By ThaFlash
Published: 29 January, 2004
The Crane stock is an item that I have been seeking for quite a while. I even considered purchasing the real one for $600, but then I realized that I didn’t have that kind of money at the time. Then Boom Arms promised one in early summer that is just now being released. Next came the Zenith Crane stock which is just a cosmetic ABS stock. Finally, a new company named APEX quietly entered the scene with a stock that is an exact replica of the real Crane and can hold AA size 9.6v battery for your M4.
The APEX Crane stock comes in two flavors with two options for sides. You can have an ABS plastic stock or you can pay more to get the Glass Fiber one. Once you chose which stock you want you then have the choice of which battery you want. There is a 9.6v 2100mah NiMh and a 9.6v 1700mah NiCd. The NiCd battery is recommended for those who are using a gun upgraded past an M100 spring, although the NiMh battery will last quite a bit longer for those that have a low powered spring.
Before I signed on to do this review, I had already purchased a collector edition Glass Fiber Crane stock directly from APEX. I purchased this item before APEX even had a website up. I paid $300 for the stock, battery and shipping for APEX Crane Stock #A013. That’s right, the Glass Fiber ones are serial numbered and limited, 120 were made for the Japan market, 30 for the US and 30 for Europe. The ABS stock is also limited production although not nearly as small numbers as the Glass Fiber version.
There are really only 3 differences between the Collector edition and the standard ABS version: 1. The ABS version is much shinier, 2. The Glass Fiber is much stronger, and 3. The Glass Fiber is much more expensive. It is important to understand that while the difference is significant between the two that even the ABS stock is strong and matte enough for even hardcore airsofters. Just take a look at the drop test done by APEX to get a feel for the strength of the stock. I unintentionally replicated this test with my 12lbs gun and my results were better than that of APEX, the gun did fall on soil but it still shows that the stock will take some punishment even before it shows a scratch.
After you choose the stock and battery you want, there's the waiting game that all of us are familiar with after we place an order. Once the package is opened you will find the stock, a replacement recoil pad of APEX’s own design, a pair of battery tubes (can hold spare AA or CR123A), a battery pack (9.6v 1700mah 2/3A NiCd or 9.6v 2100mah AA NiMh), a converter from the Deans plug to the mini plug, a wire to run from your mechbox to the battery, and a sheet of instructions.
The instructions given by APEX are by far the most detailed and simple set of instructions I have ever seen for an Airsoft product. You can view the instructions online here and here. There is only one flaw in the installation procedure, it is at step B02. The notch it says to cut will allow the wires to pass through easily, but if you every need to get into the mechbox you will need to clip the wires and re-solder later because the slim notch will not allow the plug to go through. I recommend cutting a notch large enough for entire plug to pass through. Another thing to watch out for is the thickness of the solder joints. Make sure you make the joints as low profile as possible. The threads from the stock screw can interfere with the wires and if you are unlucky, like I was, you can have a short of your battery. My battery was severely damaged when that happened and replacement batteries are not cheap. Overall the installation procedure lasted me about 3 hours; it is a long but not difficult procedure.
There isn’t much to say about performance, it is just a stock after all. It is longer than the Marui stock so you will need to adjust for your comfort. It does add a little weight to the rear, but the steel guarder barrel on my gun adds so much front weight that the gun is balanced with the battery in the rear. The shape of the stock provides a low profile cheek rest if you don’t wear a full face mask. If you do, it’s not that restrictive since it’s difficult to get down to the stock anyways.
There are a few interesting features I found when comparing the Glass Fiber stock to the ABS stock. The difference in material trickles down all the way. What I mean is that the battery tubes, recoil pads and even the locking caps for the batteries are ABS or Glass Fiber depending on what you order. When I ordered my Glass Fiber stock from APEX, they kept a record of who I am and what I ordered, so when I purchased replacement batteries, I also got Glass Fiber battery caps for those. These are just little things that give me a smile.
The only thing you should be thinking about after this review is which stock to purchase and where to buy it from. Unless you don’t have an Armalite series, in which case you should be thinking of buying one and getting an APEX Crane stock to put on it. Most retailers carry the APEX stock now; WGCShop had a Christmas special on the ABS stock for $140 including the battery. I would purchase directly from APEX for the customer service alone. When I originally purchased the stock, the battery only cost $40, but $70 for extra replacement ones. After I received the stock I found out that the NiMh battery was not powerful enough for my M120 spring. Mr. Chan at APEX offered me a NiCd for $40 flat including shipping in order to keep me happy, he also took blame for selling me the NiCd. I chose to downgrade my gun instead. Next, I shorted out my battery due to a bad solder job and metal body. Once again Mr. Chan offered me the batteries for $40, plus shipping this time, and I bought two. Some may think that I am biased towards APEX, but after the service that I recieved from them and the fact that they have kept a good relationship with me to this day, I can easily say that I have no choice but to priase their product and service.
The APEX stock is the best replica Crane stock I have seen, I have seen them all. The build quality and attention to detail is superb. The only downside is that they are pricey and they cannot carry large Sub-C cell batteries.
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