Paintball

[Litespeed]

Originally Posted by HP_Lovecraft

Then when the Bushy/Defiant was released, they were close to bankrupcy, and had to morgage the entire company to pay for it. They ironically ripped off the Bushy to make the Impulse, then sued ICD for patent infringement! Talk about greed.

Don't even get me started on what SP did to ICD, and as HP and many others have shown, the list of companies SP has decimated is long indeed.

[Harbinger[TG]]

Crap, when did all the agglets start hating SP?

[flyweightnate]

I dunno... I haven't been to a speedball field in ages. I know a lot more people are becoming informed about SPs idiocy, though. Most, if not all, of the people I play with have heard about the lawsuits, and considering most of them shot a Bushmaster at some time, not hard to see why they get riled up.

[Harbinger[TG]]

Originally Posted by flyweightnate

I dunno... I haven't been to a speedball field in ages. I know a lot more people are becoming informed about SPs idiocy, though. Most, if not all, of the people I play with have heard about the lawsuits, and considering most of them shot a Bushmaster at some time, not hard to see why they get riled up.

I am an ICD tech and used to MOD peanut butters ICD section. I actually dug up this avatar from back in 03 when the **** hit the fan.

[cooldood31]

Does the U.S. patent office has any jurisdiction outside of the United States?

[flyweightnate]

Not as far as I know. Hence why it's so easy to make knockoffs in China, just not quite as easy to sell em in the US.

And Harbinger, I feel ya on the avatar. I almost got banned from SpecOps cuz someone argued that SP was helping the industry, and I decided to counterattack pretty vehemently.

[Al Ray]

IVe got a big 2" thick print out of the PBN SP thread, IF anyone was seriously interested in what went on that night I could wade through it and scan/post the info.

BTW does anyone remember the name of the company that the Gardners owned before SP? That one got shut down by the feds IIRC for patent fraud

Also welcome Leopold, good to have you on MCB.

[Harbinger[TG]]

Originally Posted by flyweightnate

Not as far as I know. Hence why it's so easy to make knockoffs in China, just not quite as easy to sell em in the US.

And Harbinger, I feel ya on the avatar. I almost got banned from SpecOps cuz someone argued that SP was helping the industry, and I decided to counterattack pretty vehemently.

Originally Posted by Al Ray

IVe got a big 2" thick print out of the PBN SP thread, IF anyone was seriously interested in what went on that night I could wade through it and scan/post the info.

BTW does anyone remember the name of the company that the Gardners owned before SP? That one got shut down by the feds IIRC for patent fraud

Also welcome Butters, good to have you on MCB.

I forget the first company. However, I have always wondered why someone guilty of patent fraud is even allowed to file for another patent.

[Milkshake]

I think we fried the brain of the guy who started this post. As you can tell from my forum name, I use SP's, like them but do not love them. If we stopped using all the products from companies that do business with some immoral practices, and less than top of the line quality, we would all be hungry and naked.
I will not side with SP, but I will not boycott them either. I have several and like the affordability of them. The common man can afford one and upgrade an Ion to compete with many of the top level markers without busting the bank.
I love WGP, but the past several years IMO they have not put their heart into the product like in previous years. I am not on top of all the new innovations, who did what to whom in the past, and agree that some bad practices have happened, but has the game grown or shrunk since all of that SP trouble started? I am not a beginner or a player with +20 years experience. I found this game in the late 90's and it stole my heart and wallet. I have not spent over $600 on any marker at purchase, but as all of you know, the upgrades and other gear are where the real dollars are spent.
I have used WGP, CCM, and SP on the fields more than other brands, so I personaly cannot compare others to SP in some respects. I have shot many other brands and alot of them are nice to shoot, more air efficient, and lighter, but alot more expensive. I know you get what you pay for, but how high are you willing to go? I am not going to start speedball as a profession at my age, love playing it, so I will not need a $1500 out of the box marker for now. I can get enough bang for my buck from SP, upgrade the boards, bolts, etc., and have 3 for that price. I like the look of my sp8 for certain scenarios, my Epihp for the speedball days, and the Ion for my son who loves it. 3 virtue boards, qev's, firebolts, maybe $1500 total.
I agree the quality is not tops as in other brands, I do have problems at times, that is why I take several with me, pick and choose. I see Angels & Egos on tables getting worked on also, so I think all markers have their "not today" times and you pull out the other weapon of your choice and blast away. I use my SS25 more and more now, mainly because I can play for less $ than with others in my arsenal, and it helps with my snapping.
If you like them, use them, if not, use something else, that simple. But do not whine as you walk off the field when the 12 year old gogs you with his much despised Ion, wipe it off, dry those tears, and fill your pods for the next game.

[agentSmith]

Al Ray:
FTC V. DAVISON & ASSOCIATES, INC.

I don't buy SP and never have, but anyone with a 'sheridan' that remembers PMI's early fun with Cooper-T will know that SP is not the only example of naughtiness.

If there are companies that act like good citizens I try to reward them with my money and good press, if there are those that don't I avoid them. I do feel there would be a lot more good citizens(more businesses in general) if SP had never existed.
As for their current customer service and products, NOONE accused them of being stupid, they know we are all watching. So now they barrel tag folks and play a straight game, because they can afford to! They've run out any real competition and the threat of lawsuits keeps any new threat from rising, why act like a jerk and lose business? They act like the horn of plenty to teams and individuals, to counteract all the bad press they've created in the past.

Rob