Excellent accuracy...can tag players through holes in spools, etc. Can get really quick ROF, especially using .45 frame. Trigger pull is very short. Light weight, small size, excellent design and layout. As close to the perfect non-electro as you can get. Also, it's actually quite easy to work on/with if you are even modestly mechanically inclined.
Weaknesses:
Not much...the bolt knob has been known to break at the threads (happened once to me, a couple of times to a friend), but it's traceable to using non-Palmer barrels like the Autospirit (because the bolt enters the barrel; tightbore barrels have less room and create stresses on the bolt pin). There's not a lot of people who can work on the gun, just because the guns are relatively rare and trouble-free, and people think PPS won't work on a gun that someone else has worked on. Not true. They just won't fix someone else's screw-up for free.
The only other thing is that some players can't seem to get the hang of the trigger, especially players used to electros.
Conclusion:
I'd stack my Blazer up against anything. It's got the speed, accuracy, ease of use and comfort level to excel in any situation for less than most custom Cockers (Freeflows and Shocktechs). With only a .45 frame upgrade and a Stabilizer, you get a trigger throw that's about the same as a stock Angel and the best all-around reg on the market. The Blazer runs well on either CO2 or HPA, and you can get one with the .45 frame, Stabilizer, and a vented barrel for under $650.
The Good things...It has the Compactness of the Mag without the weight.. it has the accuracy and range of the Autococker without the size. With the pro touch the trigger is sweet... definetely get this job when you buy it. If you like Co2 because it's cheap and offered every paintball field... then get this.. this gun LOVES co2. Which a Mag and an Autococker cannot do so well. It's gas efficient (Co2, not the rest) enough to get you 1150+ paintball rounds in 20oz... very nice eh? Plus.. this marker will MOST DEFINETELY have less problems than an Autococker does.. unless you KNOW YOUR GUN well. If not then this gun is superb for you...it has the most easiest to clean marker in the paintball world.
Weaknesses:
The bad... if you didn't get the pro touch trigger.. you may have to adjust yourself pulling the trigger hard full every time... get the pro touch to make the trigger pulling easy on yourself. People say you gotta ship your gun back to get it fixed other than a local paintball airsmith.. but then this gun is pretty sturdy (if you treat it right) so I wouldn't worry about it.. as with other paintball markers.. get it tuned up once every 15,000 rounds.. Better safe.. than sorry later on.
Conclusion:
It's a closed bolt system... and everyone knows that pumps have very good range, and accuracy... I'm not a big fan on the forceful blow forward marker like the Mags.. so if you want a closed bolt marker without the problems of the Autococker.. get this. The Blazer is much lighter than a Mag... Some people say that the Mag is cheaper.. but if you add a bunch of stuff to the bare naked Mag... it evens out. Plus the Mag's aren't Co2 friendly. There's so much pros than cons over Autococker and Mag itself to win you over (until they totally trick it out.. then you got something to worry about) ... So if you want to steer clear of the mag vs cocker war.. get the Blazer.. and be unique.
Ok, I really like this gun. For one it is very small and lightweight which is really nice. I also like the quick strip bolt a lot it makes cleaning the gun both on and off the field really easy. It has a great fire rate and it gets even better if you have some trigger work done. I hear the stock barrel is loud but if you get a vented one it is pretty damn quite. The Blazer has good air usage even without a stabilizer and comes ready for both CO2 and N2. It's VERY accurate (Palmers Barrel work can improve this too)
Weaknesses:
It is a little bit of a hassle to send the gun back every time it needs work especially if you don't live in or near California.
A lot of people say it's not very upgradeable but and this is somewhat true but I can't think of too much you'd want to do with it that Palmer doesn't already do.
Not a lot of barrel options. Some people don't like brass barrels and that's all you get from Palmers (Maybe you could get a custom job)
Conclusion:
The Blazer is a very solid paintball gun. It's a little on the pricey side only because there are a few upgrade I would recommend that add to the price making it cost and perform similar to a Palmer Typhoon with out having the mystique of the Typhoon. The bright side of this is it has a couple very big advantages over the Typhoon. One is the changeable barrels and another is the quick strip bolt that I think makes the big difference between the guns.
Compared to other non-Palmer guns of similar quality I think the Blazer holds it's own and brings some advantages to the table. It has a much better air system than any stock cocker I've ever used. I also really like its lightweight and ease of use it's a lot less finicky than most cockers.
This gun is very consistent, accurate, and it is made by palmers. What is so great about palmers? First off the warranty is great. Also Glenn Palmer is always willing to take care of his "babies". The stock barrel is terrific. I mean, the barrel is comparable to other high end barrels such as the boomstick or freak. I personally think it would look nicer if it was ss but I am probably wrong. I totally trust Palmer. The bolt is very simple to remove. Cleaning is a breeze. The reg is great. Another great thing is the fact that it is actually recommended to use Co2. That i love. Try to get a anti-siphon tank though. This gun is the best in the $300-$600 range. It is a lot better then the autococker(no offense cocker users). Anyone considering the autococker, RT, or mag check this one out.
Weaknesses:
Ok, first off there is very little wrong with this gun. However, it does have a few problems but so does every gun. First of all, the stock trigger pull is HEAVY. It is somewhat compensated by the fact that the pull is really short. For anyone who owned a cocker for a while this is not for you. This gun is not at all tinker friendly. If you tinker with it the warranty is VOIDED. So don't do it!!!! Just send it back to Palmers and they will fix it for you. That is another thing, don't give this to any other airsmiths except the ones at Palmers. Once again, if you do the warranty is voided. Since it does have to be sent in if there is a problem i recommend a backup gun. Although i have not experienced any bolt problems, I have heard of them. I don't know if these rumors are true or not but be warned. Also this is not upgradeable outside of Palmers shop. The stock barrel is loud as hell!!!!
Conclusion:
This gun is the best i have shot in my life. However, i do recommend that you get a few upgrades for it(don't be leave this out of your choices because it is the only gun i would go to a tournament with stock. these are only RECOMMENDATIONS). To help with the trigger I got the Pro Touch trigger job($80). For even better consistency i got the male stabilizer w/ bottomline($125). To compensate for the volume of the barrel i would get spiral porting($32 i think). I got a 12 in. upgrade from the 10.5 in. barrel just cuz i thought that 10.5 is a little short(I used to use a 18 in. boomstick)($15). Also get the barrel matching for even better accuracy than if it was stock($20. Highly recommended). If you add up all of it with the stock price($400) it comes out to $672. W/ those upgrades this gun is as good if not better than any cocker you can think of. However, a Palmers is not for everyone. Like i mentioned before it is not for tinkering cocker users. Anyone who likes to tinker w/ their guns DO NOT BUY THIS!!!!! You will break it and void the warranty. Palmers will not fix it then and you will be screwed. So do not buy it if you tinker. For Newbies who do not have a curious nature and have deep pockets i do recommend this. However, if you are a newbie who is still trying to decide if you are dedicated or not don't get this. This is not a gun to be stored away. It is too nice to be collecting dust. Not too mention the $400 down the drain. This is a great tourney gun. I am surprised that not many teams use these. In conclusion, this is a great gun. You have to buy it.
I have owned 2 blazers so far, and they are sweet - the blazer comes stock with palmer pnumatics, quik ram,
quick switch, and Rock Regulator ! these are upgrades on an autococker that arent cheap, and some of the best you can buy ! Another great thing about the blazer is the CENTERFEED
option, you can upgrade your blazer to CENTERFEED at the time of purchase for only 40 bucks - compare this to buying
a centerfeed body for your cocker!
Weaknesses:
The only bad thing i have experienced with a blazer in my hand is - the ball detent fell off once, a drop of LockTite
solved that, the other bad thing i have experienced - an out
of round ball got pinched by the bolt, but using the quick-
strip bolt - i was able to fix the jam in about 5 seconds.
Conclusion:
I believe the blazer is a very good buy for the money, it performs excelent out of the box, it runs perfectly on Co2
which saves you money over buying a nitro system, and gets more shots on Co2 anyway. The blazer is very compact, the body of the blazer is 3 inches shorter than a PGP. The Centerfeed upgrade is cheap, at only 40 bucks - you wont need an elbow, and it looks great !
My Blazer has, Centerfeed, nickel highlights,
12 inch nickel spiral ported barrel, protouch trigger job,
vertical nickel palmer's Stabilizer regulator - i run my blazer on Co2, I am +/- 3 at the chrony - all day long, i
shoot very brittle Diablo Inferno, and have only had one
ball break in the barrel. E-mail me for a pic of my gun !
High end paintgun performance, mid range price. Accuracy is
unsurpassed. Internal pneumatic constuction, nothing
hanging out like the autococker. Comes in many colors and
configurations.
Weaknesses:
Some complain of heavy trigger pull. The addition of a pro
touch trigger job from Palmers solves the problem.
Conclusion:
Higly reccommend this marker to those looking to upgrade
from their entry level gun. You can pick these guns up used
for a lower price. Palmers custom options are awesome, but
add a little more to the price. Tech support for Palmers is
really easy to obtain. The Palmers web site has
trobleshooting, and has links to the POG (Palmer Owners
Group). Most any tech questions can be answered by fellow
POGers.
Since some people may not know exactly what the Blazer is,
I will start by saying it operates just like an Autococker
(the system was actually originally developed by Glenn
Palmer) It is a closed bolt, semi-automatic paintball
gun. Its advantages are many. First, it is small and
light. Much more compact then an autococker. It is also a
very efficient gun and runs wonderfully off of CO2 or
compressed air. It also comes with the best barrel money
can buy....STOCK! Palmers barrels are known for there
effective accuracy and effective range. I personally love
the stock trigger, it's a little heavy and long compared to
some guns, but I actually prefer it that way and have no
trouble with high rates of fire.
Since it is a closed bolt auto cocking paintgun it uses a
low pressure regulator, ram, and 4 way just like an
Autococker does. These are some of the most commonly
upgraded parts on the Autococker, and many people upgrade
them using Palmers own parts. This gun comes stock with
these parts which are truly the best there is. It has the
rock reg, quickram, and quickswitch 4 way. The way I look
at it is that you can buy an Autococker, add a good barrel
and Palmer pnuematics and spend $550. Or, you can get a
stock Blazer, add a Stabelizer reg for $500 and you gain a
better in line regulator, smaller size, and lighter weight.
Weaknesses:
Not a lot. Some people don't like the two stage trigger,
but you get used to it and I don't mind it at all. Also,
there isnt 45 frame option available yet, but I have heard
it may be in the works. The only other disadvantages are
that there are few upgrades for it outside of Palmers (not
really a disadvantage seeing as how it doesn't need
anything that Palmers can't do for you) and that if it does
ever need serviced, it has to be sent back to Palmers in
California.
Oh yeah, it takes a while to get a new Blazer from Palmers,
so if your not a patient person you may want to look for a
used one.
Conclusion:
I would recomend this gun to anyone who wants a top quality
gun at a reasonable price. I think dollar for dollar it is
a better value then the Autococker. My particular Blazer
is anodized Blue (looks NICE!) with a standard brass barrel
and a male stabelizer. I run it off CO2 and it is
incredibly consistent and very accurate. For me, this is
the perfect gun. I also like the Autococker...but it gets
expensive upgrading them. I'm not a big fan of the electro
guns as I prefer the feel of a mechanical trigger.
One last thing....there is something special about owning a
Palmer gun and untill you do, you won't understand.
But....once you do, you'll find it hard to go back.
