Smart Parts Ion

Some friends and I are starting a paintball team, and one of them is friends with a guy that owns a local paintball store. The store owner's going to pay for a few hundred dollars worth of equipment for us. I already have an A5 with an Apex barrel. But the amount of money he'll let us spend is enough for me to get an Ion. I'd keep the A5, of course, but should I use my money to get the Ion, or would I be able to put it to better use (as far as paintball goes)? I would probably use the A5 for woodsball and practice, and the Ion would be for speedball tournaments.


Edited by BrandonF - 19 March 2006 at 6:39pm

id say get ups for your a5 and use it in tourneys, then when you get some cash from your winnings, or sponsorship then go for a backup/speedball gun.

-egrip, qev on cylone, barrel kit, drop forward, regulator, LPK

BrandonF wrote: Alright, I'll use the sponsorship money to upgrade my A5, and after we win some games and get more money, I might look into the Ion. Or maybe an Angel, but then I could just sell my A5 because Angel's are awesome (and insanely expensive). I have a few questions about what you recommended, though. What's a QEV and an LPK? And I've heard of E-grips, but I don't know what they do. Oh, I almost forgot. What would the advantages of an Ion be over an A5, and vice versa?

a QEV(if i'm not mistaken), is a mod for your cyclone feeder system that allows it to feed quicker. a LPK is a Low Pressure Kit, something you'll want to have if you use compressed air or nitro instead of carbon dioxide. the e-grip is an electronic system for your a-5..it allows you to shoot semi, 3 shot burst, full auto, and probably more, i'm not exactly sure, but i'm sure someone else can tell you more about that.

as far as a comparison between a-5 and ion, it's all in what you want out of a gun. the ion is much better in speedball, it's more compact, weighs less, and enables you to shoot at high rates of fire. the a-5 is a great all-around gun. tippmann guns are very durable.

I mainly play woodsball, so I might just skip the Ion completely. The next thing on my list to get is a double trigger, then I might get an e-grip. I think response triggers are a waste of money though. One of my friends has one on his A5, and I can shoot just as fast without one. Is a drop forward really necessary? I like using my CO2 tank to help me aim more steadily, and I'm so used to it that it will probably take some time getting adjusted to a stock.

Alright. If I get more serious about speedball though, does anybody think I might need another gun other than a moderately upgraded A5?

yah you will se the differnce if you use a 98c and then a ion so much faster lighter ! evrything u would want !

the ions are good byt they arent great. i wouldnt buy one. but they are good for 300 bucks no doubt.

BrandonF wrote: I mainly play woodsball, so I might just skip the Ion completely. The next thing on my list to get is a double trigger, then I might get an e-grip. I think response triggers are a waste of money though. One of my friends has one on his A5, and I can shoot just as fast without one. Is a drop forward really necessary? I like using my CO2 tank to help me aim more steadily, and I'm so used to it that it will probably take some time getting adjusted to a stock.

you can shoot faster than a response trigger? he must not have his r/t set very high...

in the long run it would be cheaper to buy the ion.   a-5's are great for the woods but dont have much of a place in tournament ball, unless you want to be made fun of.

im not trying to flame or anything this is just what i have observed

Go with the ion.  No matter what you do to an A-5 its still an A-5.  Once you put all that money into it to make it comparable speed wise to the ion, you would get barely anything out of it if you sold it.

Get the ion