Etek EGO

[sun-tzu]

tell me about an 07 ego?  Is this a good marker?  Is it upgradable?  What do you think a good price is? woudl this be better then a mini or a TM7 or an SLG?

[Enhander]

My thoughts:
The lowest quality out of all of those is the SLG (still a great gun..dont get me wrong)
The ETek, in my opinion, is of equal quaility to the Mini/TM7.
As with any marker, you can get a new barrel, feedneck, board, grip frame...reg..stuff like that.

Only thing you can upgrade with a TM7 thus far is the Barrel and bolt....but you really dont need a new bolt in it...the thing is good to go!

[Varnel]

From best to worst out of that list
1) Etek (by far the best performing gun out of the list, but will cost the most as well)
The Etek can be upgraded anyway you want it to be. From grip frames, boards, barrels, trigger, feednecks, grips, and regs to internal things like bolts that are better for certain types of paints and rammers with different weights that control how much kick and operating pressure. Due to the way Ego makes their bolts they require no lube. You can even take the bolt out of the gun with no tools while the gun is aired up and a ball is in the breech. Due to this the gun is very low maintenance and can be cleaned after a hard day of play in about 5-10 mins. It is also a ton lighter than any spool valve gun, very effecient, easy on paint, and shoots extremely smooth and fast.
2)TM7 and Mini are equal (both great guns and right in the middle of the of Etek and SLG in price and performance)
Both great guns and can be upgraded with things like bolts, boards, barrels, grips, triggers, and feednecks but due to the no bottom line you can't change regs or grip frames. The mini also relies on magnets to operate the gun. If on magnet gets out of line the whole gun goes down. We had this problem with Dean's mini. It's not a major problem, but it can take some time to get used to adjusting them. The bolt system is also a little more complicated than the Etek. It comes out the back, but requires and allen key. Also requires some lube due to the orings on the bolt, but nothing like a spooler like a Ion, SP-1, or DM/PM. Now onto the good stuff! It is very light and compact, shoots very nice, and very effecient.
3) SLG ( last out of these three, but still a great gun and the cheapest!)
Now I have never shoot a SLG, but I have shoot and owned a lot of other Dye/Proto guns. I love them dearly, but I just like the feel of a Poppit valve over a Spool. Once I shoot a Poppit (what an etek and a mini are) I instantly switched from a Dye fanboy to a Ego fanboy. I dunno what it is about a poppit but I love the feel. You could be different so try them both. Anything can be changed on an SLG grip frames, boards, barrels, trigger, feednecks, grips, eyes, detents, bolts, and regs. The best thing about the SLG is it can use an Ultralight frame (hand party!) Due to it being a spooler the bolt requires much lube and many orings to be changed. Not as many as other Dye guns, but still more than a poppit. Due to all the orings spoolers are not as effecient as poppits as it requires more air to get all the orings to move along the inside of the gun. The good things about this gun are it is extremely cheap, light, quite, smooth shooting.

I think they are all very good guns, and you would be happy with any of them. The best thing you can do is just use each of them for a game and see which you like the best. I have an Etek and a TM-7 you can use, Dean has a Mini you can use, and Wes has an SLG you can try. After you use them compare what you like and dislike about each and see which one is the better fit for you.

[Enhander]

Id ask Wes if you can shoot his SLG and Mini...that'll give you the feel of both.

[Foxxy]

yea, the Etek is very nice! I love my Mini. If you want to shoot mine you can to try it out or run it a game. I like the PMR but I don't think I would use the SLG. But I completely agree with JJ and Lee on those thoughts. The Etek is awesome! There are different ones though. The Etek and the Etek2 I believe. Lee's is an Etek2 with a star frame.
I've been reading a lot about them and if you get one I would recommend a Star Frame and a Zick kit. Possibly a Cure Bolt.

But I am still partial to my Mini  But I would go for either the Mini or Etek.

Does anyone really know the differences from a Planet Eclipse Ego and an Etek Ego though? As far as maintenance and performance go?

[Varnel]

Zick Kit rammer and a Cure2 bolt will be added to mine as soon as I get some extra cash.

[Enhander]

The Etek/Etek2 is the lower end Ego.
Kinda like the PMR is the lower end DM/PM

[Foxxy]

o ok. I'd rather have an Etek2. Very nice!

[Varnel]

Performance wise an Ego will outgun an Etek out of the box, but it will set you back 4 or 500 more bucks. An Etek can be upgraded to perform just like an Ego though if you put the money into it. The only difference between them is Ego comes stock with Star Frame (250 bucks), Zick Kit (50 bucks), Cure2 Bolt (50 bucks), microswitch trigger(25 bucks), clamping feedneck (30 bucks), and they are usually milled and painted a little fancier/better. If you add all that stuff to an Etek you will have an Ego. In the long run you will spend a bit more money, but you can do it over time. This is unlike the PMR to the DM/PM series as the PMR uses a completely different bolt system and also do not have a LPR. It's not a bad thing as the PMR is still a great gun, but it will never be as smooth as a DM because of the lack of LPR.

As for maintanence they are the exact same. Tool less bolt removal, rammer out the back with one allen key, Horizontal LPR in front, Vertical HPR, and 2 screws hold the frame on.

[Foxxy]

Ahh I see now. But the Etek can perform just as well with the ups.

[Varnel]

In the real world yes, a fully upped Etek will perform just as well as an Ego. However, in the minds of Ego owners their 1,200 dollar Ego will always be better than you 750 dollar Etek2 just because it says Ego on the side and not Etek.

[Foxxy]

lol gotcha.

[sun-tzu]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.  I am sure you have figured out why I asked.  I really like the idea of getting a TM7 but I saw an etek on eBay for 250 and got thinking that leaves some additional cake for other toys.

[Enhander]

Dang....250 for an Etek is an awesome deal

[Varnel]

umm cake....