Check out our YouTube Comparison Video!
Check out the DYE MXR Here!
Check out the Planet Eclipse CS3 here!
What's up guys, we are here to talk about all elements of the Dye MXR and Planet Eclipse CS3 to determine a winner between the 2 markers.
Packaging:
First off, the CS3 has a great case. I think it was actually introduced with the LV2 but the CS3 was the second marker that offered this new updated gun case. It's very nice and durable case that offers a carry handle, nice metal zippers that never break. Opening up you've got 6 slots for inserts so you can get a full parts kit. The parts kit is labeled with everything you need. It also offers a nice branded Planet Eclipse barrel cover and 1 ounce of lube. Lastly, the CS3 offers a full color manual with a nice set of Allen keys.
Dye did a new redesign of their case for this new flagship Dye MXR marker. It is very cool case aesthetically pleasing. I do like that about it. It has new metal zippers that are reinforced to just be a little bit more durable. When opening up the case, you're going to get a total of four overall slots with three Dye UL-I inserts. You are going to be able to fit three inserts with this marker plus the barrel itself. The MXR is going to come with a multi-tool kit as well as your allen keys and then the USB and your extra trigger that comes with the marker. The parts kit is actually kind of nice because everything's labeled there and all the O-rings are color-coded which is important when you're trying to service the marker. Another thing that they changed is that they did this net area on the middle flap which holds the quick start guide with the bolt breakdown and all of the other things that you need to just do your general stuff with the marker. The barrel cover is Dye branded and is really sharp so kudos to Dye for that. The MXr also comes with lube, a warranty card, and a unique magnet mat with designated allen keys (trigger, velocity, etc.) for maintenance.
Overall, Dye finally improved their packaging from the Dye M3+ but we are still choosing the Planet Eclipse case over the Dye case due to the carry handle, the extra barrel slots and the better parts kit.
Barrel - Dye UL-I vs PE S63:
Next up, we're going to talk about barrel between the two. The CS3 comes with the 3-piece S63 barrel system and is going to have those windows there to show which color insert you have in the barrel. It is a 14.5 inch barrel and it's a three-piece design so the insert plus the back and the tip. With the CS3, it's going to come with a 0.685 and 0.689 insert from the factory. Overall, very nice barrel system with nice spiral porting.
The Dye MXR is going to be the Dye UL-I and you are going to have the same exact inserts it is going to come with an 0.688, 0.684, & 0.680. So it's going to come with three inserts and I've always been a Dye fan so I'm probably going to pick the dye barrel on this just because I really like the stylish design of the dye barrel.
Feedneck:
Both markers are going to have clamping feednecks. The CS3 has a larger thumbwheel and has larger grooves on the thumbwheel. The Dye MXR is going to have a little bit thicker of a lever but a little bit shorter of a lever and the thumbwheel is not nearly as grooved so it's a little bit harder to go back and forth. For that reason, we prefer the CS3 feedneck. The functionality is just a bit better even though the aesthetic appearance of the MXR feedneck is better.
Eye System:
Next up we're going to talk about eyes between the two. The CS3 offers the reflective system (breech lightpipe) that reflects from the bottom portion of the board here and it reflects on the eye cover through the breech of the marker. It is very easy to just pop that off, clean it, and put it back together. It's a very simple very tried and true system that never seems to go down.
On the Dye MXR, you are going to unscrew the barrel system and the breech sleeve pulls out. The new 5th gen breech sleeve is now metal so it's not going to crack like the old plastic 4th gen eye pipe. To clean out the breech, simply remove this metal eye pipe and run your barrel swab through the breech. Pop your eye pipe back in and you're ready to rock! Kudos to Dye for this design as it makes it more reliable. The TAAC detent system is also built into the eye pipe which uses o-rings for a ball detent and is much easier to replace since every player has o-rings in their gearbag.
Overall, we are picking the CS3 eye system for functionality purposes. It just never seems to go down! Also, in the event you ever had to remove the MXR eye harness, you have to remove the grip frame off the gun in order to do that.
Batteries:
Battery changing between the two is obviously a wash. Dye seems to have gone the way of Planet when it comes to the battery changing. It's very very similar.. you just pull the foregrip down on both of these and this there's two tabs that pop off on both guns. This gives you access to the AA batteries of the MXR or CS3.
Trigger:
The CS3 offers a very nice 5 way adjustable trigger. The Dye MXR trigger is also 5 way adjustable as you can now adjust the angle of the trigger face with the MXR. The MXR is also going to offer 2 triggers out of the box including the deuce style trigger and the scythe style trigger. The CS3 only comes with the blade trigger in it's stock form and you have to purchase other triggers aftermarket.
Overall, we like the way the Dye MXR trigger feels as it seems a little more smooth to pull and you get 2 options between the triggers. The MXR also offers the hour-glass UL Frame which is extremely comfortable ergonomically.
Programming:
The CS3 is going to be very tried and true. The board is very simple to turn it on. It has 3 buttons on the back that you can go up and down to program with the OLED board.
The Dye MXR has a five-way joystick so you press it in and out, up down, side to side that's what makes it five ways. The joystick isn't bad but can be a little difficult to program with fat fingers.
Overall, programming is easier with the CS3 because of the easier to press 3 buttons on the back as compared to using the MXR joystick which can be more difficult to move and press.
ASA:
The CS3 is going to offer the POPS ASA where the Dye MXR offers the new & improved SLAP 2 ASA. We are going to say it right now, we LOVE the SLAP 2 ASA of the Dye MXR. It's a very simple design and Dye improved the reliability of this ASA from the Dye M3+. Sometimes with the first Slap ASA, the asa would come apart when de-gassing the marker and cause the pin in the ASA to fly out of the ASA body which lead to having the replace this part. Now the SLAP 2 asa, you don't have to worry about that. Simply press on the knob to engage the air and pull the knob away to de-gas your marker.
The POPS ASA of the CS3 is similar but includes a button that you have to press. With that said, the POPS asa is very simple to work on in the event there are any leaks. You do not have to remove the grips to remove the ASA like you do with the SLAP 2 ASA of the MXR. If you're out in the field or in the pits, the CS3 asa may be a little easier to service as compared to the MXR. You don't have to worry about taking the grips off or getting dirt/debris in the board of the CS3 like you do with teh MXR.
Ergonomics:
There are mixed emotions about the ergonomics of the CS3 versus the Dye MXR. The CS3 is a little more compact which some people tend to prefer whereas the MXR is more elongated for bigger players/hands. Both markers offer plenty of space between the trigger guard and your forward hand. The Dye MXR offers the UL Frame and the CS3 offers the slimmer trigger frame compared to the CS2. The foregrip of the MXR is a little more textured and thicker than that of the CS3. However, the CS3 foregrip is perfectly contoured to fit your hand.
You can't go wrong with the ergonomics of either marker, but if we had to choose we like the Dye MXR due to the UL Frame and amazing feeling foregrip.
Weight:
Putting both markers on the scale with barrel, insert, and batteries in place, the CS3 comes in at 1 pound 14.8 ounces whereas the Dye MXR weighs 1 pound 15 ounces. So it's basically a tie in weight between these 2 high end paintball guns.
Maintenance:
Maintenance on the CS3 as compared to the Dye mxr (keep in mind we're not talking about reliability/longetivity) we're talking about just your weekly maintenance of the marker. With the CS3, simpy pop out the OP bolt system, take it apart, lube it, and put it back in. The CS3 HPR has two screws on the bottom which allows you to pull your ASA out to access your HPR piston, reg seat, and all all that stuff.
With the Dye MXR, you're just going to pull this out and access your bolt system by pressing the button on the back of the bolt cap. The difference I think lies with the fact that you have to take off the grips in order to access the ASA and the HPR on the MXR as compared to the CS3. For that reason alone, we are picking the CS3.
Build Quality / Reliability:
Unfortunately, there is not much comparison between the 2 when comparing build quality between the MXR and CS3. The CS3 is kind of known for being the "try and break it" marker. Cody's (our employee) has tried to break his a few times and hasn't been successful. Needless to say, we're going to give it to Planet Eclipse with the reliability and build quality between the two.
To be fair though, I think Dye is trying to do what they can to make the new MXR more reliable with the metal breach sleeve so you no longer have to replace eye pipes. Dye also reinforced some things with the ASA which was definitely a weak spot on the M3+ so we will be interested to see how well it works. The main board has also been reinforced to make it more weatherproof compared to the M3+ and DSR+.
Tech Support:
Next up, tech support between Planet Eclipse and Dye. Planet Eclipse is known for having excellent tech support and you're never really going to have any issues when it comes to tech. There's always going to be a tech at your regional events. It's one thing that Planet Eclipse does really well logistically is making sure they send a marker technician to regional speedball and scenario events.
When it comes to Dye, they do not make every regional event as they do not offer a network of technicians throughout the USA like PE does. They have been improving with sending more techs out to events that Punisher's was at in 2024. We will see how that continues to look going into 2025.
Overall, both companies are very good when repairing markers in a timely fashion when you send in your marker to their facility if you have a problem that's not at an event!
Upgradeability:
The CS3 does offer a mech frame and Dye is mentioning that they will have a MXR mech frame available in the near future. Another thing to consider is that you can get a few different triggers through Infamous for the CS3 while there are not many trigger options for the MXR yet. However, the MXR already comes with a deuce and scythe style trigger. Both markers are autococker threaded and come with great barrels so we think it's a wash when thinking about upgrading these 2 markers. There's not much to do to these markers out of the box because they have been so optimized.
Shot Quality:
Overall, the MXR is definitely a smoother shot compared to the CS3. The CS3 is a more "clacky" shot while the MXR is a good combination of a snappier & poofy shot combined. They both shoot extremely consistent and accurate. For us, the MXR seems to have the better shot quality. It is quieter, smoother, and less recoil than the CS3.
Efficiency:
As far as efficiency goes the MXR is setting records when it comes to efficiency. We got over 1,800 shots with the MXR whereas we got around 1,600 with the CS3. That is definitely a significant difference of probably over 10% efficiency wise between these two markers. Obviously there is difference in conditions and paint but the CS3 is definitely less efficient than the new Dye MXR!
Paint Handling:
Overall, we have had good success shooting brittle paint with both the MXR and the CS3. The o-ring in the MXR TAAC detent system had to be switched to a 16 to avoid double feeing with force fed loaders. With that switch, the MXR does very well with brittle paint as seen in our MXR Brittle Paint Test. When it comes to the CS3, it has a long track record of being trustworthy with shooting brittle paint in tournaments across the world. With that said, we are going to give the upper hand to the CS3 just because of its proven track record. Our brittle paint testing with the MXR was very convincing though.
Overall Value / Our Pick:
The Dye MXR is an amazing shot quality marker and we like the way it shoots compared to the CS3. The CS3 does not have the most satisfying shot profile but is extremely reliable and has some great features.
The Dye MXR also is more efficient than the CS3 which could definitely matter to scenario players who shoot a lot of paint while they're out on a game or back players for speedball. The ergonomics of the Dye are great and feel oddly similar to the CS3. We like the UL frame of the MXR and think that it is an advantage over the CS3.
So the Dye MXR wins when it comes to efficiency, shot profile, and ergonomics. However, the CS3 wins when it comes to reliability, paint handling, build quality, and packaging. Both markers were similar in maintenance and upgradeability.
Two other things to consider is the MXR comes with 3 UL-I inserts while the CS3 only comes with a 0.685 and 0.689 insert. That just further increases the price of the CS3 to make it an equal comparison when considering inserts. The 2 different trigger faces offered from Dye also gives the MXR an advantage over the CS3 blade trigger.
All things considered, we feel the Dye MXR has the better value for the money since it is $250 cheaper for the black MXR compared to the base colors of the CS3. The MXR PGA colors are $1650 which is still $100 cheaper than the CS3 price. You get more barrel inserts and 2 triggers instead of 1.
With that said, we are concerned about the reliability of the Dye MXR as some people have had issues with paint handling as well as leaking. These hopefully are transient issues that are consistent with any paintball gun release.
