ARES?

[BluntlyDumb]

Does anyone know if ARES is a good brand? Specifically the Tar-21. Anyone have experience with them? Customer service, how well the gun held together, what it was like stock out of the box, etc. Any info is helpful!

Thanks,
Bluntly.

[Styrak]

ARES guns are OK, but they have a lot of proprietary parts.
The TAR-21 feels solid. The trigger leaves something to be desired though, as it's connected to a microswitch via a transfer bar.

[BluntlyDumb]

What exactly does the whole microswitch thing do? Kinda new to all this, still leaning. I know it has proprietary parts, and I'm okay with that. I dont expect to be upgrading extensively, and if something does break, well than I'll just use something else until I can find the parts to fix it.

[Styrak]

The microswitch is used in place of a standard trigger switch (which gets activated when you pull the trigger, completing the circuit and firing the gun).

[slink182]

Ares are... ok. They look great externally, but their internals are - to be polite - less than stellar. Additionally, they contain a lot of proprietary parts, so if something snaps/breaks/mashes/gives-up-the-ghost, you just can't simply order a replacement part on the fly. And their customer service blows llama d!ck.

There is an entire thread complaining about Ares, their proprietary issue, their lack of parts issue, and customer support (or lack of) issue late last year. My understanding is that it still hasn't improved.

[Grizzly0679]

I'm not buying this whole propriety thing. No pun intended.

I'll use KWA as an example because that's what I have.

When you hear "proprietary parts" don't assume they're hard to find because they're not. I did a search and found both a KWA gearbox and a King Arms gearbox in approx. the same amount of time - One on amazon and one from the proshop at KWA.

Parts from the KWA proshop are pretty much the same price as other brands found on amazon or within a reasonable range. I did not compare all components but things like grips, hop ups and gearboxes were no cause for concern - a max of 15$ more for the gearbox.

As a KWA owner I'm not worried about not being able to fix or upgrade my rifle, and while I would say the proprietary issue is something to "consider" - it's good to be an informed buyer - it's not nearly as much of an issue as it may appear.

Check for yourself. Hypothetically try and buy every part. Compare prices, ponder....profit??

[Curo]

Difference between KWA and ARES, ares aftermarket/surplus/customer service sucks allot, finding parts, can be a bitch, getting them, worse. KWA are much better on that front, as are real sword and systema

[Crunchmeister]

ARES have top notch externals. Few others come close.

However, their internals are crap and proprietary. Their guts aren't Tokyo Marui compatible like everyone else. Granted, their internal designs are innovative (like quick-swap springs), but the parts are made of substandard, cheap materials. Good luck finding spare parts when they break. And it WILL break. The only question is how long until it happens.

Dealing wiht ARES customer support is an exercise in frustration at best. If you do a bit of searching, you'll find a LOT of ARES owners that now own really expensive paperweights that they never even got to a game before the internals decided to snack on themselves. ARES support is pretty much non-existent and there are no spare parts available.

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by Grizzly0679

I'm not buying this whole propriety thing. No pun intended.

I'll use KWA as an example because that's what I have.

When you hear "proprietary parts" don't assume they're hard to find because they're not. I did a search and found both a KWA gearbox and a King Arms gearbox in approx. the same amount of time - One on amazon and one from the proshop at KWA.

Parts from the KWA proshop are pretty much the same price as other brands found on amazon or within a reasonable range. I did not compare all components but things like grips, hop ups and gearboxes were no cause for concern - a max of 15$ more for the gearbox.

As a KWA owner I'm not worried about not being able to fix or upgrade my rifle, and while I would say the proprietary issue is something to "consider" - it's good to be an informed buyer - it's not nearly as much of an issue as it may appear.

Check for yourself. Hypothetically try and buy every part. Compare prices, ponder....profit??

KWA gearboxes are proprietary? How so?

[Danke]

KWA does use a different box. Now you can plug in another V2 box and roll but if it's a borked ten cent part that's tough to swallow.

Same goes for Ares, you can put in a whole new mechbox but if you got their stuff for the built in mosfet, quick change spring, etc. and the part you need is $7 if you can get it you're feeling a bit cheated.

[Swattiger]

Ares may have internal problems. But they have quite a number of unique products e.g. W2000, DSR-1, Tar Series, on top of the very common M4s.

I am not a DIY airsofter and usually send my airsoft guns to gun doctors for repair/maintainence. It seems they are able to find the parts for Ares without much problem.

[kalnaren]

I have an ARES SL-8. Externally it's almost (but not quite) as good as my Classic Army G36 (which I consider the best G36 on the market).

Internally the SL-8 is a standard V3 mechbox -no proprietary stuff. Quality is good. Had it out to the field for my first game last weekend and with the exception of one occurrence of misfeeding, it performed flawlessly.

So, if you were looking for an SL-8, I'd say grab and ARES one without hesitation. For any other gun... heed the advice in the thread.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by kalnaren

Internally the SL-8 is a standard V3 mechbox -no proprietary stuff. .

Open the gearbox and have a look.

[kalnaren]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Open the gearbox and have a look.

http://airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=133537



Aside from the microswitch, the entire mechbox is V3.

[Swattiger]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Open the gearbox and have a look.

So? The user said it performs well in the field. I personally do not mind if the gearbox is TM compatible or not as I use airsoft guns right out of the box for most of the time.

In a nutshell, the more DIY ones may find Ares not their cup of tea. But those non DIY ones like me may find it's pretty good especially Ares offer some unique models.