new to the game

whats happenin' guys?

I'm fresh the the sport and just picked up a 98C with A.C.T and RT. I've been wanting to get into this for awhile now so I'm pretty stoked. Should be in the mail in a few days and I'll be good to go. Look forward to picking up some knowledge around here. 

Ugh. My wallet hurts. Good luck with that...

Hey dude. Welcome to the sport. Youre going to enjoy yourself. This forum is a great place for knowledge, so you came to the right spot. I strongly agree with Tallen about the barrel, I recommend a 12" J&J Ceramic. Great barrel, light, cleans itself, and not that expensive. BTW, 21" barrels do not make you shoot farther of better, despite what I know some kids will tell you. If you have any questions, just ask.

Sounds like you picked out a good set-up, but one thing you definatly need is a good, comfortable mask.  If you don't like the one that  comes with the marker, then I strongly suggest you go to a local shop and try a few on til you find one thats right.  You'll thank me when you on the field and your mask isn't sliding around.  Other than that, have fun. 

Since I mentioned the pain in the wallet bit. I've got 18min left on my Sandridge F5 Tiny Tornado auction.... Right now I'm sitting with a high bid of $103.01 for a marker that has no tech support, looks like medusa's head is sticking out the front block, and is generally an ugly beast.... but I've always wanted one!!! Besides.... It's a freaking F-5! They're like the silver medal to DeTrevni's Osiris Gold Medal win in the 'cocker world.

A few recommendations for masks:
- JT Flex 7/Flex 8/Proflex (all use the same lens and are essentially the same, or at least very similar). I use the Flex 7, and usually forget I'm wearing it .
- VForce Profiler (IMO not quite as comfortable as the JTs, but certainly not uncomfortable. Smaller target to shoot at). With this mask, I find it to be comfortable, but I'm more aware of it. Probably because its more compact, so you notice the material more. But I'm sure others have different opinions.

Every person has different needs for a mask. Try a few, until you find one that you like. Thermal lenses are a good call, they really help with fog. Though they aren't the only solution (I was amazed to find that the Profiler doesn't use a thermal lens, but they certainly don't fog easily). Those masks above are just a good starting point. But don't go cheap on your mask. Get the one you want to get, as the $40 difference between garbage and the good mask will seem like nothing if you go with the cheap one you didn't really want, and it's fogging and moving around on the field. Don't go for the most expensive one either though (unless you like it, then by all means).

Welcome to paintball! You'll be stuck for a while. I hope you haven't made any long-term financial commitments in the last little while .

I'll agree about the lens thing. JT Lenses are a pain to remove, especially when compared to others. But VForce don't have thermals (that I've seen). While I know they're still very effective in their anti-fog, that still surprises me.

thejudge wrote: they have thermals. they are just one piece thermals. mine has actually worked much better than my JT thermals did. They are just a lil more expensive but I guess its worth it for the improvements.

Nope, not thermal. V-Force uses a baked on anti-fog coating. Thermal lenses by definition are two pieces that contain a dead-air space with a semi-permeable membrane in between. The dead air space acts as an insulator to keep the cold air outside from causing the warm, moist air inside from condensing on the lens.

If only there was a mask sticky..

ok I realize that most of you have 98 or a5's .  I have a mr2 pretty much stock. went with a agated hopper 18 bps  come with a 12" barrel shooting Demon or stryker balls. any sugestions on mods or a better ball choice for woodsball.  Just picked up a remote air line to help with the weight issue.