Paintball

[xluben]

The 2 Piece Eigenbarrel from Lurker Paintball is the 3rd version of the the Eigenbarrel. It is currently available in dust or gloss black and costs $40 for a single barrel. It is $94 for the full 5 piece kit with a case. These are my initial impressions after just receiving the barrel. I will update this thread with more thoughts once I have used it for a while.

2 Piece Eigenbarrel, Autococker Threaded

Based on the latest research in barrel technology, the Eigenbarrel provides optimum performance at an unmatched price.

-9.4" control bore length
- 0.695" tip bore
- Radially symmetric viscothermally advantaged porting with muzzle break for an extremely quiet shot.
- Chamfered breech entrance to prevent barrel breaks
- 0.678, 0.684, 0.690 backs available
-15" and 12" tips available
- 3.4 ounce weight places the eigenbarrel as one of the very lightest aluminum barrels available.
- 7075 aluminum alloy for improved durability compared to industry standard
- Shortened "Quick Threads" for faster installation on and off the field

Here is a quick description of the Eigenbarrel history:

• Eigenbarrel v1: 1 piece, continuous bore, 0.678" only, 14" only
• Eigenbarrel v2: 1 piece, stepped bore, 0.678", 0.684", 0.690", 9.5" control bore, 14" only
• Eigenbarrel v3: 2 piece, 0.678", 0.684", 0.690", 9.5" control bore, 0.695" tip bore, 15" and 12" tips

I purchased the v1 barrel right when it came out. I wrote a generally positive review based on the fact that it did show a noted increase in velocity (due to the large underbore). The full review and photos can be seen here:

Lurker Paintball - Eigenbarrel Pictures, Videos, and Review

After more time with the barrel I found that it was too much of an undebore for my liking and the continuous bore created major issues if there was paint breakage. It would simply shred paint continuously until squeegeed out. It never got used.

I never tried the v2 Eigenbarrel. I actually didn't even know it existed. It sounds like it would have been a pretty decent barrel at a very low price point. But I was looking through Lurker's site after the Paragon info was released and happened to see the 2 piece (v3) Eigenbarrel. Apparently it has been out there for a while, but just made it onto the site. There have been very few reviews, but here's what I could find:

The Barrel of Tomorrow- Lurker Eigen2
Lurker's new Two Piece

I was amazed that it could keep such a low price point for a 2 piece barrel. I was never too thrilled by the looks of the v1 Eigenbarrel, but I thought the 2 piece v3 version actually looked quite good. I decided I'd try one out. I got the 0.684" back and 15" tip. This matches well with my local paint. It is very similar to the 0.685", 14.5" Shaft 4 that I normally use. I ordered it March 3rd, it shipped March 6th, and I got it March 10th.

The barrel came in a similar cardboard tube like the v1. This time it has the end caps taped on due to issues with the first batch of v1's having end caps pop off. Inside the cardboard tube was a plastic bag containing the barrel.



The barrel itself is very light. It weighed in at 103grams on my scale. This is the same weight that the Eigenbarrel v1 weighed in at, and it is only 14" (vs. 15" of the 2 piece v3). Very impressive for a longer 2 piece barrel to be the same weight as a shorter 1 piece! There are some other barrels on the market close to this weight, but most that are around 100 grams are 14". Here's a list of weights of barrels I had on hand personally:

Lurker Eigenbarrel v3 15": 103 grams
Lurker Eigenbarrel v1 14": 103 grams
Planet Eclipse SL2 14": 102 grams
Planet Eclipse SL2 16": 111 grams
Planet Eclipse Shaft 4 14.5": 123 grams
Planet Eclipse Shaft 4 16": 134 grams
Empire Sniper 14": 138 grams
Lucky 15 15": 158 grams



The fit and finish on the barrel is good. It is similar to the v1. The breech is chamfered, but not really anything else (unlike a PE barrel where every milled surface is rounded slightly). The hard corners look OK with this design, but from my past experience can chip/wear more easily (especially barrel tips). Anno quality and internal finish look good.

This barrel has a LOT of porting. Way more than the v1 Eigenbarrel and more than just about any other barrel you're going to find out there. The tip is covered in straight rows of medium sized ports and the last inch or so has larger ports. The overall port area is very high. Hopefully this will result in a very quite sound signature.

This two piece barrel has a 9.4" control bore. Longer than just about anything else on the market. The barrel back is male threaded on both ends, similar to a PE Shaft 4 (except both ends are right hand thread). The Shaft 4 has a 9" control bore, so this is slightly longer.



The visible part of the barrel back is much longer though. This results in a somewhat unbalanced look with a long back and stubby front end. The Empire barrel avoids this by having the barrel back extend far into the front half. I prefer the visual balance of the Empire or PE barrels over the two piece Eigenbarrel, but it really isn't that big of a concern.



I think that's about all I can comment on after only looking at the barrel. I will update this thread with more thoughts once I have used the barrel for a while. Hopefully I will be able to do some videos as well. Here are some more photos of the barrel and I'll add another post with photos of it on my GEO 3.1 and the photos of the barrels on the scale.

[xluben]

Lurker Paintball 2 Piece Eigenbarrel V3
15" Length - 0.684" Bore
vs.
Planet Eclipse Shaft 4
14.5" Length - 0.685" Bore

40 Shot Ave/StDev:
Eigenbarrel [0.684"] - Ave: 296.8fps - StDev: 7.0fps
PE Shaft4 [0.685"] - Ave: 295.0fps - StDev: 6.6fps
PE Shaft 4 [0.689"] - Ave: 285.2fps - StDev: 8.1fps

Planet Eclipse GEO 3.1
Virtue Spire 260 Loader
Ninja SL (Superlite) 68/45k Tank
with PRO V2 Regulator
PSP Ramping

[xluben]

Here are photos of the barrel on my GEO 3.1.











Here are photos of all the barrels on the scale:

Lurker Eigenbarrel v3 15": 103 grams


Lurker Eigenbarrel v1 14": 103 grams


Planet Eclipse SL2 14": 102 grams


Planet Eclipse SL2 16": 111 grams


Planet Eclipse Shaft 4 14.5": 123 grams


Planet Eclipse Shaft 4 16": 134 grams


Empire Sniper 14": 138 grams


Lucky 15 15": 158 grams

[xluben]

Here are some comparisons on the amount of porting.

PE Shaft 4 (14.5") vs. Eigenbarrel V3 (15")



6 rows of 14 ports vs. 8 rows of 12+4 ports



I measured the ports and calculated port area.



Comparison to other aftermarket barrels from this thread.

Top Barrels Available. Tests and Review Inside!!!!!

Highest Porting Area to Lowest:
Lurker Eigenbarrel: 0.621 in^2
Furious Lotus: 0.444 in^2
Disruptive Deathtouch: 0.421 in^2
Macdev Shift: 0.387 in^2
Critical 100g: 0.373 in^2
PE Shaft 4: 0.371 in^2
Lapco Fuse: 0.362 in^2
Dye Ultralite: 0.319 in^2

I also measured the PE Shaft barrel control bore lengths.

PE Shaft 4: 8.5" Control Bore
PE Shaft 3: 6.0" Control Bore
Eigen V3: 9.4" Control Bore

[Z3R0]

Thanks for the very in-depth review. Can't wait for my kit to arrive.

[hellion360]

I had one of these in 678.
Very nice barrel. Sold it with a pump to a local.

Shot great, pretty quiet. Very good deal.

[xluben]

Originally Posted by Z3R0

Thanks for the very in-depth review. Can't wait for my kit to arrive.

You bought one that fast after I posted? Wow!

Originally Posted by hellion360

I had one of these in 678.
Very nice barrel. Sold it with a pump to a local.

Shot great, pretty quiet. Very good deal.

I had an original 0.678" V1 Eigenbarrel with the non stepped bore. It showed plenty of velocity increase (die to the underbore). But once it broke paint the non stepped bore just shredded paint and had to be fully cleaned again before it could be used. Not good at all.

The V2 Eigebbarrels that most people have (1 piece but with a stepped bore, differentiated from V1 by the bore size lasered into the end of the barrel) work well. I think the V3 (2 piece) is a huge step up though. Much more modular. Waaaay more porting.

[Z3R0]

Originally Posted by xluben

You bought one that fast after I posted? Wow!

Haha, no, I ordered it a few weeks ago and it finally got shipped earlier this week.

[Jaccen]

Thanks for the review! Top notch pics as always. Cheers.

[xluben]

Originally Posted by Jaccen

Thanks for the review! Top notch pics as always. Cheers.

Thanks! Here are some photos of my Lurker 2 Piece Eigenbarrel v3 on my new Air Assault Paintball Bomber GEO 3.1. I think it looks great!