Elite Paintball Guns

Here’s the next generation of Proto pants – the Proto 08. I know it is gonna sound like something you’ve already heard but Proto 08 is absolute copy of Proto 07 except for the design. It’s not the first brand that’s doing it and it’s not gonna be the last by my personal opinion is that when companies are making a new product even if it’s just a sequel the product should differ from the previous one, be better than it. And I don’t call the change in the design a significant difference…even if that change is a good one. And it’s certainly not something that I’ll pay 30 more bucks for. Here are the features again:
• Adjustable waist with velcro closures makes a perfect fit every time.
• Inner leg venting keeps you cool under fire.
• Reinforced padded knee panels give protection against knee impacts.
• Vented cargo pockets allow you to carry what you need.
• Combination zipper and button crotch panel is padded and helps protect what’s important.
• Sublimated paneling on the sides keeps bright and clean after washing.
The Proto 08 cost exactly $89.95 and considering the previous review they’re simply not worth the money. Even the colors are the same…blue, red, black/grey and olive green. If you want the newest version that’s completely different story…just pay the extra 30 bucks, but if you don’t insist on having the latest you can just save those or buy some better pants for that same price.

Here are some pants that bring up quite contradictory opinions about them. Some players like them big time, some wish that they’ve never have bought them. Overall they all agree for one thing – the pants do look hot. They have awesome design and will certainly give you some extra style points. But other than that the opinions start to divert from one another. Like the durability for instance…half the players have never had any problems with the pants’ durability and say that they last a long time, the other half though claim that after just couple of months of intensive play the knees start so shred and eventually the entire knee area is falling apart. Maybe the reason is in the “intensive play” if you play once or twice a month and don’t slide that often the pants will last you for long time, but the opposite brings out that, in my opinion, major flaw. Major, because durability is one of the main things players are looking for when buying paintball clothing…I mean you don’t go and by a pair of pants that you know are not gonna last more than 2 months, right. So I guess that’s something Proto should work on for their next pants edition. Another thing they should probably work on is the knee padding. That’s the other point where opinions don’t match – for some, that have bought those as their first pair of pants, the knee padding is great, but more experienced players find it a little thin – this means that you should have separate knee pads which on the other hand will lead to raise in the price - high enough that you can just go and buy a pair of more expensive pants and save yourself the uncomfortable knee pads. And there’s more – some players criticize the sizes, and to be more precise the fact that there is a big difference between two consecutive sizes. But they all like the waist band that do its job extremely well so that’s one solution to the problem. Another difference between the opinions is the one about the pockets. Some find the pockets plenty and comfortable, others emphasize on the fact that the squeegee pocket is too shallow and not practical at all. After all that’s been said look ate the pants features yourself:
•  Adjustable waist with velcro closures makes a perfect fit every time.
• Inner leg venting keeps you cool under fire.
• Reinforced padded knee panels give protection against knee impacts.
• Vented cargo pockets allow you to carry what you need.
• Combination zipper and button crotch panel is padded and helps protect what’s important.
• Sublimated paneling on the sides keeps bright and clean after washing.
The pants keep a low price compared to other o7 brand edition and you can find them for $59.95. Colors are available – red, blue, olive green, and grey. After the review it’s only up to you and your judgment wheatear you’ll get those or not.    

Here’s a cheaper model of Planet Eclipse pants collection - the Eclipse ETek 07. Although they are not that great like the Planet Eclipse Distortion 07 pants they do deserve reviewing. And the “not that great” statement doesn’t mean I consider them some sort of bad pants…not at all, they too deserve to be put somewhere between the first ten great pants in the paintball world. Why? Well first of all they are a Planet Eclipse product and second of all they too posses everything you need from a good pair of pants. Everything that I pointed out in the Planet Eclipse Distortion 07 review works great for the Eclipse ETek 07 as well. It’s just that the Planet Eclipse Distortion 07 pants are a little bit better. But see the features, before I continue:
• Padded knee area
• X2 elasticated rear pod holders
• Adjustable waist
• Etek camo print
• Squeegee pockets
• Articulated rear section
• Padded lumbar zone
• Internal thigh protection
So the main differences here are the price, the just a little bit reduced quality and the design. But since we discussed the design so widely in the previous review there’s no way we let that difference slide without commenting it. So about the design…I thing it’s really nice…well, I’m not in love with it like I was with the Distortion 07, but it still is eye-catching, although I think they’ve done a much better work with the back side look than the front one. Anyways the pants look really nice and no white this time – they come in black/camo shade. As to the price it is $89.98 much more bearable than that on the Distortion 07. So again it’s up to you to decide, but I give those pants one absolutely positive grade.

Now those are some good looking pants. Not every company dares to use white in their models and if you ask me the black and white is probably the best looking combination. If it wasn’t for the staining issue I’m so calling the Planet Eclipse Distortion 07 pants the best looking pants on the market…better than Dye and Empire put together. But the staining problem is a fact and although it’s not such a big of a deal it’s there to point out and reduce some points of the perfect score. But before I say anything else about these pants, check out their features:
• Inner leg venting keeps you cool
• Super stretch zones on the legs and crotch make for the most comfortable pant ever
• Adjustable waist straps for perfect fit
• Articulated lumber straps
• Waist adjustment straps
• Easy access PVC pocket tabs
• Estar pvc badge details
• 2-way stretch articulation zones
• Section padded leg protection
• Adjustable/secure ankle closures
• Ribbed articulated lumber zone
• Rear leg vents
• Anti abrasion side impact zones
• Air cool mesh venting
The Planet Eclipse Distortion 07 pants are not just good looking they are also some nice, nice pants to have. They posses absolutely anything that a great pair of pants should have – great padding, comfort (all kind of comfort, from feeling good when worn to being great when bending or sliding, or crawling, or anything you have to do while playing), venting (it’s great in both cold and warm weather), durability - just anything you can think of you get from those pants…they are almost perfect. But perfection doesn’t come cheap. That’s exactly the case here – to get those you have to be willing to spend $149.98. Not a small amount, but totally worthy if you ask me. The thing is you don’t have a color option at all. You either get them in black and white or you don’t get them at all. But again the combination is extremely good looking and if it was me I jump on it right away.

Those are pants worth comparing to Dye and Empire. If we talk about good pants like Dye ones and Empire ones we know we’re talking about good high prices as well. But sometimes there is a product that can also be called good, but at the same time comes on a reasonable price. JT Team pants are exactly that product. Of course they are not better than the Dye or Empire, but considering the price are pretty good. Some say those are the most comfortable pants they’ve owned…I say they deserve the third place in that category (after the above mentioned two). Check the pants features before we continue:
• Constructed with 1000 denier fabric
• Kevlar-Mix knees with internal padding
• Ballistic nylon and sewn together with the toughest Nylon thread on Earth
Not too much of features included so let me fill that gap for you. the pants are strongly made although some people are complaining about the knees tearing up easily because of the lack of stretchy material around them, but those are insulated cases and can be just the “rotten apple” effect. The pants are quite well vented and can keep you cool in hot days just as well they keep you warm in cold ones. People consider them comfy mainly because of the net material on the inner side that keeps the rougher material away from your feet, but also because they are baggy and provide you that so important extra space. They are well padded, especially on the knees and the tights where you need it most. What I consider a flaw is the design, although many people find it great. I just think it’s kinda rough and edgy if that makes any sense to you. The pants cost $74.99 and as we already said this is a decent price, but you have to decide for yourself. The color choices are urban camo, black and desert camo. And for all you guys who like pink (I seriously doubt there are many of you) you are lucky as this is probably the only brand that has pink pants to offer, and not only that but they offer them 10 bucks cheaper for $64.99 (I sure hope I don’t have to explain why).

Now here’s what’s supposed to be the Invert SS upgraded version (I’m sure you’ve heard that before, trust me there’s a reason for that). I’m sorry to tell you but what they changed here is only the design and the price. Unfortunately for them that means two points down – one for the screw up of the design and the other for the raise in the price. The pants are absolutely identical (don’t get me wrong they are truly some good pants, but there must be at least a little bit of difference so you can justify the price raise, right?). Well just so you make sure what I’m saying is right see the features (again):
•  Lightest weight pants we make….some may call them fast pants
• Wide hole belt loops! You asked for them we delivered!
• Custom Empire zipper pulls
• 1680 Durra knee construction padded and pre-curved with dual density foam protection
• We not only started the 4 way stretch panels above the knees but we have perfected it. These panels give so your pants don’t have to
• CB pad and waistband padding. You (and your girlfriend) will thank us later.
• Cinch cord cuffs because we know not everybody is the same height
• Colorfast custom Digi-camo sublimated polymesh panels
• Available in Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Do you notice any difference? If you do please tell me. So about that price difference – it is actually not such a big of a deal…10 dollars, but yet again it’s just for the change in the design. So at a total price of $79.95 you can feel happy to have the Invert 08 edition. Oh, and I just found another difference – the shades. No basic colors here – you can chose from Digi blue camo, urban digi camo, woodland digi camo, us army digi camo and red digi camo. I just don’t wanna say anything else. If you’re into giving 10 more bucks for different shade of pants that’s entirely up to you.

Here’s another brand making good paintball pants. Invert brand (if you haven’t noticed) is under the guise of Empire. This is why their products are so similar to each other. There are some differences of course (mainly in the price), but usually the products are as similar as possible. It’s no excuse here. The Invert SS pants are very similar to the Empire React 07. Basically the only difference is the design. Check the features before we continue:
• Ultra light weight
• Wide hole belt loops!
• Custom zipper pulls
• 1680 Durra knee construction, padded and pre-curved with dual-density foam protection
• We not only started the 4 way stretch panels above the knees, but we’ve perfected it. These panels give so your pants dont have to.
• CB pad and waistband padding
• Cinch cord cuffs because we know not everybody is the same height
• Colorfast custom camo-sublimated polymesh panels
It’s great that the Invert are so similar to the Empire React 07 cause if you’ve read the React review you know that there are very few flaws pointed out. Same thing goes for the Invert SS – they are very durable and comfortable pants, padded on the exact right places, greatly vented and really good looking. What’s better here is that they are just a little bit cheaper costing $69.95 (with 5 bucks difference it’s not that important, but I’m obliged to tell you anyway). You can get the pants in blue, red, urban camo and woodland camo, which is not so bad considering that the React SS come in blue, red and black. So basically if you want some good pants on a reasonable price this should be your choice. I’m not saying that they are better than the Empire collection, but they are certainly not stepping to much down of it.

Evil 06 get great reviews with hardly any complain about them. Still there is another version out the 07 and even though it is considered slightly worse the 06 may be kinda hard to find already. Which is unfortunate as these are a great pants. They are strongly made and less likely to fall apart after just a couple of games like some other cheaper pants you can find on the market. The padding is good and on the right places so you’re safe from all those painful hits you can get. The pants are also pretty well vented and have plenty of pockets you can keep your stuff in. there’s not much of characteristics to show you, but anyway check what we have:
• New for 2006 cup-shaped articulated knee pad allows for perfect fit around pads and bare body
• Removable belt closure system with integrated biofoam 2 pod harness offers more secure fit
• Vented mesh for better movement and cooling
The pants look pretty good and to tell you the truth they look much better than, what should be their upgraded version – the Evil 07. There are some flaws, I dug up for you that keep repeating in players reviews – sizing is one of them. If you have another pair of pants and think the same size will be ok it may turn out that you are wrong. The Evil pants tend to be a size up of the one you actually wear (meaning that if you usually wear medium you should probably get small Evil’s so they can fit). This in many cases is not such big of a deal as there is a belt you can tighten, but if you get the pants too big there’s nothing that can help you (except maybe put in some more weight). Another thing that’s sort of bugging is that the pants need a lot of breaking in. The material is kinda rough on the skin and gets better after several washings – but it does get better. The best thing of the next version – the 07 – being out is that it actually drops the price for this one. Right now you can find them for $64.99 which you have to admit is not that bad. Before the 07 was out those were about 100 bucks – so you’re in a deal right now. The thing is newer and newer versions will come out constantly so if you decide to wait for the price to drop even more you may actually miss your chance. As I’ve said earlier those are already hard to find. And if you do find a pair it may not be the color you like (there are probably some red and blue left). So if you like what you’re reading, don’t wait too long to get them.

Here comes the time for the newest in the Empire pants collection. The Contact SE 08 pants are basically an upgrade of the Contact 07. The differences are not much, actually if I understood correctly by reading the features it is only one big difference and this is a padded lumbar and rear panel. It’s not bad that they still can come up with newer and newer ideas for upgrades, but the price those pants hold is so not worth that one difference they have from their predecessor - the 07 edition. Even the design haven’t changed that much…yes it’s a little better than before, but it’s definitely not worthy the 35 more dollars. Anyways check the features (maybe I should say again):
• Built in hip slide pads- Whether you are the guy running out to the corners or the snake on the break our all new Slider Hip pads will keep you from limping off the field. These built in pads keep the raspberries in the produce department, not on your hips. Self contouring design rises above the waistline to cover your hip bones.
• Wide hole belt loops! You asked for them we delivered!
• Kevlar pre-curved Dual density knees. The most technically advanced & protective knee on a paintball pant period.
• Em-Flow Panel design tm Air intake in the front and output in the rear. Heavy duty lilac mesh Construction
• CB pad and waistband padding. You (and your girlfriend) will thank us later. Not only is there a pad in front of the family jewels but then ENTIRE area!
• Belt Buckle internal hideaway key pocket. Now you can take your car key on the field with you with out fear of losing it on the field.
• Neoprene covered Zippers. Keeps the dirt out of your zippers and the paint away from any hard spots
• Dual density reinforced pad zones on shin and side of knees, because not all sliding happens directly on your knee
• Newly designed padded lumbar & rear panel with Rubberized pop outs to grab onto your harness. Not only will this help keep your harness in place but the lumbar pad helps cushion the weight of the pods against your lower back
• Neoprene lined internal swab pocket
• Triple stitched double mesh inseam
• We not only started the 4 way stretch panels above the knees but we have perfected it. These panels give so your pants don’t have to.
• Cinch cord cuffs because we know not everybody is the same height
• Adjustable Velcro waist, that can cinch down an extra few inches
• Colorfast sublimated polymesh panel
• Available in Sizes: S, M, L, XL
So here’s what I think…yes, those are the newest and slightly better pants than the Contact 07, but if you can hold up for a while buying them I’m sure their price will drop…and if you can’t I suggest you get the 07 ones. So the total price of the Empire Contact SE 08 is $124.95 and they come in black, blue, red, desert camo and woodland camo shades. They also come in two limited editions – American legion and Fire shades which do look nice (although they are kinda flashy for me), but you have to say goodbye to $149.95 to get your hands on them. Still, they are a limited edition and that almost guarantees that you’ll be the only one wearing them. The choice again is nothing but personal.

So as promised here’s the review for the Empire Contact 07 pants. Compared to the Contact 06 edition those are a little bit updated and a little bit better looking, but if I have to compare the looks to the React 07 I stuck with the React. It’s my personal opinion, but the React 07 just looks cleaner and cooler than those ones. As to the performance – it’s great again. The padding is amazing…and the knees are reinforced with Kevlar for even better protection and durability. And if we’re gonna speak for durability, those has got to be one of the most durable pants ever. You can spend all day crawling or sliding and at the end of the day they’ll look just as good as when you bought them. As to the venting – it’s even better than with the Contact 06 and similar to the React 07 – meaning it’s great and on the right places. Before we continue check the pants features:
•  Built in hip slide pads- Whether you are the guy running out to the corners or the snake on the break our all new Slider Hip pads will keep you from limping off the field. These built in pads keep the raspberries in the produce department, not on your hips. Self contouring design rises above the waistline to cover your hip bones.
• Kevlar pre-curved Dual density knees. The most technically advanced & protective knee on a paintball pant period.
• Newly designed rear panel with Rubberized pop outs to grab onto your pack. Not only will this help keep your harness in place but you also use the loop to hang your pants after a muddy practice.
• 4 way stretch panels above the knees perfected. These panels give so your pants don’t have to.
• Wide hole belt loops! You asked for them we delivered!
• Em-Flow Panel design. Air intake in the front and output in the rear. Heavy duty lilac mesh Construction
• CB pad and waistband padding. You (and your girlfriend) will thank us later. Not only is there a pad in front of the family jewels but the ENTIRE area!
• Belt Buckle internal hideaway key pocket. Now you can take your car key on the field with you with out fear of losing it on the field.
• Neoprene covered Zippers. Keeps the dirt out of your zippers and the paint away from any hard spots
• Dual density reinforced pad zones on shin and side of knees, because not all sliding happens directly on your knee
• Neoprene lined internal swab pocket
• Triple stitched double mesh inseam
• Cinch cord cuffs because we know not everybody is the same height
• Adjustable Velcro waist, that can cinch down an extra few inches
• Colorfast sublimated polymesh panels
The pants fit perfectly and feel a little baggier than other pants – we put that as a plus as this makes them even more comfortable than other pants. Again just like with the React 07 they have zipped pockets that are a very nice touch and they, too tend to bounce balls - so no difference here, but definitely not a bad thing. They are slightly pricier than the React 07 version - $89.95, and to tell you the truth I have no idea why as they are almost the same pants as the React 07. And I definitely won’t spend 15 more bucks for different design (that’s even worse than the other one – again according to me anyway). But that’s a matter of opinion. Oh, I almost forgot the colors…but they’re not hard to guess though – red, blue and black, just like with the React 07 plus a Digi Camo so you don’t say they are completely the same.