Well it kind of depends on what, but if you want a great gun stock go with the slg. But if you plan on putting upgrades into your gun go with the ion because the upgrades are numerous and less expensive. And for the hopper i wouldn't go with an eggy, i would save up a little extra cash and go with the reloader b's which are now around $60. And for the tank i would put a little more investment into that as it will stick with you for a long time, but i would go with a used tank with at least 2-3 years left on the hydro.
well i havent really heard of a proto, iv beem out of the painballing scene for a few years, but iv heard really good things about the ions. the smart parts thing they do is supposed to reduce the chance of balls breaking in the barrel. and the evo loader is great. but nitrogen, idk. its more expensive than CO2 but uses less or something. but i havent really noticed the difference between that and CO2
Ion is the same quality as the SLG. Shoots just as fast, reg is just as good (essentially a Max Flo, which performs as well as Dye's Hyper3), and the Ion is all metal except for the body SHELL. The body itself is metal. SLG does have some advantages: easier disassembly... except the Ion XE has a bolt-out-back body as well. Stock board has more modes, like ramping modes for tourneys, but you can still program the Ion board to replicate those tourney settings. Stock barrel is better on the SLG. SLG has a dovetail mount for virtually any asa, which is a nice touch. Ion's operation is better. The SLG has constant forward air pressure on the bolt which is held back by a sear until a shot is fired. The Ion's bolt is held in place by air pressure alone. Don't get me wrong, though, the SLG is a good gun. My buddy has one as a backup/loaner and is pretty happy with its performance. I jus think the Ion's specs are overall better. Now the NEW SLG is slightly better than the Ion. It's got a clamping feedneck an Ultralite frame... which is really more of a personal preference thing. It's a slimmer, contoured frame that is supposed to fit your hand better but some people like it, some people don't. Evo II loader is kinda suck but it'll get the job done. A better loader would be a Halo/Reloader B but then you're talking a little more money. Nitro/hpa/compressed air will always perform better than co2 as a gas source for paintball guns.
proto slg faster better brand better quality better board better regulator metal body easier to take apart go with at least an evo3 loader and get a n2 tank. no co2
