Tippmann Tech?

Apply and you'll find out!

It was a written/verbal/practical test administrated by a factory rep back when I took it.

how do you apply?

No, I was certified as a tech at the pro-shop I worked at while in college. I get re-certified every year or so just out of habit and since I'm on good terms with some of their reps.

The certification is usually only given to those who work in a Pro-Shop or at a field where Tippmann markers will be serviced. The point to certification is that Tippmann authorizes Certified techs to work on the markers and will usually warranty any work they do to a marker. For example, if you were to royally screw up putting in an RT kit (which is pretty tough to screw up) tippmann reserves the right to charge you for repairs to your marker and/or kit. While they're usually very good about giving a lot of leeway when it comes to warranty work, they still reserve the right. Now, if you take your marker to a certified tech to have stuff installed or repaired, technically, tippmann views those installs and repairs as "factory" performed services and will warranty them as such.

In all reality, it takes a bit of the work-load off of tippmann when it comes to repairs, and allows them to stock certain warranty repair parts at certified stores so that warranty repairs may be carried out at will, just like auto-dealers do. You don't send your car off to the factory in Timbuktu to have the starter repaired under warranty do you? So why ship it off to tippman and wait for it to come back when you can just go to a certified tech and get the warranty work done there?

I could be wrong, never asked him, but I don't think so. The last person I knew personally who worked there (outside of some sales reps that I still know) was Rob Spargo, "Engineer" of the OMHW Scenario group.