Smart Parts the manufacture of the NXT Shocker announced a price drop today. This is a second price drop in about a year for the NXT shocker. The Shocker has always been a slow mover. In the original $699-799 it sat all by itself on the shelf, its a slower gun that does need a little more love and care than a Planet Eclipse ETEK. The new $599 price does put the shocker head to head with an ETEK.

On a NXT Shocker vs. ETEK comparison, i would still take an ETEK paintball gun. The ETEK might be a few onces heavier than a NXT however, the ETEKs speed and relibility and over all performance kicks the NXT Shockers butt every time if you ask me. Not to mention Planet Eclipse offers unparalleled support.

Smart Parts did a great job at developing an entry level gun theat performs (ION based guns, which are water down versions of the shocker) however they have yet to come out with anything cutting edge in the past few years. They seemed to be happy making entry level guns and not trying to “think” too hard to develop a new innovative design. Hence the price drop on the NXT Shocker. This road of thought leads to the question “Can Paintball guns get any better?”.