There is a new contender in the airsoft upgrade parts industry, Modify, and they literally appeared out of no where. ECHO1/Modify parts hit the shelves at Airsoft GI in April of 2007 with a complete line up of internal gearbox parts, everything from air seal nozzles to full cylinder kits. Modify's striking resemblance to Guarder performance parts has aroused a lot of curiosity on how they perform compared to the well established Systema, so we decided to find out.

Airsoft GI has performed the first head-to-head comparison between Modify and Systema. The test will be performed by changing specific parts in an Echo1 M733 and documenting any changes in performance between the Modify upgrade parts and the Systema upgrade parts. In order to ensure accurate results the gun will be operated on and by the same person; and the same battery, BBs and chronograph will be used in the before and after tests. These control factors will ensure that the Echo1's performance will not be influenced by anything other than the upgrade parts going into it. Each test will consist of 5 shots, the range FPS will be documented accordingly to represent the parts in the Echo1. Frank, Airsoft GI's airsoft gun technician of 2 years, will be performing the upgrades. Airsoft Elite 0.20 gram BBs and PHX 9.6v 3300MaH battery will be used along with a standard red paintball chronograph to record FPS. The Echo1 M733 was chosen for this test because of the likely hood for customers to install Modify upgrade parts into it. Echo1 is new to the airsoft industry and they have a target demographic of players that seek a good quality airsoft gun for an affordable price, this makes Modify the perfect parts company to go into an Echo1 because of its high quality and low price. The range FPS will be documented because airsoft guns do not fire the precisely the same FPS every time and a range is the most accurate way to describe an airsoft gun's performance.

Each test is listed as follows with a brief description of the modifications and performance:

Test 1: Echo1 M733

• Measuring for stock performance

Range FPS: 354-370 FPS

Test II: Airsoft GI Basic Upgrade 1

The parts in the Basic Upgrade 1 are common upgrades that most airsoft players would do, this is installed in our test Echo1 M733 to accurately reflect a gun used by the average airsoft player.

Installed:

• Echo 1 Metal Bushings
• SP110
• Modify Version II Spring Guide

Range FPS: 411-427 FPS

Test III: Modify Cylinder Kit

Already installed on the gun is Airsoft GI's Basic Upgrade 1, this test will reflect the performance of the Modify parts.

Installed:

• Modify M4 Cylinder Set, which includes:
• Brass cylinder with plating
• Stainless Cylinder Head
• Polycarbonate Piston Head
• Polycarbonate Piston
• POM air seal nozzle

Range FPS: 411-416

Test IV: Systema Cylinder Kit

Already installed on the gun is Airsoft GI's Basic Upgrade 1, this test will reflect the performance of the Systema parts.

Installed:

• Systema M4 Cylinder Set, which includes:
• Stainless cylinder
• Stainless cylinder head
• Duracon piston head
• POM air seal nozzle 

Range FPS: 418-426

Organized information chart by test:

Analysis:

Upgrading an airsoft gun's cylinder assembly is done for any one or a combination of the following reasons; increase rate of fire, increase FPS, increase longevity, and to increase consistency. The cylinder sets used in our experiments were not equipped with a high speed piston, therefore they have no effect on the rate of fire which is why it was not recorded in this tests. First, the Modify Cylinder Set, data shows a slight decrease in FPS but a dramatic increase in the consistency, range FPS with the Modify Cylinder Set shows an 11 FPS improvement. Secondly, the Systema Cylinder Set, data did show a slight FPS gain but the consistency still was not as impressive as the Modify parts, Systema Cylinder Set FPS range was 8 FPS. The final area of comparison is in the price, the Modify parts used in the experiment cost $50.00 where as the Systema equivalent cost $65.00.

An important thing to note about the Modify and Systema Cylinder Sets, the Systema Cylinder Set is $15.00 more expensive and it does not come with a reinforced piston. The pros and cons of the data yield is dependent on the individual and their desire for their airsoft gun. In order to make these test less biased and to confirm the performance of the Modify Cylinder Sets an Airsoft GI employee was gracious enough to offer his Tokyo Marui AK47 Spetsnaz for testing. Already installed on the AK was Systema Genuine gear set, Systema Shims, Systema spring guide with ball bearings, Systema hop-up bucking, Guarder bushings, Guarder SP100 spring, and a Madbull tightbore barrel. The data yield from the Tokyo Marui AK with the Modify Cylinder Set followed suit the the data yield from the Echo1 M733, except that there was no decrease in FPS. The data from the Tokyo Marui AK is organized as follows:

FPS range before Modify Kit installed: 338-351 FPS

FPS range after Modify Kit installed: 340-344 FPS

Only time will tell if the new Modify parts can withstand the wear and tear of use, a follow up review will be written about the Modify kit in the Tokyo Marui AK. FPS consistency and affordability are common characteristics found with the Modify Cylinder Sets. On two separate occasions the Modify Cylinder Sets proved more consistent than Tokyo Marui original equipment and Systema Cylinder Sets. This review and the data yield is for consumer reference, however they in no way apply across the board to every single gun. There are many factors that could contribute to an airsoft gun's performance, the control factors in this experiment reduced the margin of error as much as possible, but every gun is different.