Dboy AEG's?
 

Does anyone have any experience with the Dboy brand? Some of their stuff looks decent, and the prices are great. I particularly like that they are full metal.
Would this be a decent brand to start off with?
I'm looking at the HK416 right now.

Dboys have been known for better then average ACM externals and .............. bottom of the barrel internals. Just because something is full metal doesn't mean it'll be strong. Aluminum zinc alloy is my nemesis in airsoft. It's easy to crack and even weaker then plastic.

I agree with Kingsix's assessment. Buy em and gut em (i.e. completely throw out the gearbox, wiring, and motor), but don't run them stock. I think of them as project guns, mainly stuff like the PDW, where you have traditionally saved a lot over the VFC model. That one has come down in price recently, so the advantage of going cheap isn't as strong.

I'm more interested in the full metal AEG's because of the feel, not really strength.

So could you guys suggest a good brand to start off with? I'm not looking to spend too much. But if I decide to spend $400, how are G&P? I'm thinking the M4 sentry.

if you don't want those Dboy motors I'll gladly take em for some frankentorques.

edit: G&P's are effing fantastic, except for the gears and motors =S

shhhhhhhh ;)

The one in my PDW was hella slow though.

VFC and King Arms are safe bets if you're just starting off. King Arms M4s are pretty good.

G&P makes sexy guns but as others have mentioned and will continue to mention, they often have a lot of troublesome issues such as catastrophic gear failures in the first game or two, or fitment issues with mags, or piston failures. I would ONLY seriously consider G&P if you have free access to a gun doctor (i.e. a GOOD gun doctor who is on your team already) or are up for a challenge and willing to learn how to replace gears and other parts.

You will see a lot of experienced guys running everything from G&P to CYMA but there are often subtle considerations involved that aren't obvious to the beginner -- mostly to do with reliability and mostly leading to mechanical or electrical upgrades/improvements -- that are to be considered to make those guns into "workhorse" guns.

Hope that helps

Alright, I'll look into those brands then. I dont mind working on my own guns, I did it when I used to play Milsim paintball, and I do it with my real firearms. But I would be worried about all the money it would cost just to replace the parts haha.
One last question, can you recommend a good online retailer?
I prefer to go in store, but transportation can be an issue from time to time. Wouldn't want to take a bus with anything even pertaining to a weapon.
I appreciate the help! :)

If you want a 416 JG makes a reasonably priced version. Good for the money but for best performance you'd probably want to address the internals at some point in the future.

http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=50930

I don't paintball, but I've seen those apart and I own numerous real firearms myself, believe me when I tell you that an AEG is nothing like either of those. Entering with that mindset will lead to all sorts of frustration and other "fun".

The majority of AEGs don't even take down wnywhere close to how their real counterparts do

Yup, an AEG is mechanically closer to clock work, than a firearm. King Arms and VFC are pretty good. ICS and G&G aren't bad neither.

In my opinion clock work crossed with Voo Doo

I own a few G&Ps. Older generation tend to have hop up problem, which means they do not work too well. But the new ones e.g. Stoner machine gun, have solved this problem, and have great rate of fire right out of the box.

If you have $400 budget and look for a airsoft AEG which can perform well right out of the box with reasonable reliability, King Arms, G&G, G&P, VFC are all good choices.

Thanks for the help everyone!

From the ones I've brought in, I find there is a large number of lemons (and some of the shoddiest gearbox greasings ever), but the ones that work tend to be very durable and reliable.