A-5 vs. ion

CobraA-5 wrote: . . .i kno it all comes down to wat you play woodsball or speedball . . .

Not really.  I know people who have upped Tippmanns to the point where they are more than competitive on the speedball field and I've seen Ions used quite effectively in woodsball.  It just comes down to personal preference.

Not to mention the fact that A-5's hold their resale value a lot better than Ions given the fact that the market is flooded with the little plastic suckers.

I hate smart parts, but I will admit that the ion is a decent marker for the price. But you get what you pay for. It isn't going to be a super-gun right out of the box and it isn't going to hold up in the long run given the propensity of plastic parts breaking down in the long run. I give the original ions about another 2 years before excessive bolt wear and other wear and tear starts to make them un-salvageable. You have far more options when it comes to what direction you want to go in with the A-5. However, if you plan on playing only speedball, the profile of the A-5 and the cyclone is going to make it a little tougher to tuck in to your bunker as well. Just depends on what road you want to go down.

The Ion is better than the A-5. Smaller, faster, more efficient and more ups. Plus, you can find upped ones for the same price as or less than A-5s.

how would i upgrade my cyclone feed?

I agree the tippmann A-5 is a better gun

my freind wants to get the ion from his freind  for $120 including a halo b hopper and nito tank! his freind is acualy goin to sell it 2 him

Wow.

I just paid 450 for an ion with new board, feed neck, steel tank, Velocity hopper and freak barrel.

The price your friend is asking, snap it up.

StormyKnight wrote: jerseypaint wrote: The Ion is better than the A-5. Smaller, faster, more efficient and more ups. Plus, you can find upped ones for the same price as or less than A-5s. You forgot to finish your post with: "...at the expense of durability and dependability."  Having both markers I marvel at the cheapness of the Ion.  It's no wonder you can find them for sale so cheap with upgrades.  It would be my guess that owners think they can make them into shockers with the right upgrades only to come up short.  Then they get rid of them to get a real marker.  This is a starter marker at best. The A-5 is everything a marker should be from a newb to an experienced player.  It is dependable, durable, easy to take care of.  Best of all, its a Tippmann.  Tippmann has unmatched customer service in the industry.  Smart Parts is hit and miss. Now, talking about upgrades for both markers.  Just how many more upgrades does the Ion have than the A-5?

so you are saying that ions are a newbs marker and a5s are for experienced players?

although ions arent the best marker out there if you are not completely new player ions would be much better than an a5. A5s are tougher and need to be cleaned less  but ions are much faster come with eyes and are more of a hybrid marker than a5s are

thejudge wrote: Actually he said they were great for both players and if I recall an ION only gets 17bps out of the box. Thats the asme as the cyclone can max at out of the box. So you up the board on the ION to get it to go faster. You up the cyclone on the A5 and it goes faster. All in all they have speed that is about even. The difference is that a Tippmann is built like a tank and can take a pounding. The ION not so much. Go with the A5 to have a gun that will last you along time.

Okay. First its "Ion" not "ION". Second the A-5 cyclone can only go 15 stock, and first the A-5 needs either an E-Grip or Response Trigger to achieve 15 bps, while the Ion just needs an electric hopper. And Tippmanns might be tanks, but Ions can keep up in durability. Just take care of it, and it will take care of you.

CobraA-5 wrote: how would i upgrade my cyclone feed? I agree the tippmann A-5 is a better gun my freind wants to get the ion from his freind  for $120 including a halo b hopper and nito tank! his freind is acualy goin to sell it 2 him

I'd go over every inch of that set up and make sure everything works.  $120 for that entire setup seems too good to be true.  If everything is in good condition, I'd even jump on that just for the hopper.  How big is the HPA tank? 

a5Tpp789 wrote: StormyKnight wrote: jerseypaint wrote: The Ion is better than the A-5. Smaller, faster, more efficient and more ups. Plus, you can find upped ones for the same price as or less than A-5s. You forgot to finish your post with: "...at the expense of durability and dependability."  Having both markers I marvel at the cheapness of the Ion.  It's no wonder you can find them for sale so cheap with upgrades.  It would be my guess that owners think they can make them into shockers with the right upgrades only to come up short.  Then they get rid of them to get a real marker.  This is a starter marker at best. The A-5 is everything a marker should be from a newb to an experienced player.  It is dependable, durable, easy to take care of.  Best of all, its a Tippmann.  Tippmann has unmatched customer service in the industry.  Smart Parts is hit and miss. Now, talking about upgrades for both markers.  Just how many more upgrades does the Ion have than the A-5? so you are saying that ions are a newbs marker Yes, compared to Angels, DM7s and DM8s, Eclipses and Shockers to name a few. and a5s are for experienced players Read my post again.  I said from a newb to an experienced player. although ions arent the best marker out there if you are not completely new player ions would be much better than an a5. A5s are tougher and need to be cleaned less  but ions are much faster come with eyes and are more of a hybrid marker than a5s are

Which is clearly your opinion and you're entitled to it.  But there is no denying that the Ion was not built to last.  As I have said before, I own one.  Unfortunately I don't use it like I do my A-5, so I can't put it to the test of time.  But let's face it.  The Ion out of the box will not shoot reliably as a Tippmann on C02 (I've tried.  Had to take the marker apart and let the solenoid defrost and dry out).  It will not shoot that much faster than an A-5.  In semi-auto mode the Ion fires at 10bps.  You have to set the board to rebound to kick it up to 17bps.  And in order to do that, you'll need an aftermarket electronic hopper to feed it.

Edited by StormyKnight - 08 February 2008 at 4:43pm

Snake6 wrote: Um, the Ion is not meant to use CO2...

I completely and whole-heartedly agree, but that's not what the Ion manual says...