SN toters Proto SLG Review
At first glance the low cost electro market is flooded with high end wannabes. The SLG is not one of them. I was in the market for a backup to my AGD E-Tac One and sleek lines and cost of the SLG got my attention. I placed my order and 3 days later Fedex delivered.
I was impressed before I even saw the marker. Once I opened the shipping box I pulled out a beautifully packaged and incredibly small box. I really couldn't believe that it housed a paintball marker it was so small. Said box was very well designed with trendy graphics and a slick finish. I have never seen such nice packaging for a paintball marker.
Upon opening the work of art, I was greeted by the SLG itself, sitting snugly in molded foam. I removed the marker and found another layer of foam below hiding the user manual, Dye slick lube, barrel sock, Proto battery, warranty card, an allen key set, and a full parts kit with a complete set of orings and new spring detents. I read through the user manual and was impressed with it as well, it was just as well designed as the packaging box with color diagrams on glossy paper.
Onto the marker itself. I chose dust olive for the color of my SLG and to be honest, it's more of a bronze. The finish of the body is excellent and there are no visible mill or tool marks under the anodizing. I can see why they call this the 'Super Light Gun'. I expected it to be light but not that light. Very impressive. The gripframe is a high test polymer that has a nice fit and finish, it does not have that 'cheap' feel like some composites that other companies use. I was also pleasantly suprised to find the marker wasn't shipped from the factory dry, it was already lubed and the internal aluminum parts were finished with no alumninum burrs or shavings that you can find in some lower cost new-in-box markers.
After installing the 9volt barrery I applied the included barrel sock, aired the marker up, and turned it on. I was impressed with how well balanced the SLG is with an HPA tank and a full hopper. It is very maneuverable and comfortable. I went through several pods of paint to begin breaking in the reg before my day of play. The marker has a very slight amount of kick and cycles very smoothly. One of the first things I notices was that as it is a sear-tripper(the electronic solenoid trips a mechanical sear, much like an E-mag) the solenoid clicking is considerably louder than a solenoid in a fully electro-pnuematic marker. With paint, however, this marker is not unusually loud, in fact with an after market barrel that has more porting than the stock barrel, the SLG was quite quiet.
The stock trigger is made of polymer and is a little stiff for me stock but is very easily adjustable. There are two set screws to adjust the travel of the trigger itself and a trigger sensitivity adjustment that can be made through the circuit board. In a few minutes I had the trigger right where I wanted it. The feedneck is not a clamping feedneck. It uses inset orings to pressure hit hoppers on. While this is better than a lot of stock feednecks, I would recommend upgrading to a clamping feedneck and an aluminum roller bearing trigger, any matrix feedneck will work and there are several after market SLG triggers on the market.
The stock board is more than capable. It is very easy to program and the manual takes you step by step through the process. You can adjust the firing modes, balls per second, and trigger sensitivity. The LED and buttons on the back of the gripframe, along with the trigger, make programming and operating the electronics a breeze. Other stock options include a Dye Hyper 3 reg that is incredibly consistant and comfortable, and a very nice rail based air source adapter(ASA) with macroline hose and fittings.
In play with matched paint this marker is extremely consistent and efficient. Proto quotes this at 1500 shots from a 68ci 4500psi HPA tank and I don't think that's an exaggeration. I was very impressed with the efficiency. Out of the box at the chronograph I was getting +-3 fps. After shooting over a case of paint(2000 rounds per case) I chrono'd again(Proto advises that it takes about 2000 cycles to break in the Hyper 3 regulator) and was getting +-2fps. Impressive. They eyes were great and I had no double feeding, breaks, or jams shooting the SLG at various rates of fire and holding it at different angles.
All in all? The SLG performs great out of the box. A couple upgrades(roller trigger and clamping feedneck), and this is my ideal marker. It truly is high performance marker at a low cost. It is a comfortable, affordable, fast, sleek, and quality marker. Kudos Proto, you just gained a fan.
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It should be noted that the first run of the SLG marker had a couple reported bugs that Proto has since corrected. There were some reports that the SLG bolt was about one millimeter short leading to rollback and also reports of the spring detents wearing out. These issues were quickly addressed by the manufacturer and new SLG's do not have these problems.
Stock:
With Angel Barrel kit, trinity feedneck, and an on off asa:
