Echo 1 Airsoft – What’s the VALUE?

I have been reading on a few blogs and forums about Echo 1 Airsoft, and am bothered by what seems to be the negative opinions “they” seem to have of Echo 1. You know who “they” are, Those people that are the big guys, the all knowing all seeing repositories of Airsoft knowledge.

Their main point of contention seems to be that Echo 1 merely rebrands the AEG’s of other manufacturers and “passes them off” as their own and offer no value to the end customer. “They” seem to feel this is dishonest and the people have a right to know!! Well, as usual, “they” are just a bunch of idiots who should stick to polishing their, um, AEG’s.

So, what exactly does Echo 1 do? Yes, it is true they “partner” with other manufacturers, TEST every weapon, rebrand and repackage them, add a 30 day WARRANTY, and sell them with their name on them. OK, that went by kind of fast, and you might have missed ALOT of value to the end customer. They TEST THEM, and THEY OFFER A WARRANTY. I don’t know about you, but I have been ripped of a number of times in the past on purchases of airsoft guns, electronics, etc. Each time I tried to get a replacement for the POS I got I was basically laughed at. When trying to get my money back, they only laughed louder.

So, how much value is there in not making yourself nuts over something you really wanted and is now a pile of @&$# on the floor? How much value is there in knowing the gift you just gave to your (son, buddy, friend, girl friend) has been tested and has a warranty? From where I sit, I would say a great deal. Definitely worth the extra $25.00. Also, how much value does the original manufacturer get out of this deal? Again, I would argue a great deal. First, having another company selling your products and increasing your North American sales (what, 500%?) is of GREAT value. Maybe it’s me, but do you see a Win – Win situation here?

So, in doing your research please, take the reviews, opinions, rantings and ravings that “they” post with a grain (or a rock) of salt. 

Ambushing Co-Workers Banned

We here at DAW have prided ourselves for some time now in the fact that we ‘used’ our Airsoft Guns at work, every day. We were very involved in reliability testing our weapons under a number of different circumstances. We started shooting targets in the warehouse, then a combat course THROUGH the warehouse. Then we started to test the very limits of our, at the time, gas pistols to see what we could make them do.

For example, one day when Tracy went to the bathroom (and I could tell he wold be in there a while) I popped a round under the door with my Blow Back Airsoft pistol. We discovered that a biodegradable airsoft bb breaks up into 2 – 3 pieces when skipped off marble tile! Fortunately, it does NO damage to the tile. Well, his butt came about 2 inches off the seat and pieces landed in his underwear.  OK, this was FUNNY all the way around.

Well, we escalated back and forth, until the day I escalated the ‘at work’ arms race and added an Airsoft AEG. A new lesson we learned is that airsoft bb’s bounce nicely off the ceiling of the bathroom and explode against the far wall. That would be the wall directly in front of the urinal. Tracy discovered this one day during a PERCEIVED cease fire. Clearly, he was wrong.

Well, we have grown some over the last year. During that time Tracy got very good at barricading himself in the bathroom. However, we discovered that some people do not find the humor in it all. I mean COME ON . . . an Airsoft Claymore Mine going off as you walk by the copier?? That is HYSTERICAL. However, Tracy and I talked long and hard about it and we discovered that not everyone shares our, well, adolescent senses of humor. Not everyone thinks that having to reconnoiter the parking lot before getting out of your car is something that is part of a job description.

So, after long thought, ambushing co-workers at DAW has been banned, and this is a good thing. We now have a lot more time ‘productive’ for blogging, working, and all the mundane things that had let to the boredom that started the ambushing in the first place. So we shoot in the warehouse at boring old targets.

However . . . I know that bastard Tracy is planning something. I’ll bet he is going to get me coming out of the house early one morning. Just like him, and that’s why I love the guy!

Firearems Training with Airsoft

One thing that brought both me and my partner to the wonderful world of Airsoft is the fact that they can be used to teach firearm safety just about anywhere. Because they are replica firearms that operate their real steel cousins training and getting familiar with shooting techniques is actually fun to do. In our warehouse we have a combat course set up that we can use at any time. We have had weekend seminars teaching combat pistol techniques using Airsoft gas pistols and it really went over well.

The key word here is safety, and here is a good example. One of the attendees was practicing holstering and drawing his weapon. While holstering it he had an accidental discharge that made him jump about a foot. Well, if that was a real .45 that would have been his last jump. He was able to learn a valuable lesson he will never repeat, and it didn’t cost him his right foot to learn it. Safely practicing shooting techniques with an Airsoft gun will make you a much better and safer shooter with your real sidearm.

Numerous military and law enforcement agencies agree, as this is the latest trend in live fire training. They are now using Airsoft AEG’s in entering and clearing training, allowing the agents/officers to actually get trigger time as a unit, to practice the techniques that will keep everyone in the team alive while at the same time allowing for learning situations without dire consequences.

We at DAW are excited about this trend as it will only help our industry as a whole. First it will help take our beloved AEG’s from the expensive toy category and help it to gain legitimacy. Also, it will help improve the quality of the products in the industry as the continued use will improve design and engineering over time.So, next time you are stalking one of your friends and are getting ready to light him up like a pinball machine just remember, you are not playing . . . you are TRAINING!!!

Tell Us Your Stories!

One of the events that lead to the creation of DAW was Gordon and a couple friends ambusing Tracy coming out of the bathroom one evening during UFC Fight Night. He broke one of the biggest “guy rules” that is out there: “NEVER be the last of your friends to buy an Airsoft gun.” You can read that and other stories HERE.

So, since we know we aren’t the ONLY onse shooting each other with Airsoft guns (ever search YouTube?), please post your stories here for everyone to read. Nothing makes us happier to read about how ‘Bob’ used an Airsoft Claymore to scatter his brothers friends in the basement. Or how ‘Sally’ got revenge on her brother by sniping him and HIS friends from her 2nd story bedroom window. Don;t forget to describe the Owie Dance. That is one of the best parts.  

Thank you, and HAPPY SHOOTING!

The DAW Blog is UP and Limping

Welcome to the DAW Blog. We say up and Limping because, well, we are new to this and don;t quite have our hands around this as yet, but we soon will. If you haven’t been to our store as yet, please go visit us at www.discountairsoftwarehouse.com and find yourslef something cool to shoot your friends with. Why? Because it is hysterical, fun, and SAFE (if done with planning).

This is a place for our friends and customers to come and discuss their firearms, to tell us about ambusing their friends, as well as to discuss this wonderfully addictive sport we all have grown to love.

 Thank you, and let us know if you have any questions.