[mig-29]

hello, this is my first post on this site. but i`ll get right to it. i recently have returned to pb after 4 years. my last pb gun was a shocker sft. and i just recently bought an 012 reflex rail. its still brand new in the case, no balls have been thru it as of yet. i went to the pro shop to buy the etek 4. but got all misty eyed over the rail. the shop owner told me that basically the rail would shoot smoother and have tighter groupings, ergo my shocker sft, but i would also be changing o rings, and probably experience more break downs with the prr. again ergo my shocker. and that the etek4 would be less refined in most every way in stock form anyway, but be more reliable. basically, the shop owner said that if i wanted, i could return the rail and get the etek4 since they are the same price at this store. $499.00.
ok level with me, im not a newb, but im also not a gun tech. is this information pretty much how it is. honestly i just didnt like the trigger on the etek as much as the reflex, but triggers can be adjusted. i really like the reflex but i can remember not liking all the spoolie head aches that i had with my shocker. should i switch out for the etek4, or just keep the reflex and buy the etek later. i want paint ball to be fun, not a pain in the buttocks. sorry post is long. thanks in advance.

[PREDATOR 47]

Nooooooo!!! Keep the 2012 Reflex Rail. DO NOT switch it for an Etek 4.

Spool guns are not that hard to service at all, the rail has a much better trigger.

DO NOT get an Etek, keep the Rail. You shouldn't have as many headaches as you did with the Shocker, don't let one bad experience turn you off from spools forever.

I like Smart Parts, but the Shocker can be temperamental at times.

You made a good choice by picking a PRR over an Etek. So again, DO NOT get the Etek.

[Jjmunky]

I totally disagree with the guy above me. The Reflex rail is essentially the normal rail with a few things that are hardly worth the price. The Etek 4, IMO, is by far the better choice. It's practically an ego far a mid-end price.

The Reflex Rail is hardly even an improvement from the normal rail. Look at the both of them, find the minute differences, and tell me if you honestly still feel like keeping it xD

[kingJurzy]

I say Team Etek

[PREDATOR 47]

I stand by my decision.

Etek is deafeningly loud, shoots rough, and has a below average trigger.

Rail is smooth, has a better trigger, and isn't loud.

Etek is only good for durability IMO, but the Rail is also durable, just not as much as the Etek.

[paintballguy2255]

kingJurzy, on 07 January 2013 - 08:45 PM, said:

I say Team Etek

Ohh God...don't even start calling them teams,or I'll scream.Already had enough with damn twilight.

Anyways,I say stick with the rail.I use a matrix rail,which is basically the younger brother of the Reflex rail,and I like it.It is smooth,is pretty quiet,and very easy to maintain.

[PREDATOR 47]

paintballguy2255, on 07 January 2013 - 09:32 PM, said:

kingJurzy, on 07 January 2013 - 08:45 PM, said:

I say Team Etek

Ohh God...don't even start calling them teams,or I'll scream.Already had enough with damn twilight.

Anyways,I say stick with the rail.I use a matrix rail,which is basically the younger brother of the Reflex rail,and I like it.It is smooth,is pretty quiet,and very easy to maintain.

Well then,


TEAM RAIL!!!

[paintballguy2255]

*sobs deeply into pillow*WWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

[SCHULER]

bro im going to tell you what i tell every one.. hold them both, shoot them both if you can, and go with the one you like best. in the end its your money!!!

[CPS]

The thing he said about tighter groupings was bull, all markers and barrels will have the same accuracy. With that being said I would take the PRR, eteks dont have a good shot quality which is the selling point for me.

[marceldacs]

CPS, on 08 January 2013 - 09:08 AM, said:

The thing he said about tighter groupings was bull, all markers and barrels will have the same accuracy. With that being said I would take the PRR, eteks dont have a good shot quality which is the selling point for me.

well since the etek 4 has more kick and barrel rise, the grouping will be wider

[No Mercy Ever]

Basically, this is a spool versus poppet discussion. On those merits alone, you will find a million discussions. This can be a million and one.

So, what are you looking at beyond spool vs. poppet? Well, it comes down to what do the manufacturers offer. I can't say much about a Rail, as I have not owned one. I can guess, so some of these may be a bit off. DYE and Planet Eclipse put out a quality product. They offer rebuild kits, good manuals, lube, and tools. I guess the Etek is going to give you a case as well.

[mig-29]

first of all, thanx much for the replies. as for poppit vs spool. i really dont care. ive owned cockers, blowbacks,and spools and they all had their pros and cons. the etek comes with a hard case, and the reflex a nice soft bag. ive got a boom stick that will fit either one. i got $40 off on the reflex, mainly cuz its not a pretty anno one. the etek is the LT. i know both dye and PE are quality companies. so things are still pretty much split down the middle. except for the overall feel of the two markers which i have to give to the prr. but only due to the sloppy trigger on the etek. what i havent done how ever, is shoot paint thru either gun. just dry fire. but idk any one with an etek and if i shoot paint thru the rail then i might as well just keep it. i guess ill just have to buy both and use them for different fields and or big games. it just which one to get first.......arrrgggghhhh....my head hurts, i need a drink..ha

[No Mercy Ever]

mig-29, on 09 January 2013 - 03:44 PM, said:

first of all, thanx much for the replies. as for poppit vs spool. i really dont care. ive owned cockers, blowbacks,and spools and they all had their pros and cons. the etek comes with a hard case, and the reflex a nice soft bag. ive got a boom stick that will fit either one. i got $40 off on the reflex, mainly cuz its not a pretty anno one. the etek is the LT. i know both dye and PE are quality companies. so things are still pretty much split down the middle. except for the overall feel of the two markers which i have to give to the prr. but only due to the sloppy trigger on the etek. what i havent done how ever, is shoot paint thru either gun. just dry fire. but idk any one with an etek and if i shoot paint thru the rail then i might as well just keep it. i guess ill just have to buy both and use them for different fields and or big games. it just which one to get first.......arrrgggghhhh....my head hurts, i need a drink..ha

But that is all that this is, a poppet vs. spool comparison. You say you don't care, but other than the fact that one is a poppet, and the other is a spool, it does not matter which one to get. There is no clear cut winner, beyond poppet or spool.

I thought that you already had the Rail? If so, that solves that problem, as you already have it.

[mig-29]

i do have the rail, i just have not shot any paint thru it as of yet. and was considering returning it for the etek4. what i mean by poppit vs spool, i really dont care, just means that i can live with either one. basically wanted to know if the sales guy at the pro shop where i bought the prr, was correct in your opinion that the reflex might be more refined, but the etek more reliable.think of it like camaro, or jeep rubicon. which is why i posted this in the planet eclipse forum. it was not to start a vs war over two completely different types of marker operation. basically, i want a good fast shooting marker that does not have to be torn down at the field every time i go to play. been there done that. again thanx for posting.

[No Mercy Ever]

mig-29, on 09 January 2013 - 09:28 PM, said:

i do have the rail, i just have not shot any paint thru it as of yet. and was considering returning it for the etek4. what i mean by poppit vs spool, i really dont care, just means that i can live with either one. basically wanted to know if the sales guy at the pro shop where i bought the prr, was correct in your opinion that the reflex might be more refined, but the etek more reliable.think of it like camaro, or jeep rubicon. which is why i posted this in the planet eclipse forum. it was not to start a vs war over two completely different types of marker operation. basically, i want a good fast shooting marker that does not have to be torn down at the field every time i go to play. been there done that. again thanx for posting.

In theory, being that it is a quality marker, and a spool valve, you won't have to tear it down at the field every time that you play, but you will need to clean and lube it more often than the Etek. Spools are notorious about needing their bolt engines, or whatever term one wants to use, taken care of regularly, much more so than poppets.

But that being said, when I first used a Geo, it was on a team that was PE sponsored. I didn't really know much about the marker, other than it was PE's first spool valve marker. It had been used the weekend before, so it had one, maybe two cases through it. I was playing in the SPPL, and we played five or so games all weekend. At least a case per game, and in Nevada desert in the spring time. I never lubed it, and on the second day, when we played our final game, I shot better than a case through it, with no problems. It was afterwards, talking to a couple of the other guys on the team that I got help with tearing it down and cleaning it. They commented that it was the dirtiest spool valve marker that they had ever seen, and were surprised that it shot through the second day with no problems. It wasn't until two or three weeks later, after I had returned the marker to the team, that I realized that I had shot better than a case through it on that last game, and with a full 68/4500 tank.

[mig-29]

ok , i kept the reflex, and put the etek on layaway haha. i couldnt make up my mind so i just got both of them. i got to shoot the rail today and it shot pretty sweet. reminded me alot of my shocker. didnt shoot quite as nice but really close...close enough. still havent shot paint through the etek, but from all the reviews that ive read, and the fact that an extra gun is a good thing, i went and did it. could have got a DP G4 instead, but since i would have had to put it on layaway, i said @#$% it and got the etek4. i really appreciate the feed back, and the lack of flaming. nice site so far.