Ball Valve vs. Pull Valve

[soakernerd]

Recently, BBT switched to pull valves. Do you think this was a good decision? What are the pros and cons of each?

[martianshark]

Ball valves have better flow. Pull valves are more reliable, but in my opinion, they're not very comfortable the way BBT is using them on the Ultimate blasters.

[HBWW]

I find reliability to be mostly due to bad designs than to the ball valve itself. That said, all ball valves require lubrication, but all pull valves (of larger blasters) do eventually require rubber banding, so I will put both valves at about equal reliability.

Ball valve

Pros:
- Best flow possible, period. Not just good, best.

Cons:
- Requires large size for good flow, which demands a big, powerful spring to close, and a lot of finger force (more than one finger) to trigger.
- Poor response, difficult to tap-shoot. Opens/closes slowly unless using Max-D which requires even more force to pull.

Pull valve

Pros:
- Much, much better trigger feel, easy to tap shoot, very responsive.
- Larger pull valves still do not require all that much force to open, and larger pull valves still give better flow than smaller ball valves.

Cons:
- Restricts flow, results in non-laminar streams so a laminator is strongly recommended.


I find the large ball valve to work best, if the spring and closing mech is setup reliably. I don't have a real need to make very fast tap shots, and the performance gain for requiring more triggering force is huge. It's the reason why my CPH can surpass CPS 2000 MK I range with a nozzle half the size and a bladder that's no match to the power provided by the 2000.

[soakernerd]

I personally like pull valves better, mainly because ball valves are impossible to make close consistently. I am also starting to wonder if they just don't seal well, since my blazer leaks out the nozzle when the gun is open and the valve is MANUALLY closed. Pull valves seem to work better.

[HBWW]

^ The reason ball valves aren't closing consistently is because they need lubrication. Giving the spring a boost of rubber bands also helps.

Edit: It still may be possible to fix the seal with lubrication (very, very unlikely, but I think there's a chance), or maybe even with something else. The ball valves are usually assembled with screws and glue (or something close to it), so they may be possible to disassemble to check out the seal inside. Otherwise, you will most likely have to replace the valve to repair it.

I've had this problem on a Max-D 5000 and never found a way to fix it that won't involve replacing the valve. For now, it has been disassembled and left around for spare parts.