Speed, durability, and parts supply/ upgrade potential
Weaknesses:
Lame plastic feed adapter, accuracy is inconsistant
Review:
i purchased this gun after the first time i went to play paintball, and the most agonizing part was waitin for it to show up. The first time i used this gun was on my third trip paintballing. this gun works great, it is an awesome gun if you realize what it is, and forgive it for what it is not...that is a decent beginner gun, with weekend warrior potential, or even tourny potential with a host of upgrades. my biggest complaint with this gun are the lack of consistancy, and speed....its fast, but i have been playing 4-5 times a month with this gun for 6 months, and i am gettin to the point where i want more so im lookin into upgrades, barrel, bolt, maybe gripframe because this one is capped at 16, but as for stock, the gun is well equipped for a basic electronic marker, just keep in mind, that you will want to upgrade the barrel, which on some days, depending on weather and paint, is a dream, but on others is a nightmare, i couldnt hit the broad side of a barn (trust me, i tried cause we play near one)...but overlooking these small weaknesses, this is a good beginner gun
Conclusion:
If you are looking at a beginner electric gun, but dont want the imagine, cant afford the fenix, or dont want a piranha, this is your gun
E-99 Avant
Smart Parts Progressive 14"
Evolution Loader
Recommended Upgrades:
Anti-Syphon Tube !!!!!!!!!
Smart Parts Progressive Barrel
Electric loader
Polish internal parts / bolt
Strengths:
Value for your money
Firepower
Weaknesses:
Some minor issues (see below)
Review:
This is the first Marker I have purchased, though I have played on and off for a few years.
Secondly, I am a woodsball player, not speedball, or tournament, so I really couldn't say how this stacks up aginst high end, more expensive markers.
I have now played a half dozen times or so with the E-99, and I have not had any problem holding my own against anyone. Especially since upgrading with a barrel and electric hopper. Both of these were MUST haves. The stock barrel wasn't bad, but my Smart Parts barrel matched with the RPS Advantage paint is unbelieveably accurate and consistent. When I say accurate, I am not talking about taking people out at 50 yards, that's just not gonna happen with a round projectile in a smooth barrel. But I can almost drive nails at 90', practically putting one on top of the other.
PROBLEMS: The first upgrade needed is an anti-syphon tube if you are going with CO2. I had a bad problem with getting the liquid into the gun since the expansion chamber is not very good. Of course, once that happens, I was blowing o-rings like crazy. A
remote would solve this problem if you don't want an anti-syphon tube.
Also, you have to pull some maintenance with this marker. This is to be expected. Clean it when you can, use a touch of oil, and watch those o-rings. I had a maddening problem with the E-99 burping, or firing several times on semi-auto. I thought my o-rings looked fine, but I replaced them all, and this solved the problem.
Secondly, this marker seems to really run into problems when a hex screw or phillips head starts to loosen do to use. Misfires, rate of fire, and FPS gets all out of whack. Kinda threw me until I figured this out. Simply solved by tightening, and using just a touch of low-grade Loc-Tite on the screws.
I also did a home upgrade by polishing the internal parts such as the Striker Bolt and Bolt which is something that was passed on to me through www.ottersccustoms.com . This has improved consistency and airflow around the bolt.
Lastly, the only other beef I have is that some of the screws, washers, and replacement parts or upgrades can be a bit challenging to do since most parts are metric sizing.
Kinda hard to classify what I just listed as "problems". It is really "maintenance"...And it will have to be done whether it is a lawnmower, GLOCK pistol, E-99 Avant, or M-16.
PLUS: For the money, I don't think it can be beat. A couple upgrades like a loader and a $40 aftermarket barrel, and this thing can sling some paint. It is the consistency of paint placement that has really impressed me. Putting shot after shot on someone's equipment (because they are to scared to poke their head out), is what really sold me. The 3 rd burst and auto-fire work almost flawlessly. Talk about keeping someone's head down ! And I have not had a issue with chopped balls. Granted, it has happened, but not very often. And only because I caused a condition to where it occured, i.e. air tank empty, and damp deformed paint.
Conclusion:
Overall, a great marker. There were times, until I learned about the thing, that I wanted to throw it into a river. Turns out though, that the malfunctions I experienced were of my own doing. The more I disassembled it, and read info on the net, the more I learned and was able to keep the marker up in great working condition.
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Saturday, October 16th, 2004 at 2:39 am PST
Tippmann 98 Custom- good starter gun very, durable, more reliable than Spyders, but not as good as the Avant.
Marker Setup:
I use a Spyder E-99 Avant with a Bandit bolt, Halo B hopper/ with Rip drive, Smart parts Progressive "14", aluminum smokestack, and maxflo 88 4500psi nitrogen
Recommended Upgrades:
The first thing to upgrade is the barrel, the stock barrel isn't the best barrel , but really stock barrels aren't ever really good. Next, try to buy an electric hopper, I recommend an Empire or a 12 volt revolution. last, you may want to get a new smokestack the stock one that comes with the Avant usually cracks after a while. The bolt could also be upgraded, but you should play a while with it because it will work for a pretty long time.
Strengths:
battery lasts very long, works with C02 or compressed air, very good with upgrades
Weaknesses:
the stock barrel is a bit choppy and the bolt requires lots of oil
Review:
I got this gun last year and it has provided me a decent performance at rec-ball and even tournaments. With upgrades this gun can be just as good as all those other guns you dream about getting intimidators impulses etc. There is no need to waste money on a gun that is hard to work with when you can get this gun for $180-$200. This is a good gun for novice- medium level players. It rarely ever chops a ball I've gone through about 4 cases with this and my new barrel an I've chopped only 1 or 2 paintballs. This gun will shoot 14bps and can be improved in many ways. A good thing to do is buy a new cocking bolt or a lot of paintball oil because the bolt on the Avant usually scratches the gun or itself. I think this gun is under priced right now, so you should go out and get it before the price increases!
Conclusion:
I really recommend this product to any player who would like a good gun without the price. This gun has served me well and I plan to keep using it and upgrading it in the future. I gave this marker a 9 because it isn't perfect, but it is still one of the best spyders ever at a cheap price!
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Saturday, May 29th, 2004 at 6:51 am PST
Tippman 98 custom- accurate but very loud and big.
Marker Setup:
spyder e-99 avant
freak jr barrel
ricochet 2k ak loader
pure energy 72ci 3k n2
kingman ACS Delrin Bolt
Recommended Upgrades:
New barrel- stock is not very good
electric hopper- you almost need one to be at peak preformance with an electric marker
Strengths:
Very reasonably priced.
lots of upgrades
looks very good
Weaknesses:
Stock Barrel- Looks and preforms cheaply. New one highly recomended
Review:
This is an awesome gun. One of the best things about this gun is the preformance for the price. it is so reasonably priced and with all the paintball websites out there u can get it for pretty cheap with some pretty sweet upgrades. This gun works the best with a new barrel and an electric hopper. (as is true with any electric marker) this is a very good gun friends i go paintballing with wish they had one. and because syder is such a well known and vercitile brand name u can find almost any upgrade your looking for. i would recomend this gun to any player whether you are a beginer just comeing into the sport or a player who has been playing for awhile and looking for a better gun.
Conclusion:
You should buy this gun, it is not expensive for the preformance that you get. when you do get the gun i recomend a new barrel and electric hopper. BUY THIS GUN!
There arn't many strengths except it is lightweight.
Weaknesses:
Accurecy, speed, and everything else.
Review:
I have had this marker for about 6 months and have played many games with it. It works ok for about a month or two then it all goes downhill. The gun is not accurate at all, it isnt that fast, and the velocity screws up a lot. The feed neck sucks, I had 2 replace it.
But the marker is very light weight and durable.
Conclusion:
This is an ok gun for new players. Other than that do not buy it, Do what I did, buy an evil omen. It is worth the money
i have a spyder e-99 avant with a 14" all american and soon to be electric hopper
Recommended Upgrades:
DEFINITELY get the smart parts all american on this (reccomended 14 inch)
Electric hopper-(Halo, empire, or ricochet)
nitrus tank (you really don't need it it works fine without it but its good to have)
Strengths:
cheap
long lasting
great gun for newbs and pros
Weaknesses:
you have to charge it and that gets pretty annoying
besides that, none
Review:
although i haven't really used other guns, i would definitely recommend this gun to noobs and pros. it's easy to use, it fires well, it will last years if you take care of it, and i think its better than the 98 custom by far. the 98 may be cheaper, but by the time you upgrade it to have a response, drop forward, expansion chamber, and fast- feeding hopper, after 500 bucks of upgrades, you're left with the e99 avant, which only cost about fifty bucks more than a raw 98. Also, i find spyders extremely customizable guns. you can get barrels for them, n2 tanks, electric hoppers, everything you would need comes standard or you can buy it. also, it works just as well as a wgp, bob long, or an angel for a fraction of the cost
Conclusion:
if you want a cheap, good, long lasting gun, get the e99 avant
spyder xtra
ion
view loader orion
3a invincible the power
Marker Setup:
e99 avant
cam lock
20 ounce co2 tank
view loader quantinum (if thats how u spell it)
wat i plan on gettin
t-board w/o eyes (no one around here 2 drill holes 4 them)
16" barrel
sweet spot trigger
halo b or evolution 3
acs bolt
Recommended Upgrades:
acs bolt cuz the breaks balls some times
barrel
if u want 2 shot it faster
new board
new trigger
new bolt
Strengths:
Shoots fastish ,muti modes, led lighting, see thew feed neck.
Weaknesses:
Breaks balls, led lighting is bright if woods ballin, feed neck breaks if over cranked.
Review:
Good
Gun looks cool, it is a nice beginer gun, by puttin a new board in it it can shot unlimited bps, good 4 any type of paintball play(woods ball, speed ball, and scenario) 14 bps in full auto, double trigger.
Bad
Breaks ball, balls curve, bolt cant keep up.
Conclusion:
Nice gun 4 a newb and with some up gradin it can be as good as or better than some nicer guns.
E99 Avant
Kingman Anti Chop Bolt
Smart Parts 14" Tear Drop
Clamping Feedneck
Empire Reloader II
20 Oz CO2
New Spring Kit
Recommended Upgrades:
New barrel
Anti Chop Bolt
Electric hopper
New feedneck
Strengths:
Cheap (especially since it's old)
Good beginner marker
Decent accuracy
Field strippable
Shooting modes
Weaknesses:
Loud
Trigger is very long
Blowback shoots balls up
Looks - kinda ugly
Feedneck
Stock bolt
Review:
Looks - Just to state this now. For the most part I couldn't care what a marker looks like so this is just my opinion and doesn't affect my score. I just don't really like how it looks. But on the bright side since one of the colors is black that helps in woodsball if you want to remain hidden.
Accuracy - The accuracy of this marker with a decent barrel is exactly what you expect it to be, decent, not great. In my estimation (this is purely by eye balling everything) I was shooting at a target 30 feet away and I would get variations of about 2 feet when shooting in full auto.
Speed - The speed on this marker actually suprised me considering it's price. Shooting full auto at 14 bps. If you want to use this mode though and anti chop bolt and an electric hopper are a must. Without these you'll be chopping paint everywhere. But if your field doesn't allow 3 shot burst/full auto you are in real trouble. See below.
Trigger - The trigger on this gun feels more like something that would go on a real gun than a paintball gun. Even adjusted to make it as close to the contact as possible you still have to pull very far. This makes walking the trigger almost impossible. The easiest method of firing I found was actually use one finger and just move it back and forth very quickly.
There is a jumper on this board that will make it so you can only fire single. It is meant to be used in tournaments or at fields that don't allow full auto. But once you have to use single only you run into the trigger problem.
Blowback - The blowback on this gun gives it quite a kick since, well it's using a lot of pressure to blow the bolt backwards. This caused an unexpected problem though. Sometimes with not very good quality paint the blowback would shoot balls back into the hopper where they would break and then all hell would break loose. Balls would start chopping everywhere because you would get paint running into the fire chamber and the accuracy would go to hell because the inside of the gun would be too slick. That happend actually quite a bit when I was using the Empire Reloader II. I once used a Halo TSA Frontman and it did not happend at all that day, so it's sort of the guns fault and sort of the hoppers fault.
Overall feel - I actually like the feel of this gun. The pass through front grip gives you a nice place to hold onto and even if you don't wear gloves you can hold the gun tightly. It is quite heavy though, especially with a 20 Oz CO2 but this doesn't matter that much.
Consistency - I'm actually suprised at the consistency of this gun with CO2. I was getting around +-12 while firing at full auto on the chrono. Not bad on unregulated CO2. I doubt a reg would help that much though with CO2.
Conclusion:
Good cheap marker for the ocassional baller. Would only recommend it if your field allows 3 round burst or full auto.
Rating:
7 out of 10
Last edited on Wednesday, April 5th, 2006 at 6:24 pm PST
If I only had one word to describe the E-99 Avant, it would be CHOP. I have never seen a gun chop this much. Every game of speed ball that I played, it would chop within the first 20 rounds. I would spend 15 minutes cleaning it, go play again, and it would chop again. I thought that maybe it was just my gun that was malfunctioning, and I was going to send it into the manufacturer, but never got around to it. I asked some friends who also had this gun, if they'd had problems, and it turns out they had the same problems. To fix it, I would need many upgrades (as listed previously), and I would rather buy a new gun for the same amount that I would need for upgrades. This gun also feels very awkward when in use. It has an odd feel when you fire, it doesn't feel very sturdy or well-constructed. The stock feed neck also broke very quickly from trying to tighten it. Sadly, I don't think I know anyone who didn't have problems with this gun. This gun's accuracy was very poor. It would never shoot straight, it was in every direction. It was very inconsistent.
In my experience, this gun is guaranteed to have some sort of problem, whether it be a big one or a small one. If you can get this gun to function properly, i'd think that it wouldn't be too bad. But still, for its price you can easily get a better gun. I would recommend the TLX for good pricing and quality. If you want a gun that is faster than the TLX, I would recommend the Imagine.
Conclusion:
Don't buy it. It's too risky. I would bet that 1 out of 3 will have problems. You're better off staying away from this gun.
Rating:
4 out of 10
Last edited on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2005 at 4:42 pm PST
Spyder E-99 Avant w/ Delrin ACS Bolt
Eggy
(soon to be replaced by a WGP E-Class Orracle w/ Kaner Barrel Kit)
Recommended Upgrades:
Barrel
Bolt
Feed Neck
Gas Thru Fore Grip
Strengths:
Looks Cool
Cheap
Flat Trigger(good for walking the trigger)
Weaknesses:
Bad feed neck
No gas thru
Bad Barrel
Stock bolt grinds
Max rof 17
Review:
Spyder are good starter guns and the E-99 Avant is one of the top guns spyder makes. When i first had my E-99 i traded some kid an imagine for it. This gun was great until i learned how to walk a trigger good and started to play some tourneys. When i was just into woods ball and rec ball this gun was perfect for me. It was inexpensive and simple, but as soon as i got to my first sup air field this gun broke on me two screws fell out for no reason and the gun wouldnt recock on a full tank. When i got back home i found all the screws at a hardware store and put my spyder back togeather. I found this nice because the parts are common unlike high end guns. I would get this gun over must sypders and other low end markers because the boards pretty reliable, it can shoot at an okay speed, and the price is pretty good.
Conclusion:
This gun is good for begginners but once you want to become serious this gun will not do. If you are just starting or you are just into playing rec ball this gun is a good choice otherwise go with something more high end like a Cocker or Angel.
