I have used poppet valve guns for most of my 8+ PB career, but in 2010 I finally picked up a spool (DP G4) and immediately fell in love with the simplicity, less recoil, less noise, etc. I now own several spool valve guns. About a year ago I came across the Drone DX and was immediately intrigued with what people were saying about it. I added it to the short list of guns I wanted to buy. 6+ months ago I bought a Drone DX and instantly loved it. The more I shoot it, the better it gets. It is perhaps the smoothest gun I have ever fired. Quality is excellent and the gun is generally quite rugged. My first impression was that I didn't like the grips since they are made from a hard rubber, but now that I have had the gun for a good while I don't even notice the grips. My son's birthday is coming up soon and i have purchased one for his 19th birthday. His Drone is brand new and as is common with Drones they need to be broken in. Compared to mine his is a little louder, has a little more recoil and needs higher dwell and pressure to operate right. My Drone runs at 95psi. His runs at 105psi. My dwell is set to 7 and his is set to 10. Mine shoots a little more consistently than his. In time his will shoot as well as mine once it is broken in.
I highly recommend the Drone DX to anyone who wants a mid range spool that is going to compete with poppets for efficiency (1400 shots on a 68/4500 is realistic) and yet have all the advantages of a spool.