Excalibur shells

[FinnAmerican]

I seemed to hear nothing but good things about the Excalibur canister shells. Are they really that good..? Just wanted to know before I decide to pick up a box. I hear that the tubes are sturdy & reusable. I'am tired of the flimsy cardboard tubes that are either glued or stapled to the base.

[PyroKing31]

This is probably one of the most debated subjects in consumer pyro. 10 years ago or so they were the absolute best, recently, essentially since the plastic tops came out they have been proven via breakdowns that they are watered down and only contain about 35-40 grams of total comp.

What I usually tell people is, find out what brands are available around you and who has the best pricing. If you talk to store owners who sell multiple brands, excals sell 3 to 1 over other shells no matter what. They have the reputation.

For us pyros there are better shells out there even at a 4 inch size.

Personally if i can get a good deal on excals ill still buy them, but I can generally get better shells for similar money from my store of choice.

[Fulliautomatix]

I never had Excal from the "glory days", so I have no point of reference to what they used to be. I like the effects/performance of current production and they're about the cheapest 1.75" I can get my hands on... so literally the best bang for the buck in my opinion. Plus yes, their tubes are definitely quality.

That said, I'm open to trying other shells, but am wary of marketing hype. I have a pretty good stock of Excals, Smoke&Mirrors shells from prior years, so I picked up a case of Pyro King Power Shells and a case of Legend Raptor Shells this year just to see what else is available out there that I don't have to buy from some guy out of the back of a van. (not that there's anything wrong with that, lol)

[Robbro097]

I generally just go for cheapest cans for me thats usually grim reaper dominator iv compared them to excals and a cpl other brands when i 1st started buying them and i couldnt see any real noticable dif between any of em they all rocked mayb 1 seemed a bit louder or spread a bit further then the next set seemed the other way around the quality of 1.4 by and large has become pretty dang good.

[rfgonzo]

If your going to shoot more often. I would get some DR-11 tubes and pitch the tube that come in the box, even the excals.

[jamisonlm3]

This is probably one of the most debated subjects in consumer pyro. 10 years ago or so they were the absolute best, recently, essentially since the plastic tops came out they have been proven via breakdowns that they are watered down and only contain about 35-40 grams of total comp. The plastic top doesn't mean anything. More and more shells are showing up with it. I can only guess it's something that was developed and adopted by the industry. Other shells on the market have been cut open and found to have around the same. Most shells only have around 50g total. This includes the lift. Personally, if you get a shell that in the high 40s for total comp, you're doing good. After that, it's the icing on the cake.

For me, excals are nothing more than a hodge podge of genaric effects. There's nothing interesting about them. The effects listed on the back of the box have not changed since they came to market. The labels on the shells don't even match those. You have not idea what you'll get with them. They're basically a grab bag. This is probably because Jake's wanted to make the cheapest shell on the market. Maybe the new platinum excals are better, but I'll wait to see a full demo of those before buying. They look like they'll have Nishikie and lace effects.

Either way, too many other shells on the market and moved past them. Still, I have to give them one thing. Because they are so cheap, they are good for sky puke. You can send a hole gross of them up for a little more than $200. Another thing is the mortars. They are really nice. If you have the time and tools, you can make racks with them and have even better mortars than standard DR11. That's assuming you get the ones where the shell easily drops to the bottom.

[AxeElf]

I was just looking at this thread from this site earlier this week; might be helpful in finding loads close to the 60g limit.

Canister Shell Composition Weights (http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/archive/index.php/t-6616.html)

[Berserker23]

Best on the market they also have Excalibur’s platinum which I would like to try probably no difference except for the size

[Jay_]

Excals are ok, i ended up buying a case of them this year. Hopefully ill get the 2019 version as most agree on the interwebs that it was a good year for them. As far as cans under the legal limit, i do prefer the black cat diablo shells to the excals..but i cant get the same discount on them. The Diablo's seem to be a bit louder out of the tube and colors always seem a little more vivid. Just my opinion and personal preference.

Honestly though, all of the cans under the legal limit are mostly cookie cutters and there wont be much difference between them.

[Fulliautomatix]

Regarding labels and effects, that's something that annoys me about Excals, they don't match and are just a waste of ink.

The Realtree Wildcat shells on the other hand were all correctly labeled. At least in the 18/19 production run.

[FinnAmerican]

Regarding labels and effects, that's something that annoys me about Excals, they don't match and are just a waste of ink.

The Realtree Wildcat shells on the other hand were all correctly labeled. At least in the 18/19 production run.

There's a video on YouTube that shows the removal of an Excalibur's label. Underneath was a Realtree Wildcat Cartridge.

[PyroKing31]

The plastic top doesn't mean anything. More and more shells are showing up with it. I can only guess it's something that was developed and adopted by the industry. Other shells on the market have been cut open and found to have around the same. Most shells only have around 50g total. This includes the lift. Personally, if you get a shell that in the high 40s for total comp, you're doing good. After that, it's the icing on the cake.



The plastic tops are indicative of year of manufacture. The paper tops are older and have been shown to have more comp. I generally dont buy them anyway but the fact remains.

[jamisonlm3]

The plastic tops are indicative of year of manufacture. The paper tops are older and have been shown to have more comp. I generally dont buy them anyway but the fact remains.It has to be something else beside year of manufacture or how much comp is in them. Besides excals, other shells on the market have the same top. Brothers, Winda, etc all have the same top. I'm sure even more shells have it. Considering the current theory is only handful of factories are making shells, I'd say it's something they or the importers decided on. It might have something to do with new regulations, but I'm not sure.

[Birdman]

My guess is, since all of these shells are only made in a few factories, that it largely just depends on where and when they were made. I also suspect it depends on the quality and quantity of the composition available. Could also depend too on who's making them just like how some bartenders tend to have a heavier hand than others.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

You'd have to do some searching for the exact thread, but a number of years ago the issue of the plastic tops was discussed and the consensus of opinion at the time was that they were implemented to help stop the issue of people loading shells upside down and causing injuries when the shell blows up in the tube. The fuse length is also shorter, so if you load it upside down (usually) there's not enough fuse sticking out above the top of the tube for you to light. Ergo, providing a clue that you probably put the thing in upside down.

[Fulliautomatix]

I always liked the way the lock & load shells had a glow in the dark arrow sticker on the side pointing to the top... aside from the big letters "TOP" being printed on top.

[morrison2951]

I shot Your Tube shells on NYE and they hit hard with mines to boot.

Some of the best new shells to come to market this past year.

[fireworkguy98]

Weren't excals the ones that had at least one run with lift charge on both ends so no matter how you put it in it still went up?

[jamisonlm3]

They were. One was cut open and found to have 15g of lift. Dual lift excals have been around for a couple of years now. I'm curious if all the shells Jake's are bringing in now have it or it it was just a batch or two.