| PCRI Product
Evaluation
WDP Angel
The Angel semi-auto is manufactured in England and distributed by WDP Ltd,
of Birmingham, England. The Angel is a tournament ready, electro-pneumatic
paintgun that has a suggested retail price of $1300 (U.S.).
The Angel comes standard with a battery charger, "Jacko Infinity" barrel,
vertical feed, feed adapter, barrel plug, full auto circuit board, and a
six month limited warranty.
Design/Construction:
The Angel is designed to operate on nitrogen, or compressed air only, at
pressures of 800-850 pounds per square inch (psi). A low pressure regulator
is used to control the gun's pneumatic cycle and is also used to adjust the
gun's velocity. A "Micro-Line" hose runs from the regulator to wherever you
want it to.....(no bottom-line adapter is included with the gun). A battery
on/off switch is mounted in the rear of the gun (in the grip frame) and an
air on/off switch is in the vertical regulator of the gun. The Angel has
an electronically activated trigger (Nicad battery powered) that is user
adjustable. (It is set at 10-12 balls per second from the factory.)
A battery charger is included with the purchase of an Angel--the charger
plugs into a standard car cigarette lighter. The Angel also features a
"rotabreech" which allows the user to remove the carbon fiber venturi bolt
in a matter of a few seconds. Externally, the Angel is manufactured from
aluminum and weighs three pounds, three ounces. The overall length of the
Angel is twenty-one inches including the twelve-inch drilled "Jacko" barrel.
A 45-grip frame with wooden or Hogue rubber grips is standard on the Angel.
The grips also act as a "service panel" in that after removal you can access
the rate of fire, and "dwell" screws. The rate is adjustable from around
six balls per second to 16 balls per second. Also, an extra circuit board
is included with the gun (in countries that allow it) that will allow you
to convert the Angel to full auto.
The stock WDP Angel comes with a vertical feed tube that gives improved feeding.
WDP offers an optional feeding system for the Angel--you can have your VL-2000
(any version) wired into the circuit board of the Angel. This is the way
most of the tournament players that use the Angel have their guns set up.
The feeder is wired through the rear of the gun, and into the circuit board.
When you rapid fire, the loader's paddle will activate feeding paintballs
as fast as you can pull the trigger. The paddle will actually turn for a
second or two after you're finished firing. This re-stacks paintballs in
the feed tube. The down side to this is that it wears down your battery charge.
The Angel is beautifully anodized in a satin black finish.
Design/Construction rating (4)
Accuracy
Procedure: With a securely bench mounted paintgun we fire 200+ rounds
of three different brands at four target distances. At
100 & 125 feet the target size is 22" x 22". At 50 & 75 feet the
target size is reduced to 8" x 11". All accuracy testing is performed indoors
at temperatures of 60-80 degrees (F). For this test we used Zap Select, Proball,
and RP Scherer "Premium Gold."
At 125 feet the accuracy ratios were 51% for Zap, 53% for Proball, and 50%
for Premium Gold. At 100 feet the ratios improved to 83% for Zap, 80% for
Proball, and 85% for RP Scherer Premium Gold.
At 75 feet the ratios were as follows--54% for Zap Select, 59% for Proball,
and 58% for Premium Gold. The 50 foot ratios were 99% for Zap, 97% for Proball,
and 100% for Premium Gold.
Observations: Out of the box the Angel chronographed in at an average
of 290 feet per second (fps). We encountered no ball breaks in firing almost
2300 shots in the accuracy portion of the test.
Accuracy rating (4)
Performance:
The Angel has a completely different feel than any other paintgun on the
market. The trigger pull is shorter than any other paintgun we have fired
and it is adjustable. It is a adjustable in that you can set the gun to fire
at a specific point in the trigger pull.....electronically. The trigger pull
is also super light. You barely have to touch the trigger to activate it.
The feel of the trigger pull takes some getting used to though--give yourself
a case or so to get the feel of the gun. One of the great things about this
gun (and other electronic trigger guns) is that you can't "short stroke"
the trigger. Since it is electronic, the gun either fires or it does not--no
half-shots.
We've been using several Angels for five+ months now. We've found that the
original guns were lacking in velocity consistency. The later models we received
shoot very consistently (see results of the velocity consistency testing
below).
Editors note: The Angel no longer comes with self-grinding internals.
Field testing: We have fired many cases of paint through the Angel(s). For
tournament players the Angel provides the best rate of fire available, and
that is a huge advantage on the "run-out" where getting off a quick string
is imperative.
The Angel is fairly quiet, but not nearly as quiet as the Shocker. Using
a 114 cubic inch (ci) tank we got 1155 good shots (shots above 280 fps).
During our testing over a five month period, we estimate that the Angel breaks
around one ball per 1600 rounds fired.
Velocity Consistency: All velocity consistency was done using an Air
America high pressure system. Read from left to right.
Here's a sample of what we've found....
290 fps 288 fps 291 fps 285 fps 288 fps 293 fps 290 fps 289 fps 289 fps 292
fps 291 fps 287 fps
average fps 289 fps
low fps 285 fps (- 4 fps)
high fps 292 fps (+3 fps)
Maintenance of Velocity shows a gun's ability to hold its velocity
during rapid firing.
1st shot 288 fps 10th shot 284 fps
1st shot 290 fps 10th shot 291 fps
1st shot 287 fps 10th shot 288 fps
1st shot 289 fps 25th shot 281 fps
Performance test rating (4)
Versatility:
The Angel does not come ready to use out of the box. A bottom-line adapter
is needed to set the gun up for play. However the grip frame is tapped for
screws— all you have to do is connect your bottom-line adapter (cradle)
and run your air line into the regulator. Or you can run an air-line from
the regulator to the bottom-line adapter and use a remote high pressure system.
There are several companies currently manufacturing barrels for the Angel,
including Smart Parts, DYE, J & J Performance, and others. Although WDP
will adapt your loader to work on the Angel's electronics, any loader will
work with the gun.
Also, if you want to use a different pressure regulator than the one that
comes with the Angel, you can get a standard thread adapter and use the regulator
of your choice.
Versatility rating (3)
Maintenance:
Maintaining the Angel is not a difficult task. Keep the barrel and breach
clean and remove and clean the bolt after each time out to the field. Do
not use any solvents or cleaning products on the Angel--only use a damp cloth.
Be very careful not to get the circuit board or internals wet.
Adjusting the Angel's velocity is simple, as is changing the rate of fire
of the gun. There are a few o-rings/seals (Mini-reg seal, Breach seal) that
may need to be changed occasionally, but not often. We have had one trigger
spring that need changing as well. For a paintgun that is this sophisticated,
the Angel is really pretty simple to maintain.
Maintenance rating (4)
Price:
The Angel is probably the highest priced out-of-the-box paintgun available.
However, it is truly tournament ready in its stock form (after adding your
air system).
Price rating (2)
Conclusion:
The WDP Angel is unquestionably one of the top two or three paintguns available.
This paintgun is priced for the serious player--it's not for everyone. If
you are looking for state-of-the-art technology and performance, and you
have a larger than average budget, take a look at the Angel before you buy.
PCRI IS PLEASED TO AWARD WDP'S ANGEL SEMI-AUTO OUR FOUR STAR SEAL OF QUALITY.
Order
the Angel Survival Guide
 Angel Survival Guide: Having trouble with your Angel? This
40 page 8-1/2" x 11" guide will walk you through every component of the Angel.
The Angel Survival Guide has gas path diagrams, wiring diagrams, and close-up
photos that show you how to keep this gun shooting 24/7. Clearly written
chapters on troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrading, etc. will cut your "down
time" dramatically.
PRICE:
$19.95
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