| Nitrogen and HPA are two gasses that are used to fill | | | | here to stay. |
| paintball tanks. The paintball community is confused | | | | Performance Difference |
| about the difference between Nitrogen and HPA, and | | | | There is a slight performance difference, but not |
| for good reason. They both have the exact same | | | | enough to be that noticeable. HPA is forced to waste |
| function! | | | | over 20% of its content. This is not as big of a deal as |
| The Difference | | | | it sounds. Pure nitrogen will enable you to have more |
| HPA is simply "compressed air," which is another term | | | | paintball shots per refill, and will be very slightly, more |
| thrown around by paintball players. Compressed air is | | | | consistent. |
| what it sounds like, it is good ol' natural breathing air, but | | | | That being said, some paintball fields still offer nitrogen, |
| condensed into a more pressurized state. The air we | | | | instead of HPA, because some players adamantly |
| breath contains approximately 78.2% nitrogen, of | | | | believe that nitrogen is considerably better. If you have |
| course the amount of nitrogen varies depending on | | | | the opportunity to test out pure nitrogen in your |
| particular environments. But as a general rule, air with | | | | paintball tank, give it a go! I could honestly not notice a |
| 78.2% nitrogen is what is used for HPA paintball tanks. | | | | difference whatsoever, but some people swear by it. |
| If a paintball player says that he is using nitrogen in his | | | | Is There a Difference Between a Nitrogen or HPA |
| paintball tank, he is probably using HPA, which contains | | | | Paintball Tank? |
| nitrogen. But, some players use pure nitrogen in their | | | | There is not! Some players have told me that one is |
| paintball tank. In fact, nitrogen was the staple gas used | | | | better than the other. But guys! These are not two |
| for all professional paintballers, long before | | | | separate entities. There is no such thing as a nitrogen |
| compressed air ever came onto the scene. In 1994, | | | | and HPA paintball tank. When I say they are the exact |
| Phil Davies discovered that if air is condensed, it can | | | | same thing, I mean that they are, one and the same |
| be used in paintball guns, as efficiently as pure nitrogen | | | | thing. A paintball tank that is compatible with nitrogen |
| gas. This was a major step for paintball tanks | | | | intake will be able to be filled with nitrogen gas, or |
| because pure nitrogen is expensive, and considerably | | | | compressed air. You can call the tank whatever you |
| more rare to find. | | | | want, but it is simply a tank that is compatible with |
| Why Many Paintball Players Say They Use Nitrogen? | | | | nitrogen. |
| There are two main reasons for the survival of | | | | There are only two types of paintball tanks, one is for |
| "nitrogen" as a paintball term. | | | | Co2, the other is for nitrogen or HPA. |
| 1- Old players never stopped referring to their paintball | | | | Conclusion |
| air as nitrogen, even when its not. Thus, keeping the | | | | Nitrogen and HPA are used in the same way, for the |
| word in the paintball community vocabulary. And | | | | very same paintball tanks. Some players claim that |
| because there is very little performance difference | | | | nitrogen is a superior gas, but most players do not |
| between HPA and nitrogen, many old players see no | | | | notice a difference between the two. HPA is cheaper |
| difference to change their terms. | | | | than nitrogen, and for that reason alone, HPA has |
| 2- Some people consider "nitrogen" a cooler word than | | | | taken over as the gas most commonly used at the |
| "HPA." This is especially the case when "nitrogen" is | | | | paintball fields. |
| shortened to "nitro." Many current paintball players are | | | | The word "nitrogen" remains in paintball terminology |
| extremely frustrated by this, after all, High Pressure air | | | | because of its history in our sport, and because some |
| is not too shabby of a name. The point is "nitrogen" is | | | | people still use it. |