PMRs on sale over at ANS Gear

link-ey goodness!
$250.00

Qualifies for free shipping too!

In other words, why even consider buying an ion now?

Yeah I literally just ordered one 20 minutes ago for 295.95 free ship on ebay. Theyre going everywhere for this price, INCLUDING protopaintball.com, Proto's website.
I don't know what they're thinking, its a very stupid marketting move on their part in my opinion. Who would buy the SLG now? That would be stupid if PMRs go for the same exact price.

I honestly doubt you'll see PMRs around for much longer. They were simply a way to keep the cost on building a spool-valve marker down. Now with the advent of DYE's guys actually remembering that they didn't actually invent the Matrix, and remembering that it was to be a mech spooler, they realized that they could build a sear-tripping version much much cheaper.

I have a feeling this kind of price-drop is a "clear the shelves" deal to replace the PMR with the SLG. Much like WGP did recently with classic 'cocker styles.

Well, the problem with the PMR is that it is essentially a balanced spool without the added advantage of a low pressure reg. That means a higher manufacturing cost due to needing a solenoid that can take the pressure, and a board that is more advanced than a simple sear-tripper board.

As far as competing with the mini, I honestly think that the mini is pretty much untouchable right now. It's in a category of it's own and the other companies saw what happened when SP tried it with the epiphany. I honestly think that the only competition you'll see for the mini in the near future will be a price drop on the Etek Ego down to the $400 range. If that happens, you bet I'm picking one up. The battle right now is for the low-end market. The only thing keeping SP afloat right now is the Ion. They've since diversified (supposedly) and are attempting to push BE/JT/Kingman/Tippmann all out of their comfortable niches JT sports is fighting back with the new low-end WGP markers but with DYE joining the fray with the SLG, things are going to get interesting.

Well, the issue with high end is this, just like with Mags and 'Cockers, eventually the market for a high-end electro collapses on itself. Mommy and Daddy are only willing to buy the new model year of the high-end electro of choice for their precious little snow-flake for so long. As each year progresses and the actual changes in operation and design of high-ends become less and less pronounced, the market starts flooding with used markers that are almost, if not just as good, as the current model year. Thus, diversification is the only way to keep your sales up. If you're high-end only up to a point, the only way to go is expand into the low-end market. DYE's been sitting on the mech-matrix patent for years, honestly I'm glad to see they're finally doing something with it. I think the SLG will make a VERY interesting project marker. I think you'll eventually see someone make a pneu-frame for it that will let you skip the "low-end" performance of the armature operated sear-tripper and really make a decent marker out of one.