Tippmann A5 Paintball Gun Review – Is it Worth it?

If you have been considering acquiring a Tippmann A5, or wonder how it is different from the 98 Custom, here is our Tippmann A5 Review to help you decide.

Is the gun for a beginner or pro?

Let’s start with this: The A5 paintball gun is great for beginners as it meets the qualifications a beginner needs to get started.

The A5 is easy to use, easy to maintain, durable (some say indestructible) a great gun to learn with as it is easy to take apart, clean, put back together and upgrade, all activities involved in learning the sport of paintball. This gun is very easy to maintain and use.

Due to the fact that the gun is so easy to upgrade and has many options available, the gun can be made to work for an intermediate to advanced player as well.

As far as the A5 being a gun for pros, that is up for debate. Pro teams, by nature, are marketing tools. Pro players use whatever gun their sponsor asks them to, despite liking the gun or believing that it performs well.

When Tippmann had a team, The Tippmann EFFECT, those players played on A5’s for a short time, before switching to 98 Custom’s, so technically yes, it can be a pro level gun, but the pros switched to 98 Custom’s, likely due to weight or length.

In summary, the A5 is usually thought of as a solid beginner to intermediate level gun, but not a ‘pro’ gun. What this gun is really good for are woodsball, milsim and scenario players, regardless of playing level.

Tippmann A5 Review

The Tippmann A5 is the follow up to Tippmanns 98 Custom and the two guns share a lot of features and characteristics. The A5 comes in two basic styles out of the box (not counting special kits).

Tippmann A-5 .68 Caliber Paintball Marker

Features of the Basic A5:

  • Upgradeable and Customizable
  • Cyclone feed system feeds 15 balls per second
  • Switch to change from safe to fire mode
  • Can be disassembled in under 60 seconds, without tools.
  • Aluminum Body
  • Low Profile offset 200 ball capacity hopper for better field visibility
  • 8.5” Barrel
  • Co2, HPA air or nitrogen driven
  • 20 inch total length 3.1 lbs
  • 150 ft range

Tippmann A-5 .68 Caliber Paintball Marker with E-Grip

The e-Grip model has all the BASIC features plus:

  • The e-Grip has a magnetically activated Hall Effect Trigger
  • A three position switch that allows you to change modes on the go.
  • 5 firing modes up to 15 Balls per second.

Pros of the A5:

  • Dependable and durable, some say indestructible.
  • Easy to maintain, can be disassembled quickly and without tools. The A5 only requires you to remove three bolts to take it apart.
  • Can run for long periods, even years, without being serviced or oiled.
  • Many upgrades and customizations available, including Milsim customizations. One of the most customizable guns on the market.
  • A5 includes the Cyclone Feed system- an air assisted loader system that feeds paint at a rate of up to 15 BPS, that uses NO batteries and runs on either Co2 or HPA. The Cyclone uses gas or air from the marker to push a piston that rotates the cyclone, meaning you don’t need batteries to run the thing, just the air/gas your gun already uses.
  • The E-grip model has a magnetically operated Hall Effect Trigger and the basic model can be upgraded to have this trigger.
  • Rarely jams
  • Great budget

Cons of the A5:

  • Loud
  • Relatively heavy at 3.1 lbs.
  • Somewhat of a gas hog.
  • The PSI is not consistent and can vary by plus or minus 10. Using Co2 makes the problem worse.
  • The stock barrel is bad it is short and the porting happens too soon, giving the paintball insufficient time to speed up, and should be upgraded.

How does this gun stack up? Tippmann A5 vs 98 Custom?

Let’s be real here, the biggest difference between the A5 and the 98 Custom is the cyclone hopper that comes standard with the A5. The cyclone feed system is great, but it is also an upgrade you can put on the 98 Custom if you already have a 98c, no need to buy a new gun.

The 98 Custom is a little more difficult to disassemble, but it still is not hard to disassemble. You need to use an Allen wrench to remove the 6 bolts on the 98 Custom, and for the A5 you only remove 3 bolts using no tools.

Both are pretty easy, but the A5 is easier.

The A5 does have more upgrades available, as well as more milsim customizations you can add on. The 98 Custom has a lot, and is also very customizable, but the A5 is even more customizable.

As far as performance and shooting the gun, they operate and perform about the same.

The weight of the A5 without a tank is 3.1 lbs, and the 98 Custom without a tank is 2.9 lbs. The difference could be attributed to slight differences in frame design, or the cyclone feed system.

One small difference is length, the A5 is 20 inches, and the 98 Custom is 19.6 inches.

The Shoulder Stock upgrades for the A5 are not compatible with the 98 Custom as the A5 has one ring and two notches, and the 98 Custom has two rings that replace the back cap.

Also, older model 98 Customs can not accept the E-trigger upgrades, but all A5’s can accept the E-triggers.

This concludes out Tippmann A5 review, we hope you found the answers you were looking for. Thanks for reading.

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Last update on 2024-04-16 at 19:37 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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