The removable magazines, modest sound levels, relatively compact size with 420mm barrel, light weight, and the ability to shoot both pellets and slugs from the same rifle, all make the Slash a nice balanced package.
I assume that we'll see some incremental changes as time goes on but the basics are all there with this initial release.
Some people will be waiting for the .30 to get more power. The K1 doesn't compete in the .30 market though the Leshiy2 and others do.
Even the 420mm .25 cal is able to shoot lighter weight slugs at over 1000f/s (~80fpe).
I'd rather not need to buy an additional high-power kit to increase the max power by another 25fpe or whatever.
Though once up at that power level you're limited to the heavier slugs, especially if you want to keep them subsonic for noise or accuracy reasons.
A K1 is arguably the better deal for the price than a Slash, and the K1s usually show up at a discount in the classifieds every month. If I were just looking for my 1st ever semi-auto compact hunting airgun I'd get a K1. But if I had already owned a K1 or two and maybe a Leshiy2, along with a couple of less expensive semi-autos (like my first 3 AEAs semi-autos which all failed miserably in short order), along with some other expensive airguns, then I wouldn't hesitate to get a Slash for it's unique set of features.
There is an ongoing debate on whether it makes more sense to work one's way up the line from cheap entry level airguns through mid-range airguns and finally up to the top-tier. Or whether it's better to just 'get the best' from the beginning. The problem is that there usually isn't a best airgun. There are just a group of suitable airguns from different companies out there which meet the technical and budget requirements of the consumer at the time. I learned a lot progressing from BB rifles and break barrels pellet guns and CO2 pistols in the 1980s and then the wonderful Career underlever repeating .25 cal carbines shooting ~65fpe. It took another 30 years to develop really dependable semi-auto airguns with adjustable power levels suitable for both hunting and target practice.
The costs are still very high for top level airguns since it's such a small market. Compared to firearms anyway, where my local shop has hundreds of used high power rifles and shotguns on sale often for just a couple of hundred dollars. Airguns are still a very niche market, at least in the US with the easy access to more powerful firearms.
JP
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