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B.L. Tech BOSS Update


PureSilver

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  • 3 weeks later...

I spent a fair bit of time chatting with the BOSS' developers during their trip here in the US. Twin brothers, one is a hardware engineer, the other a software engineer. Good guys. Very passionate about what they're doing and what they can bring to the hobby. TBH, at first glance, I wasn't a fan of the form factor either. Being a little unauthentic, it was a bit of a turn off. Then I got to use it. This product truly has to be experienced in person for people to actually appreciate what it brings to the table. Video alone fails to capture how awesome this sounds in person. Whether you're using it yourself or hearing it across the field, its extremely impressive. Impressive enough that for me, it's output outweighs the lack of realistic appearance. And I did not expect that to be the case being a stickler for authenticity. Another thing that's impressive about it is its reliability. We've all bought high end airsoft guns that go down easily (at least I have, multiple times). It's just a facet of airsoft that if you've been in the hobby long enough, it will happen. This device on the other hand, is both reliable and robust. And waterproof as they rubber over-mold all the electronics to protect against wet weather. It consumes very little battery power and a full reservoir of propane lasts 2,000 to 8,000 rounds (depending on ambient temps and volume/ROF). For most consumers, it'd be something you setup once and leave it be for the duration of the event/day expecting it to work every time you pull the trigger. It just adds to the ambience, and it's very very cool.

 

All the videos I've been seeing so far was of the BOSS unit coupled to a regular looking M4. And it looked ... a bit vertically wide. While testing, we mounted it to a PTS ERG with a CMR rail and it shrunk the overall silhouette and not only looked better, but also felt more natural in the hand. I think people with smaller profile rails, like CMRs, NSRs, URX4s etc might find it actually looking ok:

 

BOSS-Unit-CMR-sm.jpg

^^^ Faux trigger was cut off from the BOSS unit with a dremel prior to shipping to the US due to concerns customs/ATF might potentially have with it.

 

What really surprised me was how well it worked in conjunction with electric recoil type guns (SOPMODs, PTS ERGs, KWA ERGs etc). The recoil of these electric guns used in conjunction with the BOSS unit is quite transformative. And the last round cut off feature is a huge bonus. Mid game, sometimes you can't see your BBs flying through the air, and most airsofters have become accustomed to listening for that tonal difference in their AEG's for when the gun runs out of BBs but is still dry cycling (vs the sound it makes when rounds are actually being fired). When an AEG is equipped with a BOSS unit, you simply cannot hear the rounds being fired, only the sound of the BOSS unit firing. So you can't listen for what it sounds like when the gun is cycling an empty chamber. When used with a gun that has a last round stop feature, if your gun runs dry, the gun stops firing, reload, and you're back at it.

 

The BOSS unit is loud. Not so loud you have to wear hearing protection (IMHO) even in indoors, but loud enough for you and everyone else around you to feel a difference in the game. Personally, I'd want it louder. I wear hearing protection several times a week at the range and the idea of having that ambience, chaos and racket going off around me really floats my boat. But for the sound level it does currently produce, most consumers who are genuinely interested in this device will be more than satisfied.

 

Is the BOSS unit going to become a new standard? I doubt it. Most airsofters are too set in their ways and would not actively want something that will very clearly give away their position regardless of the added realism that atmosphere would bring. Some people will feel it's too real sounding and feel it may even detract from their experience of the game. Some won't like the price. Some won't like that it's a M203 looking device that doesn't actually shoot anything. Site owners may not appreciate their fields sounding like a legitimate battlefield. It's certainly not for everyone. But I will say that hearing three of these on the field changes the feel of the game in a very positive way. People get pumped up and adrenaline flowing. I'd love to someday experience a game where most if not everyone was using a device like this. I genuinely think most airsofters would be surprised how much they've been missing something like this without even realizing it.

 

Things I'm not crazy about:

• The bright white BOSS logo. They should just do it as an engraving. If it shipped as is, I'd spray paint the logo black.

• The external switches etc. They are black and subtle but further detracts from the aesthetics which are already somewhat unrealistic looking.

• The anti-theft feature. I'd rather they dump that feature and save the consumer some money. IMO, if someone is going to steel this thing, they're probably going to nick the entire gun with it, rather than try to remove the device. It's my responsibility to make sure my property is secure. I just don't really think someone with questionable morals at a game is going to be less inclined to steel my gun because it has an anti-theft feature.

• Price. $600-675 MSRP is going to be a tough sell for most consumers. I can see people willing to pay as much as $300 for it. But past that, I just don't see it getting the wide spread saturation this device has the potential for. The key will be getting these units out, into the fields everywhere for people to experience first hand and see how much ambience it adds.

 

Anyway, the above is simply my firsthand account and opinion. I think a lot more naysayers will change their opinions once they themselves experience it in person, but sight unseen, just based on the videos alone, I'm not surprised to see people reacting the way they do in this thread. It's quite understandable. Having experienced it ... I quite like what it has to offer and I'm seriously considering getting one.

 

 

What he said.  I think this gun/set-up looks cool as hell. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...

update

 

if you check out their facebook page you will notice that they ahve made a deal with a US military training stuffs manufacturer and are going to research into making all sorts of cool stuff, however it looks like they are basically abandoning the airsoft market now they have a possible armed forces training market to get their teeth into :( which means no b.o.s.s unit in the foreseeable future

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abandoning the airsoft market

 

Mad Dog!

I been running airsoft products to special forces training for several years now....  and I'm still here. 

Probably cause i'm not getting rich from it... lol

 

 

ultimately lending itself to a cheaper unit for the airsoft and other markets in the future.

 

 

One can only hope they make there bucket of money from the military project and there is a trickle down effect with some of there items coming back to airsoft... reasonably priced.

 

Although I have to ponder...instead of going to the US to find a partner...  if they went to china instead to find a manufacturing partner.. we would then all have a boss units already!.  lol. 

 

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This is the X-POWER claymore all over again, a cool product with a ridiculous price tag. I'm not saying i don't see where the money goes, but 600€ is a lot of money(at least to me), in or out of airsoft. Not to mention there is just no way my local authorities would let this fly(BFG's are banned for example, mostly because of public alarm concerns).

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