Your LPR and you

Sorry to those lurkers out there hitting my blog every day hoping for some news about FEP. Like I said in my last post, my company closed down so I'm on the job hunt. Not fun. I'd much rather be focusing on work and getting FEP going again, then stressing over interviews and making sure I have my tie on right.

Ok, enough of my drivel. Even though I haven't been putting in as much time as I would like lately, we've still been pushing forward with things. I've had to stop releasing CAD shots of where we're at since they started turning up various places I didn't want them to, plus we're at the point with our technology that we need to protect it until we release. Sorry fellas - but on the flip side, that means we're really working on some new stuff. Stuff that other paintball guns don't have. We're rethinking about the guns internal layouts and trying to remove points of failure. We're questioning every component in the gun, and asking ourselves why it's there, what it's used for and how it can be improved, or removed.

Ours is going to be one of the few newer spool valve guns that still uses an LPR. As a matter of fact, other then a DM I can't think of many other spools that do use one. And that kind of bugs me to tell the truth. What poppet based guns don't use LPRs? Like Spyders and entry level guns like that that need to run off compressed air and CO2. They need the higher pressure to operate, but with a gun that just uses compressed air, you don't. If you have the opportunity to dial your gun in to make it as efficient as possible, why wouldn't you want to? Sure, entry level guns where they want to cut out some of the cost they eliminate the LPR, like on the ION or PMR. For those, sure I can see the reasoning - but for a $1200 to $1400 gun? Would you call the GEO or LUX an entry level gun? No? So where is the ability to tune it in to your liking? If it's not there, what's the huge price tags for? Or are you buying the "name" like with a pair of Nike's or a Rolex?

Well like with most things, depending on who you talk to, you'll get different answers. I'm sure DLX/SP would tell you you're dumb to use an LPR, while Dye would tell you it's the only way to go. My question is, where is the data to show either way which is better? Well to answer my own question, we're going to do tests here at FEP labs and see the data for ourselves.

Once we have all the data compiled, of course I'll share it. I don't think anyone's done any real testing in the paintball world since Tom Kaye at AGD years ago. Why though? Well because most companies have 1 or 2 guys doing product design, and then have an army of people marketing it, which is also where most of their money goes outside of the pure production costs.

Yep, it's always about money. Get that dollar dollar bill ya'll. Wu Tang! lol!