Originally Posted by Matt H. (Post 903132)

If you look at the design it's pretty clear that they are latching the kicker in a position where the cylinder is extended 3in. They charge the cylinder in this position making the energy stored in the compressed air immediately available (i.e. it doesn't need to pass through restrictive fittings etc.)

The latch is then released.

However I believe there are some very serious saftey issues coming into play here. Precharging a cylinder and using elastic bands to increase the kicker velocity puts the cylinder well outside its normal operating velocity. From other posts it appears that the cylinders will degrade and become dangers if piston is moving at speeds around 20 in/sec.

From the video I can't determine the velocity of the piston, but it appears to be moving extremely fast. Because a damaged cylinder could kill someone I highly recommend that you determine the piston velocity and if it is even 15in/sec reevaluate your kicker.