Reliability: Ego<>=A5?

[RTDawnPatrol]

Wasnt sure if this was the best place to post this but all sections about Eclipse stuff are specific to the model and not the brand in general.

I have never owned, fired, or heald an Eclipse marker. I am a diehard Tippmann enthusiast and fear electronics and complicated internals. I am looking to you, my trusted OGers to convince me to convert and stop spending all my money on upgrades.

So as the title suggests, are the eclipsae markers as durable and reliable and maintainable as my beloved A5?

No simple yes or no answers without some backup as to why.

[DriverJ]

I've usedjust about every type of major marker under the sun.

Spyder, A5, Matrix, Shocker, Etek, Ego, Autococker.... etc...

And by far the best reliability and easy maintenance has been my Ego(s).
My A5 was a tank, but any day it would rain even lightly it would shoot like crap, cold weather the same. Tear down for a full maintenance was very time consuming, and kind of a paint to get everything re-aligned. It ATE o-rings. I regularly had to replace the o-rings on the hammer, and A5's are gas pigs.

Shockers and DMs both required way more maintenance than they were worth.
The cocker performed great, but was a pain to clean up after taking a gun hit, but was solidly reliable.

Then I got an Ego.
I can break it down to the "basic" maintenance level in under a minute, and it can be fully torn down in around 3-5 Min. There is really nothing complicated about the maintenance, and can be done by almost anyone. I've seen only a few issues with Ego's on my team, and we put around 40 cases or more through our guns in a year. Of the issues I've seen all of them have been fixable with an o-ring, some lube and about 2 minutes worth of time.
In the rain it performs extremely well, cold days? No problem.
you will not regret switching to an Ego. They are absolutely the best performing marker available and the most reliable hands down.
and if you do have issues Eclipse has the absolute best customer service.

[tblack]

I was first introduced to the darkside by Sideshow at the Free Finale game last year when he simply put a mini in my hand. I can not tell you the evil grin that ran across my face when I first pulled the trigger. I have the nick name tigger for a reason. I bounce around the field and am very aggressive. If I come back not covered in spray, I didn't get close enough. With my Tippmann. I was considered quick. But with an electo, It got ugly. Once I was use to it. I went on my only 17 kill run in my life. I never picked up my Tippmann again sense that first trigger pull. The mobility that a light electo gives you is unreal after years of Tippmann lugging. And the ability to put ball on ball. Before even while aiming. Unless they where close, 50ft-. it was spray and pray a little. Now, its if your in my range. Your meat. I'm getting head shots out of single ball snap shots. Never did that with a Tippy.

Sense then, I not only purchased that mini off of Sideshow. But I have purchased or traded for a PM7, 06 ego Ninja, sl66 ego Ninja w/Yakuzu board, 07 Vicious, 08 ego chronic, and my 08 ego that I put the OSF theme on.

Yeah I played the horse swapping game for a wile to get what I wanted. An 08 ego for my son and myself. And remember that evil grin that I told you about, its now a permanent fixture on my and my sons face. As an ego feels like a Ferrari in comparison to a Tippmann. And almost any other marker for that fact.

Maintenance, reliability, accuracy, efficiency, money(because you dont need to drop hundreds in upgrades), consistency and weight. Hands down not even close. The ego beats Tippmann.

So in short, Tigger didn't turn to the darkside. It has always been there. I just quit ignoring it. But I still own my Tippmann. I could never part with her. But she just has been divorced and replaced with that younger sexy thing that does all those things for me that the Tippmann never did...lol

[RTDawnPatrol]

See? Thats how you respond to a question!

One of you guys want to buy my A5 so I can get an ETEK? Lol

[DriverJ]

I find local sales are the best for A5's or on the A5OG most offers on the nation you will not get what its worth.

[Joey]

Thread moved and general eclipse talk opened up...sorry

[DriverJ]

Thread moved and general eclipse talk opened up...sorry

I was going to move it, but wasn't sure since it had "no posting" ;)

[Baby Ollie]

Honestly, I've had less problems with my Ego than my A-5. Not to say my Ego has been perfect, but it has been much less maintenance and headaches. Part of this can be contributed to the upgrade ability of the A-5. Back in the day with my A-5, I had a stock, remote line, stabilizer, e-grip, jcs trigger, polished internals... and the list goes on, and on, and on....... For every new upgrade and part you add onto your marker, you have another part that can fail on you. My stock had issues with wobbling, the stabilizer NEVER worked, the flatline was a piece of crap, my velocity could never go above 260, the nylon set screws on the egrip stripped out... The best thing I ever bought was the palmer brass barrel. Everything else had problems.

The Ego's reg needed to be rebuilt once, but that was after probably 50+ cases through the marker. This gun has been used a LOT. No big deal on the reg. Other than that, I replaced some o-rings and had a QEV come loose once Nothing big.

Everything works. The only "upgrades" on the marker are a Tadao board and a Dye UL barrel. That's the beauty about high end markers; excluding Shockers, they are 100% ready to go out of the box. They don't need extra money spent to perform their best. And without all the extra options and "fine tuning", everything is more likely to work.

[Joey]

Simply put.... You can shove all the crap you want into the engine of a volkswagon bettle, and it will never perform as well as a stock corvette

[RTDawnPatrol]

So hows the "open bolt" of the Ego work in the woods? Do you go through bolt o-rings like candy? Does the bolt get scarred all to heck if you play in the sand?

How bought this- whats the worst, fubar, breakdown you've ever had with an EGO, ETEK?

Feel free to delete once we go "public" so as to not hurt your, uh, EGO.:rofl:

[tblack]

The worst fubar was not buying one to begin with. I dumped thousands into several X7s, A5s, and 98's over the years to try and get them to perform the way the ego did out of the box. And still haven't got one to do it. Never will... But still like my Tippys style. Just not performance.

Now as it pertains to the ego. Buying a violent se kit for an 06 ego. Didn't work as advertised and went back to stock rammer.

[Joey]

The Bolt Orings dont get any damage really, and I have yet to have a sand issue. Alot of hard corps scenario players here in the SE run Egos and use them in rough terrain, and at MOUT sites without issue.

As far as the worse thing I have seen, nothing really that couldnt be fixed within 5-10 minutes. Last weekend was a 24hr game that I ended up teching 10 diff markers and out of all of them only one was something that required me to bring it home to fix ( solenoid was shot ) and that was due to a person using aftermarket grips with stock grip scres and screwing in too tight thus damaging the 'noid. everything else was a simple o-ring swap, or a quick reset of the inline and LRP and resetting the board to factory ( alot of dwell settings TOO High ) nothing was in my hands for more then 10 minutes all weekend, and 1/2 was just a simple..."can you check this out for me" looksie

[RTDawnPatrol]

Meh. You guys are no fun. :D

[Joey]

Now as it pertains to the ego. Buying a violent se kit for an 06 ego. Didn't work as advertised and went back to stock rammer.

This is for EVERYONE.

DO NOT get an aftermarket rammer, even if it has a spring with it.

Doing so will destroy your LPR and 'noid over time.

A lighter rammer has less weight and thus will not operate properly overall, EVEN if they include a spring reuiring less tensionfor the LPR for return, AND if it does, over time will cause more wear then its worth.

Everything is made to certain tolerances, if it was about making it lighter, it would have been made that way. Thats why there is very few if ANY aftermarket internals that #1 are endorsed by Eclipse, and #2 will NOT void their warrenty.

If a marker comes to me with a problem, and it has aftermarket internals, even if its covered under warranty, I have to charge for the replacement parts, they are not a free swap

[Vashthestampede]

The violent kit is the same mass just a different shape. It is designed to mimic the zick kit. Can't say whether or not it works. But really you don't need much if any internal upgrades for any ego except I'd throw a cure 2 and bump pistons into an 05 or 06.

[Jester]

Simply put.... You can shove all the crap you want into the engine of a volkswagon bettle, and it will never perform as well as a stock corvette


yep. I do not own an Ego but I have recently made a switch "to the darkside" as woodsball players say. Played with my mini for the first time, and i didn't have any chops, ball breaks, nothing. and i can field strip it just by removing a single screw on the back, and pulling the guts out. its great. so easy, light and simple. My friend's Etek II, never had a problem with it.

Bottom line: don't fear electro markers. they quickly become your best friend.

[Joey]

The violent kit is the same mass just a different shape. It is designed to mimic the zick kit. Can't say whether or not it works. But really you don't need much if any internal upgrades for any ego except I'd throw a cure 2 and bump pistons into an 05 or 06.


mass as in size yes, but weight no, SgtScot, and Gwaltinator will vouch, it weighs 3 grams LESS, we weighed it at SgtScots hous Sat night

[Joey]

Mass was incorrect term my bad

[Vashthestampede]

Dammit pbn lied to me again

[Joey]

LOL, yeah when Terry ( TBlack ) told me his issues I figured what it was, so Sat night over SgtScots house with GWALT, I took the stock rammer from an etek and the violent and weighed them, the stock was 31.6gr and the violent was 28.1g

[Ghillie_55]

Well wouldnt the zick kit be considered an aftermarket rammer?

[Joey]

No, its made BY Eclipse when they designed the SL74

[Joey]

Aftermarket = non OEM

[Ghillie_55]

ohh, ok I got ya...

I personally am in abosolute love with my Ego.

I like to tech my guns, tinker, clean what have you, and the ego is so dang easy to maintain its rediculous. By the time I actually get into it, its over lol Its that quick and simple.

I am a fairly new Ego owner and have been watching others and seeing what they have been putting thier Ego's through. I play at a local field where the indoor scenario field floor is all sand. People dive bunker to bunker with their ego's....I have full faith in mine...

[Vashthestampede]

I still remember when I got my dark the guy before me had lubed the ram with that old dye grease... There was dow coming out of the qev's. I wanted to hurt the previous owner.

[DriverJ]

The biggest headache was with my SL74, I had to replace the Valve body. Costed a whole $11.00 and took all of 5 minutes.
This was however after 150,000 shots were registered on the marker.

[Joey]

What I see most, is people who put oil in ego's asa's SHEESH that is just the worse you can do... gums everything up over time and over oils everything, plus will wear the noid down faster

[Baby Ollie]

What I see most, is people who put oil in ego's asa's SHEESH that is just the worse you can do... gums everything up over time and over oils everything, plus will wear the noid down faster

I thought a little bit of oil was recommended. Isn't it supposed to help keep the reg in good shape? Like, a drop or two when you clean the marker. Personally, I haven't done this because I use marmalade or plain old hater sauce on my reg.

[cwest]

I think it can be summed up the Eclipse guns are very reliable. I have had no problems with mine in the 4 and a half months I've had it. That's playing almost every weekend. My A5 never made it that long without a problem.

[Joey]

I thought a little bit of oil was recommended. Isn't it supposed to help keep the reg in good shape? Like, a drop or two when you clean the marker. Personally, I haven't done this because I use marmalade or plain old hater sauce on my reg.


The only things you should oil up ...and by regular I mean every 5-10 cases, is SOAK a q-tip in the oil, and remove the LPR cap and the inline and rammer, and using the q-tip oil the pistons orings and the rings on the rammer, thats all really. when you drop oil in it, it puts excess oil throughout it in places that dont need it, or will build up with crap

[Amanda [Squeegee]]

The Egos are amazing, as well as the Eteks even, I think the only problems we've had with our team is: people not paying attention when trying to do rebuilds, people not reading their manuals, and I had a light die on my Etek. That's about it... and I think there was a small issue with one guns where a piece of plastic managed to find its way into the frame and was causing havoc (but I still think that falls under the user error category).

If you read the manual before you even touch the gun you will be good to go, Planet Eclipse Manuals are simply Amazing, and the manual is specifically for your gun, unlike other manufacturers that do manuals for their entire line since everything is practically the same. There are always the small differences to be taken into consideration and PE takes those things into consideration.

Plus the guys are cool, wish I was still talkin' to Ray regularly but I'm sure Ray doesn't want anymore 10 page long e-mails :P