General rule of thumb for airsoft is: you spend more, you get more. Tokyo Marui (TM) is debatable the best, and all of the cheap Chinese clones rip off of them. It used to be that the cheapo Chinese guns were ****, but nowadays they're almost a 1:1 replica; the only difference is you have a higher chance of getting a lemon.
For a good full-auto electric rifle (shoots about 250-300 fps), expect to spend $200-$300 for a Japanese gun, or $100-200 for a Chinese copy. It's been awhile but UTG was one of the first to come out with a good copy; Well apparantly turned themselves around and make good guns now. For a pistol you've got three choices; spring, gas, or electric. Most electric pistols blow, except for the TM AEPs which are scaled down electric rifles (AEGs) and their subsequent clones; they're not as powerful or accurate as an AEG, and don't have the blowback of a gas pistol, but they work in all weather, run on electricity, and are generally about as or more powerful than a springer (and bordering on full size rifle power - about 200-280 fps last I checked). They'll run you about $50-$100. Springers are the cheapest guns, and the higher quality guns that range around $40-$50 are pretty powerful, but you have to cock them after every shot. Anything lower than about $40-$30 is where you start getting the guns that are fun to plink around with but shoot only about 180 fps and break after a couple matches. The final type of pistol is gas powered. These are probably the most realistic in that they have full blowback (the hammer slides back with every shot as it chambers a new bb), they shoot as hard as an AEG, but you have to constantly fill them up with gas, with all the problems that represents. They'll run about $60-$150.
Airsoftretreat.com for more info.
