Paintball gun packages are offered by most paintball gun shops, dealers and paintball gun manufacturers.
They offer an ideal start up kit for players new to the sport, or players on a tight budget.
They give you all you need to get you out there on the playing field.
However, are the package deals as useful as they seem on the surface? Typical paintball packages will include: a paintball gun (or marker), a mask, a hopper (or loader), an air tank, a squeegee and a barrel plug.
More expensive packs may have in addition paintball oil, ammo packs, paintballs and other accessories.
This covers all the basic kit you need to get you started at a reasonable price.
The greatest advantage of the paintball gun packages is their value for money.
Buying piece by piece is expensive; it would cost you a lot more to buy the package items separately.
For those of you on a limited budget, new to the sport or just not too fussy, a gun package is a good way forward.
Another advantage in purchasing these packs is a guaranteed compatibility.
Every gun needs compatible paintball parts, such as the hopper.
Paintball gun packages come straight from the manufacturers and they know what pieces go together.
You could end up spending a lot of money on separate pieces which may not even fit your marker if you are not well informed.
Also, buying everything in one swoop is far more convenient.
You will save a lot of time, energy and aggravation.
There are, however, drawbacks to paintball gun packages.
They are compiled for beginners and although they offer relatively low prices, their quality may not be as good.
Also, you may not actually want all of the pieces included in the package.
Most packs will include a traditional gravity feed hopper.
If you want a marker with a firing speed of greater than 11 balls per second, you would be better off with a more sophisticated hopper.
Packages will generally include a small co2 tank, when a bigger tank or a high pressure air tank may be of more use to you.
The gun and the mask are the two items you should choose most carefully.
The gun must be easy to maintain, reliable, hard wearing and perform well.
The mask must fit well and be comfortable.
You must do your research and select a good quality, sensibly priced gun and mask that you really want.
These two items must be your first consideration when browsing different package deals.
If the package includes the gun and mask that you want, it is a good compromise to get you started and you might be prepared to put up with the other items in the package with a view to upgrading them at a later date.
In short, paintball gun packages are good value for paintball beginners as long as they include a good cheap gun and mask that you actually want.
To settle for less would be an unwise compromise and a false economy.