Post by zero_sector™ on May 16, 2009 18:11:24 GMT 8
If you haven't been living under a rock for the past year, you probably know about a new airsoft paradigm called low-cost AEGs. These guns sport metal gearboxes and cost 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a true AEG, while giving close to the same performance and upgradability as their true AEG brothers. All of these new guns are clones of Tokyo Marui AEGs, and they have been getting better and better to the point where it is now hard to tell whether a clone is a Tokyo Marui or not.
This craze all started with a gun called the UTG MP5, which made its appearance in the Summer of 2005. Previous attempts to create a low-cost gun with a metal gearbox hadn’t done to well, as seen in the Panther Arms A-15 and Academy L85, both of which had too many problems for them to be practical. The UTG MP5 offered a good, reliable platform for an AEG for almost 1/3 the price of it’s Tokyo Marui brother. Since then, Well, Double Eagle, CYMA, and others have created other low-cost AEGs that are quickly approaching the quality of Tokyo Marui and others. It is necessary to note that these low-cost AEGs are not of the same quality as Tokyo Marui, CA, ICS, etc. What they have in performance and build they lack in quality control and durability. Do not expect these guns to last the same length of time as a normal AEG, nor be able to take the same amount of upgrades.
One of the absolute BEST things you can do to your low-cost AEG is to re-shim it. Almost every single manufacturer of these guns nowadays just stick a .3mm shim or two on each side of every gear (the exception being AIM), causing lots of wear on the gears and early failure of the gearbox. This is seen in a UTG MP5 gearbox that I recently worked with that had seen less than 1,000 rounds put through it yet already had 2 teeth on the Spur Gear broken off. Re-shimming of the gearbox should increase the life of a low-cost AEG exponentially, and a gun that may have failed at 10,000 shots would now fail at 20,000 or 30,000, depending on the quality of the rest of the gearbox. NOTE: Some newer low-cost AEGs do not need to be re-shimmed, but all of the older models should be.
I also recommend cleaning off all the grease used in the gearbox and replacing it with white lithium grease and silicon grease. Grease is almost always overused (although sometimes underused) in these new guns and is of poor quality, congregating on gear shafts and slowing down RoF slightly. Re-greasing your gearbox will give you better compression and less wear on the gears. All you have to do is apply grease anywhere where friction occurs (such as where the gears mesh, inside the cylinder and on the piston head, on the piston teeth, etc). Bottles of white lithium grease can be found at your local hardware store for less than $6 and will probably last you a while. Silicon-based cylinder grease can sometimes be found in hardware stores, although I recommend buying aftermarket cylinder grease so it is assured that there are no petroleum products in the grease which will deteriorate the O-ring on the piston head and cause poor compression over time.
Another very good idea when you purchase a low-cost AEG is to buy an aftermarket battery pack. Batteries that come with clones are generally low quality (with a few exceptions) and give the guns a low rate of fire and don't last for as many shots as they should. I recommend buying batteries from a site dedicated to battery packs, such as www.cheapbatterypacks.com (which I have purchased at least ten packs from with excellent service). Ni-Mh cells are your best bet, since they offer better capacity than Sanyo Ni-Cd cells and also give better performance and don't need to be discharged. Li-Po batteries could be used, but I only recommend experienced airsofters to consider purchasing them, since the only real choices for airsoft are 7.4v and 11.1v, of which the former is generally too low powered for most guns and the latter puts a lot of stress on the internals of the gun. Cells I generally recommend are Intellect and Elite cells, which both have excellent capacities (generally more than stated by about 100 mAh) and high drain rates while remaining quite inexpensive.
BRANDS:
There are many brands of ACMs out right now. Each brand has their own strengths and weaknesses. Here is a list of all the known ACM brands:
WELL - The maker of the first low-cost AEG, WELL guns are generally the poorest quality ACMs. Almost all of their guns use 6.2mm bushings and shoot well below what other guns of similar cost shoot. They use plastic bodies, and generally aren't as good as other choices.
Double Eagle - Double Eagle guns are a mixed bunch, with some really good and really bad models. They have definitely been improving, and now produce some of the best ACMs on the market. Older DE products should probably be avoided. They are some of the leading pioneers in cheap AEGs, and have come out with some interesting designs such as an original AEP and a clone of the v7 gearbox.
CYMA - CYMA produces some of the best (if not THE best) cheap AEGs. Featuring externals and performance comparable to Tokyo Mauri and great reliability, their products are greatly anticipated and well thought of. Their first guns, the CM027 and CM028, changed the way people think about low-cost AEGs.
AIM - A Taiwanese company, AIM guns are generally better quality and more expensive than other low-cost AEGs. They currently only have one product out, but are producing a wide variety of other guns that should be interesting to compare to other models.
Jing-Gong - Although the release of their first ACM was shaky to say the least, JG has improved their product line tremendously to produce some of the best quality ACMs on the market, along with CYMA. Featuring amazing externals and internals, sometimes better quality than even Tokyo Marui, at great prices, and shooting harder than some of the highest quality AEGs on the market, JG is up there with CYMA as one of the highest-quality producers of low-cost AEGs. They generally shoot harder than most stock AEGs (even high end ones).
Both Elephant - Although not as high of quality of other low-cost AEGs, both internally and externally, Both Elephant guns are generally of unique design and are very cheap. Their guns are perfect for projects, wall-hangers, or someone who wants a decent gun for not much money.
A&K - Not much is known about A&K, other than that their manufacturing capacity is far less than other ACM companies. They currently make an entire line of armalites, all of good quality.
D-Boys - Originally Boyi, D-Boys produces a few armalites, including an M4 and a CASV.
Kart - It is unknown whether Kart is its own company or working with CYMA or Double Eagle, but their first release, an M14, was almost immediately outclassed by the release of the Double Eagle version, which was both cheaper and better. They then released a v2 of their M14, which was re-branded by UTG and is very well thought of. They are currently in the process of developing more AEGs.
Bell - Makers of G3s, they design their guns with full metal bodies which are a clamshell design, making them non-compatible with aftermarket parts. Their guns are generally of lower quality.
Galaxy - Currently the manufaturer of one AEG, the MP5k, Galaxy is generally new but already well thought of as another quality clone manufacturer, easily competing with the best of the other clones.
NOTE: UTG DOES NOT MAKE THEIR OWN GUNS! THEY RE-BRAND PRODUCTS FROM CHINA AND ADD A WARRANTY AND ACCESSORIES!
NOTE: Echo 1 ALSO DOES NOT MAKE THEIR OWN GUNS! THEY RE-BRAND PRODUCTS FROM Jing Gong AND ADD A WARRANTY AND ACCESSORIES!
For more info, see here: www.airsoftretreat.com/forums/index.php?topic=19484.0
KEY:
Power: The FPS most guns shoot at (with .2g bbs)
Actual: SgtWiltan's actual chrono results (with .2g bbs)
Range: The maximum effective engagement range (the max range you could hit someone if aiming).
Accessories: Everything the gun comes with
Compatible: Is the gun compatible with Mauri magazines?
Gearbox: What gearbox version is it?
Price: What the gun usually costs on the internet
Description: A quick description of the gun to give a new airsofter a good idea of how the gun is.
Suggested Upgrades: Upgrades needed to bring the gun up to snuff with its $300 counterparts (performance-wise).
Reviews: One or more reviews of the gun
Overall: The overall thoughts on the gun. Sorted best to worst:
;D = Truly exceptional gun for the price, almost no problems
= Very solid gun, overall is great but nothing truly exceptional
= Pretty good, has a few minor problems but nothing that can't be fixed
= Fairly average clone
= Slightly below average, has enough problems to cause some serious problems
= Below average, needs some serious work out of the box
= Very bad gun, better find a better alternative
= Pretty much terrible all-around, avoid at all costs
QUICK PICKS:
CQB: New JG MP5 Series, JG Spetz
WOODLAND: JG Armalites, CM031, DE M14
MP5: New JG MP5 Series
ARMALITE: JG Armalite Series (D-Boys M4 if you are a techie)
G3: JG G36C
KALASHNIKOV: CM031, JG Spetz
OTHER: DE M14
SIDEARM: CM030
MY OPINION ON CLONES
This debate has been raging ever since the release of the very first clone: do clones offer enough for the price that they are actually better buys over higher-end guns? There are many sides to this debate: some say that clones will never reach Tokyo Marui quality, some say that they already have and they have overtaken TM in the United States.
This is my personal opinion: most clones are not yet good enough to say that they are a better buy over any high end AEG. Newer clones are offering externals that are claimed to be almost identical to Tokyo Marui or the gun that they are copying, as well as internals that some of the time are made out of better materials. All of this is true; new clones offer great externals (minus trademarks) and generally have steel gears and are now sometimes offering metal bushings and metal spring guides stock. However, it is not the parts that necessarily make the gun good, it's the way they are assembled.
I will use the company SRC as an analogy. SRC full metal M4s, on paper, are superior to Tokyo Marui M4s. They offer reinforced gearboxes, metal bushings, a one-piece metal hop-up unit, a tightbore barrel, and shoot at a higher velocity than Tokyo Maruis. All of this is offered at a very reasonable cost as well. However, SRC guns are not assembled nearly as well as a Marui. They generally have bodies that have gaps in them, bad hop-up rubbers, bad shimming in the gearbox, and gears that strip very easily.
This is true for many clones too. Although they offer very similar and sometimes superior parts than the gun they are copying, they are not assembled as well. Marui was the inventor of the AEG, and therefore have more experience in developing AEGs than any other company. They know how to design and manufacture a product that will last a very long time, survive tons of abuse, and shoot very well as long as basic maintenance is performed. Every part of a Marui works perfectly with the parts around it, and therefore gun operation is smooth and precise.
Clones are not assembled nearly as well as higher end guns. Assembly is generally crude, and the parts, especially in the gearbox, are fairly generic do not fit together as well as parts that are designed to work with each other. This causes for a louder, cruder, looser feeling product. Some very common aspects of clones that do not meet the expectations of higher end guns are the hop-up rubber, the O-ring, the shimming in the gearbox, and the greasing of the gearbox.
There are far more lemons in ACM guns than there are in higher end guns as well. There is generally a much wider time frame of failure for cheaper AEGs; some may fail in the first 1,000 rounds due to poor shimming or a faulty part, while some may shoot for over 200,000 rounds without a single problem. Due to this fact, reliability in clones are always in question and do not offer the peace of mind in terms of reliability that a higher end model would give you. I have personally seen 3 sets of XYT steel gears that were claimed to be "better" than Marui gear sets that have been deformed. Some gears had shafts that were bent, and in others the actual gears themselves were severely deformed and not cast properly. That sort of thing would almost never happen in a higher end gun.
One aspect people also have to realize is the fact that Marui AEGs differ greatly in build depending on when they were designed and manufactured. For instance, if one were to feel the very first AEG, the TM FAMAS, and then feel the TM SOC16, I doubt they would ever think that the two guns came from the same company. This has to be taken into account when comparing a clone to a Marui, as it would be quite easy for a company to clone a superior FAMAS.
I have been comparing clones with Marui guns this whole time, as that is generally what they are cloned from and therefore compared to. There is also the issue of comparing clones to guns that are considered higher end than Marui, generally Classic Army, ICS/AE, G&P, STAR, VFC, etc. These guns generally need more maintenance than a Marui gun, but offer far superior parts and externals than Marui, and blow all ACMs out of the water. There is no comparison between a G&P M4 and a JG M4, they are in completely separate categories. It is common knowledge, even among the ignorant on these forums, that clones should not be compared to guns one step up from Marui.
Now there are tons of good things about clones as well that many people believe to make them superior to Marui products. The obvious fact is that they are significantly cheaper and almost always come with everything one needs to start playing airsoft immediately. There are multiple legitimate reasons why people should buy clones:
1) Loaner guns for new players to get into the sport
2) Base guns for both external mods and internal rehauls
3) Temporary guns for those who wish to see if they enjoy playing airsoft
4) To satisfy a craving for a certain style of gun that one will not skirmish with often and therefore does not wish to spend big $$$ on
Clones should NOT be purchased to:
1) Compete with higher end guns on fields
2) To substitute a higher-end gun in an arsenal (unless worked on)
As said above, one of the main attractions of low-cost AEGs is for people who wish to tinker with their guns. For external mods, most do not wish to cut up a $300+ gun, so it is very nice to have the piece of mind that the gun you are hacking up only set you back $100. Also, for people who would replace almost every part of the internals anyway, clones with good externals make a very good base, as the internal reliability is negated by the fact that the whole thing will pretty much be gutted anyway. It is far cheaper to gut a $100 gun and replace all the internals than gut a $300 and replace all the internals, which pretty much negates any advantage the higher end gun would have in the first place.
Note that these are my opinions after working on and owning numerous low-cost AEGs and high end guns. I know many people may disagree with some of my opinions, they are welcome to debate this, but not in this topic. Please keep "clone vs TM" debates outside of this thread, thank you.
-Crimson's Note- I actually believe that there are certain clones that are actually worthy of competing with TM guns and other high-ends, and the general trend in quality has been steadily increasing. I expect to see ACM's and other middle-priced guns coming out within a few years that are as high-quality or better quality than TM, and eventually perhaps JG and some of the other top-line ACM companies will be competitive with higher-end guns. Some things that I'd like to see--licensing for trademarks (one of the external aesthetic things that really makes a high-end worth it), better externals (which they're already working on, with many companies beginning to release stamped steel bodies), and perhaps more contact with the customers. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt JG to have a representative or two who has a presence on various airsoft forums.
This craze all started with a gun called the UTG MP5, which made its appearance in the Summer of 2005. Previous attempts to create a low-cost gun with a metal gearbox hadn’t done to well, as seen in the Panther Arms A-15 and Academy L85, both of which had too many problems for them to be practical. The UTG MP5 offered a good, reliable platform for an AEG for almost 1/3 the price of it’s Tokyo Marui brother. Since then, Well, Double Eagle, CYMA, and others have created other low-cost AEGs that are quickly approaching the quality of Tokyo Marui and others. It is necessary to note that these low-cost AEGs are not of the same quality as Tokyo Marui, CA, ICS, etc. What they have in performance and build they lack in quality control and durability. Do not expect these guns to last the same length of time as a normal AEG, nor be able to take the same amount of upgrades.
One of the absolute BEST things you can do to your low-cost AEG is to re-shim it. Almost every single manufacturer of these guns nowadays just stick a .3mm shim or two on each side of every gear (the exception being AIM), causing lots of wear on the gears and early failure of the gearbox. This is seen in a UTG MP5 gearbox that I recently worked with that had seen less than 1,000 rounds put through it yet already had 2 teeth on the Spur Gear broken off. Re-shimming of the gearbox should increase the life of a low-cost AEG exponentially, and a gun that may have failed at 10,000 shots would now fail at 20,000 or 30,000, depending on the quality of the rest of the gearbox. NOTE: Some newer low-cost AEGs do not need to be re-shimmed, but all of the older models should be.
I also recommend cleaning off all the grease used in the gearbox and replacing it with white lithium grease and silicon grease. Grease is almost always overused (although sometimes underused) in these new guns and is of poor quality, congregating on gear shafts and slowing down RoF slightly. Re-greasing your gearbox will give you better compression and less wear on the gears. All you have to do is apply grease anywhere where friction occurs (such as where the gears mesh, inside the cylinder and on the piston head, on the piston teeth, etc). Bottles of white lithium grease can be found at your local hardware store for less than $6 and will probably last you a while. Silicon-based cylinder grease can sometimes be found in hardware stores, although I recommend buying aftermarket cylinder grease so it is assured that there are no petroleum products in the grease which will deteriorate the O-ring on the piston head and cause poor compression over time.
Another very good idea when you purchase a low-cost AEG is to buy an aftermarket battery pack. Batteries that come with clones are generally low quality (with a few exceptions) and give the guns a low rate of fire and don't last for as many shots as they should. I recommend buying batteries from a site dedicated to battery packs, such as www.cheapbatterypacks.com (which I have purchased at least ten packs from with excellent service). Ni-Mh cells are your best bet, since they offer better capacity than Sanyo Ni-Cd cells and also give better performance and don't need to be discharged. Li-Po batteries could be used, but I only recommend experienced airsofters to consider purchasing them, since the only real choices for airsoft are 7.4v and 11.1v, of which the former is generally too low powered for most guns and the latter puts a lot of stress on the internals of the gun. Cells I generally recommend are Intellect and Elite cells, which both have excellent capacities (generally more than stated by about 100 mAh) and high drain rates while remaining quite inexpensive.
BRANDS:
There are many brands of ACMs out right now. Each brand has their own strengths and weaknesses. Here is a list of all the known ACM brands:
WELL - The maker of the first low-cost AEG, WELL guns are generally the poorest quality ACMs. Almost all of their guns use 6.2mm bushings and shoot well below what other guns of similar cost shoot. They use plastic bodies, and generally aren't as good as other choices.
Double Eagle - Double Eagle guns are a mixed bunch, with some really good and really bad models. They have definitely been improving, and now produce some of the best ACMs on the market. Older DE products should probably be avoided. They are some of the leading pioneers in cheap AEGs, and have come out with some interesting designs such as an original AEP and a clone of the v7 gearbox.
CYMA - CYMA produces some of the best (if not THE best) cheap AEGs. Featuring externals and performance comparable to Tokyo Mauri and great reliability, their products are greatly anticipated and well thought of. Their first guns, the CM027 and CM028, changed the way people think about low-cost AEGs.
AIM - A Taiwanese company, AIM guns are generally better quality and more expensive than other low-cost AEGs. They currently only have one product out, but are producing a wide variety of other guns that should be interesting to compare to other models.
Jing-Gong - Although the release of their first ACM was shaky to say the least, JG has improved their product line tremendously to produce some of the best quality ACMs on the market, along with CYMA. Featuring amazing externals and internals, sometimes better quality than even Tokyo Marui, at great prices, and shooting harder than some of the highest quality AEGs on the market, JG is up there with CYMA as one of the highest-quality producers of low-cost AEGs. They generally shoot harder than most stock AEGs (even high end ones).
Both Elephant - Although not as high of quality of other low-cost AEGs, both internally and externally, Both Elephant guns are generally of unique design and are very cheap. Their guns are perfect for projects, wall-hangers, or someone who wants a decent gun for not much money.
A&K - Not much is known about A&K, other than that their manufacturing capacity is far less than other ACM companies. They currently make an entire line of armalites, all of good quality.
D-Boys - Originally Boyi, D-Boys produces a few armalites, including an M4 and a CASV.
Kart - It is unknown whether Kart is its own company or working with CYMA or Double Eagle, but their first release, an M14, was almost immediately outclassed by the release of the Double Eagle version, which was both cheaper and better. They then released a v2 of their M14, which was re-branded by UTG and is very well thought of. They are currently in the process of developing more AEGs.
Bell - Makers of G3s, they design their guns with full metal bodies which are a clamshell design, making them non-compatible with aftermarket parts. Their guns are generally of lower quality.
Galaxy - Currently the manufaturer of one AEG, the MP5k, Galaxy is generally new but already well thought of as another quality clone manufacturer, easily competing with the best of the other clones.
NOTE: UTG DOES NOT MAKE THEIR OWN GUNS! THEY RE-BRAND PRODUCTS FROM CHINA AND ADD A WARRANTY AND ACCESSORIES!
NOTE: Echo 1 ALSO DOES NOT MAKE THEIR OWN GUNS! THEY RE-BRAND PRODUCTS FROM Jing Gong AND ADD A WARRANTY AND ACCESSORIES!
For more info, see here: www.airsoftretreat.com/forums/index.php?topic=19484.0
KEY:
Power: The FPS most guns shoot at (with .2g bbs)
Actual: SgtWiltan's actual chrono results (with .2g bbs)
Range: The maximum effective engagement range (the max range you could hit someone if aiming).
Accessories: Everything the gun comes with
Compatible: Is the gun compatible with Mauri magazines?
Gearbox: What gearbox version is it?
Price: What the gun usually costs on the internet
Description: A quick description of the gun to give a new airsofter a good idea of how the gun is.
Suggested Upgrades: Upgrades needed to bring the gun up to snuff with its $300 counterparts (performance-wise).
Reviews: One or more reviews of the gun
Overall: The overall thoughts on the gun. Sorted best to worst:
;D = Truly exceptional gun for the price, almost no problems
![:D](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png)
![8-)](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cool.png)
![:)](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
![:P](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png)
![???](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png)
![>:(](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/angry.png)
![:'(](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cry.png)
QUICK PICKS:
CQB: New JG MP5 Series, JG Spetz
WOODLAND: JG Armalites, CM031, DE M14
MP5: New JG MP5 Series
ARMALITE: JG Armalite Series (D-Boys M4 if you are a techie)
G3: JG G36C
KALASHNIKOV: CM031, JG Spetz
OTHER: DE M14
SIDEARM: CM030
MY OPINION ON CLONES
This debate has been raging ever since the release of the very first clone: do clones offer enough for the price that they are actually better buys over higher-end guns? There are many sides to this debate: some say that clones will never reach Tokyo Marui quality, some say that they already have and they have overtaken TM in the United States.
This is my personal opinion: most clones are not yet good enough to say that they are a better buy over any high end AEG. Newer clones are offering externals that are claimed to be almost identical to Tokyo Marui or the gun that they are copying, as well as internals that some of the time are made out of better materials. All of this is true; new clones offer great externals (minus trademarks) and generally have steel gears and are now sometimes offering metal bushings and metal spring guides stock. However, it is not the parts that necessarily make the gun good, it's the way they are assembled.
I will use the company SRC as an analogy. SRC full metal M4s, on paper, are superior to Tokyo Marui M4s. They offer reinforced gearboxes, metal bushings, a one-piece metal hop-up unit, a tightbore barrel, and shoot at a higher velocity than Tokyo Maruis. All of this is offered at a very reasonable cost as well. However, SRC guns are not assembled nearly as well as a Marui. They generally have bodies that have gaps in them, bad hop-up rubbers, bad shimming in the gearbox, and gears that strip very easily.
This is true for many clones too. Although they offer very similar and sometimes superior parts than the gun they are copying, they are not assembled as well. Marui was the inventor of the AEG, and therefore have more experience in developing AEGs than any other company. They know how to design and manufacture a product that will last a very long time, survive tons of abuse, and shoot very well as long as basic maintenance is performed. Every part of a Marui works perfectly with the parts around it, and therefore gun operation is smooth and precise.
Clones are not assembled nearly as well as higher end guns. Assembly is generally crude, and the parts, especially in the gearbox, are fairly generic do not fit together as well as parts that are designed to work with each other. This causes for a louder, cruder, looser feeling product. Some very common aspects of clones that do not meet the expectations of higher end guns are the hop-up rubber, the O-ring, the shimming in the gearbox, and the greasing of the gearbox.
There are far more lemons in ACM guns than there are in higher end guns as well. There is generally a much wider time frame of failure for cheaper AEGs; some may fail in the first 1,000 rounds due to poor shimming or a faulty part, while some may shoot for over 200,000 rounds without a single problem. Due to this fact, reliability in clones are always in question and do not offer the peace of mind in terms of reliability that a higher end model would give you. I have personally seen 3 sets of XYT steel gears that were claimed to be "better" than Marui gear sets that have been deformed. Some gears had shafts that were bent, and in others the actual gears themselves were severely deformed and not cast properly. That sort of thing would almost never happen in a higher end gun.
One aspect people also have to realize is the fact that Marui AEGs differ greatly in build depending on when they were designed and manufactured. For instance, if one were to feel the very first AEG, the TM FAMAS, and then feel the TM SOC16, I doubt they would ever think that the two guns came from the same company. This has to be taken into account when comparing a clone to a Marui, as it would be quite easy for a company to clone a superior FAMAS.
I have been comparing clones with Marui guns this whole time, as that is generally what they are cloned from and therefore compared to. There is also the issue of comparing clones to guns that are considered higher end than Marui, generally Classic Army, ICS/AE, G&P, STAR, VFC, etc. These guns generally need more maintenance than a Marui gun, but offer far superior parts and externals than Marui, and blow all ACMs out of the water. There is no comparison between a G&P M4 and a JG M4, they are in completely separate categories. It is common knowledge, even among the ignorant on these forums, that clones should not be compared to guns one step up from Marui.
Now there are tons of good things about clones as well that many people believe to make them superior to Marui products. The obvious fact is that they are significantly cheaper and almost always come with everything one needs to start playing airsoft immediately. There are multiple legitimate reasons why people should buy clones:
1) Loaner guns for new players to get into the sport
2) Base guns for both external mods and internal rehauls
3) Temporary guns for those who wish to see if they enjoy playing airsoft
4) To satisfy a craving for a certain style of gun that one will not skirmish with often and therefore does not wish to spend big $$$ on
Clones should NOT be purchased to:
1) Compete with higher end guns on fields
2) To substitute a higher-end gun in an arsenal (unless worked on)
As said above, one of the main attractions of low-cost AEGs is for people who wish to tinker with their guns. For external mods, most do not wish to cut up a $300+ gun, so it is very nice to have the piece of mind that the gun you are hacking up only set you back $100. Also, for people who would replace almost every part of the internals anyway, clones with good externals make a very good base, as the internal reliability is negated by the fact that the whole thing will pretty much be gutted anyway. It is far cheaper to gut a $100 gun and replace all the internals than gut a $300 and replace all the internals, which pretty much negates any advantage the higher end gun would have in the first place.
Note that these are my opinions after working on and owning numerous low-cost AEGs and high end guns. I know many people may disagree with some of my opinions, they are welcome to debate this, but not in this topic. Please keep "clone vs TM" debates outside of this thread, thank you.
-Crimson's Note- I actually believe that there are certain clones that are actually worthy of competing with TM guns and other high-ends, and the general trend in quality has been steadily increasing. I expect to see ACM's and other middle-priced guns coming out within a few years that are as high-quality or better quality than TM, and eventually perhaps JG and some of the other top-line ACM companies will be competitive with higher-end guns. Some things that I'd like to see--licensing for trademarks (one of the external aesthetic things that really makes a high-end worth it), better externals (which they're already working on, with many companies beginning to release stamped steel bodies), and perhaps more contact with the customers. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt JG to have a representative or two who has a presence on various airsoft forums.