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Spyder VS1 Review

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Spyder VS1 Review

The Spyder VS1 Rewiew By: Colin Malcolm Smith

I have been looking for a light weight-easy to maintain marker. I had some things in mind that I made the minimum requirements that I would need. I didn't want an expensive marker, the maximum I wanted to spend at $250, nothing less then 20BPS, at least burst of 3 balls per shot, and had to operate on CO2. I didn't want to invest in a HPA tank since I already had a light CO2 tank and If I was to get a HPA tank I would want to get a carbon fiber tank because I am looking for light weight so the metal ones would only add a load of weight to the marker and require much more money that I didn't have.

I was looking at three different types 1) Spyder PILOT ACS 2) Spyder VS1 3) Spyder MR2. The Pilot seemed to be everything and more that I needed but I was worried about it since it's an older model compared to what markers are on the market today. The MR2 looked sweet, I really like woodsball so this would be a cool marker with a number of add-ons and upgrades, but it seemed it would have more weight to it then the PILOT ACS or the VS1. Which brings me to the VS; 1 the weight was decently light; it had 20 BPS, 3 burst, eyes, used CO2 or HPA and I found it for $130 new. After reading some review about it I decided to buy it. Always ask around about a marker before you buy it.

When I bought it, I was very pleased with it's weight. It came with a charger cord and its own rechargeable battery, allen keys, and extra screws and O-rings. Putting in the battery I started to learn the two buttons for turning on and off the eyes, and turning on three burst. It took a little to get use to for me because it was the first time I had to deal with buttons and lights on a marker because all my markers before this one where all mechanical (except my Impulse, which all I had to do was flick a little on switch and away we go). Turing off the eyes allowed me to dry fire the marker, walking the trigger seemed to be a breeze and the reaction of the trigger was great (test with CO2 later). The Velocity adjustment is on the back of the maker was simple and easy with a allen key. The disassembly and cleaning of the internals was simple. You can see just how simple it is here: http://www.spyder.tv/section/support/manuals/vs1.pdf

Now attaching a CO2 tank and turning it on, I filled my hopper with fresh American Procaps paint to make sure any breaks or problems would not be blamed on the paint for this test. The first thing I have to say is learn the led lights/menu. I shot a few in semi mode and it went great, the stock barrel shot with a tight patten and there were no jams. Then I turned it in 3 burst and shot... but three didn't come out. I shot again and this time there was a ball break in the elbow of the hopper. What? Then it would not fire. I had put it in the wrong settings, I had actually turned it to "eyes off", and then after the ball break I had put it in safe mode. So I had totally fooled up on the settings and with the eyes turned off and a force feed hopper the marker chopped a ball. After cleaning the elbow and chamber and looking at the manual, I refreshed my memory about the led lights. I shot about 400 balls in both semi and 3 burst all worked great. No breaks, no problems, walking the trigger was ok (it's probably my rusty skills), nothing mind-blowing but it did produce a decent rope of paint. I am sure with more practice I will get a better feel for this trigger (which is easy to adjust with a allen key). The feel of the trigger is nice, not too touchy nice size not too big not too small and is all metal.

The handle is a good size and easy access to the buttons on the back of the handle. I just wish the lights where above the buttons rather then on the side of the handle as you can see in the photo. The way it is now your hand is covering up the lights but you can still reach the bottoms with your other hand or thumb so during a shootout you might want to change to burst but unless you know the botton settings with experience you might end up putting it in the wrong settings and then have to pause shooting to see what the hell the lights are on to know what your marker is set on.

The grip is pretty good, it provides enough grip to hold on to with very little or no slipping even with paint on your hand but its something I think is worth changing if you can find a grip that will fit. I have yet to take a really good look but I haven't seen any that I think will fit.

Taking the grip off you can now see the board in the picture. There are upgrades for this; best to check out www.pbreview.com for information on that. You can see the battery and next to that is a tournament lock switch, you can turn on your marker and put it on semi mode and then remove the lock switch, this makes it imposable for you to change your settings for fare play in tournaments. Make sure the connectors are plugged in nicely when you put on the grip again (make sure that all the wires are inside as well not preventing the grip to close properly.

Velocity adjustment is on the back of the marker. when I first tested my marker the velocity was too high and there was snow coming out of the barrel with each shot, so its probably best when you take this out of the box before putting air though it turn the velocity down a few turns and test it with chronograph at your local paintball facility.
The anti chop bolt is good. Easy to take out in seconds and quick to cleaning. The eye covers are easy to remove for cleaning. So cleaning and maintaining this marker is not very hard at all.

There are VS body kits out there to change the colour and look of your marker available in Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue, they include a Feed neck collar, Front Grip, Eye covers, Low pressure chamber and Velocity Adjuster (selling for about $50). If you are looking to customize your spyder VS# marker this is a great start.

In conclusion I would defiantly suggest this marker for anyone that is getting into buying their own gear and wanted a electronic marker. This is really easy to use, easy to clean, and is a good enough marker that with experience it's a force to be reckoned with for this price range. There is only a few number of upgrades I think you should get:
First a clamping feed neck (this will lower your markers profile and keep you hopper in place more snugly). Second a good barrel (this should make a tighter pattern for shooting, thou the stock barrel is good). Third perhaps a regulator gauge (so you can keep an eye on your pressure- but that's only something nice to have). I would also suggest getting a good agitating hopper (something that will provide close to the BPS that your marker can shoot- perhaps the Spyder FASTA Electronic Loader, Halo TSA Hopper or a Reloader-B).

 

 

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