Month: August 2018

How To Choose The Right Paintball Gun for Speedball Beginners

Paintball is a fun sport and hobby, but speedball can rack up the excitement by a few degrees. Even if you are just starting in this game, careful gear selection can make you an unstoppable force on the field. Specifically, you will want to choose a paintball gun or marker that perfectly suits you.

What type of paintball gun should you buy?

First, make sure to perform due diligence on any gun you are considering for purchase. Research major criteria like use, quality, and cost. Look over reviews and visit sites that handle paintball guns before choosing one. It may be prudent to rent paintball guns for recreation before settling on a purchase.

There are three major classes of paintball guns. Pump markers have their niche, but not in speedball. They are highly accurate yet require more strategy and time than what is suitable for most speedball venues.

Why are mechanical paintball guns so popular?

Mechanical markers are excellent for beginners because they have a simple design and are easy to use. They are well known for low maintenance and high durability. You can use them in inclement weather and muddy conditions without much concern for their upkeep.

When only the best will do, use an electronic paintball gun.

You will see players use mechanical markers in speedball, but even as a beginner you may want to invest in an electronic paintball gun to be on par with other competitors. Electronic markers can be fired much quicker than the other guns.

An electro-pneumatic marker utilizes a circuit board to electronically control the shooting mechanism. Otherwise, its composition is similar to other paintball guns with a small bolt triggering system and compressed gases. This electronic feature allows the shooter to fire automatic bursts. Electronic guns don’t require much force to pull the triggers, but they do require more skill to shoot effectively than do mechanical paintball guns. When correctly shot, electronic guns are among the most accurate paintball guns on the market.

Electronic paintball guns also require more care and maintenance than do the other two classes of markers. They have more adjustable and moving parts that periodically need to be repaired. Their complexity and components make them less capable of withstanding the rigors of weather or improper use than their mechanical counterparts.

Can you have the best of both worlds?

Electro-mechanical paintball gun hybrids offer advantages of both mechanical and electronic markers. They are simple and sturdy and yet they still have an automatic shooting feature. These guns require little pressure to pull the triggers, like electronic markers. Parts are easily replaced and electro-mechanical guns are less expensive than electronic weapons.

Before you rush and buy a hybrid as your dream partner in speedball glory, here are a few features to take into consideration. Electro-mechanical paintball guns are as noisy as mechanical paintball guns, and they require almost as much air pressure. Moreover, you will lose out on both accuracy and consistency.

How much does a good speedball gun cost?

By now you have decided the only way to respectably compete with your peers is to invest in your own gear. A paintball gun is a large portion of this expense. Even with speedball, you need to determine if your time investment will be regular or only on special occasions. This will guide you on how large of an investment you might make.

Beginner-level guns are excellent for beginners, as the name would suggest, but also suit recreational players. If you are a part-time or recreational speedball player, $170 is a reasonable price for a good low-level gun.

Mid-range markers will run from $300 to $500, and you can expect to spend from $500 to $1600 on high-end paintball guns. You may purchase a mid-range marker if your goal is to participate in occasional speedball tournaments. You will want a high-end marker if you are a die-hard speedball fanatic of course. These are equipped with features like eyes, regulators and programmable circuit boards to ensure optimal timing of shots.

In Summary

If you are new to the fun and exciting world of speedball, investing in a suitable paintball gun should be the smoothest part of your journey.

When Looking For A Pressure Washer, Always Go Electric

For most people, buying a pressure washer is something of a confusing process. Pressure washers come in a wide range of different pressure ratings and with a wide variety of features. One of the first questions buyers encounter when they go looking for a pressure washer is whether they should purchase an electric or a gas-powered one. Here are just a few of the reasons that, for the average buyer, electric pressure washers are always a better choice than their gas counterparts.

Electric Pressure Washers Are Less Expensive

If you go shopping for a gas-powered pressure washer, it’s relatively easy to spend $500 or more. Electric pressure washers, on the other hand, tend to come in at $200 or less. To be clear, there are more expensive electric pressure washers made for specialized applications, but an inexpensive model is usually good enough for ordinary household use. Even if you’re buying for commercial purposes, you’ll still find that the prices of commercial-grade electric pressure washers are a bit lower than equivalent gas ones, though the difference isn’t quite as large at the commercial level.

Gas Pressure Washers Require Much More Maintenance

The biggest difference between electric and gas pressure washers is in the amount of maintenance they require. Gas pressure washers, though they can produce significant amounts of pressure, have a bad habit of breaking down frequently. The gasoline engines used to run them are typically small and prone to wear, while the pumps they are equipped with frequently have sealing issues. Electric pressure washers, by contrast, require very little maintenance over the course of their lifetimes. In large part, this fact is a result of cleaner-running electric motor technology, which doesn’t produce the buildup that usually occurs in small gas-powered engines. Storage maintenance, such as running the gas out of the engine to ensure it doesn’t go bad over the winter, is also a moot point with an electric pressure washer.

Electric Units Are Considerably Lighter and Easier to Move

Also a function of the difference between gas and electric motors is the fact that electric pressure washers are much lighter than gas-powered ones. If you need to carry your pressure washer up or down stairs or put it in a vehicle to move it around, an electric unit will be vastly more convenient for you. As a rule, electric pressure washers are also more compact, meaning that they can take up less space in the trunk of a car when you need to transport them. A large gas pressure washer, however, can require a truck or an SUV to move, making it very inconvenient if you need to use it anywhere but your own home.

Electric Pressure Washers Are Easier to Use

As with any piece of powered equipment, ease of use is a major factor in the decision to buy a pressure washer. Electric pressure washers are among the easiest pieces of equipment to use, as they literally only need to be plugged in, hooked to a hose and equipped with a proper nozzle. By contrast, many gas pressure washers still require priming, choke adjustment and pull-starting to even get started. If you’re looking for something that you can use without having to get used to the peculiarities of small gas engines, an electric pressure washer will be by far the better choice for you.

Running a Gas Pressure Washer is More Expensive and Involves More Downtime

A final advantage of electric pressure washers is the fact that they can run for the entire duration of your project without having to be stopped. A gas-powered pressure washer, on the other hand, will have a finite amount of fuel in it. When that fuel runs out, you’ll need to stop, refill the pressure washer and get it started again before you can continue with your work. Having to go through this process multiple times during a large project can involve quite a bit of downtime and delay the completion of the project itself. At the same time, filling and refilling the gas tank on your pressure washer can be somewhat expensive.

For these reasons and many others, people looking to purchase pressure washers are almost always better choosing an electric model over a gas-powered one. If you’re in the market for a pressure washer, an electric option will save you money, be more convenient and cause you far fewer maintenance headaches than one powered by a traditional gasoline engine.

Electric Smokers Are Easy To Use, But Do They Stack Up To The Alternatives?

Having a delicious smoked meat or fish can make a meal spectacular, but smoking meats is an art all in itself. Traditional smokers use a variety of woods and pellets to keep the fire going. The fire then causes a ring of smoke to develop, which envelops the meat and infuses a delicious smoked flavor into it. You get not only the taste and flavor of the meat, but the type of wood that you are using when smoking it as well. Electric smokers have become all the rage nowadays with more and more people switching from traditional options like wood and propane to something that is much easier and even safer when used around the home.

Traditional Methods

Traditional methods of smoking meats and fish include using wood pellets or chips or using propane. Both of these have their pros and cons. With wood pellets and chips, you need to constantly tend the fire to ensure that it does not go out. While this is all well and good at the time, most meats have to be cooked for hours upon hours until they can be deemed finished. If you are constantly tending the meat, it might become a problem if you have other chores to do. Propane smokers can be dangerous just because of the gas involved, not to mention the constant hiked pricing of propane. However, many people who enjoy smoked meats prefer either wood or propane because of that delicious wood-burned flavor. That is something that you just do not get with an electric smoker.

Electric Smokers

Electric smokers are becoming popular because of how easy they are to use. Even if you have never smoked meat or fish in your life, there’s a pretty good chance that you will be able to use this type of smoker. In fact, many people find that with electric smokers, they are able to focus on other things around the house while their food is being cooked. The smoker takes care of all of the different controls for you, ensuring that your meats come out perfectly every single time. You might not get that traditional smoke ring and flavor when you’re using an electric smoker, but it saves time and hassle. For those who tend to use propane, you might even save a bit of money by going with an electric option. Plus, a lot of people have found that while electric smokers tend to be smaller, you can fit more food into them because of the different racks inside.

Which One is Better?

If you ask any foodie who smokes a lot of their meats and fish, you might hear that they wouldn’t give up either of their smokers. Electric smokers have their place and both cook the foods quicker and easier. Traditional smokers are ideal if you plan to spend a lot of time staying around the appliance and tending to its fire. Both of these appliances result in a deliciously cooked meat that you can pair with potatoes, veggies and anything else that your heart desires. You might find that an electric smoker is more within your budget at first and then you upgrade to a traditional option, or vice versa.

The key here is to make use of the smoker that best fits your food and meal needs. If you need a quick and effortless way to smoke meats, you need to go with the electric smoker. If, on the other hand, you want a more traditional smoked flavor and don’t mind tending to the meat for many hours, you will find that traditional smokers are better fit for you. Do some research on different smokers available to you and find out more about the pricing and specs involved with each. Once you choose a specific smoker, it is up to you to figure out how to use it both effectively and safely. Once you learn how to use the appliance, you will find that it is easier than ever to get that delicious BBQ flavor at home without the price that comes with purchasing these types of meats when you are visiting a restaurant with family and friends.