Zero inspection - arguments for and against
Do you have to send the airsoft gun for a zero inspection?
It seems to me that it is worth starting with a little diagnosis. What do I mean by "zero review"? This term may cover several different services. The most basic ones are regular shooting tests and measuring the power of the replica using a chronograph. However, when talking about the subject of this article, I will rather mean a more comprehensive service. The one that involves sending our new replica to a service technician to improve the shiming, lubrication and general operation of the replica. Although I have my opinion on zero reviews, I will try to keep it at the end of the article, so as not to suggest an answer to the readers in advance. I will try to present the arguments as objectively as possible. However, if you have your opinion on this subject, I will be glad to hear from you. Find me on Instagram and let me know in a private message what your arguments are.
But let's start with a few questions. The first question is for us as replica users. We have to consider what we expect from the airsoft replicas. Are we buying a model recommended for beginners because we want to start with the sport or will it be our next airsoft gun that we potentially want to tune it? Are we going to play forestry games or mostly building skirmishes? When analysing the airsoft guns from the point of view of the zero inspection, the vast majority of us will be interested in electric replicas, so we will omit the other drives. Another thing we have to consider is what replica do we buy? Is it a well-known and popular design such as the Edge series from Specna Arms? Or maybe we buy a replica from the AK family and spent money on a not less popular E&L construction? Or maybe we did the opposite and ordered a rare replica, about which there is not much information on the web?
Zero inspection - pros and cons
Time to move on to presenting the argument list. I tried to find arguments in favor of a zero review and those that would rather discourage us from such a service. Let's start with the former.
A zero inspection is unlikely to hurt us. Maybe it even helps. Replicas straight out of the box sometimes have their drawbacks. It often happens that they have too few washers under the gear wheels or the hop-up chambers are not ideally assembled. These types of omissions will not take us out of the game. At least not in the short term. However, eliminating them may slightly improve the performance of our replica. Some replica models also have their problems that are known and their consequences may come out after some time of use. Replacing a defective part immediately can save us from problems in the future.
Factory replicas are often too much lubricant. Is it a problem? In my opinion, yes. The excess lubricant may escape from the gearbox through the nozzle and lead to contamination of the hop-up rubber and the barrel. This will have a negative impact on the quality of the shots. Of course, not all replica manufacturers have that. It is good to check a review on the web before buying to see how the replica looks inside.
The replicas are assembled with large tolerances. What do I mean by that? It happens that two different pieces of the same model can be put together differently. The construction of airsoft guns is still an industry that is based on manual assembly of products. Add to that the industrial scale, and it's no wonder that repeatability can be low. Zero inspections are aimed at eliminating such deviations in the construction of replicas.
We have presented some arguments that may lead to returning the replica for a zero review. An experienced service technician will know how to properly lubricate the gears of our replica. They will attempt construction of the gearbox from scratch which will improve its operation, even if it was assembled in a less perfect way in the factory. Let us consider at this point what might speak against zero reviews?
There are no universal standards for the construction of replicas. Maybe you will correct me or it will change in the future, but there is no organization or any reliable entity that defined how airsoft guns should be assembled. Personally, I like to work with my car or bike. What is significant, in these areas, we often find instructions that will even tell us with what torque to tighten individual bolts. This allows us to know how something is going to be assembled. There is only one right way to do this. In airsoft, everything is based on the experience of service technicians and some kind of tribal knowledge. There are reliable people who test various solutions to select the best. But to put it bluntly, we can't even figure out how much grease to put on the gears as a community. How many service technicians, so many opinions. Some give a lot, others give little. Some lubricate each gear, others lubricate only the central one, which is to distribute the grease to the others. There are more such examples and they concern many parts of the replica's mechanism. I am sure that the service technicians to whom we hand over replicas for a zero check from the employees of the factory in China are often separated only by the fact that they spend more time on one replica.
A zero review will not eliminate the biggest problems. It's a kind of chase after fractions. It's a bit like packing for a hike and cutting your toothbrush to save a few grams and putting it in a backpack that's too big for your needs. We save more weight by changing the backpack to a smaller one, even keeping the brush unchanged. Is such a desire for perfection bad? Not necessarily. It has its place. However, if we have a perfectly assembled replica, which is shimmed in accordance with recognized methods, it will not help us at all, if we use poor quality BBs and we catch a jam. First the basics and then the details. In my opinion, the zero review is just such a detail, because the replicas straight out of the box fulfil their function and we have several other fields where we will gain more with less attention and cost.
Costs are rising fast. More than once I fell into this trap myself. Thinking on the principle "if I am already opening the replica, maybe I will add XYZ" is a frequent companion of zero reviews. And it is no wonder that the replica works better after such a service than from the box, since we changed the pneumatics and added a MOSFET at the same time. You know, everything is for people. If we want, let's do it. But is it still a zero review or already tuning? What's more. If we have one service technician in the area and we are not satisfied with his service, we either give him the replica over and over until he does it well or send it somewhere further, which may also increase the cost of the entire operation.
Is it worth doing a zero inspection? Verdict
Should replicas be sent for a zero inspection? Unfortunately, my answer will be rather vague. It depends. It depends on our expectations, on access to experienced service technicians whom we trust. The answer to the question that is the axis of this article will also depend on what replica we buy and where we will use it. Personally, I find zero reviews unnecessary. In my case, I only have two states related to the replica. Either I want to leave it and do as little as possible with ait. Do not kid yourself. It rarely happens. Or I buy a project replica and know what I want to do with it. In the first case, a zero inspection is unnecessary, because by definition I want to take the replica out of the box, play with it and possibly repair what breaks down. I minimize costs and a zero review is one of them. In the second case, I do not need someone to improve the factory for me, because... I become a factory myself and assemble the replica from scratch. Often, as a base, I will even buy a replica, which is out of order, because I will be replacing most of the components in it anyway. However, do not take my opinion as an oracle. If you have a friend, a service technician you trust, and you want to get the most out of your replica and you have all other components in perfect condition, then the road is free. You just need to give your airsoft gun back for a zero check, you will lose the store's warranty. At the end of the day, it's all about having a good time and not arguing over details.
Author: Boreq
Check out similar entries:
![TITAN™ NGRS Expert Blu-Set Controller Set [Rear Wired]](https://static3.gunfire.com/eng_il_TITAN-TM-NGRS-Expert-Blu-Set-Controller-Set-Rear-Wired-1152227708.webp)
