I won't fully review this marker until I am able to field test it, but so far the preliminary judgment is "amazing". I own a 2005 Smart Parts Shocker, as you know, which I've used faithfully for the past three seasons. Coupled with an Empire Reloader-B electronic hopper and a Carlton 68/4500 carbon fiber tank, it's served me pretty well.
In 2007, my friend Eli purchased a 2007 Shocker per my recommendation, which was lighter and sleeker than my 2005 model. Still, I didn't bend and stuck with my trusty girl because she never let me down.
But in 2008, the tables have turned. Paintball prices are actually starting to drop in lieu of the troubled U.S. economy and that's making for some interesting competition amongst the paintball vendors. Dangerous Power landed on the scene and has already caused quite a stir with their super-efficient, lightweight, dependable markers, ranging from the Threshold to the Fusion and G3.
My Black G3 arrived early last week and I can't tell you how proud I am of my first marker purchase in over three years. As gracefully as my Shocker moved to the retirement home (i.e. the backup marker), the G3 entered the fray. It weighs a scant 1.8 pounds, features a FUNCTIONAL clamping feed neck, and a flip-bar ASA on/off that's truly unique. The features on this marker are commonplace upgrades required for other very expensive electronic markers, but at a new $299 price tag, these features become all the more valuable. It also features break beam eyes, a small profile, a sleek 12" barrel, and comes with a very cool, fold-out color manual. It's both easy to read and easy to store.
The board is quite easy to program. Easy-to-access DIP switches control the modes through various combinations, which are noted in the manual in simple English.
Want semi-auto only? No problem, flip all the DIP switches to "off"; want NPPL 25bps? No problem, flip the 3rd DIP switch to "on". It's literally that easy and since you have to unscrew the left grip frame cover, no cheating can be done on the field in a timely fashion.
All in all, I hope the marker shoots as well as everyone says and meets or exceeds my expectations (which are high). Band of Brothers have received a sponsorship from DP and will be toting the G3 in 2009 to MM games, so I figured I would buy into it and try out the G3. So far, I'm wildly impressed for the value versus cost ratio.
