The Paintball Guide

Thanks for visiting ThePaintballGuide.com, your source for fresh news, articles, tips, reviews, and insider perspectives on the wonderful sport of paintball. ThePaintballGuide.com is updated daily with a little something for everyone, from first time players, recballers, scenario and tournament players, tinkerers, as well as paintball business owners. We strive to provide information that you’re interested in and can relate to directly. If you want us to cover a certain aspect of paintball, whether it’s a playing tip, equipment review, or even taking a closer look at a specific segment of the industry, just let our staff know and we’ll make it happen.

At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Providing you with what’s relevant to YOU in the paintball world. As the site grows, ThePaintballGuide.com will feature more and more content, so be sure to check back often and tell your friends!

Tired of winning jerseys that don’t fit and last year’s overstock product from your usual run of the mill tournaments? The Spyder Cup is the tournament for you. This year Kingman USA, the company behind Spyder Cup 2008, is giving away three brand new Mazda3 Hatchbacks to the winners of the series.

So what does it take to have a crack at winning a car? Sign up and compete in one of seven regional "feeder" events using a Spyder paintball gun. The regional tournaments will be run in a 3 man, center flag format, with each regional winner moving on to the Spyder Cup Grand Finale. This year the Grand Finale will be in San Diego, California this fall November 14-16th and hosted at the NPPL World Championships. Don’t worry about not having the cash to get there, the entire trip to San Diego will be an all expenses paid trip for each team from the regional events.

In addition to the cars given to the winners at the Grand Finale event, regional winners of the Spyder Cup will also receive prize packages totaling $10,000. All in all, this isn’t your typical 3 man tournament. In the past 8 years of the Spyder Cup’s existence, Kingman USA has given out 15 cars to the winners. If that weren’t enough, many other competitors in this amatuer level tournament have been showered with thousands of dollars of prizes.

Listed below are the dates and locations for the Spyder Cup 2008:

Regional #1 April 27th - XPSL in Las Vegas, NV
Regional #2 May 24th - XPS in Syracuse, UT
Regional #3 June 22nd - NEPL in Boston, MA
Regional #4 July 25th - CFOA in Rock Hill, SC
Regional #5 August 2nd - The Badlandz in Crete, IL
Regional #6 August 10th - SPCS in Lakeland, FL
Regional #7 October 12th - XPSL in So Cal (TBD)
Grand Finale November 14-16th - NPPL World Championships in San Diego, CA

Go and grab your buddies and throw a team together and head over to the nearest regional tournament. If you’re not interested in playing, the events are sure to be great for spectators. It’s not every day you get to see teams battling it out with Spyders with so much on the line.

I’m particularly pleased to see the Rock Hill, South Carolina CFOA event listed as a feeder tournament. As a former sponsor of the CFOA, it’s great to see the series working with Kingman to promote the sport of paintball at all levels of the tournament spectrum.

The Paintball Blue Book from M. Carter Brown is a great way to see how much your old school marker is worth these days. Just a heads up though, don’t expect your DM-whatever year it is to show up on the list. The “newest” guns on the Blue Book hit the market in 1997. That’s before some of the kids you might see at the field were even born. Scary thought, huh?

This buying guide includes present values for paintball guns ranging from the Air Power Vector to the WGP Sniper II. It breaks the prices down depending upon the condition of the marker, with prices available for “Fair”, “Good”, and “Mint” conditions. Visitors to the site can submit updates to the prices as well if they’ve noticed market conditions are changing.

Just remember to check out this useful guide if you’re ever in the market for a piece of paintball history.

This came as a surprise to me, having been out of the paintball ecommerce world for quite some time. I was just trying to look up some information when I stumbled across the Xtreme Paintball website. At first, I thought the huge block of text at the top of the site was a poor attempt at gaming the search engines and increasing their search rankings, until I stopped to actually read the text.

Thursday, Feb 7th, 2008

Xtreme Paintball/Anythingxtreme.com is out of business.

Like all the paintball companies, we have been struggling for a few years to adjust to the drop in paintball sales. We have cut salaries, laid off employees, downsized the warehouse, hired consultants and done whatever else we could to improve and survive.

If you have an outstanding order, you can do a charge card dispute (chargeback) through your card company and they should refund the money to your account. To expedite your refunds, we are monitoring the chargebacks that our processor presents to us and acknowledging that you should be refunded in cases where the order wasn’t shipped. If it was shipped, we are providing them with the tracking number.

You can still browse the site, but payment methods are turned off so you cannot place an order.

Vendors and suppliers– please mail any information to us. We are in the process of having the mail forwarded and getting all the paperwork out of the warehouse so we can contact you.

Wow. Granted, I’ve been out of the loop, but I never saw that one coming. When I was running an online store back in 2004-2006 they were what I considered “one of the big guys.” I remember seeing their ads in magazines like PB2X, etc. Trying to discover a little more, I went over to PbNation and found this thread. Looks like another case of mismanagement. Too bad. Back in the day they were the place a lot of people got their very first gun or mask.

Check out Archive.org’s Wayback Machine to see how the site evolved over the years:
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.xtremepaintball.com

1. Play Pump

You’ve heard the old adage, “One shot, one kill.” Now is the time to experience it. Whether you’re a speedball junkie or woodsball is more your style, playing pump is a sure way to hone your game and have a blast while doing it. Borrow a friend’s pump or pick up a great new one, like the CCI Phantom which you can find here. You can also always pick one up cheaply on eBay.

2. Buy Local

I know, I know. I just recommended you go out and buy a paintball gun from an online source. But barring the items you just can’t source locally, try to do more shopping this year in your local store. Over the past couple of years, and especially more recently, the paintball industry as a whole has been tightening its belt. This means the local brick and mortar stores have been feeling the squeeze as profit margins have gone down and competition from online stores has been heating up. Help your local stores out by spending your paintball dollars with them. Although they may be slightly more expensive than some of the online mega stores, the level of customer service and support you’ll receive can’t be matched. Where else can you go touch and feel the product you’ve been eyeing and pepper the sales rep with a hundred different questions for upwards of an hour or two? Try doing that at an online store. Trust me, not many will engage in more than a 10 minute conversation at the most. Not to mention the after sale support in the form of free repairs and installation of upgrades. Service like that is hard to beat. Do yourself a favor and support your local paintball store.

3. Play a local tournament

If you’re looking for a good time with your group of friends, you may not have to look further than your local field. Many local fields run their own tournament series, and if not a series, they’ll usually put on a tournament or two throughout the year. Regardless of skill level, these local tournaments can be a great way to put your skills to the test and have a great time with your friends. You can find fields nearby using pbreview.com’s Field Directory. Check their websites or give them a call to find out when they’re scheduling their tournaments in ‘08.

4. Play in a big game or scenario event

There’s more to paintball than just speedball. Get out in the woods this year by playing a big game or scenario event. ScenarioCalendar.com lists tons of major scenario games. You can also use the Field Directory link from pbreview.com above to contact local fields and see if they have any events up their sleeve this year too.

5. Introduce 1 new player to the sport

It’s hard to believe, but you were a new player once too. Be sure to get one more person hooked to paintball this year! It shouldn’t be hard, just get them to the field and play…obsession usually follows. If we want this sport to keep growing we need to increase the number of participants. Get out there and bring someone new with you the next time you hit the field.

6. Help other players at the field

In addition to getting new players involved with the sport, don’t forget about the other folks that have been playing for a while. If you’re able, stash a couple extra 9 volts in your gear bag to hand out in case someone’s hopper or marker dies. Nothing can ruin your day faster than a crucial piece of gear dying in the middle of the day. Pay it forward this year.

7. Thin out the gear bag

If you’re like me, you might have a few extra markers just collecting dust in your gear bag. You’ve probably been saying you’ll sell it “one of these days”. After playing for over 12 years I’ve accumulated all sorts of odds and ends of paintball paraphernalia. Let’s make this year the year of the lightened gear bag. Unload all your unneeded gear on eBay or PbNation’s Buy/Sell/Trade Forum

8. Finish that custom project

Have you been toying around with the idea of getting some custom work done or even tinkering around on your marker yourself? Do it! Whether you want to get some custom milling, add some new life to your paintball gun with eye catching anodizing, or just try something quirky, now is the time.

Check out the following links to get a jump start on your custom project:
Paintball Companies that offer custom milling services:

• Elia Paintball Machining
• Doc’s Machine & Airsmith Services (if you don’t mind waiting!)

Try one of these companies out for you anodizing needs:

• A+ Anodizing
• Gruntbull Anodizing
• PB Customz

To get more customization ideas or talk to fellow tinkerers, you’ll love these sites:

• PbNation’s Voided Warranty Forum
• Tinker’s Guild Tech Forum

Looking for some quality, cheap paint for your weekend games? A new paintball manufacturer out of Los Angeles, California may just have what you’re looking for. Xtra Paintballs has two lines of paint out now, with an additional line expected in the near future. Available for purchase now are the Xtra Field and Xtra Premium lines of paintballs. A representative at Xtra Paintballs indicated the third line, Xtra Tournament, will be released soon.

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for: the prices.

1000 rounds Xtra Field - $17
2000 rounds Xtra Field - $27
1050 rounds Xtra Premium - $21
2100 rounds Xtra Premium - $35

All prices include shipping anywhere in the US. If you’re local to the LA area, walk in prices are typically about $5 less per case (ie, 2000 rounds of Xtra Field for $22 if you pick it up from them)

The next time you’re thinking about buying some paint online for your next game, don’t forget to consider the great paintballs from Xtra Paintballs

Are you a field or store owner looking to get ahead in 2008? Be sure to check out Paintball Extravaganza 2008 being held in Atlanta, Georgia on January 4th and 5th. The event is strictly for dealers only. Many of the industry’s top companies will be in attendance conducting seminars and offering tech classes for their products. Pre-registration for dealers is only $20, registration on the day of the event is $30. Business partners, employees, and spouses are eligible to attend the event for $10 (pre-registration price).


The following was lifted from PbNation:

Paintball Extravaganza has opened registration for their 4th annual dealer only trade show complete with dozens of the country’s top vendors and numerous technical seminars to be held on January 4th and 5th in Atlanta.

The 2008 Paintball Extravaganza will showcase hundreds of recently released products along with products from small manufacturers that you may have never even seen. Develop new suppliers, meet with current vendors, further your technical training and interact with other store and field owners all in one building without the normal distractions of a retail trade show. Some of the largest and best companies in paintball will be dedicating their time to help you grow your business.

Paintball Extravaganza will also play host to the largest paintball training session ever held at a single location. Certified tech classes will be offered on over a dozen top brands and taught by true industry professionals with a wealth of experience in their own products. Forums will also be offered on Air Safety, Field Safety and Field Design along with the always popular Business Owner’s Round Table.

All registered attendees of the event will enjoy a Friday Night Reception hosted by PbNation and Paintball Events Unlimited held at the host facility, The Crowne Plaza Hotel – Perimeter in Atlanta. This event, with over 35 exhibitors and the largest tech school in the industry, is the year’s can not miss event. See you in Atlanta!

Tech classes will be taught by Airow Gun, Angel, BT Paintball Design, Dye Precision, JT Sports, KEE Action Sports, NXe, Planet Eclipse, Smart Parts, Tech T and Tiberius Arms. Tippmann Sports will again be holding their Store Certification School for their dealers. This years Business School will be presented by Thomas Ghee and Greg Hastings. The Basic Scenario School and Scenario Planning School will be presented by “Mad” Ivan.

The current exhibitor list includes: Airow Gun, Angel Paintball Sports, Archon – American Paintball – Zap, Arrow Precision, Assassinwear, BT Paintball Design, Beoranged Germany, Catalini Cylinders, Cassio Insurance, Crystal Turf, Dye Precision, Hammerhead, Hard Corps, JT Sports, Jabot International, KEE Action Sports, Khrome Paintball, MacDev, Myti Sports, NSERA Insurance, NXe, Paintball Buying Group, Paintball Sports Magazine, Paintball Store Owners Assn. , Palco Sports, Pinokio Hoppers, Planet Eclipse, ProCaps Direct, Python Paintball, Save Phace, Severe Paintball, Smart Parts, Tech T, Tiberius Arms, Tippmann Sports and XO Industries.

Contact: Rick Chard at Pbeventsllc@aol.com

After quite a long hiatus, ThePaintballGuide.com is going to start releasing new articles, guides, and online tools for the paintball community. We are pleased to announce many exciting things in store for 2008! ThePaintballGuide.com staff are working on a series covering the entire nuts and bolts process of starting a paintball company. The series will feature everything from how to get the proper licenses, find distributors/wholesalers, build a website, integrate a shopping cart, source parts for your own proprietary products, promote your company online and much more! Each week we’ll take a look at an aspect of starting a paintball business and break it down into simple concepts and help you develop an action plan to make it happen.

We will also dedicate one day a week to discusses any and all press releases made during the prior week. With links to the actual release, as well as commentary from our own staff and other paintball experts, we’ll keep you abreast of the latest developments in the world of paintball.

ThePaintballGuide.com also plans to introduce helpful online tools and resources such as a shot count calculator based on your marker setup and tank size, an online comparison shopping engine to help you find the best deals, as well as a directory of paintball companies that provide custom services: milling, anodizing, jersey design, customized products, etc.

New for 2008, ThePaintballGuide.com will also feature interviews with both leading and up-and-coming paintballers and company owners. We’ll take you inside the minds of some of the sport’s craziest athletes and then help you get a glimpse into the future with interviews with designers and engineers that are developing tomorrow’s next hot products.

Hi everyone. If you were looking for the interview with the crew from UNC and some pics from the game day - sorry! We made a scheduling mistake and were unable to get out to the field to hang out with them. However, we will be heading out to Predator this weekend, we’ll have pictures for sure, hopefully an interview with a local team or the owners of the field.

Moving on to the scheduled article though, let’s talk about hydro testing. If you’re like me, hydro’ing your tank isn’t something you really worry or think about. Until you glance down and realize you’ve got about 3 months to go until your tank transforms into a large paperweight. Depending on your type of compressed air tank, it won’t need to be hydrostatic tested for either 3 or 5 years. Here’s an easy visual reference for Carleton bottles. Not all tanks are manufactured by Carleton, but their diagram is great for helping you decipher all the information on your tank’s label.

If you’re not sure whether your tank falls under the 3 year or 5 year rotation for testing, we recommend taking a look at HydroLab’s reference chart. Just take a glance at the reference sheet and you can quickly determine how often you’ll need to send the tank in for testing.

Unfortunately, just knowing when and how often to test your tank isn’t good enough. I’ve talked to several players over the years that have told me their tank was due for testing soon, but when I asked them where they’d get the testing done they didn’t have any idea. A few weeks ago, I was in the same predicament. I have an older PMI tank that was my backup that’s been out of hydro for a year or two. (Yeah, yeah, great backup - I know ) I recently sold my Crossfire 70/4500 and was in need of a tank. I dug the PMI out of the closet and started the search for information about hydrostatic testing.

As always, Google is one of my best friends on the internet. A simple search for “paintball hydro test” turned up several promising leads. At the time of writing, the first several results in the search lead to websites for HydroLab. They offer competitive pricing and an extremely fast turnaround time of 24 hours. I decided to go with HydroLab and couldn’t be more pleased with their service.

I sent the tank out Monday via Priority Mail (I live in North Carolina, HydroLab is in Washington) and paid for 2nd day delivery return shipping. Right on schedule, UPS dropped off my freshly tested tank Friday afternoon. If you’re looking for a place to get your tank tested, keep HydroLab in mind. You can also give your local shop a call, they can either take care of it for you or recommend a local company. Either way, hydrotesting your tank can be a painless process - and you don’t even have to miss a weekend of play!

The staff at ThePaintballGuide.com would like to take this opportunity to announce several new series of articles that will be running on a regular basis.

Starting this Sunday afternoon, ThePaintballGuide.com will begin featuring player and team interviews. Our staff will spend the day at Predator Paintball in Hillsborough, NC playing with and interviewing members of the paintball club at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (old site available here) If you would like your college club to be featured on ThePaintballGuide.com, just send us an email at spotlight@thepaintballguide.com

ThePaintballGuide.com is also pleased to announce we will be launching a series of articles dedicated to field and store owners. This series will tackle many commonly asked questions as well as provide tips to enhance sales and provide an even better customer experience. If you’re a field or store owner and you would like our staff to research and write about a particular topic, please shoot an email to industry@thepaintballguide.com and we’ll get started right away.

Be sure to check back later this week for some fresh content. Until then, check out some cool online paintball games.