Angel Reliability Rankings

[the_matrix_guy]

How would you guys rank all of the various Angel models from most reliable to least reliable? Include as many models as possible, and try to include short answers as to why you think that particular model deserves that particular ranking i.e. most reliable ram, very easy to run/maintain, serviceable, unserviceable, easier 9V conversion, IR issues, breech issues, etc, etc.

Personally, I have no experience with Speeds and I'm interested in knowing the differences between the different Speeds throughout the years (03-06?) and how they rank in terms of reliability vis-a-vis your LCDs, LEDs, IR3s, A1's, etc, etc. I am no Angel guru, so I defer to you guys, the experts.

Many thanks in advance.

All the best,

TMG

[Jonnydread]

The LCD I had for a while was very reliable, granted Jordan built it so it's got a touch of the maple magic. My buddy has a 03 Speed that has a lot of issues and I believe sensi was problematic at best.

[Tarsun2]

i had more problems with my bob long G6R than my A1 Fly.
the G6R was sent in to Field one twice(?) and was always soooo temperamental.

no issues with the A1 Fly.
(of course the A1 has a rebuild-able ram engine)

[EvilCreature]

I will take a stab at this. First of all, this is rather difficult as Angel tended to continuously evolve their platforms, often starting with a marker then making minor changes to it until it was a different platform. Speeds generally were either the first entry of a platform or the "cheaper" version with fewer stock features (at least in later platforms). The Enoch board and Purple People Eater boards provide options for almost any Angel marker to switch to 9-volts and have modern modes so that is not a concern, really.

03 Speed - basically a variant of the IR3. No eyes but had a mechanical ball detection. Most people just use a good hopper and turn off the mechanical ball detection once it fails - not really worth converting to eyes.

04 Speed - Maybe this was the A4? Started a fairly new platform, not sure on parts compatibility. A4's were the last Angels without eyes. The A4 Fly had eyes stock. Solid platform. A4 Master Tech Fly is considered one of the best Angels ever made. The basic A4 shares a lot of the same guts but lacks eyes.

05 Speed - A transition marker from the A4 platform to the G7 platform - Has the lowers (HPR and Trigger Frame, I think) of the G7 platform but the uppers of the A4 platform. First Speed with eyes.

06 Speed - A slight pivot away from the G7 platform towards the A1 platform ever so slightly with different barrel threads. Basically a G7 Fly but I believe without the LCD board. A variant, the GAT, was a slightly upgraded version of the 06 Speed (I own one and love it). Extremely reliable platform but barrels can be a trick to find (unless you just get a Deadly Wind and be done with it).

Personally, I like the G7 platform a lot. Most Angel purists prefer either an A4 platform with eyes or a G7 if they want something that will be competitive. That said, many love using their LED's or LCD's for rec play at least. given all the markers are 10 years old it comes down to parts availability. I believe the G7 ram is moddable to be rebuildable, making it more appealing long-term. Not sure on the A4 generation or older.

I also owned an A1 and a Gothic A1 Fly and thought those were great markers with their own quirks. Lighter than a G7 or A4 but maybe not as satisfying to play with. That was a while ago, but I remember being happy to be rid of my A1 due to the long time it took to strip down and clean compared to the new Empire Axe which I felt had an acceptable enough shot to be worth the tradeoff.

It is uncouth to link to PBN but if you hop over there to the Angel section they have a lot of decent information... a benefit of the site being around for a while.

[the_matrix_guy]

Thanks. Very informative. I've had a couple of people recommend me the G7 now. Very interesting.

[Cunha]

I think that they were all quite reliable except the A1 that had a lot of changes and quirks to start, weird detents and stuff.

I think the 05 speed, and a4 fly are my favorites. The GAT and G7 fly are the next ones on list.

That said the only one I would buy is a puple or green FLY LCD or FLY 2 LCD

Honestly they are all reliable. They really were the planet eclipse of their day and I was sad to see how quick people abandoned WDP for PE when the ego's started rolling around.

[Cunha]

The one thing I always look at is if it has a rechargeable battery board, or not. 05 speeds and Gats had 9 volt boards, while the a4 fly and g7 fly had battery pack boards stock. Thats all fine but you need to be sure you have a fresh battery in the gun, or the board has been replaced by one that takes 9 volts.

I don't want to talk about the other thing I care about most because I don't want you guys looking for all the same ones I like :P