[unfated33]

The Tippmann Crossover has been on the market for approaching a year now, and I first got to try one out sometime back in June of 2012. My initial reactions were that it was lighter than I expected, much thinner than I expected, and pretty comfortable to hold, and OH HOLY COW it's got a bad trigger. A few members of the forum here told me about how you can remove one of the trigger springs to give it a better trigger pull, but I was already determined to hate it. I'm sad to say that there was a small part of my distaste for the marker simply because Tippmann had made it, but it didn't hurt that they were on the market for a price of around $430 when at the time it was directly competing with the Axe and Etha as well as some other higher priced markers. This was before the Reflex Rail, Drone DX, and Alien Invasion all dropped down into the $400's as well. I did say after I'd played with it that my biggest complaint was the price point, and that if they'd just made the marker $350 instead of its sale price that I would gladly pick one up.

And then I filed the Crossover into the back of my head and didn't really think about it again for 6-7 months. Around January, I discovered I'd had a change of heart without ever really thinking about it. There were actually a lot of things I liked about the crossover:

1. It has a simple blow forward spool design that's reminiscent of the AGD e-mag design. I've never owned a spool, and while I like them okay, I really wasn't interested in purchasing an electro.
2. It has the mechanical operation mode, making it the most expensive mechanical marker on the market (with the X7 Phenom). I'd almost purchased a Phenom last year for play but didn't like the bulkiness of the milsim body nor the cyclone feed.
3. It's macrolineless.
4. While Tippmann's not my favorite company, I came to find I liked Tippmann a lot better than I like GOG - the eNMEy being the other mechanical marker I've been considering purchasing.
5. It's a good bit more efficient than my current Azodin Kaos Deluxe - getting somewhere between 1300 and 1400 shots per fill.
6. The used market price went down like crazy. Locally, four sold in the past month between $200 and $250. That's more than a hundred dollars less than the price point I said where I'd pick it up! At $200, I can get a Crossover now for nearly the same price I paid for my Kaos Deluxe.
7. I actually liked the selector switch for safety and firing when I'd held the marker last year. It's a lot better than the pushbutton safety of my Kaos Deluxe or the Tippmann 98s at the field.
8. After playing around with my friend's mini, I found I didn't hate the hall effect sensor as much as I initially thought. It's not the crisp fun trigger of the Axe, but the Axe also isn't an e-mag or a mechanical marker.

I tried to pick one up this weekend, but didn't find one on the market for less than $300. I have a feeling I will have a couple chances to get it for under $250 between now and PBE.

Anyone want to burst my bubble between now and then on my Crossover crush? Have you ever had a marker that you initially hated turn into a must-buy for you?

[BurningPlaydoh]

Id take a Mag over it still TBH. I just didnt like the feel of it, but if you do then go for it!

[TechPB-Mike]

I find you end up liking the Crossover alot more, if you consider it a mech gun.... that can shoot electronic

If you consider the Crossover as an electric gun, you start to compare it to the Etek, Reflex, Axe, Drone DX, and it just doesn't stack up to those guns in regard to sleek design

But if you consider it a mech gun, then when you start comparing it to other mech guns, like the A5, Autococker, Automag, Azodin... then it starts to shine a little bit


The Crossover is one of those cliche's like - "The hunter that chases two rabbits, comes home with none". IT tried to be both a mech and an electro, and I think that just confused people.


But if you consider it a mech gun, then you really start to see the value in it.

[unfated33]

TechPB-Mike, on 19 February 2013 - 10:36 AM, said:

I find you end up liking the Crossover alot more, if you consider it a mech gun.... that can shoot electronic

If you consider the Crossover as an electric gun, you start to compare it to the Etek, Reflex, Axe, Drone DX, and it just doesn't stack up to those guns in regard to sleek design

But if you consider it a mech gun, then when you start comparing it to other mech guns, like the A5, Autococker, Automag, Azodin... then it starts to shine a little bit


The Crossover is one of those cliche's like - "The hunter that chases two rabbits, comes home with none". IT tried to be both a mech and an electro, and I think that just confused people.


But if you consider it a mech gun, then you really start to see the value in it.

Yeah, this exactly. The first time I held a Crossover was the same day that I first played with the Empire Axe. Not surprisingly, the Axe stood out in my mind a lot more. However, when I went looking for the next mechanical marker to own, the Crossover was a top choice. Its "backup mode" of having electro features is just a small bonus.

[cockerpunk]

TechPB-Mike, on 19 February 2013 - 10:36 AM, said:

I find you end up liking the Crossover alot more, if you consider it a mech gun.... that can shoot electronic

If you consider the Crossover as an electric gun, you start to compare it to the Etek, Reflex, Axe, Drone DX, and it just doesn't stack up to those guns in regard to sleek design

But if you consider it a mech gun, then when you start comparing it to other mech guns, like the A5, Autococker, Automag, Azodin... then it starts to shine a little bit


The Crossover is one of those cliche's like - "The hunter that chases two rabbits, comes home with none". IT tried to be both a mech and an electro, and I think that just confused people.


But if you consider it a mech gun, then you really start to see the value in it.

yup, as a pure mech gun its amazing. think of it as mechanical for semi automatic, and elecro for ramping/full auto work.

which, ironically enough, was exactly how i used my old Emag ...

[madsnipes]

But why spend all that money and use it purely as a mechanical marker?
Why not just buy an automag for like $100-200 that performs almost as well as a mech as the crossover?

[cockerpunk]

madsnipes, on 19 February 2013 - 03:21 PM, said:

But why spend all that money and use it purely as a mechanical marker?
Why not just buy an automag for like $100-200 that performs almost as well as a mech as the crossover?

i love automags and cockers as much as the next guy, but the simple truth is that an out of the box easy solution with current support, warranty, beats the hell out of having to learn to tech and find parts for your own shit. its also much more palatable for those just getting into the idea of a mechanical or hybrid gun.

in short, just because you can do something if you know enough, doesn't mean that a packaged easy solution isn't a nice option to have, or to point new-comers towards.

credentials:

This post has been edited by cockerpunk: 19 February 2013 - 03:45 PM

[madsnipes]

cockerpunk, on 19 February 2013 - 03:42 PM, said:

madsnipes, on 19 February 2013 - 03:21 PM, said:

But why spend all that money and use it purely as a mechanical marker?
Why not just buy an automag for like $100-200 that performs almost as well as a mech as the crossover?

i love automags and cockers as much as the next guy, but the simple truth is that an out of the box easy solution with current support, warranty, beats the hell out of having to learn to tech and find parts for your own shit. its also much more palatable for those just getting into the idea of a mechanical or hybrid gun.

in short, just because you can do something if you know enough, doesn't mean that a packaged easy solution isn't a nice option to have, or to point new-comers towards.

credentials:

I don't need to see your credentials, I've watched something like 90% of your videos

[tallsmallboy44]

unfated33, on 19 February 2013 - 09:59 AM, said:

8. After playing around with my friend's mini, I found I didn't hate the hall effect sensor as much as I initially thought. It's not the crisp fun trigger of the Axe, but the Axe also isn't an e-mag or a mechanical marker.

Actually, when you think about it, the Axe is very similar to an E-Mag, in terms of bolt operation.

[Special Ed]

The Crossover is a great "jack of all trades" type of gun. Unfortunately that makes it a "master of none". I do like the crossover and they shoot great (better then the etha in my opinion) in electro mode. The fact that they can run in purely mechanical mode is great.

Yes if you remove or cut the trigger spring the trigger really becomes perfect in electro mode. And yes you can hit 15 bps in mechanical mode. That's right 15bps in mechanical! However, I found the Crossover runs into drop off issues at that high of a rate of fire in MECHANICAL mode. It does just fine at those rates of fire in electro mode.

Tippmann is running a demo program with the Crossover, find a local dealer that has one and shoot it.

[unfated33]

Special Ed, on 19 February 2013 - 04:26 PM, said:

The Crossover is a great "jack of all trades" type of gun. Unfortunately that makes it a "master of none". I do like the crossover and they shoot great (better then the etha in my opinion) in electro mode. The fact that they can run in purely mechanical mode is great.

Yes if you remove or cut the trigger spring the trigger really becomes perfect in electro mode. And yes you can hit 15 bps in mechanical mode. That's right 15bps in mechanical! However, I found the Crossover runs into drop off issues at that high of a rate of fire in MECHANICAL mode. It does just fine at those rates of fire in electro mode.

Tippmann is running a demo program with the Crossover, find a local dealer that has one and shoot it.

It seems like nearly every dealer I know of is taking it out of their demo store stock. Certainly the two main shops in town have long parted with it. Those demo models are how local players have been getting the marker for roughly half price. Players doing resale of their personal used markers are still asking for closer to their purchase price.

That said, I shot it within the first few months of its release, and I wasn't ready to move on from the Kaos Deluxe at that time. 15bps is way more than I'll ever need to or want to shoot, though.

[unfated33]

I wanted to update this post that I did find one at basically the price point I was looking for (just slightly over with shipping), but I think I caught a lucky break after the eBay and Craigslist pricing I've been watching is moving back up toward $300-350 and there's sudden retail scarcity with no more stock at any of the local shops or used BSTs. It's interesting since it seems that Tippmann appears to be planning a big push of the Crossover again with this year's professional season, but sales and resales seem nearly abandoned. I do wonder if Tippmann intends to have a re-release planned and/or a 1.5 update in the works sometime during year 2 of the life cycle. I won't hold my breath for it, though - just curious to see Tippmann Effect compete with the Crossover for a full season.