I got it on clearance at Wal-Mart a while back. They go cheap on e-bay too. It's been just as dependable as any other pb gun I have. It is limited to 7 bps though, you can here it skip when you fire it. The stock barrel was just as good as the aftermarket one I bought for it. The Maxis is a little better if you can find one cheap on e-bay.
As far as the reviews go they have to be taken with a grain of salt. Some people just post crap to be what they think is funny and others don't have the experience to make the claims that they do. It's still worth reading though.
I would own a Maxis/Prodigy before I would get an Ion though. I despise belly button guns and people that jump on bandwagons so they can be part of the "in" crowd. I might get one when they are no longer cool and everyone is selling them off really cheap though.
