[Matt 'Maverick' Watts]

SuperHog, I hate to break it to you, but Tippmann is one of the largest paintball companies worldwide, and has been for years. The merger between GI Sportz and Tippmann corrected the 2 areas that Tippmann was lacking in; paintballs themselves, and broad range soft goods.
Tippmann's 98 Custom continues to be the #1 selling paintball marker worldwide.
Kee (Empire), while huge in the number of companies it has in it's stable (Empire, BT, Halo, JT, RPS, Extreme Rage, Pure Energy), has had its own share of problems over the years. Kee has also stated they have no desire to enter the airsoft world.

Cheap? I'll put Tippmann's gun up against any AEG out there for durability and reliability. They build things to last and be reliable. There are original Tippmann 98's still being used as field rental markers... making them 16 years old and still going strong.