You see, the Tippmann Alpha is my first marker. I've read a lot of reviews about maintaining this marker and I thought that as a tool and die maker; I should be fine with it - screwing in bolts, springs, and pins. Matter of fact, I think there are not a lot of parts to deal with. It's just that sometimes, it becomes a pain to unscrew everything to get the marker open and clean it.

How did it perform for me?

Very well I must say! To begin, I played 3 full days with this paintball marker and I've fired over 2000 paintball and not even a single one chopped! And by the way, I was using cheap and low quality paintballs. And for the record, I was able to net 4 headshots in a day.

The magazine of Tippmann Alpha is beefed up with plastic - the same type that is used for X7. It holds 3 keys, and 1x3 inch space for anything...any stuff that you might need. As I use it, I never felt it getting wobbly, shaky, or moving around.

TIPPMANN Alpha Black Tactical Edition

• List Price: $129.00
  
• Sale Price: $123.00
  
• Used From: $125.00
  

What about the weight?

For me, as a fairly fit person, it's not a problem carrying a 12 oz tank across 3 feet of snow. Heck! There are paintball buddies of mind who had the same Tippmann Alpha with a 20 oz tank. And they didn't complain about the weight! By the way, these guys are more than 220 pounds.

What I love most about this marker is that it is built just like any US Army military simulation weapon should be - a tank! I accidentally dropped this marker twice, tossed it around, banged it off trees, and what have you...BUT I never had any problems with it whatsoever. As the manufacturers of Tippmann Alpha said, this marker is ARMY STRONG!

For example, you pulled the trigger 15 times, the Cyclone Feed System will feed 15 balls per second. However, that's just one of the nice things about the all-new Tippmann A-5. And if you're itching to know more, all you have to do is read on!

Using Paint - Well, I've used a wide range of paintballs with my Tippmann A-5...anywhere from Zap to RPS Evil. And what did I found? My shots are very accurate and consistent, and none of them ever break in the barrel or cyclone feed system! However, I discovered that I can get better accuracy and consistency if I use better paintballs.

Operating With Co2 - Overall, I'm impressed with how this gun works with Co2. The only quibble I have is that the performance starts to decline when the tank is only half full. However, this is easily remedied by using a nitro tank on it. This has worked great for me since this means I have more shots with the same amount of paint. Although it uses more gas because of its Cyclone Feed System, it's still better than using an electric hopper.

Tippmann A-5 Marker with E-Grip & Selector Switch

• List Price: $279.00
  
• Sale Price: $279.00
  

That's especially true if you're like me who always forgets to change or charge batteries.

Loudness/Quietness - When I used the flat line on the marker, it gets loud. Heck! It even gets louder when you put a nitro tank on it. But, get this - the sound that it made echoes. And that means it's hard for one to pinpoint where exactly your position is. In scenario ball, it's not that bad. And in speedball, it's even better since newbies are scared of loudness.

A Closer Look At The Cyclone Feed System - This is one reliable feeding system! I never experienced any chops with it. And it replaces a good BUT expensive electric hopper. It doesn't matter how fast you shoot, it won't ever skip a paintball! At least, that's what I experienced. And with the E-Grip, you won't have any problems getting the Tippman A-5 to shoot at lightning speed!

Two thumbs up for Tippmann A-5!

Being an owner, I think it's exceptional on 5 points - its durability, the fact that it has many owners, upgrades, it's Co2 acceptance, as well as the design. Let's have a closer and more detailed look at each of them...

Durability - True, one can argue that any paintball gun can be durable and reliable if you take good care of it. However, when I first got the Tippmann 98, I didn't know how to maintain it and which part to oil.

I didn't oil it for 5 long months, and to my pleasant surprise, the marker still works as good as new. I think this should be your marker of choice if you're a new comer to the sport, if you want to play from time to time, but don't want to spend a lot of time taking care, maintaining, and oiling your paintball marker.

Many Owners - The fact that many fellow paintball players own a Tippmann 98 is a huge benefit in my opinion. That means a lot of people can help you whenever you have problems with your marker, you always have someone nearby who can help you. Although problems with this paintball marker is very rare, it's better to have all of your bases covered.

Upgrades - You can see upgrades for this paintball marker on almost every website. Some are steeply priced. The cost I spend for upgrading is $600! Well, I love my Tippmann 98 so I really don't mind. As long as you're comfortable and efficient with your paintball marker, you should be ok.

Tippmann 98 Custom Platinum Series Ultra Basic Paintball Marker - Black

• List Price: $119.00
  
• Sale Price: $119.00
  
• Used From: $94.00
  

Its Co2 Acceptance - The Tippmann 98 runs excellently on Co2. Well, if you want it and you have the budget for it, you can operate it constantly on liquid Co2! Aside from that, the CVX valve is indestructible. Now, as a starter, you may not have the money for a good tank, which can cost you about 180 dollars. You can grab a cheap HPA tank for 80 bucks, although I don't think you would get enough shots with it.

The Design - The way this marker opens is just outstanding! It's in 2 halves and you can see, access, and clean everything in front of you. Although it may take some time getting used to it, taking everything apart, and piecing them together, I don't think this is going to be a huge problem.

The first thing you'll notice about the marker is its looks. It has the bearings of a compact version of an HK416 rifle. That's especially true with the shroud. And the design - it makes the installation of upgrades nothing but a piece of cake! Think about it - how easy could pushing out pins, sliding new parts, and using your upgraded Tippmann X-7 be?

Right off the box, I must say that the performance of this marker is good. As for the barrel, aside from the fact that it looks a little snazzy, there's nothing special with it. As usual, you may want to get a new one and replace the stock barrel.

What I love about the Tippmann X-7 is the Cyclone Feed system. I would go as far as saying that this part of the marker shouldn't be messed with or even upgraded. It's best left alone. I have tried a couple of cyclone upgrades with my previous rifles, and I came to the conclusion that it performs best on stock condition.

Tippmann X-7 Marker with Response Trigger

• List Price: $349.00
  
• Sale Price: Too low to display
  

Just like any paintball marker from Tippmann, I can guarantee you that the X-7 is just as reliable if not more dependable than its predecessors. It will work no matter what happens...whether you cleaned it prior to a game or not or if you have taken the parts apart, pieced them together, messed with it, and that's just to name a few.

It will fire a paintball when you pull the trigger!

Needless to say, it can take a lot of punishment...and still work all thanks to the magnesium body that the Tippmann X-7 has.

If you're a woods baller who's military simulation minded and you're looking for marker that you can easily upgrade, that fires like a true blue assault rifle, go get a Tippmann X-7. I'm giving it 2 thumbs up.

And when I found out that the Tippmann TPX 68 has been released to the paintball world, I knew right away that I just have to get my hands on it. When it comes to Tippmann pistols and markers, I never had any quibbles...just great experiences. And I'm confident that the Tippman TPX 68 would surpass even its predecessors.

And man I was right! Even before I fired a paintball, this easy to load, easy to gas up, and easy to use Tippmann pistol impressed me.

To test its performance, I set up a paper target in front of a sheet of plywood back at my garage. At within 35 feet, 1 round at a time...being very careful with my aim, this marker is laser accurate! I even saw 2 rounds of paintball going through the holes made by previous round of paintballs. Sheer luck? I don't think so. I was aiming as accurately as I could and Tippmann TPX 68 was more than enough to keep up with the task.

What about on rapid fire? How did the Tipmann TPX 68 perform?

I feel that the grouping at 35 is awesome! Now, I haven't tried testing it or using the Tippmann TPX 68 at targets beyond 35 feet. However, I have a feel that it will perform just as well. Keep in mind, though, that when it comes to range and accuracy, a traditional marker will always surpass a pistol - and that is largely because of the barrel's length. Never compare a pistol to a marker in terms of range and accuracy and expect them to have the same performance.

TIPPMANN TPX Pistol

• List Price: $219.00
  
• Sale Price: $219.00
  

This marker has a pressure valve that has been specifically designed to remove any excess pressure. That's what I observed from the Tippmann TPX 68. You see, pressure spikes can cause internal damage and the dreaded chopping. And Tippmann was able to eliminate that almost completely.

As for paint quality, I doubt that it will make a huge difference to its accuracy. However, if you can find good quality paint, go grab it just to prevent the chance of chopping. You sure want all of your bases covered.

Kudos to the brains and engineers of the Tippmann TPX 68!