*Not a sales post* I've just listed what I paid as part of the "review"
Also a bit of a longer read than I had intended, so no offense taken if I don't get any love for it, haha.
You'll note I didn't put a question mark in the title, as I'm not a new player or even financially restricted. I'm fortunate enough to have been able to spend whatever I like on this hobby/sport/game/addiction, since I first discovered it five years ago.
I've been through countless AEG's, including "high-end" purchases such as about £1600 in to a MARUI Recoil SCAR L, I also owned a TM AA-12, I'm on my fourth Scorpion Evo and I've even ventured in to the world of GBBR's, in the form of a GHK M4 and G5. Not to mentioned the hundreds of GBBP's which have passed through my hands.
However I've never felt comfortable having a huge collection of RIF's which never see the field or I don't particularly enjoy using. As such I'm left with just four AEG primaries. Three of which cost me less than £220 delivered and I believe are the most"bang for your buck" I've ever had. So hopefully someone finds this useful, even though it's just my opinion and I've not had a chance to test the longevity of these.
I won't go in to depth as there's a separate thread just for these bt to start with the cheapest:
Double Eagle M904N - £150 delivered.
This really would be my number 1 recommendation for new players or those wanting a back up. This one is almost the same as the even cheaper M904G but comes with a metal handguard which makes the gun feel even better in the hand. Long-story short, it's compact but not too small, lightweight but solid, takes standard M4 mags and isn't fussy about which ones. Has an easily tuneable mosfet with some great features and even has a quick change spring.
CYMA Platinum CM.097D - £215 delivered from Poland (pre-BREXIT).
This one comes in a variety of models and mine is featured in Negative Airsofts "Amazing Trigger Response" video, so I've obviously put a bit more into. However out of the box it's full-metal, has a basic but reliable mosfet, steel 13:1 gears and a high speed motor giving you 25rps, amongst a whole host of good internals. Plus of course the ever popular quick change spring.
Specna Arms SA-E01 Edge 2.0 - £217 delivered from a UK retailer.
Again these come in a variety of different styles but I went for the classic M4 as I was getting bored of keymod or M-LOK handguards. There is slight movement in the handguard but nothing that's possibly to be expected from the style. However the rest of the gun is solid and leaves you feeling like a character in a 80's or 90's action movie (I'm loving having a carry handle!). Internally I'm sure the parts are decent but the standouts are the factory flat hop and Gate Aster mosfet, which I've mainly used to fine tune trigger pull but obviously has a whole host of other features.
Note: In order to adjust the trigger and more advanced features I purchased the USB link for £25, so I can plug the gun in to my phone or computer.
Does anyone else have any suggestions they'd put forward in this let's say under £250 category?