The "tactical" rec-ball bandwagon
I played a little this weekend, thankfully. If you've ever survived a Midwest scorching summer, you know what kind of hell it is to play around here. You folks down south may deal with heat, but there's something about the Midwest that makes it worse. Personally, I think it's because there's nothing else for the weather to do here other than make tornadoes and the like, so it tortures us with extreme heat.
I went out to Fox River games to play, which is good on one hand as I get to bring my own paint. The down side is because since I can do this I experiment with off brands. For the sake of this blog, I was going to do a "rough guide to cheap paint", but after this weekend my patience with the stuff has not only been tested, but the threshold was met and exceeded. This brings me to this rant, in particular, about a phenomenon in paintball lately.
Many companies have decided to wake up and smell the rec-ball game. I like this as someone who does not enjoy tournaments, but I feel like many of these companies are giving rec-ball the backhanded slap to the face. They recognize the rec-ball market, but then unload the worst and cheapest crap on us as "Tactical Gear" for rec-ball play.
I'm aiming this specifically at JT, as they're the easiest to point at as the johnny come lately company to it. But they aren't the only company doing this. It's no secret that many companies sell to the rec market. I don't think that Tippmann or Kingman honestly thinks their products are real tournament material. They have stunt teams, but come on, really. But many companies have suddenly looked at the exploding scenario game scene and decided that was a bandwagon they needed to be on.
A couple of companies did it right, like AGD and Worr Game Products. A couple of companies never really left the rec ball scene at all like Palmers Pursuit, but come to think of it they have always made solid products and market them to anyone who likes quality. But now a lot of companies are trying to make gear specifically to throw into the woods player market. The problem is that, for the most part, it's complete and total crap!
So we return to JT. As we all know, JT was bought out by Brass Eagle some years ago along with Viewloader. BE was, in turn, bought out by K2. So what you have is a company that made a name in the ski market pounding out products for paintball. To me it feels like the time that AMF owned Harley Davidson? JT used to be a great company; but they got committee'd to death.
They've recently released an entire line of "Tactical" paintball gear specifically for the rec-ball market. I guess this is to say that the other gear they make, in their opinion, is not fit for woods play or it's too bright or it's something. I'm not sure. But take a quick look over at their web page, and you'll see that it's sort of the typical for companies trying to sell stuff to the woods players. A lot of camo on the page, a dark background, it's all supposed to look a little military. And I thought it was a cool idea.
I actually tried their "tactical paint". Nothing tactical about it, to be honest. The paint rolled out of a .683 barrel. ROLLED OUT. At least the round balls rolled out, anyway. The fact I hit anyone is a miracle, the paint fought me every step of the way. I mean, I had someone's foot to shoot at, and I shouldn't hit them with 100 balls from my Phantom at 75 feet. That's simply unacceptable, and I know it was the paint that refused to fly straight. Even on the chrony range it was all over the place out of a clean barrel. So I took the time to really look again at their stuff, and it really doesn't keep in step with what they could offer paintballers.
First of all, their "Tactical Assault" goggle system is something I recognize as the "X-Fire" goggle system that they've had for over ten years now. I remember playing in my old x-fire in 1993! In fact, a quick look on their main site will show you they still offer it as the "X-Fire" as well.
Next is the gear, a "Tactical" ball hauler. It is two camo covered 3 pod pouches that hold 100 round tubes. First of all who uses 100 ball tubes anymore? This weekend I certainly didn't see anyone. The idea of a barrel plug pocket is actually not a bad idea, if fields around here would allow barrel plugs. More and more, they all want the barrel "sock". Ok, fine, that's fine. So they made an innovation that was actually pretty cool.
But the real thing that got me is the "Tac-5 Recon" and it's variant "Stealth". Let's see, blowback semi, removable handle like an M-16, a feed port that switches left / center / right, and it comes in black or camo. Oh, and you can get a package that includes "JT goggle system (looks like an old school "Softstream" style), VL 200, BE 9 oz. refillable cylinder, VL Proflex squeegee and JT barrel plug." And this is the ultimate "woods player" package. Everything you'll need to play in the woods, in one box.
Look, who are you fooling? Really? The package has a pair of goggles, yes, but the protection it offers your face is negligible! I remember the soft stream goggles from back in the day, and I remember helping some guy with a bloody nose because of them! This is what I'm talking about. Instead of offering something with adequate protection and usefulness, they give us junk. The hopper, plug and tank, that's cool. I'll even be happy with the squeegee too. But it's still useless as a complete player package. Fine, it's a beginner's package, but can't you do better?
Oh, and under the main catalog JT sells a camo "do-rag" with a black mesh liner that goes over your head. And it has a big "JT" logo on the black mesh. Yeah, really tactical. The website photo shows black, but the real product has the logo on it. Seen it MANY times myself.
And since I'm on the topic; Why does JT and other companies jumping on the bandwagon all do their stuff "mil-sim" style? For example, the "Tac-5 Recon" will be coming out with a barrel sleeve to make it look more like a real firearm. Why? I don't want everything I own to be militaristic. I want it to work, and I want it to work well. I guess some people care and want to mod out their gear to look like a real gun, but I have no interest in it.
Something else I find humorous. Dave Youngblood once said he was proud that his company was taking paintball out of the woods and into the arenas. So what do I see of on paintballgear.com? CAMO DYE PANTS. Not C5's, but they're being sold not as casual wear, but as playing gear. Then again, I find it funny that tournament players scream about how recballers give paintball a bad name then rush to buy camo ball caps from Empire and Bunker King so they can look "old school".
By the way kids, a do-rag with mesh is not a "Sandana". "Sandana" was a company that sold head coverings in the style of do-rags but they were solid cloth material. A year or so into their existence they made a mesh-style covering with a sweatband to hold it in place. Wearing one does not make you old school or even look old school. It makes you look like you're struggling with your heritage at worst or you're just covering your head at the best.
But all of the companies jumping on the rec-ball bandwagon really pisses me off. It's like we're being told that we exist, but we don't deserve or want top end gear. Apparently, they haven't been to a big scenario game lately. Hey, major companies? Here's a clue-by-four across the backside. If you make a decent product that works in the woods game, we will want it. We will use it. We will seek it out!
Hey, JT? If you could find it in your cold, corporate heart to remake some of your woods products, we would buy them. Camo goggle straps? Please! I see you're still making the olive drab Flex-7 and Proshield, but can we get them in a color that will actually not stand out in the woods?
Same goes for the rest of you folks in the industry. I'd snatch up a Proflex in green if it wasn't so bright. I probabyl still will though. I'd consider buying a pair of DYE pants if they were in camo or subdued colors. I'd even go as far as to think about possibly buying a camo jersey from Empire or something, if anyone actually made a logo wear jersey that was useful in the woods and didn't have a huge white corporate logo (read "Bull's-eye") on the chest in center mass.
Some companies do it right. Spec Ops, AGD, WGP and others actually sit down and create products that solve problems that rec players have. But it seems to me that the majority of the industry is trying to jump on a bandwagon and make some quick money while the market is hot.
The industry needs to stop condescending to the rec-ball market. Instead of offering up the lowest quality product and slapping a "tactical" name on it, how about actually putting something decent out there? Just because we don't play arena-ball does not mean we can't appreciate quality. It's an insult to tell us that what we want is the lowest end gear you make. Would it kill ya to take a little time to research the woods style play, and ask us players what we are looking for in products? And yes, I'm available for consultation. E-mail me at tyger@webdogradio.us for more information.
All I know is that on August 13th there's a scenario at Fox where I can bring my own paint. Hell with "Tactical Paintballs", I'm bringing Chronic or Evil. It'll be worth the money.
I went out to Fox River games to play, which is good on one hand as I get to bring my own paint. The down side is because since I can do this I experiment with off brands. For the sake of this blog, I was going to do a "rough guide to cheap paint", but after this weekend my patience with the stuff has not only been tested, but the threshold was met and exceeded. This brings me to this rant, in particular, about a phenomenon in paintball lately.
Many companies have decided to wake up and smell the rec-ball game. I like this as someone who does not enjoy tournaments, but I feel like many of these companies are giving rec-ball the backhanded slap to the face. They recognize the rec-ball market, but then unload the worst and cheapest crap on us as "Tactical Gear" for rec-ball play.
I'm aiming this specifically at JT, as they're the easiest to point at as the johnny come lately company to it. But they aren't the only company doing this. It's no secret that many companies sell to the rec market. I don't think that Tippmann or Kingman honestly thinks their products are real tournament material. They have stunt teams, but come on, really. But many companies have suddenly looked at the exploding scenario game scene and decided that was a bandwagon they needed to be on.
A couple of companies did it right, like AGD and Worr Game Products. A couple of companies never really left the rec ball scene at all like Palmers Pursuit, but come to think of it they have always made solid products and market them to anyone who likes quality. But now a lot of companies are trying to make gear specifically to throw into the woods player market. The problem is that, for the most part, it's complete and total crap!
So we return to JT. As we all know, JT was bought out by Brass Eagle some years ago along with Viewloader. BE was, in turn, bought out by K2. So what you have is a company that made a name in the ski market pounding out products for paintball. To me it feels like the time that AMF owned Harley Davidson? JT used to be a great company; but they got committee'd to death.
They've recently released an entire line of "Tactical" paintball gear specifically for the rec-ball market. I guess this is to say that the other gear they make, in their opinion, is not fit for woods play or it's too bright or it's something. I'm not sure. But take a quick look over at their web page, and you'll see that it's sort of the typical for companies trying to sell stuff to the woods players. A lot of camo on the page, a dark background, it's all supposed to look a little military. And I thought it was a cool idea.
I actually tried their "tactical paint". Nothing tactical about it, to be honest. The paint rolled out of a .683 barrel. ROLLED OUT. At least the round balls rolled out, anyway. The fact I hit anyone is a miracle, the paint fought me every step of the way. I mean, I had someone's foot to shoot at, and I shouldn't hit them with 100 balls from my Phantom at 75 feet. That's simply unacceptable, and I know it was the paint that refused to fly straight. Even on the chrony range it was all over the place out of a clean barrel. So I took the time to really look again at their stuff, and it really doesn't keep in step with what they could offer paintballers.
First of all, their "Tactical Assault" goggle system is something I recognize as the "X-Fire" goggle system that they've had for over ten years now. I remember playing in my old x-fire in 1993! In fact, a quick look on their main site will show you they still offer it as the "X-Fire" as well.
Next is the gear, a "Tactical" ball hauler. It is two camo covered 3 pod pouches that hold 100 round tubes. First of all who uses 100 ball tubes anymore? This weekend I certainly didn't see anyone. The idea of a barrel plug pocket is actually not a bad idea, if fields around here would allow barrel plugs. More and more, they all want the barrel "sock". Ok, fine, that's fine. So they made an innovation that was actually pretty cool.
But the real thing that got me is the "Tac-5 Recon" and it's variant "Stealth". Let's see, blowback semi, removable handle like an M-16, a feed port that switches left / center / right, and it comes in black or camo. Oh, and you can get a package that includes "JT goggle system (looks like an old school "Softstream" style), VL 200, BE 9 oz. refillable cylinder, VL Proflex squeegee and JT barrel plug." And this is the ultimate "woods player" package. Everything you'll need to play in the woods, in one box.
Look, who are you fooling? Really? The package has a pair of goggles, yes, but the protection it offers your face is negligible! I remember the soft stream goggles from back in the day, and I remember helping some guy with a bloody nose because of them! This is what I'm talking about. Instead of offering something with adequate protection and usefulness, they give us junk. The hopper, plug and tank, that's cool. I'll even be happy with the squeegee too. But it's still useless as a complete player package. Fine, it's a beginner's package, but can't you do better?
Oh, and under the main catalog JT sells a camo "do-rag" with a black mesh liner that goes over your head. And it has a big "JT" logo on the black mesh. Yeah, really tactical. The website photo shows black, but the real product has the logo on it. Seen it MANY times myself.
And since I'm on the topic; Why does JT and other companies jumping on the bandwagon all do their stuff "mil-sim" style? For example, the "Tac-5 Recon" will be coming out with a barrel sleeve to make it look more like a real firearm. Why? I don't want everything I own to be militaristic. I want it to work, and I want it to work well. I guess some people care and want to mod out their gear to look like a real gun, but I have no interest in it.
Something else I find humorous. Dave Youngblood once said he was proud that his company was taking paintball out of the woods and into the arenas. So what do I see of on paintballgear.com? CAMO DYE PANTS. Not C5's, but they're being sold not as casual wear, but as playing gear. Then again, I find it funny that tournament players scream about how recballers give paintball a bad name then rush to buy camo ball caps from Empire and Bunker King so they can look "old school".
By the way kids, a do-rag with mesh is not a "Sandana". "Sandana" was a company that sold head coverings in the style of do-rags but they were solid cloth material. A year or so into their existence they made a mesh-style covering with a sweatband to hold it in place. Wearing one does not make you old school or even look old school. It makes you look like you're struggling with your heritage at worst or you're just covering your head at the best.
But all of the companies jumping on the rec-ball bandwagon really pisses me off. It's like we're being told that we exist, but we don't deserve or want top end gear. Apparently, they haven't been to a big scenario game lately. Hey, major companies? Here's a clue-by-four across the backside. If you make a decent product that works in the woods game, we will want it. We will use it. We will seek it out!
Hey, JT? If you could find it in your cold, corporate heart to remake some of your woods products, we would buy them. Camo goggle straps? Please! I see you're still making the olive drab Flex-7 and Proshield, but can we get them in a color that will actually not stand out in the woods?
Same goes for the rest of you folks in the industry. I'd snatch up a Proflex in green if it wasn't so bright. I probabyl still will though. I'd consider buying a pair of DYE pants if they were in camo or subdued colors. I'd even go as far as to think about possibly buying a camo jersey from Empire or something, if anyone actually made a logo wear jersey that was useful in the woods and didn't have a huge white corporate logo (read "Bull's-eye") on the chest in center mass.
Some companies do it right. Spec Ops, AGD, WGP and others actually sit down and create products that solve problems that rec players have. But it seems to me that the majority of the industry is trying to jump on a bandwagon and make some quick money while the market is hot.
The industry needs to stop condescending to the rec-ball market. Instead of offering up the lowest quality product and slapping a "tactical" name on it, how about actually putting something decent out there? Just because we don't play arena-ball does not mean we can't appreciate quality. It's an insult to tell us that what we want is the lowest end gear you make. Would it kill ya to take a little time to research the woods style play, and ask us players what we are looking for in products? And yes, I'm available for consultation. E-mail me at tyger@webdogradio.us for more information.
All I know is that on August 13th there's a scenario at Fox where I can bring my own paint. Hell with "Tactical Paintballs", I'm bringing Chronic or Evil. It'll be worth the money.
What's in Tyger CD player :
posted by Rob "Tyger" Rubin at
Sunday, July 31, 2005
1 Comments:
Tyger,
Have you ever thought about maybe starting like your own company or something? I mean, your a player right? You KNOW what it is like to have crap products thrown at you. Heck, you know what you should do? If you can't make your own company. Go to a company and show them what you think. Heck, even use this what you've written and talk about it. I mean, if you seriously tell them about this stuff. They MIGHT actually do something about it.
Personally I'd say you should start a company. If you ran it the way you'd want to buy from it yourself I think that you'd get a ton of customers. Sure it'd probably be a little more cash. But guess what? It'd most likely actually WORK.
-Echo
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Anonymous, at Monday, August 01, 2005 11:45:00 AM
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