Review of the Critical On/Off ASA performed by Warpig.com
Critical On/Off ASA
by Bill Mills - Photos by Dawn Mills - June 2007
As commonplace as screw-in preset compresed air systems have become, on/off ASAs add huge convenience, making it easier to turn off the gas supply for degassing the marker. Often, they come with the penalty of wight and bulk compared to plain bottom-line ASAs.
The Critical On/Off from Critical Paintball puts an easy to turn on-off valve in a package that is about the same size and weight as a typical ASA – weighing in at 2.8 ounces.
The Critical On/Off's control knob is uniquely placed – on the bottom. It is a large aluminum knob in the shape of an iron cross, which makes it easy to grip. One half-turn clockwise pushes through the ASA's depressor pin, to open the pin valve of an HPA regulator or CO2 tank valve, and a half-turn counter-clockwise retracts it. Turning the vale off also vents the ASA, so the HPA system or CO2 tank can be removed immediately without o-ring damage.
The On/Off ASA feeds gas to a centered 1/8”-NPT opening at its front. It does not include a macroline fitting.
Dual mounting options are included. A standard ½-inch dovetail air accessory slot is milled into the top of unit, allowing it to slide onto air adapter rails, or straight on to the bottom of grip frames that include them.
It can optionally be mounted with industry standard center-line 10-32 screws, though that is a little tricker than just sliding it on and locking it in place. Rather than supplying an air mounting rail, as many manufacturers do, Critical supplies an adapter plate and pair of screws.
The adapter plate slides into the dovetail slot, and provides a flat surface for screw-mounting the regulator, creating a lower profile than is available with mounting rails. In order to keep the design compact, access to the mounting screws is a little tricky. The screw heads line up underneath the on/off knob.
The on-off knob is removed for access by first removing the jewel sticker in its center. This sticker is actually adhered to a small rare-earth magnet, which keeps it very securely on the on/off knob screw. With the sticker lifted away, a hex-head wrench can be used to remove the screw, and the knob lifts away to provide access to install or remove the mounting screws.
When they are installed, the hex-heads of the 10-32 mount screws can be reached through the knob, by rotating it a quarter turn.
For review, the Critical On/Off ASA was tested both on an LCD Matrix with the standard screw mount, and on the integrated grip rail of a Shocker NXT. It was discovered on the NXT that the set screw in the grip frame which locked the ASA on the rail ended up locking itself to the on/off knob's shaft, preventing the ASA from working. Relocating the lock screw to the rear of the two holes in the Shocker NXT's grip frame solved the problem.
With both mounting methods, the ASA was held securely, was air-tight, and the on/off knob proved easy to grip and turn when used in conjunction with a Crossfire Compressed Air System.
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Review of the Critical On/Off ASA performed by Dale Ford of 68caliber.com
The Crtical Paintball On/Off ASA
By Dale Ford
Jul 10, 2007, 21:53
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Critical Paintball's Jon-Paul Fortunati is a busy man, updating his product line to reflect the new equipment coming online from the major marker manufacturers, and responding to the changing wants and needs of players.
The On/Off ASA incorporates some of the features from their "Diet" ASA, such as the front port for the air fitting, which narrows the profile of the part and keeps the air fitting from hitting the player's wrist while he plays. New to the table with the On/Off ASA is the option to use the ASA as either a direct mount or a rail mount, in case the end user wants to mount the ASA to something other than directly to the grip frame of his marker.
The on/off feature of an ASA can be achieved several different ways. For their on/off, Critical Paintball chose to use a half-turn knob to turn the air supply on and off to your marker. The knob is a stylish 'Iron Cross' type of design, and it's made so that the knob itself can be replaced so a player can mix and match colors and styles, such as a star or spade shape, to compliment how a player wants to express himself on-field.
Critical Paintball sent along an ASA in dust black, which we mounted to Review Crew Member Rat's Dark Shocker. Joel, "Rat", is primarily a front player, often finding himself contorted into odd positions while trying to take advantage of a snake or dorito on the field. As such, he's a bit rougher on his gear than most, and our initial impression of the Critical On/Off was that it was a robust piece. Anodizing was flawless, and we used a variety of air systems from Nitro Duck, CenterFlag Products, and Guerilla Air to power his marker during testing. In every case the threading for the air systems worked smoothly and without any damage to the o-ring on the regulator.
Over the course of several tournament team practices and competing in the Southern Paintball Championship Series (SPCS) tournaments, the ASA never missed a beat, with no leaks from the on/off portion of the part, which is normally where problems with an ASA would occur, and it seemed to soak up the abuse Rat inflicted upon it without any issues cropping up.
Priced at an MSRP of $55, the Critical On/Off ASA is priced comparatively with other manufacturer's products, but with the option to either direct mount or rail mount, along with its' reliable leak-free on/off, the Critical part goes that extra step to giving players what they want. |
