Paintballs, they are all the same right?
The Paintballing Food Chain
A lot of people when they come to an Irish paintball venue are intrigued as to why they can’t bring there own paintballs. There are a myriad of reasons, chief amongst which is the quality. Like a restaurant, they know their food from the supplier all the way to your plate and its the very same with paintballs. Paint is a moody thing, it is very particular about how its transported and stored. Too hot, its going to flatten and fall out of shape, ruining its accuracy. Too cold, its going to crack and break in during a game. Too humid, it will swell to the size of a golf ball and not fire at all. You just can’t please it and Ireland has the worst climate for it!
Storage
Next, its storage. You can’t store paint too high as the boxes will flatten the paint beneath it and damage the curviture. You also can’t store it for very long, paint does have a shelf life and is often used in sites in under a week. Venues have to be logistic wizards keeping just enough paint to cover supply, while avoiding have old paint left over. Keeping your paint for a few months in a home hot press is not a good idea!
Safety
Finally, paintballs need to be certified as safe to play with and compatible with the paintball guns at the venue. Too low a grade, its going to hurt like hell and not break. You also risk severe injury (Check out ‘Walmart Monster Ball’ on YouTube) with cheap paint. Too delicate, and designed for competition paintball markers, and the gun won’t be able to fire it without breaking and jamming.
Irish Paintball venues have invested huge time and resources in making sure your paintball day is the best it can be. If you are concerned about pricing, always buy your paint in bulk and before you arrive as often this is the cheapest method of buying paint. Don’t buy paint in small denominations and if you do need to buy paint, try find someone to split a larger order with. You’ll make a saving on great paint!
