I will say that I have not had a problem with my stock paddles but have heard many horror stories of the cyclones creating a blender with the paint; especially people with e-grips and high rates of fire. When I upgraded my gun to an e-grip, I left nothing to chance and got the squishy paddles. I got one of the original versions and due to a mistake on my part, I ruined them and replaced them with the newer versions. Now, they are colored, come with a nylon washer, and have an interlocking design. The color is just for looks and not a big deal. The nylon washer helps keep the paddles spinning freely and rubbing against the cyclone housing. The interlocking feature is great. Any chance of the paddles slipping and coming out of alignment are gone now. Unlike the stock paddles, which are hard and have sharp edges, the Squishy Paddles have rounded edges and are flexible. With high rates of fire and sharp edges, it doesn't make a good combination with fragile paint. I have not heard of a single person complain or regret buying these. Everyone I know loves them.
If you're sticking with a regular trigger, these might not be worth the buy, though.
Conclusion:
One of the best purchases you can make for your cyclone.
The accuracy of this review is disputed. Please see discussion on the comments page.
Period of Product Use:
Less than a month
6 of 22 people found this review helpful.
Paintball Experience:
More than 5 years
Similar Products Used:
Stock paddles
Marker Setup:
-Tippmann A-5: WAS board / Low Pressure Kit with Palmer's Fatty running @ 350psi / Freak kit & Flatline / Smoke Ricochet / T6 Adjustable stock / TechT Vortex / TechT squishy paddles / Palmer's QEV / ST drop and on.off asa / Macro / Shocktech Superfly bolt / JCS Redhot powetube / Trinity spring kit (hard) / Lightened valve spring / Polished internals
-Dangerous Power G3: stock Deadly Wind Whisper barrel coming soon
-Smart Parts ION: CP trigger / ST drop and on.off asa / ND QEV / Freak kit
Strengths:
Soft
Weaknesses:
Dumb product overall
Review:
Seriously, lets all take a minute and think about how many times the "too hard" stock paddles have broken paint. I would say that the idea should be obscolete. The product, in my opinion, is just one to say your Cyclone has been upgraded this much more. In no real way does this help out with anything. Take a look on youtube and watch how many videos have A-5's running at higher speeds, most likely with stock paddles unless stated, and see how many Cyclone breaks they get. I doubt you will see any.
I've never had a problem with my god forbidden stock paddles breaking paint, the only reason I purchased these was to work my way down the path to a completely aftermarker A-5. A year ago I shot some Ultimate Chronic paint at a scenario game, while Chronic is known for it's extremely brittle shell and ability to break, I had absolutely no problems with the stock paddles at 15bps. The paint never made it past any branches it was so brittle, but it had no problems with the Cyclone. I thought it was a neat idea and all thinking that the paddles would be semi-soft but when I recieved them in the mail today, the idea went right out the window. I do like the lime green color though :).
Don't listen to the people and the hype about how they aren't breaking nearly as much paint as they were. They are really just trying to justify their purchase. It really is just hype. This product from TechT really fails. This isn't the case however for the QEPH and Vortex. I swear by my Vortex, these paddles just serve no real purpose.
I have yet to play with the new paddles but when I play, IF I notice any sort I difference, I will update my review. But don't hold me to anything, as I am not looking to be surprised.
Conclusion:
5 is average. That's what this product gets.
Rating:
5 out of 10
Last edited on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 7:28 am PST
Tippmann Alpha Black Tactical
14" J&J Ceramic Barrel
Cyclone Feed System
- Tech T Squishy Paddles
- Tech T Vortex Mod
- Tech T Lightning Rod
- Tech T QEPH
Pro Team Tac Cap for Cyclone feed
Low Profile X7 Cyclone Hopper
Crossfire 68/4500 Carbon Fiber Tank
Core Remote w/ QD
Strengths:
Soft, very pliable
Very reasonable price
Weaknesses:
Maybe installation for some
Review:
Decided to purchase the Squishy Paddles after seeing a few positive reviews, and trying out a friends upgraded A5 recently. Also was buying the rest of the Tech T upgrades and figured the softer paddles would be a nice touch. I liked how much softer the Tech T product was over the standard paddles. Installation can be a hassle but its not hard if you have basic knowledge and take your time. Didnt have any breaks with the cyclone system before and still havent broken a ball in the Cyclone.
Conclusion:
If you are looking to upgrade your cyclone system, the Squishy Paddles are a solid investment. Much easier on your paint
Suishy paddles are a must for anyone with a cyclone feed. They are soft enough bend and not break paint, but strong enough to last for a good while. The stock paddles will turn into a blender at high rates of fire. These paddles will not chop, no way shape or form.
The only problem I had was the loose fit between the axle and the paddles. This is easily fixed with a little electrical tape around the axle to fill the gap.
Conclusion:
If you have a cyclone and like high rates of fire get a set of squishy paddles, you won't regret it. I am rating it a 9 for the loose fit, other than that it is perfect.
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 9:10 am PST
Tippmann A-5 with Response Trigger
J&J 12" Ceramic Barrel
Flatline Barrel
Polished Internals
Psychoballistics Double Trigger
TechT Vortex Mod
TechT Squishy Paddles
X-7 Low Profile Hopper
Shocktech Drop Forward
PURE ENERGY HPA 72/3000
Strengths:
Good quality
SOFT - key feature
Do the job
Weaknesses:
None so far
Review:
Also I had only one or two paintball breaks inside cyclone before getting this product I decided to upgrade to TechT Squishy Paddles as soon as production version went out for sale. Paddles seems to be well made with good fit over Vortex Mod Axle (bought Vortex Mod along with Squishy Paddles). Went through about 3 full paintball boxes including $20 no name paint box without a single break inside cyclone. Had breaks inside barrel but only when used that cheap $20 box where paintballs were shaped like eggs.
Used Squishy Paddles in temperature 35*F- 70*F. Semi-auto or in full-auto with R/T.
EDIT: After 1 year of use---works perfect, my cyclone is clean
Conclusion:
Get them. They work
Rating:
10 out of 10
Last edited on Saturday, December 27th, 2008 at 3:26 pm PST
Tippmann A-5
-E-Grip w APE board
-Vortex Cyclone Mod
-Aluminum powertube
-Polished internals
-Orange bolt
-Flatline
-Folding stock
-Opsgear MP5 mag
-Ricochet hopper
Strengths:
-Easy to install
-Fair price
-Super soft and flexible
Weaknesses:
-There are none that I've found.
Review:
Let's face it.... Tippmanns in general are picky with paint, expecially those with cyclones like the A5. They use a mechanical firing mechanism and at very high pressure. They actually favour the cheaper paint with thicker shells. This is no good for those of us who travel to different feilds and are stuck with whichever paint the field supplies (or forces) us to use, or for those who prefer higher end paint to play with for all the obvious advantages. (smoother shells etc)
For me, it's always hit or miss with my A5 when I travel. I have no anti-chop like the 98 and the cyclone is a blender with thin shelled paint., and it was in the cyclone that I was getting most of my breaks. I travel to a field that supplies a thicker shelled paint...I play all day.... hit a field with thinner shelled paint....I'm in the dead box every 5 minutes to clean out my cyclone. Then I heard about the squishy paddles.
I went out and bought the squishy paddles and WOW, what an amazing difference. I put over 1000 rounds of high end paint through it over the course of three days on had 0 breaks in the cyclone. I still had breaks mind you, but they were a result of either a bad ball or the bolt crashing into the ball, because there wasn't a spot of paint to be found in the cyclone (which led me to believe the break happened after the ball was moved into the marker itself.)
Even at full auto and at the highest BPS the APE will allow, I wasn't getting any breaks in the cyclone. I was sort of in disbelief, but ultimately overjoyed because I'm so used to turning my marker into a paint shotgun everytime I go full auto. I intend to put them into my G36 Tippmann 98 also. I have the response trigger in that marker, and even though I get less breaks in that marker due to the anti-chop mechanism, I imagine the squishy paddles will make a huge difference in the perfomance of that marker also.
Conclusion:
These squishy paddles are an amazing product. They won't stop your MARKER from breaking balls, but it will definitely make a difference in your cyclone (which is typically where most of your breaks will occur)
So, in conclusion, if you're making a lot of "paintball soup" in your cyclone, try out these paddles, they won't let you down.
Tippmann A-5 primary::
PPS Brass barrel w/ Apex tip
X7 hopper
APE E-grip
Super R/T
Vortex mod
QEPH
Palmer's Male Stabilizer
Armson Prodot sight w/ Lapco offset rail
OPSGEAR G36 folding stock
CMI micro-coil remote
Strengths:
Super soft
Rounded edges
Won't break the bank (or your paint)
Weaknesses:
Shaft wobble - fixed after Beta testing
Review:
These are much softer than anything else you can put inside your Cyclone. If you're using a set of X-7 paddles, you're still not even close to being as pliable as these things. The tips of the star are very flexible, but become stiffer as you approach the center, because there's more material. You can easily flex the material with your fingers. Also, there are no sharp edges like you'll find on Tippmann paddles. If you look at each of the arms on the stock paddles, you can see that there is a point where the arms tun sharply and there is a corner that makes contact with the ball. These paddles don't have that. Every corner that makes contact with a paintball is rounded.
I picked up a pair of these because I recently ran into the worst paint I'd ever seen. I was shooting entire volleys without a single intact ball leaving the barrel. Barrel breaks, cyclone breaks, chops... you name it and I was getting it. I even had balls pop in the hopper just from being jarred.
I put these paddles on and took this same paint for a spin. I shot about a bag of paint. I was still getting breaks, but nowhere near as frequent as I had before. I'd guess a 50% reduction in breakage. I had expected there to be soup in the cyclone when I pulled the hopper off, but to my astonishment, there was almost nothing. What little paint there was inside the cyclone looked like splatter from barrel or breech breaks. I was pleasantly surprised.
Conclusion:
If your Cyclone is having trouble breaking paint, I highly advise these.
Rating:
10 out of 10
Last edited on Thursday, February 7th, 2008 at 5:06 pm PST
