62 replies to this topic

[karMeister]

A few months after KWA announced the release of an improved gearbox and parts called the 2Gx (2nd Generation Extreme),
I was very lucky to get my hands on one.
The 2Gx feels very solid  the reinforcements and the large 9.0mm bearing were the first things that caught my attention.  
The new 2Gx as we all know has the new KWA logo engraved in it...very classy =P








I took it apart to compare it with my KM4A1 gearbox and because pictures speak alot more than words I took as much as I can.

So far I noticed 6 things that were changed that was not mentioned in the "Relentless Pursuit to Outperform" page... probably left for us to discover hehe.

The reinforcements were strategically added to specific parts where hairlines usually occur.
This will really show the difference alot more when put my old KM4a1 gearbox beside the new 2Gx.
KWA engineers have managed to add these reinforcements on the sides and bottom without changing the receivers shape.
They fit in my old KWA KM4 receiver BTW.

The Pictures will show my earlier KM4A1 parts above or on the left side while the the new 2Gx  parts will be on the bottom or right side.









GB top reinforcement comparison.





Viewing the the gearboxes from the top show how the 2Gx is really thicker than the previous version.





A view from the bottom. You cant see one of the part where the gearbox interlocks with each other because the reinforcement gets in the way.





If you view it from the inside you'll see how the bottom front of the 2Gx is reinforced.







I also noticed the ARL holder reinforcements. Great improvement from the previous version and is a very good sign that KWA engineers listen to us.
I reinforced my old KWA gearbox's  ARL holder with a bronze ring after it broke after I clumsily tried to unhook an engaged ARL without pushing the bevel forward.








Trigger block post, which brought some issues earlier, is now 2/3rds thicker and has a slope on its base as reinforcement.
Lets see you guys break this! haha!








For the record my old GB's trigger block is still intact.





Check out the slope in the 2Gx, instead of a right angle on the previous version. (on pic above)

[karMeister]

Bearings - Another revolutionary step by KWA was the use of six (6) 9.0mm bearings
instead of the 4 8.0mm and 2 9.0mm ones in the previous version,
this delayed production but was well worth the wait.
The newer bearings differ from the older ones.








From the inside:





The bearings have a very tight fit in the 2Gx Gearbox.



Gears- Like Allizard showed us, the internals of the 2Gx has also improved!
The gears are heat treated aswell as the reinforced axles.



Bevel Gear



The reinforced axle. The teeth that connect to the spur gear have the edges on an angle.







Spur Gear

Heat treated with reinforced axles.






Its cool how they worked on this! KWA decided to make the smaller gear go thru the larger one!




*It would have been nice if the bottom edges were also angled like the previous version nothing we cant fix  






Sector Gear

Mid 2008 Sector gear in the 2gx? It really doesnt bother me considering that my gears are 200K++ old with an sp130.
*I will be keeping the new gears as spare and will use my old KWA gearset to continue to keep track of its "mileage" with an sp130,with the quality of KWA gears,

these should last a very long time especially when you maintain them properly.







The ARL (Anti Reverse Latch).
Guarder ARL on the left and KWA heat treated ARL on the right.

[karMeister]

You might ask about how a 200k+ KWA motor pinion looks like...well here it is:






The newer pinions will be as tough if not tougher!




Piston: Again like Allizard showed us, the new piston has the last steel tooth reinforced as well as the 1st polymer tooth.






Pistonhead: The Piston head, spring guide, selector plate,cut-off lever, Tappet plate and Nozzle look the same.





Guarder piston head bearings and KWA Washers.




Spring guide: I was hoping they used bearings on the piston head and spring guide instead of washers.

Heres a new KWA spring guide beside my very old KWA spring guide.






Tappet plate






Nozzle







Cutoff lever





Selector plate





Switch assembly and wires : Wire material has changed.
Switch spring looks like its also heat treated.
My old switch assembly has some life left in it.







I did notice alot more wear when I switched to a 20C 11.1v from a 12c 11.1v lipo. KWA recommends 15c or lower.

[karMeister]

Cylinder : The cylinder ,like Allizard has mentioned in the "Relentless Pursuit to outperform" thread has moved the port to the back.





Cylinderhead







Spring : here is a comparison of an sp130, KM1a1 spring and the spring that came with the 2Gx gearbox.







Because of the reinforcements on the front, the metal wire holder does not come with the 2Gx so you have to position the wires carefully, if you have it wire to the front, when you put your gearbox in and make sure it does not get in the way when you put your receivers together.








The 2Gx Gearbox fits snugly in my old KM4a1 body.
Considering how KWA tolerances are,
we all know how good  the compression is with a KWA AEG.
I am shooting around 491.7FPS with a settled sp130.
Im not sure if the new bearings would affect my ROF since I haven't tested it with a fully charged battery.
I will update you guys when I get the chance to do that.








As I mentioned earlier, I will still be using my old gears, piston body and wire set so I can keep track and see how long they last.


Some suggestions since there will always be room for improvement:

Some more reinforcement on the back, top and the front most part where the cylinder head rests
(thats where v2 ICS GBs have their hairlines).
Piston head and spring guide could use some bearings.
Adding an O-ring on the Nozzle would also be nice.  


The evolution of KWA AEGs has only began.
The older versions were good enough I am very content on how my old KM4a1 is performing.
I have yet to see an AEG company that works as hard as KWA to give its clients as much value.
KWA remains to be the best performing AEG in stock form! even outperforming other"upgraded" AEGS!
No doubt the 2Gx will live up to its expectations.
The only AEG in stock form that stands second to the ones with the 2Gx will be the previous KWA versions.
  

[Spiggy]

excellent writeup

[Wintersx866]

Spiggy, on 12 August 2009 - 10:53 AM, said:

excellent writeup

Its so beautiful... I think its going to make me cry   not!!! *sniffle sniffle*

[Jordan91]

Thanks for the side by side comparison. Its really helpful.

[karMeister]

I stand corrected about the bearings on the spring guide and pistonhead. Turns out that it was a misconception that bearings in them would be better.
Hats off to KWA engineers for revolutionizing airsoft dynamics     .

The pictures are not the best but I hope they are clear enough because I am the worst photographer

[engl4nd24]

Pin worthy without a doubt. Thanks for all the effort that went into this. Really sealed the deal for me. I was contemplating spending another 400 on one of these things, but you my friend just sealed the deal. A little strange though how that gearbox had one of the older gears in it.

[whiterabbit05]

Thanks for the info!

[gcw360]

Outstanding update!

[Dr Pepper 6pk]

awesome its nice to know what improvements they're making

btw where'd you get a 2GX gearbox from?

[GEEBS]

Great job KM!  I can't wait to get me on one of these!

[Micheal]

Any thoughts on when they will be available?

[dan halen]

Middle of September if I'm not mistaken (someone please correct me if I'm wrong)

This thread is great though and is pretty much exactly what I was wanting to see to answer some questions about the new gear boxes I had, I cant wait to get my hands on one.  

[colby1414]

I was wondering i have a kwa m4a1 with a cracked gearbox and i was wondering if they sell the new gear boxs by it self and would it fit in my gun??

[Wintersx866]

colby1414, on 16 September 2009 - 06:02 PM, said:

I was wondering i have a kwa m4a1 with a cracked gearbox and i was wondering if they sell the new gear boxs by it self and would it fit in my gun??

Yes sir they sure will but you can't use the wire guard which isn't a big deal at all and it is due to the massive amount of reinforcements

[colby1414]

Wintersx866, on 16 September 2009 - 06:15 PM, said:

Yes sir they sure will but you can't use the wire guard which isn't a big deal at all and it is due to the massive amount of reinforcements

ok thanks also do they make them wirded to the back becasue i have rewired my gun to the back and when would they start to sell the new gearboxes