Review: Tippmann X7 Phenom

[Grendel]

Manufacturer: Tippmann Sports

Description: "The X7 Phenom with FlexValve Technology is the first electro-pneumatic paintball marker to offer the combination of improved air efficiency, superior accuracy, manual or electronic mode firing, and the flexibility of CO2 or compressed air usage. The new FlexValve operates below 300 PSI for improved air efficiency allowing you to get over 1,400 shots from a 68 cubic inch 4500 psi tank. Also, due to its Spool Valve design, recoil is virtually eliminated for improved accuracy."

Period of Product Use: Less than a month

Paintball Experience: Over 20 years

Similar Products Used: Tippmann X7 with E-Grip

Marker Setup: Stock X7 Phenom

Recommended Upgrades: HammerHead barrel; Air-Through Stock

Strengths: Electro-pneumatic grip, internal gas line, external velocity adjustment, light weight but durable design.

Weaknesses: Still looking for one. If I have to list one it would be that the stock barrel is, well, a stock barrel.

Review: Right out of the box you could tell it was smaller and lighter than the X7. The first things you see are the external velocity adjustment wheel on the back and the lack of a big black gas line running from the magazine to the grip. Ours were missing the X7 Phenom name plates to preserve the secrecy, but they were noticed by quite a few players at the Viper's Deadlands event at Sherwood Forest where we tested them.

It was easy to add a single point sling on the back. I wanted to test the stock version, so I avoided changing the barrel or adding on any of my X7 mods. At the chronograph station, the external velocity adjustment came in handy. No matter how many times I chrono, my old age would kick and and I could never remember for certain whether I needed to turn it clockwise or counter-clockwise. The X7 Phenom has a + and - sign next to the dial.

The first shot was a surprise. Rather than the gruff sound that I was used to from firing previous Tippmanns such as the A-5 and X7, the X7 Phenom was radically quieter and had almost zero recoil. It had more of a "punch-punch-punch" sound on semi-auto. Every shot went right where I aimed it--right on top of each other. When I flipped the selector switch up to auto, I could see the green light begin to blink in the front hole of the grip. I opened up and emptied a hopper. Firing at the four-inch plates on the range, almost to a paintball every shot landed on target (about 25 feet away).

On the field, it was noticeably lighter (with no mods) and easier to wield one-handed. I was able to move around in bunkered areas and make shots that I probably wouldn't have made with my primary X7 (MP5SD mod). At medium range, it was very accurate. At longer ranges with the stock barrel it seemed to drop off quickly.

Night play with the new electro-pneumatic grip was great. As it was single-fire only, I didn't have to worry about a blinking light giving me away or a dead battery sending me back to the truck early. It was easy to add on current X7 mods such as collapsible stocks and barrels such as the HammerHead Straightline. For barrel upgrades, a plastic collar has to be removed from the inside of the front shroud (as opposed to the one that often falls out of the current X7 shrouds because it is added from the front).

Over the course of the weekend event, I only broke a couple of paintballs in the barrel. I consider that remarkable as the temperatures were in the 30's and 40's most of the time. An X7 would need after-market soft paddles in its Cyclone to avoid chopping paint in that environment. The X7 Phenom has much softer paddles than past evolutions of the Cyclone, which made it much gentler on brittle paint.

Conclusion: The X7 Phenom is the hands down best marker that Tippmann has ever produced. It's low velocity gives me more shots per tank and the new electro-pneumatic grip and searless technology eliminate the battery issues that hamper my X7. It will now become my primary marker.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Photos:

Grendel test firing at Deadlands: Exodus


The X7 Phenom next to a stock X7


The external velocity adjustment wheel


The new electro-pneumatic E-Grip with 3 modes: safe, semi (mechanical), and auto (electronic).


Break down is easy. Two pins remove the foregrip and three remove the buttplate and grip.


An internal pin frees the Flex Valve.


When the Flex Valve slides back, the gas tube to the Cyclone is removed.


The Flex Valve will then slide out the back of the receiver.


Closer view of the components of the Flex Valve.


The exploded view of the X7 Phenom.


For a more complete write up with slideshow, check out Hellions.net: Review of the X7 Phenom