Kraken or DPMS M4A1
 

All right. I'm looking for a decent but low cost aeg. I would like to know what is the best between kraken and DPMS M4A1. I've heard the DPMS is a JG clone. I have read the thread about it and people keep saying it's crap, then someone says it's good. I'd like you guys so put a little bit of light over my choice. thank you :)

Well thats the problem with opinions, you will always find some people saying yay some people saying nay.

Personally only thing a DPMS is good for is for throwing at the wall when you get so pissed off at it breaking all the time with little to no aftermarket support (correct me if Im wrong). If its between those two then go for the Kraken, there are plenty of reviews on this site about it.

Why don't you look into getting Age Verified though, so you can have access to the classifieds here. There is a sticky in this forum at the top all about it and even a whole forum here dedicated to it. It will open up allot more choices for you in terms of QUALITY airsoft.

The DPMS M4 he's referring to is a JG, not a JG clone. I know several guys that are rocking the non-clear version and have been for a couple of seasons now completely stock and still run like new. Like a lot of JG guns, they can take a beating. Earlier this summer, a couple of them had me install bearing spring guides, reshim / regrease and add tightbore barrels, etc. After 2 years of play in the hands of some trigger happy hicap warriors, the internals showed no signs of wear at all. I'm a big fan of JG guns. They're affordable, and while some can cause problems, the majority not seem to be solid guns.

The Kraken is a good piece too, although I'm more leary about recommending it to a noob because they have a much higher failure rate. When you get a good one, you can have a gun that will last tens of thousands of rounds without issue. However, you're just as likely to get one whose mechbox will self-destruct before you get even 1 full mag out of it. If you know how to repair / maintain your own shit, this isn't much of an issue, as you'll probably crack the Kraken open and do the preventative maintenance before using it, and will be able to fix any problem easily. But for most noobs though, it's not that easy.

Crunchmeister is absolutely correct, the DPMS M4A1 is MADE by JG; it is not a JG clone. As such, the myriad of aftermarket parts is astonishing. The gun is made for and distributed in North America by Palco Sports in Minnesota. Its a good, solid M4 that should last you many, many thousands of rounds. The internals are identical to the non-clear JG/DPMS M4 models.

As far as support goes, if you have a problem contact the retailer. If they won't help you out, call Palco Sports and work with them directly. They have a great track record of taking care of people. Good luck with your purchase!

As long as it's the newer Modles of dpms M4s. I'm 99% certain that they used to be like Rock'n'roll said but they have upgraded from the craptastic tf16 esque 100% proprietary m4s to the JG rebrands. If your buying it from velocity arms then your getting the good one.

OR, maybe he's talking about the one from WALMART......which is horrid. A child could pick it up, shoot it and determine its a POS.

In the end it kind of depends on what you want out of it.

Kraken:

Pro:
- Cheap
- Described as a "3D instruction guide with screws that you can play with while upgrading slowly"

Con:
- High Failure rate (which is why you want to upgrade certain parts right off the bat and upgrade other parts over time)
- Need mechanical/electronic knowledge (so either learn to do things yourself fast or find a gundoc)

DPMS:

Pro:
- JG quality (not bad per se.... but not really good either)
- Lower failure rate (however you'll still probably need to learn about electronics/mechanics eventually).

Con:
- Bit more expensive and for a little more you can get a full black gun from a more reputable brand name (in the classifieds).

If you like taking things apart and trying to tune things to get better performance (I'm an OC'er and I like taking electronics apart to try and repair instead of sending it back to the factory or paying someone else to repair it). Then Kraken is probably the better choice.

HOWEVER if you just "expect" things to work (Mac: It just works.... :) .... yeah... ) then the DPMS is probably a better choice however you'll still need to eventually find a gundoc or get some mechanical knowledge.

Thanks all for this help. The m4 i'm talking about is this one http://tinyurl.com/yk3ky7s

Surprised no one talked about g&g (thx for staying on subject)

yup that one is JG but it is the older model of JG. Lower QC and the gearbox isn't as good as the new ones. for the price though as something to start out with and upgrade it would be a much better choice then alot of other stuff out there in that price range.

both the JG and the kraken can be upgraded using normal "good" brand parts so I would say do you want an AK or an M4 and buy which one you want.

All right thx people :) I'm getting the m4. Any primary updates? (I'll probably get metal bushings and tightbore barrel)

No that one is not the Jing Gong Crunch or Latency were talking about. That M4 is gauranteed to break! I just started upgradeing a friends A&K m4 S-system that was $500 claimed 380fps with .12 and looks BA!
Alas, my friend gave money for looks and his own vanity. This thing had a spring no longer than the mech box and a cylinder with no port. Fancy chinese goo everywhere with brittle plastic for a nozzle, spring guide and piston. That means for about $150-$200 its being allowed back into his hands. (oops, forgot that he paid $65 for TBB here in town so...)

Stay away from cheap. My friend paid more than you plan to, now is shelling out $200 to perform like the Velocityarms M4 S-system My brother got for $340.

The real world of airsoft has no corners to cut, its one straight highway with $Kph instead of Kph. Right or left lane?

Stop talking out of your ass. The gun linked is a JG.

:S I'm not going into any pro games, so the most important thing for me is reliability/cost. 200$ is really the maximum i would pay (for now) untill I get a Job and blabla. And as latency said, I expect things to work.

So Crunch was talking about this one? http://tinyurl.com/yk3ky7s

Oops missed that. But if Marosu 'expects things to work' I hope it looks nothing like the A&K...

I hope this too...

Yes. That's a rebranded JG. Several guys I play with have the non-clear version. It's not a JG clone. It IS a JG.

Problem with that is it is OLD JG.

All the internal plastic parts are made out of a brittle hard plastic, the piston head uses a retarded 3 piece design, the cylinder head is majorly prone to failure and the gears have an insanely high white metal / lead content.

Basing this on GEARBOX INTERNALS ONLY I would recommend the Kraken.

Basing this on what you say, this m4 and a velocity arms custom m4 would be kinda the same price since the old JG gearbox is not that good. A complete gearbox would make the price the same (or even more considering external upgrades like r.i.s), no?

I've been inside a few of them, and they were standard JG parts. Maybe the clear ones are of a different grade. I am basing what I say on the non-clear version, which as far as I can tell, is identical to any other JG I've worked on.

Nah it didn't seem standard to me...

I just based a build off of a JG AK beta.. and the parts inside that thing were miles ahead of the parts inside that damn DPMS gun... But the DPMS gun I worked on was all black aswell..

So buying one would be like picking a card? Maybe I'll get the good one, or not?

I'd got with one of the VA JG's.. They use the newer style gearbox, alot of the parts have been improved.

Then again (sadly) money is missing...

So overall, m4 or ak?

When you're dealing with low end stuff, I'd say AK.

But when you're dealing with REAL airsoft, Personal preference.

Thank you guys!

Yeah, there seems to be some uncertainty about that particular model. So perhaps the Kraken is the better option. Although I'd go for one of those VA models over those 2 choices.

Anybody with good jugement would go for VA models ;) thank you again

DPMS is a real steel brand name and so many airsoft cloners make a model of it. VA may be better than G&G (or so popular opinion set them in my eyes) but the kraken is the AK variant that is at that price range. For me airsoft is more about the feel and so that is the primary thing for a buyer to do is hold some guns.

When your budget is so low, you're basically picking between a gun that might be crap and fail, and another gun that might be crap and fail.

In airsoft you get what you pay for. Even if you could get $350 up, you'd get a guaranteed much higher quality gun... Ie, one that you had a pretty good chance wasn't going to break within the first 1,000 rounds.

I alredy know what i'll do. I won't buy a gun now, keep my 200$ Get a better job, get av'ed. Buy a nice AEG and quality gear since i'll have more money by then.

That's an excellent idea. Seriously, you won't regret saving and spending the money on better equipment.

That's the best/smartest thing you've said so far.
If only more newbies thought like you...

If only more people had your mentality :)

Keep up with that mentality and you'll go far in airsoft :)

I've done some calculations if you wan't at least the most basic gear but decent qaulity you'll need to spend roughly 500-600 this would mean

Tacticle vest 50-150$
Magazines 30-100$
Googles 30$
gun 120-400$ this if for half clear or china make guns new

http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?p=1056410
;)

Hehe Amos, am I the only newcomer who listen to you guys and who actualy READ threads about what to do as newcomer

http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=88238 Threads like this for example.

Pretty much...

Most people just post

"hi i want snipr rifl where i get gud 1 for 25 dollar?"

Then they don't listen when we tell them that it's impossible..

Well, they sometimes listen.. and say either
"Screw u gais"
Or
"B.S I order frum U.S ne-wai"

:) I'm telling you, we should have an ASC campfire. Share all our stories haha!

I haven't actually seen that from a REAL noob before...it goes much more like this

"HARRo I R HAS $50 WUT gunz CAN I CAN I BUY? I CAN BUY GUNS FROM TEH AMERICA?"

Fixed. Good boot are as necessary as googles.

A good pair of boots of course... I know what i'm talking about... Walked in the woods for hours, in running shoes PAINFUL :D

The charger i didn't think of because i have one from rc cars/nitro gas cars . most guns that come china or half clears come with trickle chargers and a battery . the boots you should get .

If you have a good charger for RC stuff than yea you're probably fine. The trickle chargers though -especially the China ones- are known to cook batteries.

All right, I'll try to find my old RC car charger

Dont ever use the batteries and chargers the guns come with. They are of the lowest quality and be nothing but trouble. Theres a reason their just included. Because their crap. You can use them if you have nothing else to tide you over until you get better but their about as useless as tits on a boar.

Thanks for the tip Outlaw, I will not even bother about buying one of those... saving + AV all the way!

Very good choice dude. But thats just something that you should always remember. Even when getting from the classifieds some of the guns come with the stock batteries and chargers. Still make a point to avoid them. When you find an ad with batteries and/or charger included if unsure on whether its stock or aftermarket just ask the seller.

Can we sticky this as 'how all noobs should be'?

You're an inspiration to us all, Marosu.

do the seller normally specify that in the description?

(Thanks Toasties)