From high end contender to mid range monster
The Empire Axe Review (and thoughts on the 2.0 and Mini GS)

There was a time that the Empire Axe was the most popular marker in tournament paintball. It was sold to countless new players as a high end marker at a mid range price, and honestly held up to that hype. Those players were not content though and used Axes flooded the market making “Axe+Cash?” a running joke on every BST across the internet. These used markers, the release of the 2.0, and some actual competition from the Planet Eclipse Etha 2 the original Axe has mostly been relegated to loaner duty for those who don’t want to part with theirs at the going rate.

Ahead of its time

The original Axe really did change the landscape. Though the Invert Mini was released first it was very small and the original run soiled its reputation with some quality control issues that would later be resolved. The Axe on the other hand came out swinging. At a street price under $500 it frankly embarrassed some of its competition. Here we had a mid priced marker with a proper tournament legal board, lever feedneck, toolless bolt removal, on/off ASA, and no macro line. These are features that many of us take for granted today but at the time there were a good deal of guns more expensive than the Axe that did not come with these features.

Though many looked at the Axe as simply an upgraded and larger Mini, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The bolt system in the Mini was actually a very unique and well designed system and the Axe improved on the design somewhat inadvertently with a slightly larger volume chamber thanks to the larger form factor. This system uses a pressure controlled poppet that uses air to open the poppet valve. I highly recommend checking out this animation from ZDSPB.com to see how this works.

Equipped with this bolt system, the Empire really put their chips on the table. Empire sponsored teams were handed the Axe, again a $500 gun at the time, and it held up amazingly well. It could handle the incredibly fragile paint, harsh weather conditions, and general day after day abuse that a pro team can throw at a marker. There is a retired pro player that frequently comes down to my local field who shot an axe for a season. If anyone speaks ill of the Axe he is quick on the draw to reminisce about how reliable these guns were on the field.

Still ahead, or falling behind?

How does the Empire Axe hold up today? Very well actually. The board is legal for any tournament using modern 10.5bps ramping, the ergonomics still hold up thanks to being on the longer side for its era, and parts are readily available to keep an Axe alive for another decade.

A stock Axe these days will usually run between $100-200 USD making for a very affordable option for any new player. My wife’s Axe was only $70 USD because it needed a new poppet seal, a $2 part.

On the subject of poppets, there are a couple upgrades worth considering for the Axe. The Axe’s poppet seal is a proprietary part. Though very inexpensive at $2 each if the seal goes on you and you don’t have a spare it can ruin a day of play. Method Development sells a replacement poppet that uses an o ring instead of the stock poppet seal. The stock barrel on the Axe was a 12” one piece that I swear was purposefully made to encourage buyers to upgrade. There is so little porting on the stock barrel that this is one of the few markers that I would actually recommend a barrel upgrade for.

All in all I love my Axe and so does my wife. I keep one in my bag at all times as a loaner and it just keeps running. We have only ever had two issues with ours. One being the poppet mentioned earlier, the other was on a cold rainy day (under 10*C) we had to increase the dwell. They are quiet, have a soft but satisfying shot, great efficiency, superb paint handling, and fit well in the hands. For the price we paid I could not ask for more.

Updated and still cutting it up

At the time of writing this there are two Axes readily available on the new market. The original Axe was replaced with the Axe 2.0. The 2.0 is a two steps forward one step back situation. The foregrip has a rubber cover from its younger brother, the Mini GS. The added eye covers are welcome, making it much easier to clean the eyes compared to the original. The feedneck is now composite, which in practice is a better feedneck than the originals but feels like a downgrade as the original used aluminum. One other change was the odd choice to remove the air gauge making the 2.0 more streamlined but harder to tune. All that said, a brand new Axe 2.0 can be had for as little as $330 USD at the time of writing this making it still one of the best values in paintball period.

The other release was the Empire SYX. The SYX was intended to replace the Axe Pro, a higher end version of the Axe that was highly popular for a short while, but ended up being a commercial flop. In some respects it was too little too late, in others it was simply ugly as sin. The SYX was truly intended to be a top of the line Axe with an OLED board, upgraded bolt system, and surprisingly comfortable ergonomics. Unlike when the Axe came out and completely turned the mid range market on its head, the SYX had popular full featured guns to compete with. It is still available brand new at $500 USD. At this price it is truly a steal and worth a look if you can get over the strange looking foregrip.

For other options under $500 check out our guide here!