Last year when I was getting back into the sport of paintball I went out and bought a Tippmann A-5 paintball gun. These weapons are purely mechanical and are very durable and easy to maintain. I thought this would be the best type of gun to use while playing paintball in the woods, especially since I had been using an older Tippmann, the 98 Custom.

I used this gun for a little over a year and had some ups and downs. Throughout that year I bought and installed many upgrades and the most frequent was an air stock. This adds a buttstock to the gun and allows you to use a remote air line so you don’t have to carry the air tank on the gun. Instead, he wears it on his back with a vest or harness.

Most of the time I was struggling with this A-5 breaking the paintball while it was still inside the gun. This made subsequent paintballs fly less straight and accurate. Not to mention that it would require immediate cleaning, so the barrel would need to be removed and cleaned. I installed some “cyclone” updates thinking this would help. I archived the feeding guide and this helped a bit. Eventually the slice of the ball lessened, but it was still hampering my game.

I eventually reasoned that this paintball gun was too heavy and unreliable in the field with the accuracy of each ball. I started looking for a replacement. I asked some of my teammates and found the Invert Mini to be an acceptable replacement. The Invert Mini uses electricity along with compressed air to function. I reasoned that the benefits of the Mini were better air efficiency, more compact, lighter weight, smoother on paintballs, and a faster rate of fire.

I’m not too concerned about rate of fire so I bought and used the Invert Mini with semi rate of fire instead of auto. I found the Mini to be an immediate upgrade. Although I used the air tank on the mini, it was extremely lighter than the A-5 and much quieter. I’ve taken opponents by surprise because they couldn’t hear my shots. Not only were these benefits impressive, but to date I have never busted a paintball in that gun.

Overall I am very impressed with the Empire Invert Mini and just purchased the second one. The Tippmann line of paintball markers are great for beginners, but I think the more experience you have in the sport of paintball, the less likely you are to use the Tippmann line. I always thought I’d stick with mechanical markers because electronic ones were too complicated and not durable enough for the woods. The Mini had a change of heart and I doubt I’ll ever need a different weapon while gaming.