Been getting a lot of questions about the how well the Kingman ESP e-frame works. So, here is a review on it. I had purchased the Classic version. I did not feel that it was worth the money to purchase the deluxe. I will explain later. I will also make references with the HyperFrame (here on HF) and the Boo-Yaah/Mako (here on eLCD) electronic frames.

The ESP came out in October/November of 2001. It was available in a Classic version and Deluxe version. You are also able to get it in all black or chrome. I knew that Kingman from way back in early 2001. I participated in the Spyder Cup. The rules stated that no e-frame could be used unless it was from Kingman. That pretty much spelled it out to expect one from them in the near future. Five months later, the ESP was made available.

The packaging was pleasing. Not too big like Boo-Yaah's, and not skimpy on padding like CenterFlags. The exterior box has a picture of the ESP frame on the front and back. Lists features and contents of the package. I opened up the box and pulled out the foam packing box. Inside the packing box were the frame, instruction booklet, 9.6v Java battery, car speed charger, replacement striker, and mounting screws and allen wrenches. Everything was nice and snug. Nothing jingled around and ample protection incase it was dropped.

Picking up the book, it appeared to be complete. It was 8 pages long, 12 if you want to include the warranty information. It explains installation, charging options (there are 2), diagram and parts list, DIPswitch settings, maintenance suggestions, and trouble shooting. The warranty offers a one-year free from defects from normal use. It offers a phone number, fax (none being toll free), and the Kingman website. Although, under Troubleshooting, it does offer a toll free number to call (1-887-4-SPYDER)

• The Frame

Looking at the frame, I can tell that it is a cast metal piece. There are small pores all over the metal. Nothing to be concerned about. The eLCD and HF are machined surfaces. Typically, cast pieces are heavier than machined pieces of the same size. And this holds true with the ESP. It is very heavy. On the heel of the grip was the charging port and a screw.

On the left side, it says "E Marker", "Spyder", and has the frames on/off switch. Pulling the switch to the rear of the frame will turn it off. Push forward, the frame is on. The switch acts as a safety. Also on the left side is a window on the grip. I will assume this is where a LCD will be. Instead of seeing the display, I can see the 6 DIPswitches and an LED light. The grip has "ESP with its "atom" logo. The right side is not much to look at. The grip has the words "ESP" with the logo. On the frame itself, there is a warning that you will find on most all paintball markers saying that it is not a toy.

The trigger is also of a cast. A double trigger. Also has a lot of play in it. There is a setscrew that is on the top most portion of the trigger looking from the top of the frame. Overall, no apparent scratches that would happen during assembly. Like the other e-frames, the sear was starting to oxidize. Seems to be made of the same material. Again, like the others, steel wool will take it off and a little oil to make it moist will help.

*For the Deluxe Model with the LCD - In cold temperatures, the ESP will not function properly. The LCD crystals are very sensitive to temperatures below 45. The frame will still function. The display will show some random characters, if displaying at all.

Holding the frame was kind of uncomfortable. Very bulky as compared to the other e-frames. It is styled after a .45 frame. The grip panels are plastic held on by 3 philips head screws each. I mentioned the eLCD being big for small hands in that review, the ESP will feel even bigger. It also could be due to the weight of the frame. The ESP is nice in a way that it doesn't "cut" into your soft part of your hands like the other e-frames. Overall, feels solid.

• The Guts

Opening the frame to see the guts was easy. Removal of the 3 screws with the help on a phillips head screwdriver is all that is needed. The left side is all that is needed to change batteries or to switch fire modes via DIPswitches. Inside are the circuit board, solenoid, and battery connection. The solenoid resembles the other e-frames. There are 6 DIP switches that you can adjust for ROF (first four switches, 1-4) and fire modes (last two switches, 5 and 6). There is also a green LED light just above the switches that will light up when the frame is on. The LCD will provide the user when the frame is turned on what mode the trigger is set to and the battery level. Nothing else.

To change modes, refer to you booklet. To get the different firing characteristics, you simply flip the switches to the off (0) or on (I) setting that is located on the circuit board. The first four is the setting for ROF. The ESP is capable of 5-13bps. Having the first four switches in the "off" position will be 5bps. For 13bps, all but the fourth switch in the off position will provide this. I will go over this in detail later.

The fire mode is adjusted by the last two DIPswitches, 5 and 6. The ESP is capable of either semi-auto, 3-round, 6-round burst, or full auto. I will go into the setting later.

• The Battery

The battery is a 9.6v that is in the shape of a 9v battery. I noticed that the 9.6v says Java on it. Kind of amusing. According to the instruction booklet, there are two ways of charging the battery. The purchase of a wall charger from Kingman is available. However, the charging time is 12-14 hours. The ESP does come with a charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter in a vehicle. This type of charging will only take 1.5 hours for a full charge. A much better improvement over the other e-frames. A fully charged battery should last between 4,000 and 7,000 shots.

You could put in a regular 9v battery. The number of shots will decrease some. I like using several rechargeable batteries and a wall charger that I got from Radio Shack. It saves on buying non-rechargeable batteries. Especially if you have an e-frame, 12v Revy, and a Warp Feed like I have. I highly suggest the Nickel Metal batteries, as these do not have a limited charging memory like its cheaper cousin.

Well, I had a battery that was already charged. I slipped it in and tried out the fire modes. Did not want to close the frame up since the DIPswitches needed to be adjusted.

• Striker

The striker has all the same dimensions as the stock thin striker. Even the material used appears to be the same. Except for one small detail. The regular striker has 2 flat spots on the bottom. The ESP striker has just one. Significant? Yes! Without it, the sear will not catch and the marker will not fire properly. May end up shooting twice instead of once in semi-auto mode. Not bad? Well, if the marker doesn't cycle properly, you will chop paint. It is kind of like the HF striker that you can buy for there frame for an additional $30. The ESP, it is included.

• Trigger

The trigger pull had a lot of play in it before connecting to the contact. After contacting the contact, there was still some pull beyond that point. I adjusted the setscrew that was on the trigger all the way in, this adjusted the "beyond" portion after the circuit was closed. Adjusting the set screw all the way in and the trigger will eventually not close the circuit that fires the frame. It doesn't adjust the slack from resting point to contact. Measuring the middle of the trigger itself to the first contact, it measures 5/32" of wasted trigger pull. Not good. If you unscrew the setscrew out most of the way and attach the frame to the body of the Spyder, the screw will be pushed by the underside of the body. Thus, shortening the trigger pull. There is barely any side to side play. As of now, my trigger pull is set to 1/32".

• Fire Modes and ROF

The switch on the side acts as an on/off for the electronics to the marker and as a safety. Switch it back, safety is on and the frame is off. Push forward, and the marker is on and ready to fire.

Changing fire modes was very easy. Simply flip one or both DIPSwitches to change fire modes. This does require that you have the left side grip panel off. The chart below shows the settings of the switches.

There are two ways to lock the frame into tournament mode. One is simply set the frame to semi-auto using the DIPswitches. Or, pull a jumper out that is between the LED and the DIPswitches. Pulling this jumper out will lock the frame into semi-auto no matter what the DIPswitches are set.

To switch the balls per second, adjust the DIPswitches 1-4. The chart below shows the settings and BPS.

*The tables listed in the booklet are incorrect. Thank you Bryan Gabric for finding the right setting for 10-BPS.

• Mounting

I mounted the e-frame on a Spyder Compact and replaced the striker. You can use the same mounting screws or use the ones supplied with the ESP. I used the field strip screws that requires no tools to take off the grip frame. It is a perfect fit. Nice and snug.

On the bottom of the frame are off set holes for mounting the stock Kingman ASA. It has no in-line holes that are standard for other aftermarket ASA's or drop forwards. An adapter block will be needed to mount these items. I used the Kingman ASA. The grip will need to install square nuts (included) so that you can screw in and secure a bottomline.

• Testing

Gassed up the marker and loaded some paintballs. Tried the semi auto. Not bad. Even firing fast. Switched it to full auto and 13bps. Impressive. No ball chopping at all. Held the trigger for about 4 seconds and had 49 balls shoot. Not bad at all.

I tried the bursts. The 3-round burst did not function very well. It only fired twice. I adjusted the trigger pull and tried it again. Fixed. Guess there was some kind of short with the extreme short pull.

• Final Thoughts

The workmanship of the frame given it is a cast metal piece, it is pretty good. No sharp edges to be found. The grip is large feeling. Especially for those that are used to mechanical triggers which are thinner. But the rounded edges makes it nicer feeling than the other e-frames. It is also heavier as compared to any other frame. The overall appearance of the frame nice.

Programming the frame is a little annoying. Having to take off the panel and flip switches. This is the only good thing about the Deluxe model of the ESP. No need to have your manual to refer to a chart. The 9.6v battery is hard to find. The use of a standard 9v will be fine. Will run out of juice as compared to the 9.6v, but easily replaceable. I would suggest replacing the rechargeable battery with a nickel metal hydride battery. These last longer and do not have a "memory" limit like the ni-cad rechargeable. They should be no more than $10 per battery. Expensive, but worth the investment. That plus a wall charger and you can have a number of batteries charged and ready.

The adjustable trigger is less than desirable. Way too much play at the end. Adding a second sect screw or a trigger stop will make this one of the better trigger pulls on any e-frame for the Spyder. The response part of the trigger is simply a spring under the front tooth of the trigger for the return stroke. That is a nice feature that is advertised by Kingman. Though, should not be a selling point as all of the triggers have a return spring of some sort. Also, the lack of compatibility with ALL Spyders makes this a limited choice. The box itself has a list of compatible markers (Shutter, TL/TL Plus, Xtra, Java Spyder, Compact 2000, Compact Deluxe, and Spyder 2-in-1). Only those Spyders with the thin striker will work properly.

All in all, there are some nice features that Kingman has put into the frame. But lacks so much more. It does its job and is very rugged. I would not mind playing in the rain with this frame as compared to the HF or the eLCD. Would I recommend it? Yes, and no. If you want to try an e-frame marker, this is a good way to go. If you prefer an easier way to change modes, have a timer, or a ball counter, I will suggest any of the other frames.

For the retail of $169.95 for a black or chrome Classic model (according to the KingmanUSA web site at time of first writing) to $224.95 for a Deluxe model, the price range is within reach of those considering an electro marker. This is a great upgrade to your Spyder. Prices range on on-line stores anywhere between $139 to $200 for the Classic frame.

I guess I better mention also as an after thought. If purchasing the ESP frame, I would also look into getting a nitro system. If using CO2, you may very easily freeze all of your o-rings inside of your marker with the potential high ROF of the frame. Even if you have a x-chamber. Prolonged high ROF is enough to move the liquid CO2 inside of the marker freeze up your marker.

The marker I used to test the frame out was a Spyder Compact 2000 with a Bob Long regulator set at 800psi. All else was stock and shooting at 280fps with a Pure Energy nitro tank.

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