable to break during a strip down, and rebuild, so be careful with it. It's performance is spectacular. Rate of fire is great, accuracy is great, range is great, and the air efficiency is ok! Best of luck with this gun. I would give it a 10 on it's performance but based on it's fragility, air efficiency not being competitive, and the occasional ball chop I think I'd better give it an 8 |
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| Rating: |
| 8 out of 10 | Last edited on Monday, October 6th, 2003 at 12:24 am PST |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Only tested | 8 of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
matrix, angels, timmys, cockers, impulses, bushmasters |
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| Marker Setup: |
shocker with the new maxflow |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
halo |
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| Strengths: |
very light, it has a very nice trigger, low pressure, and shoots very well. |
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| Weaknesses: |
none that i noticed..... |
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| Review: |
I shot this gun up in canada at a tourny. I got to take it out and shoot it with my halo. I had a full hopper and i shot it once aand to my suprise....it was very strait and true. then i started to rip on it and i layed out a solid stream of 60 balls at a pole about 25-30 yards a way and nearly all of the balls were on the pole or darn near it. |
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| Conclusion: |
from what i saw this gun was.....great. Its easily comparable with any gun on the market, if not superior to all others. if you are in the market for a gun i would seriously recommend looking into the new shocker....i shoot an matrix with all the upgrades and im thinking about buying one of these and amking my matrix my back up....so that should give you the picture. |
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| Rating: |
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sic23 |
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Monday, December 27th, 2004 |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 1 year | 7 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
dm4, dm3, empire, alias, lasoya (all the timmys), angel speed, a4 fly, emag, xmag, jmj featherlight viking, impulses, nerve, |
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| Marker Setup: |
2003 vision shocker
dynasty board
full freak
freeflow trigger
halo b
srail
crossfire 68/4500
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
NEW BOLT (stock is plenty fast but efficiency is god awful) (freeflow, ndz stinger, evolve)
new trigger (stock is great but wobbles too much) (dynasty, ndz wave, ndz roller, etc)
new board (stock is fine if your not into fine tuning) (dynasty tadao)
vision if you dont have it already
a screaming fast hopper
new barrel (or just buy a freak back)
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| Strengths: |
Light
Tight
Accurate
FAST
Easy to work on
simple operation
Value |
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| Weaknesses: |
Same that haunts all sp guns-
Fsdo
Manufacturing
Picky with paint
Very inefficent |
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| Review: |
When Smart Parts released the new shocker in spring of 2003 it was plagued with problems. The guns just broke fast, many had defects. It took a little while but it was worth the wait. They cleaned up the problems and now we have one revolutionary marker. For the first time the very successful matrix bolt design (spool valve) has been employed in an automag sized body. Now what we have is a very fast, small, light, and accurate gun. I cannot emphasize the speed and accuracy of this gun when compared to its tiny body.
Strengths:
Trigger: The shockers trigger is extremeley adjustable. There are four adjustments on it. Post travel, pre travel, activation point, and the magnet. Instead of using a spring to return the shocker uses a reverse polarity magnet to push the trigger back to its orignal position. The pull on these guns can be adjust to be less than a millimeter or about 3/4 inch allowing a wide variety of settings to suit your taste. The pull is also very light and on par with all of the other high end guns out there right now. Very easy to walk.
Bolt: Although the stock bolt is very inefficient (buy a new bolt, i know it sucks but smart parts is like that) it is simple to clean and take care of. Most of the time if anything goes wrong with the gun it will be a broken oring which is simple to fix.
Accuracy: Dont even bother arguing to me about bore to paint matches when i used my stock All American this gun would shoot straight no matter how badly the paint matched. This gun is just plain accurate.
No need for hundreds of upgrades: This gun is no impulse, all you really will want is a new trigger, bolt, and feedneck. No lpr, no new hammers, ram caps, trigger frames, tape worms, rams,valves, pull pins, etc. This gun is very simple and is a performer out of the box.
Weight & Size: The shocker is a tiny gun. If you like lugging around a log size gun steer clear of the new shocker. Weighing in at only 1 pound 14 ounces with barrel it's one of the lightest guns to date only rivaled by the freestyle. The gun is smaller than my automag which is saying a lot.
Speed: Stock these guns are fast. Slap in a new board (i use the dynasty tadao) and this gun will scream.
Maitenance: the gun is very simple you just unscrew the bolt, take it apart ( 4 pieces)
wipe off the old lube, apply a new coat of dow, and put the bolt back in.
Weaknesses:
Efficiency: Let's get this straight. The shocker's efficiency sucks. it just sucks. Even with a full 68/4500 fill I only get about 900 shots off. A new bolt will remedy this. They really do bring the shot count up to around 1300-1400 which is more on par with the other high end guns.
Circuitry and internal design: Smart parts made the shockers circuitry very delicate so I really do not reccomend you work on the inside of the grip or the horizontal board unless you have experience working on electros. You leave it alone and everythings fine.
Feed neck: The stock feedneck is very nice and low but its extremely tight so if you dont plan on buying a new one fitting and your going to be putting a halo on it, you're going to have some serious sanding to do. (i used a dremel, just be careful not to take off too much)
A few stupid things to watch out for:
For some reason smart parts made the two top grip screws so long that if you tighten them with too much force they will stab right into the horizontal board, therefore destroying the on off circuitry ( the gun wont turn on)
Dont mess with the solenoid inserts( two little rods below the back of the bolt)
After every 10 cases or so i reccomend you take them out and clean them then put them back in. Do not tighten them too much otherwise you'll run into more problems (The left insert has a filter on it and if you tighten it with a lot of force it will crush it and leak profusley).
ONLY USE DOW 33 I cannot stress this enough if you use any kind of oil you will be sorry as the gun will not cycle and will pretty much ruin it. There are alternatives to Dow 33 but i reccomend you stick with dow.
If anything goes wrong with your gun there is a very supportive shocker community at www.shockerowners.com
If it needs repairing ask YDNA hes a moderator there and is very experienced in fixing smart parts guns. |
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| Conclusion: |
Overall the Shocker is a mean gun. If your looking for light weight, small profile, speed, and accuracy in one package this gun is it. With a few upgrades this gun becomes a screaming beast of a gun. Go buy one now you wont be dissapointed. |
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| Rating: |
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