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The year 2017 was once again exciting in the high-end segment. Almost all manufacturers have come up with one or the other improvement and upgraded their high-end paintball markers a good bit. In this article we would like to give you a brief overview of the 2017 season as well as a product conclusion from our point of view as retailers and players.
As in the past few years, not much has changed in terms of market dominance. It is still the big brands and manufacturers who dominate the market and present the decisive new products and innovations. Below we have listed the top 5 brands and the current paintball marker models for you.
The Dye company has currently designed their models for a service life of 2 years. As in 2016, the Dye M2 is the flagship. New in 2017 is the MOSAir technology, which integrates a few cool new features and significantly upgrades the marker. Further details can be found in the post below.
As has been common for years, the Planet Eclipse brand has two high-end paintball markers with different bolt systems on the market this year. The Ego LV1, which is currently available in version LV1.5 , is a very advanced rammer, whereas the GEO CS1, which is also currently available in the latest version as GEO CS1.5 , is a spool valve marker with a closed Housing. In terms of quality, both markers are among the best that you can currently buy on the market. Planet is one of the few brands that still does the final assembly of their paintball markers in Europe, more specifically in England. You notice that when you pick up a Planet Eclipse paintball marker for the first time. The processing is simply outstanding.
The Luxe Ice is the successor to the Luxe, which has been available on the market since 2007, or the later Luxe 2.0 and Luxe OLED paintball marker models. Unlike the previous models, the Luxe Ice has been redesigned in many respects. The look has become significantly more modern and straightforward. The new Power Core bolt is one of the smoothest and most efficient ever. In addition, it is simply durable and works without problems. Maintenance is also very easy thanks to the tool-free bolt concept, although it is no longer unique on the market.
Unfortunately, the Vanquish only occupies one of the lower ranks. As popular as this Luxe clone may be with players in the USA, it has unfortunately still not really been able to gain a foothold in Europe, even after several years and in the 2nd series. The Vanquish is on par with the Luxe 2.0 OLED in terms of power and performance, and in some places even better. However, players are still put off by the significantly higher weight, the bulky ASA and the look of the marker. In defense of Empire, it must be mentioned at this point that the Vanquish 2.0 has already become a real eye-catcher compared to the previous model. But it still can't hold a candle to the top 3 on the market. It will be interesting to see where Empire's high-end paintball marker segment and the Vanquish series will go in the next few years.
It is safe to say from the outset that no manufacturer has completely reinvented the wheel. But what you have to give the individual brands credit for is that they have always developed their products in a meaningful way to make the paintball markers as efficient as possible.
In our opinion, Dye and Planet have made the biggest strides forward in terms of innovation and progress this year.
Dye has kept his M2 model from last year and given it a new interior with lots of gimmicks. The new MOSAir board of the marker can not only be charged wirelessly by induction, but it also communicates with the loader and the player's mask via the new eVoke system and passes on information such as ammunition stock and battery charge status via acoustic signals. What exactly the individual player uses of all of this is of course up to him.
Planet, on the other hand, is currently a bit caught up in the drive to innovate. The changes are never really big, but numerous. In the past 12 months, Planet has already launched the 3rd version of its current Spole Valve High End paintball marker GEO . The latest model is called CS1.5 and has not only been revised visually, but also in terms of weight, the bolt, the valves and the arrangement of the internal components. Step by step, Planet has turned the initially inferior CS1 model into a high-end marker at eye level, which now, towards the middle of the season, no longer has to hide from any other model on the market.
We are often asked how to get a cheap high-end paintball marker and whether it makes sense to buy it used.
In fact, at the end of each season, most brands launch their new products. This usually happens in October, at the Paintball World Cup in Orlando, USA. Probably the largest annual paintball event of its kind. Just in time after the World Cup, you can usually see how the used market prices drop again a good bit and you can get hold of one or the other paintball marker special offer.
Players who don't always want to wait that long, or who just don't feel like running across the field with the old equipment from last year, should simply get a new marker. The price difference is usually only a few hundred euros, you have a full 2-year guarantee from the dealer/manufacturer and you can be sure that you always have the latest and most powerful equipment available. That in turn is a clear competitive advantage on the pitch.
