I'll admit it, I was disappointed

[Unfated33]

...in the popular reactions to the markers released today. The paintball community has lost its freaking mind.

Of the four major markers rleased today, every single one of them is exciting to me. Simon, what you've created in the internals of the Vanquish is fascinating, and the universal screwtype was something I've hoped for, unspoken, since I first tried to open a paintball marker. I'm not a huge fan of the milling that includes the eye covers or the barrel, but I really like the front grip/oled and taken as a whole I think it's a great marker. The Autococker Resurrection was such a simple improvement that I was surprised it hadn't been implemented before. A huge high five for making a top class mech on the market again. I know you had less involvement in the Impulse, but the balanced spool and the milling on it were very attractive.

Jack Wood (and Ryan), I honestly think you may have broken me from being a mechanical snob with your new Ego. It's the first luxury marker I've actually ever wanted to own, and the first truly electro marker I've wanted since the Axe. Love the air-through, love the look. No offense to Simon, but it was the release of the day, possibly of the Expo.

[fullofpaint]

I think the autococker is getting a great reaction! The only gun all our younger refs are talking about from today on Facebook is the autococker, two already called the store to try and pre-order haha. I know I'm dying to get my hands on it. Any truth to the rumor that Bud still owns the patent to back blocks, so all future cockers will be mid/halfblocked?

I love the concepts in the Vanquish, some really awesome innovations there. Can't decide how I feel about the look, I want to see it in person. I was surprised how loud it was, judging from the PBN preview, but that could just me a trick of the mic.

Impulse is...meh, another poppit. Milling is pretty unforgettable, but that frame does look pretty awesome.

I think the new ego is a love it or hate it kind of thing. Personally the look is...interesting, my dad on the other hand loved it, first high-end gun in a long time he's asked me how much and considered ordering. The internal LPR though is something I really like, and I'm excited to see how it shoots.

[evil_racecocker]

Heres how I see it. With the ego, most people are hung up in the massive rubber grip, and the through trigger guard air. I don't have a problem with the through trigger guard air. I get the purpose of it, and the ability to tech the gun with the grip frame off. The internals look interesting and from what Lurker has been saying about it, it is a verry nice shooter (then again I doubt Jack would put out a gun that didn't ). I persionally don't like rubber or plastic on my paintball guns. I like the look and feel of machined and anodized aluminum, it's art to me. I get the point of a rubber grip, but I have never had an issue holding my gun, even when covered in paint. What has me scrathing my head is why not make a rubber attachment that can go on the front reg, instead of making the rubber part of the front reg. That way people don't have to use it if they don't want to.

With the Vanquish, I think that people have built up so much hype (which is all from people talikng about a gun they saw whith tape on it), when it came out and it wasn't this magical gun that talked dirty to you (like the chick in the Fiat Abarth commercials). The look of the Vanquish isn't that apealing to me, The lines of the gun are very square, and again the rubber grip bothers me. I think this is a gun that looks better in person.

I think the biggest thing that has come out at PBE is the Empire mech cocker. I know how hard Simon has worked over the years trying to convince the powers to be at Kee to produce it. I am so glad they finally listened to him, and he was able to do it before he left. I have already talked to several Empire dealers today asking them if they know when they will get one in. I hope this will lead to an e framed version possibly with an MQ valve (yea... I'll start holding my breath now).

I had never heard that Bud had a patent on the backblock, but I thought he sold all of his IP to WGP.

[Lumberjack]

The new Ego is interesting looking to say the least. I'm waiting for better pics of the diagrams showing the internals. I hear they are really cool to look at.

The new cocker is a great surprise. It looks good and seems that they took the best choices in pneumatics and updated them. I really want one.

Vanquish wasn't as wow-ing as I'd expected/hoped. I'm interested to read Simon's viewpoint later.

Impulse is not a winner in my book as a hardcore Impulse fan of classics and 09's.

Dye really knocked it out of the park with those new anno designs.

[vijil]

The ego is interesting, but it's rapidly growing on me as these things do- the ninja version is dare i say it hot. Can't wait to try one. When a design is unusual it always takes people a while to appreciate it and this will be no different.

[Jack Wood]

I can't believe how vitriolic some of the responses have been. Rather shocking. I think a lot of it is because it is new and different. As ever, caught between a rock and a hard place. Don't change much, and it's the same old gun blah blah blah. Change a lot, and it shocks people.

Hopefully, once people hold it and shoot it they will realise that the package does work. We didn't just arrive at this last week and throw it out there. People have been playing with it for months and we've only had overwhelmingly positive feedback about the whole package.

[Unfated33]

I really was surprised I didn't see anyone ask it, but does the LV in Ego LV1 stand for "Lurker Valve"?

Even as quickly as early this morning it sounds like lots of opinions are turning, but the initial gut-reaction to reject change is frustrating. People wonder why we get nearly the same Dye Matrix every year!

[PBSteve]

I can't believe how vitriolic some of the responses have been. Rather shocking.

I have to say I really did not see that coming either. When I saw it I thought man, that is sharp. But some people seemed personally insulted to be shown such a thing.

It was amazing, really.

[cockerpunk]

I can't believe how vitriolic some of the responses have been. Rather shocking. I think a lot of it is because it is new and different. As ever, caught between a rock and a hard place. Don't change much, and it's the same old gun blah blah blah. Change a lot, and it shocks people.

Hopefully, once people hold it and shoot it they will realise that the package does work. We didn't just arrive at this last week and throw it out there. People have been playing with it for months and we've only had overwhelmingly positive feedback about the whole package.

tom and i had a great conversation about this when we met a couple of years back.

only part of the inspiration of threads like the "if we could go back an fix paintball, what would we do"

[Lurker27]

That's giving me way too much credit. It the lever valve. That bit was all jack, though it reminds me of my sohc head on the BMW :-)

In retrospect, ego lv with no numeral may have been smarter