By Paul Knoch

After work, I sometimes like to grab my Special Ops A-5A2 and a full hopper of paintballs and walk into the woods behind my house. I follow a short trail to an open area where I am far enough away from my neighbors to not bother them. Whether I am working on my accuracy or just plinking targets, shooting my paintball gun is always a great way to blow off some steam after a long day in the office. The only problem is that I usually run out of paint long before I feel satisfied. I always want to shoot more but my budget only allows me to shoot a couple hundred paintballs during these practice sessions. Two hundred paintballs costs roughly four to five bucks. Practicing a couple times a week adds up to over $40 a month for paint – not to mention what I shoot when I play on Saturdays.

For about half that, you can buy a VBalls Target Pack that comes with 40 VBalls (or the 100 pack) and a round target. What are VBalls? VBalls are reusable Velcro® paintballs that fit all .68 caliber paintball guns. More specifically, VBalls are constructed with a high impact ABS plastic core that is covered in Velcro®. The VBalls I used were yellowish green, and looked like tiny tennis balls. The quality of the VBalls was very impressive. I looked over the 40 balls in my package and every one was perfectly put together with no loose edges.

VBalls come with a round 12-inch Velcro® target. I must say I was surprised at how well constructed the target was. I was expecting something cheap and flimsy. This target seemed tough enough to handle a fair amount of abuse. A small reinforced hole at the top of the target allows you to hang it on a wall.

Loading my hopper with VBalls for the first time felt strange. They don’t bounce and rattle around a hopper like regular paintballs. Though VBalls weigh approximately 1.2 grams, it felt like I was loading my hopper with cotton balls. I have to admit I was feeling skeptical at this point. The paintball industry is a multi-million dollar business and there always seems to be some crazy new product trying to get a piece of the pie. A reusable paintball is a great idea but could anyone really make one?

I locked the cat in the bathroom, flipped on my goggles and placed the VBall target at one end of the upstairs hall. I walked to the end of the hall, lifted my 98 Custom to my shoulder and carefully squeezed off my first shot. Whap! The VBall hit the left side of the target and stuck. “Ooooh”, I thought, “That was cool!” I shot another VBall and hit dead center. Then another, and another, until I had emptied my hopper and nearly covered the VBall target with fuzzy yellow balls.

What can I say? Shooting VBalls is fun! I took the VBall target outside and tried some longer shots. The bright yellow VBalls were easy to see as they flew through the air. If a shot was off target, they were pretty easy to find in the grass too. I was really surprised by how much fun it was to shoot the VBalls and nail the target. I was also impressed with how close shooting a VBall felt to shooting a paintball. I don’t have scientific data to say whether a VBalls flight path is the same as a regular paintball,but I can say for sure that lighting up the VBall target is a kick in the pants. The VBalls stick to the target amazingly well giving you feedback on whether your shot was high or low, left or right.

VBalls would work well for anyone who wants to practice shooting indoors or outdoors. All you need is a good size rec room and you can keep your shooting skills tuned up all year long. VBalls also help to clean out barrel residue and oil every time you use them. Remember to always wear your goggles and never point a marker loaded with VBalls at anything you don’t intend to shoot. VBalls could cause damage or injury if used inappropriately. In addition to goggles, use a barrel glove and keep your safety on whenever you aren’t shooting at the target.

Bottomline: Are VBalls going to make you a better paintball player? Maybe. Are they worth buying? Definitely! For the price, VBalls are a great alternative to expensive paint. Whether you are using VBalls for serious practice or just for fun, VBalls are a good addition to any gear bag. Just keep the cat in a safe place.