So this approach is somewhat similar to the REPR regulator on the Leshiy2 where an external pressure gauge can be screwed in and a special tool is used for regulator adjustments (done externally on the L2). I'd have preferred a permanently mounted regulator gauge on the Slash along with an external control for the regulator which didn't require removing the cover plate first.
Many people will be satisfied to find a sweet regulator/pellet/fpe combination for hunting and leave it set for consistency.
I prefer to vary the power settings more frequently, bouncing between lower to reduce the sound levels for close targets, and higher to test FPE & performance for different pellets.
The need for an additional 'power kit' for extra low (under 12FPE ?) or higher than standard power settings surprised me at first. Though I've changed out enough washers in output regulators on air tanks and swapped out hammer springs to understand why is would be necessary for the more extreme settings.
Two other questions of big interest to many concern the sound levels. Not only do we need some accurately tested sound results at different FPE levels, but also some customer feedback whether or not there is a substantial Ping or other loud noise made close to the shooters ear on firing. I ended up selling my 1st bull pup because of an unacceptable ping/bang/whoosh noise next to my ear when firing. So far I haven't heard any 1st hand impressions on the new Slash other than vendor assurances that it has an effective shroud.
I think that the Huben K1 does pretty well on both of these sound questions, and the standard Leshiy2 shroud works pretty well at lower powers. I am very curious for a direct Huben K1-to-Slash sound comparison since I view the K1 as the main performance and cost competitor for the Slash. The L2 has substantial noise and air flow back near the the magazine when fired. But the shooters ear isn't resting on the L2's stock near the magazine when shooting, so it doesn't sound all that loud to the shooter compared to a loud ping from some bull pup designs. The L2 and the Slash both occupy similar price ranges when new, while a K1 costs about 25% less than either of those when new.
It'll also be interesting to see how many Slash end up in the classifieds a year from now. There was a wave of Leshiy2s in the classifieds for awhile as early buyers moved them along for something else. Lately is seems like there are fewer L2s on offer. And K1s come up for resale in the classifieds, though it seems to me like slightly more GK1s on offer recently.
It'll be another year or two before we know how well the Slash model line will hold up. Sometimes I see posts by younger (than me anyway) airgunners asking why anyone would be selling their 'almost new, top of the line' airgun purchased within the previous year. It isn't always because the owner was dissatisfied with the airgun. Many of the people who buy 1st release airguns are older and money isn't the big deal it was for them as young adults. The clock is ticking for them and now they can finally afford to own a bunch of expensive airguns all at the same time. They are often more interested in checking out a new product than in actually using it for anything, especially since they usually have a few fine airguns already gathering dust from lack of use. So they buy and sell a few airguns most years just to keep things interesting and they don't care very much if they sell at a loss. Churning through airguns is just another entertainment cost for them, and any money lost from selling an airgun is merely a rental cost for being able to own another fine airgun for awhile. Personally, if I had my choice I'd rather be young and broke again. Well, young anyway, the broke part was difficult.
Now, if they'd just get busy and design these *** airguns so they don't use any O-Rings that can fail. Firearms manage that with vastly higher internal pressures and usually for a considerably lower cost than airguns. I hate replacing O-rings, they are the main reason that most airguns cannot be depended on to perform 100% of the time in emergencies.
JP
