Kingman Spyder Xtra Paintball Gun - Review

There are many paintball makers that claim they have the "best starter gun". For my money the Spyder Xtra is a great way to go. It's a starter gun that will hold up well under beginner conditions and will still be around as a "buddy gun" when you decide to move on to something else. It's also not a bad gun to have in the bag when you don't feel like feeding the electronic and don't want to slow all the way down to pump play.

If you are trying to decide between a Tippmann or a Spyder consider this - for years I've compared a Tippmann to driving a truck while a Spyder is like driving a sports car. There's nothing wrong with a truck. But if it's a nimble, light weight sporty model you prefer you will like the Xtra.

The Xtra is not a chore to maintain. Keep it wiped down, the barrel clean and put paintball oil in the ASA before you screw on the CO2 or HPA and it will last forever. Don't be shy about breaking it down after a day of play to clean the internals. And since you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for this marker you can buy some decent paint. Cheap paint will make a good gun go bad in a hurry.

No batteries to worry about. No expensive electronic hopper is necessary but a Kingman FASTA or Tippmann Triumph hopper will let you get on the trigger a bit faster than a gravity feed hopper will. Don't expect 15 plus balls a second. The Xtra is designed for an economical 5 or 6 balls a second - more than enough to hold your own on a rec ball field.