The embodiment of affordable firepower. Ion changed the paintball paradigm by being the first marker to deliver true electropneumatic performance in the casual paintball player's price range. With multiple firing modes, an aggressive rate of fire, and break beam Vision anti-chop system, the Ion XE continues the Ion tradition of tournament level performance at a low price. The best feature of the new ION XE is the Bolt out Back design. This new design allows even a novice player to clean the bolt in seconds.
Smart Parts Ion XE Features:
Bolt-Out-Back design makes this Ion easier to maintain than ever before. One allen wrench is all that is needed to remove the bolt sleeve, bolt and bolt stop from the rear of the marker, providing complete access to the entire bolt and valve assembly in seconds.
Weight (marker only): 1 lb. 15 oz.
Length (w/out barrel): 8.5 in.
Operating Pressure: 180psi
Gas Source: HPA or CO2
Anti-Chop System: Break Beam VisionTrigger Pivot: Stainless steel pin
Ball Detent: Dual rubber style
Semi auto, rebound, 3 round burst (10bps max), full auto, (10bps max)
Max Rate of fire: 17bps (higher with Blackheart board)
Field legal mode lockRuns on one 9 volt battery
Standard ASA includedIon one piece 14 inch barrel
Feedneck: Low profile friction grip vertical / NXT thread
Aluminum / polymer grip frame/body
Product Availability
The Smart Parts Ion XE 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.
Ion XE ( new trigger and feedneck), Viewloader evlution III, crossfire 68/45
Recommended Upgrades:
YOU NEED THESE: clamping feedneck, new trigger, qev
Strengths:
This marker is cheap, light, fast
Weaknesses:
The feed neck sucks bad!!! the trigger solenoid not responsive enough
Review:
I just purchased this gun a few days ago and I do have to say it is amazing. I don't how you can play paintball without it. It is key to having fun and winning. My previous marker was a Tippmann 98 custom, that heavy behemoth will never see the light of day when it is in my hands!!! This gun does have a few flaws though, which are the feedneck and the trigger.
The Feedneck: On their website they say that it will fit any type of hopper... LIES
The Trigger: It is a GARBAGE piece of plastic that is worthless
*note: search on google for the ion XE and you should find a link for an ion that is $199.99. get it. it is a good deal. Instead of 224.99.
EDIT: ok I have had this marker for a while now and I do have to say I do not like it anymore.
It is ok if you do not plan on becoming a serious paintballer, but if you are going to play tournaments you are going to need to put at least a hundred dollars worth of upgrades.
Conclusion:
buy this gun you wont be sorry. This gun works in any type of paintball.
this gun really deserves a 9.5
EDIT: this gun does NOT deserve a 9.5 because the PMR is a far better deal and it comes with a clamping feedneck to begin with.
Rating:
7 out of 10
Last edited on Sunday, June 15th, 2008 at 12:32 pm PST
Great gun for beginners... its capped at 17bps so that is pretty good for the begginers.
Mostly same as the ion but a little bit faster and out the back bolt which makes it very easy to clean..
Also i think the feed neck is a little better but i would recommend a clamping feed neck...
GREAT GUN ALL AROUND..
Conclusion:
Great gun for the price
Don't pass up the great deal..
Spyder Xtra
Planet Eclipse Marker of some sorts... don't sell it anymore... not an ego or SL or etek
SP Shocker
Marker Setup:
SP Ion XE with CP clamping feedneck, CP 14 in. 1 piece barrel, and CP Sling Trigger
Halo Too with Rip Drive
Crossfire 68/3000
Recommended Upgrades:
Feedneck
Barrel
Marker...
Strengths:
Bolt Out Back
Price
Rate of fire... for a begginer.
Shoots Paintballs
Weaknesses:
Weight
Feedneck
Barrel
Trigger
Review:
Well it is a O.K. gun it just doesn't suit me... I recently turned 12 years old and with all my gear set up this ways about 7 or 8 pounds which is just too heavy for me.
One thing that really annoys me is after like my 4th or 5th time using this the board broke and I had to ship it in for repair which took about a month. Then quite recently I opened my gearbag to find that my trigger had snapped in half, so I had to go to my pro shop and spend 35 bucks on a new trigger. I am selling this to save up for a DP G3.
Conclusion:
Is decent enough but I would recommend something lighter or if you are ripped save up about 30 more bucks and buy a Azodin Zenith, comes with a On Off ASA as well as 2 piece barrel.
This gun is terrible. It is very heavy, the stock parts suck, and the trigger frame is way to big. Sure the gun shoots well but that means nothing if it isn't comfortable in your hands. Here is a specific overview of the stock parts:
Feedneck:
Has to be upgraded right away. It can not fit a reloader b.
Barrel:
With this barrel, paintballs curve like a mother f****r. It sucks
Trigger:
It's crappy plastic and it broke in half when I tried to walk it.
Reg:
Preformance wise it's okay but it's really bulky so I would reccomend getting a CP reg which is awesome
Conclusion:
I would not Reccomend this gun from anyone to a starter to a pro. It cost to much to upgrade so just save an extra hundred bocks and get a proto SLG or dangerous power G3.
Bushy B2K & BKO's, aside from those I dont have much previous experience shooting true electro pneumatics. My last marker was a stack tube blow back electro (M3 Black Dragun LCD, did it's job, lasted me through the years)
Marker Setup:
Ion XE
-Empire Reloader B
-14" CP Barrel 1 piece .689 bore
-AA Messiah Reg (yeah, it's oldschool, but still a goodie, I cannibalized my old marker for the regs)
-PPS Stabilizer Female (bottomline reg, also cannibalized off my old marker)
-CP Sling Blade Trigger
-QEV
-8" Drop Forward
-ACI Bulldog 68ci 4500 (also from my old marker, re-hydro'd of course)
Recommended Upgrades:
Only upgrades I'll really recomend as must haves are the feed neck, barrel, and trigger. Everything else, though available should be left up to player preference.
Strengths:
For the price it has alot of bells and whistles
Eyes
Weaknesses:
Trigger feel is horrid.
Programming can be painful at first.
Review:
Ok I'll make my review short and sweet, as I dont have much to add that hasn't already been said about this marker. I'll share mainly my experience with it rather then what I think of it as a reviewer, as CKvBP's review pretty much touched up on anything you'll need to know about the Ion.
As far as my review / experience goes with this marker, it's definately problem free. I play every 2 to 3 weeks and haven't had any need to field strip my marker, or work out a problem since Nov of 08 when I purchased it. I've heard a few stories, but I think problems with this marker would be fairly uncommon as I, and the many people I've met who use the marker have had absolutely no problems with it.
The only real bone I have to pick with the Ion XE is the trigger feel. From the moment I touched it I noticed a fair amount of side play, and personally I dont like alot of side play in my marker triggers. Just makes them feel more like plastic toy guns (which there is a significant amount of plastic on the Ion concidering what it's made of, but dont be fooled, it is sturdy, only the thought that it's made of plastic bothers me I've had no problems with it functionality wise). I highly recomend switching to an aftermarket trigger. The CP Sling Blade felt the best for me, there are a plethora of aftermarket trigger styles for this thing, look around and see which one catches your fancy the most. Walking the factory trigger to 17 bps is doable, but much easier accomplished by swapping out the trigger.
I do really wish that it came with a clamping feed neck, however the standard feed neck is usable atleast. Though most players who I've seen who still use the factory feed neck rip out the o rings inside of it and sand their hoppers to fit, which I am not a fan of sanding down a $140 some odd dollar hopper to fit a marker. I'd rather buy a $30 clamping neck and use that..
Conclusion:
Conclusion is that this marker is definetly capable of giving you a fair chance against just about anything out there, and is upgradable to any level of play should you choose to do so. I would recomend this marker to just about any player who doesn't want to drop one large lump sum on a high end marker but still wants to be able to play against high end players. All in all the Ion really is what you decide to make of it, yes there are better markers out there, but straight out of the box in it's price range, I'd definately say its the best bang for it's buck. 9/10 (minus 1 point for trigger feel, for $225, I'd like to see a trigger with less side movement, I dont mind that it's sturdy plastic, I do mind that it's all over the place though)
Spyder Pilot
Spyder MR2
Shocker NXT
Tippman 98C
Tippman A-5
JT Tac 5
Smart Parts EOS
Marker Setup:
SP Ion XE
360 QEV
ViewLoader eVlution 2
PMI 68/3000
Recommended Upgrades:
Feedneck
QEV
Bolt
Trigger
Strengths:
Lightweight
Not very Expensive
Lots of upgrades/parts
works with CO2 or HPA
Weaknesses:
STOCK FEEDNECK
shootdown after a while between shots(solved w/QEV)
changing modes (see review)
Review:
after playing with my MR2 for a few months, i got tired of the constant cleaning and maintenance required to even play. I talked to my friend about what kind of gun i should look at getting as a replcement for it, and he suggested anything from Smart Parts would be a good bet without spending too much money.
After researching which gun i liked the most, i settled on the Ion XE because it had good reviews on this website, had Bolt-Out-Back, eyes, and lots of parts/upgrades available, unlike the MR2 (especially Barrels).
I was lucky enough to find a brand new one of these on E-Bay for about $125 and when I got it, I was not disappointed. The air efficiency was alot better than anything that i had ever played with, as an empty tank on my MR2 let me shoot about 3 more hoppers of paint on my XE with a remote (don't use CO2 without a remote).
However, HPA was a different story. Off of a 68ci/3000 tank, i shot about 3 hoppers before noticing shoot down. This was solved with the 360 QEV ($18) however, as my dwell moved from 52 blinks to 22, increasing efficiency and cycling rates. (PSI also dropped about 30 PSI to 150)
BARREL:
This is not as innacurate as some people might say. If you shoot large bore paint through it with HPA, it is ball on top of ball at about 35 yards. with CO2 the spread is about 6 inches. (I was using RPS Stinger).
BOARD:
Honestly, unless you feel like spending over $100 just to shoot over 20 BPS, you don't need to upgrade this. If you play woodsball like myself, you don't really need to shoot over the stock board's 17 BPS. If you play speedball, you really don't need to upgrade this either, as some tournaments limit the gun to 15 BPS anyways.
Some people may also get a board for different/more firing modes. This is fine i suppose, but not really necessary.
FIRING MODES ISSUE:
The only way to change firing modes is to pull off the grip (2 screws) and press a button a few times. By trial and error you can figure out what mode you are in because there is no set light "code" or number of flashes that signify a firing mode.
FEEDNECK:
RIDICULOUS. I couldn't fit my eVlution 2 so i when to my local field and bought a Smart Parts Q-Lock ($40). Problem Solved.
TRIGGER:
Some kind of plastic... did not break and have no problems, but very cheap feeling. Will upgrade soon. No big deal though.
WEIGHT:
Some people complain about this gun being too heavy. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? The Ion XE weighs under 2 pounds without a tank. Those who say that it is heavy probably are just babies who don't realize that a tank adds weight to a gun.
BOLT:
The stock bolt is 32 grams or so. A SP Firebolt ($40) is about 16.5 grams. You can pick a bolt up to reduce air consumption, reduce kick (for better accuracy), and increase cycle rates. There are lots of bolts available for the Ion from $20 to about $60.
Conclusion:
Although i don't have too many upgrades, this is a great gun out of the box an i would recommend it to beginners, intermediate players, or people looking for something better than a spyder (no offense because i love my pilot). With a few upgrades, this gun will shoot as good as a $400 gun. 9 for cheap quality of some stock parts (trigger, feed neck).
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 5:19 pm PST
*FEEDNECK (Some like it but personally, i hate it. I Will explain in review
*Barrel maybe - Stock is pretty accurate but upgrade maybe needed
*Trigger?
This gun is a great entry-level paintball marker. I bought this gun in a package deal so it came at an even better price. Out of the box, this gun rips considerably for what type of gun your getting. The Ion Xe is the most cost-effective gun I've seen out on the market. This gun with a couple of minor upgrades, like the feedneck and maybe a trigger, rips with the best. I recomend getting a carbon fiber tank with this gun because regular tanks that give you a pretty good amount of shots out of it weigh you down and make you very slow out on the paintball field. Along with the great performance of the gun comes with a great look as well. It has many unique parts and different color body kits out there so you can really make this gun your own. Considering this gun is a great ENTRY LEVEL marker, it has a great BPS rate (17 BPS). Along with the many strengths of this gun comes, to me, the only one real weakness and many people will agree with me. FEEDNECK. This feedneck first of all can barely accomodate the large neck size of hoppers like the Empires and the Halos. If you result to sanding down the hopper to make it fit, it will probably end up too loose and will fall out anyway. During a paintball match, I slid into dorito one, not even a dive, just a regular slide. As i was sliding into the bunker, my Halo B flew off and cracked into the wall. Thankfully it didn't break but I knew from then on, i had to protect my hoppers by getting a better feedneck. I decided to buy the CP Clamping Feedneck for $30 from the field. Installation was free and it was ready in a quick minute. From that time on, my hopper has never came off when i didn't want it to.
Conclusion:
Overall, this gun is a great entry-level marker that doesn't leave a big hole in your wallet. It's very customizeable and has many strengths. If you upgrade the feedneck, and have a good tank, you will be very happy with the performance of this paintball marker. I give it a ten because for what it is meant to be, an Entry-Level marker, it is the best one out there for the cost.
Smart Parts Ion XE
Empire Hopper
Pure Energy 4500 psi compressed air
Recommended Upgrades:
Better Barrel. Maybe a virtue board
Strengths:
Fast
Cheap
Small
Light
Quiet
Accurate
Very Easy to maintain
Weaknesses:
Picky about paint
Power Button
Didn't come with a good wrench
Review:
The ion XE is awesome. It is just like a regular ion but with the new bolt out back system which is awesome and makes it extremely easy to clean. I can take it apart, clean it, and put it back together in 30 seconds. It shoots really fast right out of the box (17 bps) and can hold its own against any other gun. The ion XE is a very compact gun and feels good in my hand. It is a very quiet gun and extremely accurate too. The only main problem with the ion is that its very picky on what kind of paint it will shoot. It will shoot most paint fine and usually never chops because of the eyes but it just will not shoot certain types of paint. I bought some pretty expensive midnight paint and balls broke almost every time i pulled the trigger. The power button is also a problem. Its just like the old ion and hard to push down. The bolt out back system is great but you have to have a pretty big allen wrench to actually use it and it didn't come with one.
Conclusion:
I reccomend the ion XE to anybody because it is very affordable, shoots fast, and the new bolt out back system.
Ion xe (stock barrel)
Velocity Force Electronic Hopper
Bob Long Ion Xe Leverlock Feedneck
3000 psi 48 cu nitrogen tank
Recommended Upgrades:
FEEDNECK!
maybe a trigger...
Strengths:
Lightweight
Great look
Cheap
Decent aim
4 different firing modes
Weaknesses:
Feedneck
Trigger (maybe)
Difficult to figure out at first
Review:
Overall, this gun is amazing. I got it at my local pro shop for $219- quite a bargain. It has 4 different firing modes- semiauto, auto, ramping, 3 shot burst. It is very lightweight and comfortable to use. I've heard of people getting new barrels, but honestly the stock barrel is working great for me. The feedneck and the trigger are the main setbacks of the gun. You will most likely need to get a clamping feedneck for your gun. However, if your planning to get a gravity hopper (could work but not recommended), you may just want to use electric tape. It can go extremely fast, as long as u have fast trigger fingers. Due to the breakable trigger and the cruddy feedneck, I am going to give it a 9.
Conclusion:
I reccomend this gun for the begginer to intermediate paintballer and i find it a great speedball gun and it has never failed me so far. Great gun!
Kingman spyder MR2, JT tac-5 (firstgun), Spyder VS3..
Marker Setup:
Smart Parts Ion XE, CP dust red shorty reg, cp mini on/of asa, red halo-b w/ rip and v35, qev, freak barrel with dust red all American front, nxt clamping feed neck dust black, and a 68/300 low pressure pure energy tank..
Recommended Upgrades:
CP reg..(shorty for looks)
Freak Barrel system
cp on/off asa
clamping feed neck of some kind.
trim the air hose a bit
trigger
and of course a QEV
Great gun...after up grading it a bit it'll look even better and perform better..it will last you a while..its like the Honda civic of the paintball world vary common, vary customizable..vary accurate with a freak barrel. nice and light.. Only problem I've had was when i broke one of the banjo fittings.. ..Another problem I'm having now is that at time the first five shots will be vary weak or the first shot would be strong and the rest would be weak and thats without changing the dwell settings and stuff which are exactly the same as one of my friends ion only his doesn't have any problems...
Conclusion:
This gun is my baby..that is until i get me a dm8 or 9 or an ego...great for all kinds of players and its a great back-up gun ..
