EDgun Matador R3 versus Kalibr Cricket, my comparison….

Hi guys,

Warning for those who don’t like images:

This is going to be a thread with lots of graphics….. 😉

As promised, I’ll try to share with you my personal opinion and findings while comparing these beauties:

As some of you may know, I have two Matador Std R3s and I have one Cricket (with access to another one). All are cal.22……

My wait for my Matadors should be well documented on this very forum…..

The Crickets were a part of a group buy masterminded from Europe somewhere. The Crickets were shipped in parts to Norway and reassembled by my good blueprinting friend Egon Olsen. In the process he had to remove a “restrictor” screw that had been put into the guns before shipment. Most probably because of Power limitation rules at origin….

The Crickets arrived with no documents whatsoever. No instructions, – no nothing. I don’t think this is standard procedure though…..

The Cricket weighs less than the R3, – and is approx 5 cm shorter. Not a lot, – but overall it makes the Cricket even easier to handle than the already tiny R3….

The side by side comparison was done from my modest little shooting table at my summerhouse:

– and the shooting range is here, – with my target set up at 46mts:

Why 46 mts ? Simply because I could not pull my shooting stand further back right now. A huge tree has fallen during winter, and all the branches have taken up my space… 👿

First problem: How to fill the f…. Cricket ?

The fillprobe nut is so tiny that a standard foster coupling gasket will not seal. The entire probe is small, – and you fear you may break it while trying to tighten it:

The above (sorry for the image quality) is a comparison between ED’s, Cricket’s and Falcon’s fill probes. You can probably see what I mean….

As I could not make a standard Fostergasket fit, Egon had to make special gaskets that we fitted into the Foster coupling itself. Not an ideal solution, – and I have no clue how long it will last…….. 🙄

On the fill probe: Matador 1, Cricket 0 points.

Air filling:

I honestly dont like any of the solutions that these two manufacturers have chosen………..

The Cricket people have come up with the worst. To expose the hole for the fillprobe, – you have to slide forward the tip of the reservoir. But that stupid tip is retained by a spring, – and slides back with a smack once you let go:

If you’re not careful when taking the fillprobe back out, the tip will spring back and ruin the fill probe O-rings faster than I can say my name….

While filling, the “tip” rests on the previously mentioned small nut. And there’s not a lot clearance. So a bigger nut (for those with lathe skills), – is not going to help you much. A thicker nut might…….

In short: A very stupid filling system, – BUT once you know how to operate it and care is taken, – at least it covers the hole when filling is over.

The Matador does not come with anything to cover the filling hole at all:

I use tape right now, – but a plug of some sort would be good….. 😉

My preferred system would be that of Falcon:

The tip of the reservoir has been turned into a curled “collar” that you rotate to expose the hole. Simple, easy and effective. And few moving parts that may break or go astray……….

Now, I have no idea how much air I can fill into the Cricket, – and the gun gauge certainly does not help much:

I trust the gauge on my fillkit, – and 3000 psi is roughly on the border between green and yellow…….

Points for airfill procedure: Matador 1, Cricket 0. In my opinion….. 😉

Cheers from Trygve 😀

To be continued……….. 😀

(if you so desire…… 😳 )