Paintball Equipment Brands

Listening to paintball aficionados’ talk about paintball, equipment, brands, prices and other items pertaining to the sport and the equipment at hand is a bit like learning a foreign language. You have a vague understanding what is being discussed, but the finer points elude you. If you are just now entering the sport or are beginning to hang out with folks who are very involved in it, you most likely want to be able to hold your own in any conversation about paintball. Equipment brands are a common topic, especially considering the price disparity that exists in the sport and the manufacture of different goods, and while half the fun seems to be in the game play itself, the other half – much like fishing – seems to revolve around discussions pertaining to paintball equipment, brands evaluations, pricing woes, and of course rules and regulations.

No discussion of paintball equipment brands would be complete without talk eventually leading to Indian Creek Designs, a company that specializes in the manufacture of paintball markers. (Newbies will want to know that markers are the euphemistic terminology employed to refer to the guns that shoot the paintball capsules.) In its heyday, the company produced the Bushmaster which was so successful that its other markers flew off the shelves as well. These were named after felines, such as the puma, alley cat, and so on. When Bushmaster lost its following, the company replaced it with the ProMaster and the Freestyle, the latter being the marker of choice by the celebrated pro team Naughty Dogs. The current model Freestyle is the FS8 and while it might be more expensive than the ProMaster which requires upgrades, you will do well to invest in something that is ready to go.

Another name that will come up every time paintball equipment brands are being discussed is Tippman, a manufacturer that not only deals in markers but also equipment. The most famous marker is the Tippman 98 Custom which can be used as is or adapted for more advanced use with a wide array of upgrades. An A-5 semi-automatic marker is for the serious aficionado, while the X-7 is the connoisseur’s dream marker. Another stock in trade for Tippman are the MilSim – military simulation – kits that permit those who engage in scenario paintball to further the realism of the play experience. Other names you are most likely to run across are the Spyder series of markers, the Shocker manufactured by Smart Parts – which also runs an apparel line – and of course the company that seems to have started it all: Worr Game Products.