interview
to the safety valve design. It’s been fundamental in the safety of our sport. I have
been awarded several patents on it, but we
never enforced them as it was so important for the sport. You’d need to be playing
paintball with twelve-grams and not using
any of my goggles, hoppers or other accessories I have designed over the years in
order to play paintball without any product
I have been a part of. (BIG SMILE)
Josh: What single project was the most fun
or most gratifying for you in paintball?
Simon: Inventing forcefeed hoppers? Back
It was also very fun to do a bunch of the
Intimdator styles for Bob Long. The first proj- when I did it people told me it was impossible, and wouldn’t even take me seriously
ect I really did for National Paintball Supenough to see my working prototypes.
ply after licensing my patents to them was
Now though I get a lot of satisfaction from
the original Empire Intimidator. I’ve been
involved with almost all of the products that great value guns, such as the AXE, that
break less fragile paint than high end guns
have come out of the R&D department at
three times their price and that keep people
KEE/Empire since I joined NPS in 2003.
playing competitively for far less, and also
That includes some of the currently very
successful products such as the Z2, the Axe from goggles because it’s so important from
a safety point of view and also because
and the E-Flex. There still some very cool
when you look at someone you look at their
projects coming from KEE/Empire that I
was involved with and I can’t wait for them face. The first time I saw two teams facing
off wearing the original E-vents goggles,
to be released. People don’t realize that
there is often years of work involved in new that was just awesome!
products and so by the time the public sees
Josh: So after years of successful work
something it has likely been in the development process for a year or more, maybe designing creating and bringing to market
numerous majorly successful products for
even many years. Over the years I have
designed guns, goggles, loaders and more. KEE/Empire, you left. Why?
Simon: I wasn’t happy. It was that simple
When I joined NPS I set myself a goal that and it was totally my choice. I love what
I do, but I needed a change of direction
I wanted to be able to turn up to an event
and more freedom in my life to do what I
and everyone I saw playing would be
believed in. The only way I saw for that to
using something I helped bring to fruition.
That has been the case for quite some time be possible was to take control of my own
destiny.
now, in part mostly due to one of my innovations that most people know little about
but that has been fundamental to the safety Josh: You open-sourced and are basically
of our sport. The safety slots you see on al- giving away the design for the Pico forcefeed loader - why?
most every single tank valve and regulator
Simon: Because I was tired of making
in paintball. I designed it after two people
awesome things and then not being able to
were killed by jettisoning tanks. I do not
believe this has ever occurred since thanks bring them to the market for various rea-
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