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Starter AEG’s
Most serious airsofters use three hundred dollar Tokyo Marui AEG’s with selective fire and adjustable Hop-Up that shoot 300 fps stock. For the people who can’t afford those, but either hate springers, or really want the feel of automatic fire in a 1/1 scale gun, there are “starter AEG’s”. Starter AEG’s are cheap plastic guns with internals only slightly better than that of mini’s. They are underpowered, break constantly, and are almost un-aim able, but they only cost about fifty dollars.
There are two major companies that make starter AEG’s; CYMA and Neonfire. CYMA is a crappy Chinese brand that also goes by the name Well. Neonfire is-believe it or not-even worse than CYMA. Their products are the definition of crappy toy airsoft products and are even more prone to breaking. Neonfire guns frequently use “hopper” style magazines, which means the bb’s rattle around inside, and the gun won’t fire unless you hold it level. KWA also makes some starter AEG’s. Double Eagle is commonly thought of as "another name for CYMA"-I thought that until I was recently corrected. Their guns are supposed to look a little bit better, and shoot a tiny bit harder than CYMA guns. CSI only makes a starter AEG from what I’ve seen-if you know of any other guns they make tell me. I didn’t know this until I got my Cheaper Than Dirt magazine yesterday, but Everblast makes several “1/1 scale fully automatic airsoft replicas” that cost a little bit more than the others. I don’t know if they’re better or not. Someone buy one and tell me.
CYMA/Well/DE:
-MP5J-$50
-MP5 A5-$30
-AK-47 Spetnaz-$40
-M4 A1-$90
-M4 Tactical Style-$55
-G36-$60
-Seal Commando Rifle (actually a Sig .552)-$30
-A version of the P90-$30
Neonfire:
-P90 V2-$39
-M4 Freedom Fighter-$60
-M4 Navy Commando-$60
-G36C Elite Commando-$50
KWA:
-M933 Commando-$50
Everblast:
-P90-$60
-M4 Carbine-$70
-Model 36 (a G36 with a silencer)
CSI:
-MP5 SD6-$40
-AUG Assasin-$50
-XM8 Sand Spider-$80
BE
-H&K XM8-$60
-Steyr AUG
Crosman/Softair
-Pulse R70-$50
From what I’ve heard from owners (on ASF) the KWA M933 Commando is the best starter AEG in terms of quality, looks, and range/accuracy. The CYMA Sig .552 looks and feels like a toy, but it shoots with reasonable range and accuracy. Its performance is similar to that of a $20 spring pistol. Neonfire makes the worst guns. They look and feel cheap. They shoot like $3.99 spring pistols and are extremely prone to breaking. If you’re going to get a starter AEG I suggest you get either a KWA gun or a CYMA (believe it or not).
As an update on this subject, I think now that UTG, BE, and CSI now make the best LPEG/Starter AEGs. Their guns are a great improvement on quality and power. You can now buy an actual AEG-with a little less power and not as good of materials-for less than $120. Avoid CYMA/Well, Neonfire, and Softair at all costs.
UPDATE
Recently, a new brand, UTG, has been growing. UTG makes good quality, reliable copies of more expensive guns that cost little compared to large brand AEGs. Since it's a new company there haven't been any long term ownerships, and thus, no reviews of older guns. So I can't tell you how long these guns will last, but the quality is pretty good and I bet they'll last longer than CYMA and Neonfire guns. UTG AEGs are also much more powerful and "professional" than other cheap brands. They aren't as "toyish" as expected for $100 AEGs. They don't have many guns now, but at the rate UTG is growing they'll probably have most common gun types within a year or two (of January, 2006).
UTG Guns
-Navy SEAL MP5 A4/A5-$109
-AK-47 WarHawk (Romanian Ak-47)-$140
The Navy Seal MP5 A4/A5 is almost an exact copy of the Tokyo Marui MP5. It shoots at about 260fps with .2g bbs and has a range of 110-120 feet. It shoots 800 rounds per minute-much higher than other starter AEGs. On www.shortyusa.com it got almost all five star reviews.
The AK-47 WarHawk is an amazing gun for the price. It fires 280fps with .2g bbs and 825 rounds per minute. It has an effective range of 150 feet but it can shoot 170 feet. 600 round Hi-Cap and 160 round Mid-Cap, as well as 30 round standard magazines are available. The fake wood is better than that of the Tokyo Marui and the gun weighs in ag a whole seven pounds! A CYMA AK-47 only weighs 3 pounds. The www.shortyusa.com ratings of this gun were good, but some complained about the durability.
UTG guns are perfect for the semi-serious airsofter. The airsofter who loves airsoft and wants to play seriously, but just doesn't have the money for it... Or the casual airsofter, who has the money but doesn't want to spend it on airsoft because he's not that interested. I recommend these over any other starter AEG. I'll even recommend these over expensive guns for people who don't play on professional teams.
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The Neonfire P90
Cost-$39
Introduction:
I see the Neonfire P90 everywhere. It is a very common crappy gun. It looks cool, especially with the silencer on, but shoots like crap. It is all plastic with a Hopper magazine that holds 400 bbs. It uses .12 gram bbs. It weights a little less than three pounds with the battery in it. ShortyUSA says it shoots 638 rounds per minute, but I think it’s more like 500. It shoots faster than a mini, but the range and accuracy are close. Anyway, this gun is not expected to last more than a month after purchase. My friend got one of these and piece after piece broke. The plastic cracks and breaks. Also, the motor sounds weird, like a toy.
Magazine:
The Hopper style magazine on this gun is really horrible. It holds 400 rounds, but they aren’t held in place or anything. They shake around. I would have some tested ROF information on this gun, but you can’t shoot for any length of time without re positioning the gun and shaking the hopper. When you start to run low on bbs it’s really hard to fire because the bbs roll by the hopper and won’t go in. If you don’t hold the gun level the bbs won’t feed in either.
The Battery:
The Neonfire P90 takes the standard starter AEG 7.2 V NI-Cd. But, unlike the CYMA, the Neonfire battery is square and fits easily into the stock of the gun. It lasts forever like the CYMA, but an extra battery is included in the package just in case.
Durability:
Being a Neonfire, this gun is cheap, flimsy, and easily breakable. The internals can break, snap, and die. A common problem is stripping a gear. Firing for more than 3 seconds is forbidden, according to the gun’s instructions. The outside plastic is flimsy and will crack if dropped. It feels like a toy, but looks good from a distance. According to owner reviews, the silencer is prone to snapping off.
Accuracy:
This gun has rails on it, but sights or scopes are useless because the bbs usually float up to three feet off target. That might not sound like that much, but when you’re shooting at a target the size of a person fifty feet away accuracy that poor causes a problem. The silencer does not improve accuracy of this gun at all. I think part of the problem is that the light .12 gram bb’s fly so slow that they are easily blown off course, which brings us to…
Range and Power:
ShortyUSA says the P90 shoots at 140 fps. I think they’re right. I don’t have a chronograph, or an airsoft field with one, but this gun barely dented the can when I did a “Coke can Chrono”. I don’t, however, agree with ShortyUSA’s effective range for this gun. They said that it shoots 20-25 feet. I found it has an effective range of 60-70 feet but, the bb’s move so slowly that you can easily step out of their path. As for the power, there is none. I can hold this gun and shoot myself in the chest with just a t-shirt on and it just stings a tiny bit. From 5 feet away it bounces off clothes harmlessly.
What other people had to say about it (from www.shortyusa.com):
“The gun looks fearsome on first glance, but your opponent will quickly find that it does not hurt much, except on skin at close range.”
“This gun is worthless. The mini AEG's fire farther than this. Though, like it says above, it is a good replica. If the mini AEG's are for toddlers than this might be for 5 and 6 year olds, considering that it is a 1:1 scale model.”
“All in all, this gun was ok. Its silencer broke really easy. The battery in it lasts a while, because it doesn’t have that much power. It can hold a tremendous amount of bb’s. I recommend using the strap to strap it on as a backup gun.”
“The P90 as seen in Stargate SG-1 is a very cool weapon. But, there are some flaws. For one you have to tilt the gun Backward when you are shooting, and it lacks in anti toy solider combat, BUT if you need to lay some covering fire on an enemy position, it works great. While your firing no one near you will dare move. The gun is very loud so that also installs extra fear. I do recommend gun lube to increase power. My only problem with the gun is the clip. As stated above, you need to hold the gun back to get the ammo flowing this is especially Annoying when you are standing up and you have it shouldered. AND don’t expect to load it quickly. It takes me forever to get a full clip but when you pull the trigger everybody runs, ducks, and stays low until I’m done shooting. (Even when there are no bullets flying out) But all and all I think it’s a pretty good Covering/spray and pray.”
If you’re wondering; yes, I did select certain bit and pieces of people’s reviews, but I took the bits and pieces that best conveyed the general review.
Conclusion:
This gun looks cool and shoots fast, but lacks range, power, accuracy, and durability. If you want a 1/1 scale automatic gun at a low price I recommend going with a better starter AEG. If you’re hell bent on having an automatic P90 because you’re addicted to Stargate this would make a good wall decoration. If you’re stupid enough to actually buy one after reading this review, it would only stand a chance in a CQB game against springers, minis, or other starter AEG’s. Don’t expect it to last very long either. It will probably break in half one day while you’re plinking around.
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The CYMA Seal Commando
Cost-$50
Introduction:
The CYMA Seal Commando, Agressor, or Sig .552 (yeah, lotta names) is much more durable and powerful then the Neonfire P90, but it still can’t compare to a real AEG. I have seen it used in games, and it can compete with spring rifles. ShortyUSA said that it shoots 645 rounds per minute. I tested that, clocking the time to empty thirty-two rounds. I found that it has an okay ROF-480 rpm-with a charged battery, which is good for mini internals, but that also means the mag doesn’t last long. Yes, that’s right; a real magazine.
Magazine:
Instead of a hopper like the Neonfire guns the CYMA has a thirty-two round magazine. As a bonus for the gun’s looks, the magazine has fake 5.7mm bullets inside. The magazine is a pain to load because you have to press a button in horizontally, and compress the spring to put a bb in. After you’ve done all that work to load the mag you put it in the gun and in about four seconds it’s time to reload again.
The Battery:
Like almost all starter AEG’s the Seal Commando takes a 700 mAh NI-Cd re chargeable battery. The problem with the battery is that, unlike the P90’s battery that goes in the stock, it has to go in the front of the gun. The battery is triangular and you really have to cram it in to get it to fit. I’d better show you a picture of this. Sorry about the quality. It’s on a webcam.
It is a battery made by CYMA and you can’t find them anywhere. Your chances of finding a second one are almost non-existent. Luckily, you don’t have to re-charge it very often because it lasts forever. Since the gun uses so little power the battery can last two or three games. But when you do have to charge it, it takes all night.
Durability:
This gun is far more durable than the Neonfire P90. That doesn’t mean it’s good. It is made out of cheap plastic and the vertical fore grip is prone to snapping of if you bump it on something. The internals don’t wind and sound like they’re snapping. You can fire it continuously without trouble, but it probably weakens the insides. Also, the latch that holds the stock in place doesn’t do its job very well, and the stock can pop open and swing to the side. Although it has its little durability flaws in the cosmetics I don’t think it’s the kind of gun that will break in half if you drop it. It should last a good year if you take care of it.
Accuracy:
Don’t expect to snipe anyone at seventy yards with this gun. It is accurate enough to hit a man sized target sixty to seventy feet away, assuming that the target is fully exposed and not running. With a short burst you should be able to get a bb or two inside the hole of a bird house, or nock over a Coke can. Past seventy to eighty feet though, the bbs curve to the sides or just drop to the ground.
Range and Power:
ShortyUSA says that this gun shoots 135fps with an affective range of sixty to eighty feet. I think their estimate of the affective range is good, but they probably underestimated the fps. I think that it shoots at more like 200 fps with .12 gram bbs. It has enough power to sting at close range. Someone can dodge the bbs though. If someone is more than about fifty feet away they can jump out of the way or duck behind something.
What other people had to say about it (from www.shortyusa.com):
“I don't even feel like wasting my time to give an adequate review to this piece of junk here. Can't shoot, loads slow, small range, weak fails to describe how much power this gun has. This gun is so intense; I could scare only the most seasoned wuss. Save your money, buy something economical and long lasting, like marshmallow peeps.”
“Well the gun is good it has many accessories with it. I play airsoft a lot and it’s a good gun to use but there’s only 1 clip and you can’t buy any other clips that’s the only really problem I have with the gun is its magazine. And it’s not even a speed load it’s the kind you have to push them down with like a stick but it’s a pretty good gun”
“When I got this gun I couldn’t wait to shoot it. it has good accuracy, but there was already 1 problem. The mag only has thirty two rounds, but it didn’t bug me too much. After a couple weeks the gun refused to shoot even with a fully charged battery. I opened the gun and checked it out and found the plastic gear by the motor was completely grinded away by the copper motor gear. So if you by any chance you should immediately replace the gears inside the gun so it will keep working.
By any means save your money and get a higher quality gun and save yourself the hassle of replacing parts of cheaper guns. I give this gun a 1 out of 5.”
“I don’t think the above reviews tell the true story, and the only way you can break the gun is smashing it into a tree. I had this gun since when it came out and still works great. I bought 2 add mags and gave it a green spray job. So how can you say its a bad gun? Abuse maybe? Don’t know.”
I edited some of these for spelling and grammar, but no one wrote long reviews for this gun so I didn’t have to cut certain parts. It’s all there.
Conclusion:
This gun is definitely a better gun than the Neonfire. Definitely consider this one if you’re thinking about getting a starter AEG. It would be good for CQB or close range scenarios. It might even stand up in a springer war. The quality seems good for a CYMA. Although it lacks in power and magazine size it looks and feels pretty good.
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I have the Microsoft Word version of this available. I had to edit the format of this a little to be at all readable on Airsoft Forum. If you have any comments or additional info for me send me a PM.[size=3]
