Power Tubes

I was installing my R/T and the Cyclone and stripped out the banjo fitting in the power tube, I have the other power tube from the R/T so I'm going to install that one and try again.  I was looking at the JCS Jet Power Tube though as a replacement.  Has anyone used the billet power tubes with the R/T? Does it make a difference in performance or is it just a reliability issue?

Dead On Paintball Proseal powertube!!!

An aftermarket powertube is unnecessary.

Am I the ONLY ONE who remembers when tippmann '98's came stock with aluminum power-tubes?

phil_stl wrote: But they can be useful. (kind of) Let's say all of your powertubes are broken and you are tired of having to replace broken powertubes...get one. Also a polished metal powertube is much more slick then any plastic one.  = slight higher ROF Some have noted a slight increase in velocity when changing.  (Therefore if you run a palmers stab, you can turn down the input pressure and save some air, add a stronger rear spring and save even more air).

powertube doesn't move man

ive never seen one break, not that i doubt it's possible. But anyone who breaks enough powertubes that they need to switch off, has other problems.

karll wrote: carl_the_sniper wrote: phil_stl wrote: But they can be useful. (kind of) Let's say all of your powertubes are broken and you are tired of having to replace broken powertubes...get one. Also a polished metal powertube is much more slick then any plastic one.  = slight higher ROF Some have noted a slight increase in velocity when changing.  (Therefore if you run a palmers stab, you can turn down the input pressure and save some air, add a stronger rear spring and save even more air). powertube doesn't move man ive never seen one break, not that i doubt it's possible. But anyone who breaks enough powertubes that they need to switch off, has other problems. I believe he meant you MIGHT achieve higher rates of fire from a polished tube because it reduces the friction between the hammer and the power tube. And between the front bolt and the powertube. I also don't know how anyone breaks a power tube. I can't come up with any feasible situation in which this is possible. I have heard of the plastic ones breaking before, so mentioned it, even though it's never happened to me.

So, what I'm gathering from what everyone says.... is that 1: The Aluminum Power Tube is basically one of those shiney look good may have a use items, and  2: I MIGHT get a slight performance boost fro using it. So...... I guess the thing is do I want my marker internals to look pretty and not notice the difference or save $40 and buy some paint?  Hmmmmmm...........

Stock plastic powertubes do break. I have seen many of them break in the rental markers that i used to maintain. I have never seen an aluminum powertube break. They are by far more durable than the plastic ones but at nearly four times the cost they better be. There is a lot of slop in the stock powertube and front bolt setup that lets air leak by, but unless you get a matched power tube and front bolt with tight tolerances, then an aluminum powertube is more of a waste of money. If I played tournament speedball with my Tippmann and needed an uber reliable marker then I would go with an aluminum powertube, but since I play woodsball I just stick with my plastic tube. When your powertube cracks down the side you lose velocity and I can deal with that in the woods.  If your RT/Cyclone port is stripped out then try using red thread sealant to keep the fitting in there. This is just a bandaid type job though because eventually you will want to remove that fitting again. One way to avoid stripping out the RT/Cyclone port again is to turn the fitting counter clockwise until the thread "drops" into proper alignment. Then turn it clockwise. Do not overtighten it, the 10-32 thread is not a tapered thread, it is a straight thread and the o-ring will make the seal so it doesn't have to be super tight.