National Battery Day!Valken Celebrates the Power to Pew in 2022!Did you know that February 18 is celebrated as National Battery Day? We did! We actually didn’t, but we found out in time to put this thing together so here we are! In all seriousness, stop and think about how important the battery, in general terms, is to modern technology and all the stuff we wouldn’t have without it! Can you imagine still being tethered to a phone on a cord hanging on the wall in the kitchen? And that phone being olive green? Wait how old are you? Nevermind. Everything from our modern phones and flashlights, to your television remote and Xbox controller run on batteries, and there’s one under the hood of your car (or in the trunk, depending on what you drive). There might even be one POWERING your car depending on what you drive! Even paintball and airsoft have become battery-driven games and since that’s what we do around here, when we found out it was National Battery Day we decided on a pizza party for lunch and we’re here to talk about all the batteries that power up the games we love! Airsoft BatteriesSo, update, we did not get the pizza party. While HR deals with that, let’s talk about all the amazing ways that airsoft batteries help define the game and make playing it how we do, possible! Airsoft relies on a high-tech spread of batteries to power modern airsoft AEG rifles like the Valken ASL airsoft gun line. From PEQ and stick Li-Po airsoft batteries to Li-Ion airsoft batteries and airsoft NiMH batteries, Valken stocks a full line of popular airsoft batteries that make the most popular airsoft guns in the game go bang, along with chargers to get power to them safely! NiMH stands for Nickel-Metal Hydride, while Li-Ion stands for Lithium Ion and LiPo for Lithium Polymer. In many electric airsoft guns these batteries are inserted into the buttstock and connected to the airsoft gun via Dean or Small Tamiya connectors. Lithium Polymer LiPo airsoft batteries have become extremely popular thanks to their versatility, compact size, lighter weight and increased efficiency when compared to other, older battery types, but extra care must be taken when charging, caring for and using LIPO airsoft batteries to ensure the best performance and safety. Airsoft players should always exercise caution and carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions with both the airsoft battery and the airsoft battery charger being used, along with charging the battery inside a Valken Battery Safety Sack! Now, airsoft AEG electric guns perform better and are more efficient than ever, powered by the latest airsoft battery technology! Valken Airsoft Batteries & AEG Airsoft Guns Valken ASL Echo AEG Rifle $179.95 NEW Valken ASL MOD-M AEG Rifle $169.95 Valken ASL Hi-Velocity MOD-L AEG Rifle $169.95 Valken ASL+ Kilo45 AEG Rifle $194.95 Valken NiMh Power Kit - 9.6V 1600mAh Split Airsoft Battery & 1A Smart Charger (USA) $49.39 Valken LiPo 11.1V 1200mAh 15C Split Airsoft Battery (Small Tamiya) $25.95 Valken Lipo 7.4v 3000mAh 15/25C Split (Small Tamiya) $49.39 Valken NiMH 9.6V 2200mAh Split Airsoft Battery (Small Tamiya) $40.81 OUT OF STOCK Paintball - It's Electric!(Boogie Woogie Woogie)Airsoft isn’t the only game driven by batteries, as electronics powered by various types of batteries led to a revolution in paintball technology that has influenced the game to this day! In the late 90’s, the sport of paintball transitioned from mechanical semi-automatic paintball guns to electronic paintball guns that shot faster than anything the game and industry had ever seen! This evolution was coupled with paintball loader technology that was also evolving to meet the needs of paintball guns that were shooting faster and faster! The basic gravity-fed paintball hoppers gave way, at the highest levels of the game, first to basic electronic paintball loaders that agitated paintballs when a jam was detected, and then to force-fed motorized paintball loaders that were capable of feeding paintball guns that, by the mid-2000’s were shooting at rates approaching twenty paintballs per second! All this technology was, of course, powered by batteries and remains so to this day. Basic 9volt batteries delivering power to paintball guns and loaders have in more recent years been joined by AA batteries and, most recently, rechargeable battery packs that power both modern paintball loaders and paintball guns, with all their electronic eyes, triggers, and screens! While there has, recently, been a resurgence of simpler mechanical paintball guns, they still rely on electronic loaders to feed them, and modern tournament paintball players carry electronic paintball guns into battle that are more advanced than ever, all powered by batteries! Electronic Paintball Guns and Loaders! Dye Rize CZR Paintball Gun $374.95 Eclipse Etha2 PAL Paintball Gun $489.95 Shocker AMP Paintball Gun $899.95 Eclipse GTek 170R Paintball Gun $895.95 Energy Paintball 9V Alkaline Batteries - 2 pack $5.95 Dye Rotor R2 Paintball Loader $189.95 – $199.95 Valken V-MAX Plus+ Paintball Loader $59.95 Dye LT-R Paintball Loader $109.95 – $129.95 NEW So, as we celebrate Alessandro Volta’s birthday (you know, the guy who created the modern battery back around 1800 or so) on February 18, we paintball players and airsoft operators really do owe a lot to this guy! Every time you pick up an AEG automatic electric airsoft gun like our Valken ASL line, or a high-end paintball gun like a Luxe or an Eclipse CS2 Pro with a fast loader like a Spire, Dye Rotor or a Valken V-Max+ on top, take a second to think about all the technology that goes into these things we use for fun! Without batteries, we’d have to get awfully creative to get this level of performance. The good news is, all this technology is affordable, and we have it right here at Valken Sports, from high-quality, affordable airsoft guns and the airsoft batteries and chargers to get them into action, to the best paintball guns, loaders and, yes, batteries!