Low Budget Paintball: Thrift Stores

[Hudd]

Truth. We do have some good ones but some are over rated

[BIGBOSS_202]

Truth. We do have some good ones but some are over rated

Good point. The question is which ones are the over rated one and which ones are reputable that need teams and such.

[Freeman]

I dont necessarily care what there rating is... If I like it, Ill buy it. No one elses opinion is going to affect mine.

[Varnel]

We've been lucky and have been offered several great sponsorships we use a lot. We have also been offered a few garbage ones we've turned down. Deals can be found everywhere though. The key isto just stay patient and keep looking around. Buying on bst forums can also save tons of change. Ill never buy a brand new marker again....doesn't make sense.

[Riddler]

Yar. Teams generally go for sponsors that are handy for the bulk of their players, and obviously it's mutually beneficial for the companies, as they're getting easy (if discounted) sales and maybe some recognition out of the deal.  Granted, I'm not really using any of mine, but hey, whatever; my interests are rarely mainstream - hopefully my teammates are able to take advantage of them.

As for new vs. used, while I agree that there are definitely some good values out there on the secondary market, my very strong personal preference is to always buy new when possible.  I actually had a conversation about that very subject at the TRP pump game today... How we need to make sure we support companies that love what they're doing and take the extra step to ensure that their customers are happy.  As a bit of extra motivation for me is the fact that I'm exceedingly OCD about condition - I need my markers in wall-hanger, collector's condition. 

[BIGBOSS_202]

For me, their is a comfort in buying pre-issued gear. The idea is that it was most likely used on a deployment and it help up good. Hence a feeling of something being battle proving and trusted. That's the main reason why I buy surplus gear or hit thrift stores. I said before, you can find a good deal of stuff if you know were to look or if you want to save cash somewere.