Chris Schneck

I had such high hopes for this marker. An electropnuematic milsim marker that can run on c02, is easy to maintain and looks fantastic. Out of the box this marker is nice and light and was very comfortable to hold. Its covered in rails to mount all the bi-pods, red dot sights and lasers you could ever want. All for under $180 Canadian, was this too good to be true?

Yes.

I admit its first use was on a cold December day, but this marker is supposed to be able to run at <= 180psi. Its not that it didn’t work at all, its just that it didn’t work enough to use to play. The marker would turn on and appear to be functioning, it just wouldn’t fire all the time which is pretty essential to play paintball. Someone else in our group who had also bought an SP1 on boxing day was having the same problem so I’m confident I didn’t get a lemon.

Aside from the disappointing winter performance of this marker it is impressive, in concept. Maintenance was too easy, 2 Phillips screws on the back remove a plate and another hex key removes a bolt and everything falls out the back for cleaning. The Smart Parts SP1 comes stock as a true semi auto electropnuematic but can take a black heart board as an upgrade later on. The clamping feedneck was nice and sturdy and held a full VL Revolution nicely. I cant comment on the regulator and how it performed, since it really didn’t, but it is there.

All in all if you like to play paintball year round, and are using strictly c02, im going to recommend you pass on this marker. I ended up trading in my Smart Parts SP1 straight across for a Tippmann Custom 98 w/a.c.t. go figure that id choose a marker that’s about a decade old over something that just came out.

Paintball is a year round sport, indoor or outdoor. People who use HPA ( High Pressure Air ) are at an instant advantage during the winter months as HPA isnt affected by low temperatures. Those of us who use c02 in fall or winter are very much pained by temperatures near or at the freezing mark.

c02 is a liquid, that boils and evaporates at a low temperature, providing a cheap, easily available and relatively safe non flammable propellant for paintball. c02 works best at warmer temperatures and with ample space to expand into a gas form.

During the winter months, c02 is more inclined to remain in its liquid state. Although it still does evaporate, it does so at a much slower rate then in the spring or summer. Often with higher rates of fire this mean that liquid c02 can and will get into your marker, freezing and binding the internals and reducing the overall pressure supplied to your marker.

That “snow” you might see coming out the end of your barrel is actually dry ice, the same stuff you can use to make fog and the same stuff they use to pack frozen food products in during transport.

If your c02 tank is attached directly to your ASA ( air source adapter ) you will definately notice the winter affects of c02 moreso then someone running a remote line to a tank on their pod pack or tactical vest. This is becuase a remote line provides more space for the liquid c02 to vaporize and turn into a usefull propellant. Additionally, if you have a remote line and an expansion chamber on your marker, youre then providing maximum space for vaporization.

The paint you use during the cold season will also have a huge impact on your game. The same brand or formula you used in the summer, might turn to soup in your hopper when exposed to colder temperatures. Contrary to popular belief, cold paintballs are not harder paintballs. Cold paintballs are extremely britlle and more prone to being destroyed before they can get out of your barrel. Cold paintballs will also develope dimples and be far less accurate. Its important to consider a paintball that has been formulated specifically for winter use, this might be a touch more expensive depending on the brand of paintballs, but its definately better then the soupy alternative.