Top 5 AEG’s for under $200
July 9, 2018
When starting out in Airsoft, we have a ton of options. It seems like a never-ending list of choices to filter through. But, as always, WE’RE HERE TO HELP! Today, we’re going to be helping the people on a tighter budget. Specifically, we have a $200 price point to work with. Hold onto your tight’s folks, we’re getting this party started!
#5 – Lancer Tactical Multi Mission Carbine (MMC) $185
The Lancer Tactical MMC line is one of the most underrated series on the market. OEM’d by Lonex, This series will last and perform at a competitive level. With Lonex’s complete line of parts included, this gun is the walking definition of “Pre-Upgraded”. Every single part in the gun is considered an upgrade part by most techs. Along with all of the upgrades is a high strength polymer body. Why is this only at number 5 you ask? Well it’s an incredibly basic gun. There’s nothing that stands out that’ll make it an ultra-high-end performer. While the internals are better than most, they’re not the best parts available for upgrading. Check out our review here!
#4 – Apex Fast Attack (Metal & Polymer) $110 – $196
The Apex brand gained a bit of a negative reputation a few years back. Recently they’ve streamlined their gearboxes, re-worked a few things, and now feature an incredibly reliable system. The Fast Attack series come in a full metal and polymer bodies. Internally it features 8mm steel bushings, low resistance wiring, a 25k Classic Army Motor, Flat trigger, rotary hop-up unit, and a 6.03mm Barrel. The trigger response is amazing on this extremely budget M4. With most of the upgrades already done for you, there is very little that you’d absolutely need to change. Now a lot of people are asking, “How is an Apex above the MMC?” It’s above the MMC because they perform relatively the same. The polymer Fast Attacks are about $70 cheaper. You can also get a metal Fast Attack for about $10 more than the MMC.
#3 – G&G CM-16 E Raider 2.0 $190 – $225
The G&G Combat Machine line dominated the entry level market for many years. We used them as a base for our G4 line up and they worked fantastically. Very recently G&G re-vamped their line to include a MOSFET straight out of the box. Originally their mid-tier guns included their ETU system. Now it’s trickled its way into their entry level guns. The trigger unit allows for incredible trigger response. It can be programmed to feature a 3 or 5 round burst, The G&G is wired to deans, giving you great trigger response and rate of fire. The biggest drawback to the new G&G is the battery space. With their MOSFET being in-line, it takes up a lot of space making battery options limited. Using higher voltage batteries may result in your MOSFET getting burnt out as well. Their MOSFET seems to run into snags when using anything higher than a 7.4v LiPo.
#2 – Elite Force M4 CFR Next Gen – $184.95
Elite Force is known for their quality control. Everything from their high-end AEG’s, pistols, and (of course) their entry level guns. They thoroughly quality control check every single gun that is imported into the US to be sure you don’t run into an issue. The CFR features a microswitch trigger similar to the G&G. This allows for great trigger response. The advantage of the Elite Force is it can handle higher power batteries more efficiently. You’ll get a similar rate of fire, semi-automatic response, and range and accuracy. The difference being the Elite Force won’t burn out from consistent high-power battery usage. Check out this awesome review from Diles46!
#1 – Classic Army ECS Skirmish Line – $184.99 – $224.99
Classic Army has made a huge splash in the industry in the past 2 years. They’ve rebuilt their reputation and are quickly taking over the market. Their Skirmish line was already incredibly competitive with a MOSFET, precision gears, 6.03mm barrel, and rotary hop up. Then they started producing the Skirmish line with their ECS out of the box. The ECS allows for an enormous range of programmability. Classic Army also upgraded from a basic motor to a proline 23k motor. The upgraded motor shows in the improved rate of fire. They also changed the hop up unit to a polymer. Giving it a better seal for a more consistent FPS output. Featuring 4 different types, in 2 legnths, only APEX has more selections in their line. Check out our review here!
