By Thomas Neubauer

Choosing a hopper can be a daunting task for a new player. In choosing a hopper you must know what category of marker you intend to shoot and what type of game-play you intend to participate in.

This is loosely termed as there are “Stock Class” players that compete against speed ball autos and win consistently.

When choosing a hopper it is a good idea to read some reviews written by players. These are usually very helpful in finding out what the weaknesses are for a given item. There as several types of hoppers available for a new player.

There are gravity fed hoppers which are usually the ones that come with your marker when you purchased it. These will work ok for moderate rec ball. They feed the marker at a rate of about 5 balls per second. These are suitable for moderate mechanical autos and pump markers that accept a hopper. Using these hoppers on an electro or marker that is capable of shooting more than 8 balls per second will result in broken paint in the feed neck and hopper. And will make a mess that you will not enjoy cleaning.

 

The next step is a powered hopper. There are several different kinds that are available.

 

View Loader Quantum. These entry level powered hoppers are on a full time agitation once turned on. Without mercy these hoppers continually make noise until they are turned off. This constant noise will quickly become an incredible annoyance when hiding. These hoppers usually feed at about 8 bps. Halo TSA (or other HALO hoppers). These hoppers are a great alternative to the above constant paint grinder. The TSA comes in several colors that will match the rest of your gear. Among the features of TSA there is sound activation which turns on the hopper only while you are shooting or when it detects a sound similar. On occasion it can be triggered by a nearby sound but this is rare. Also the TSA features a tilt sensor. This allows the agitator to turn opposite of the tilt bringing the ball back to the top of the feed neck. When tilted right the agitator turns left and vice versa. Hoppers like this one are well capable of 13-15 bps. Some of the higher end Halo hoppers, like the Halo B with the Rip drive are capable of well over 15 bps.

 

The all new eVLution™ II with Y-Board™ force feed electronic loader won’t starve your marker, no matter how fast you shoot. The eVLution™ II with Y-Board™ features a feed rate that matches a marker’s optimal fire rate up to 19 balls per second, a specially designed feeding propeller with new flexible blades, a stronger spring loaded curved door which opens down, acting as a funnel for faster fills and less spills. It also includes a high impact resistant shell and longer feed neck with an LED low-battery indicator, and a IR sensor controlling on/off propeller actuation with battery saving circuitry. The eVLution™ II’s easy cleaning design takes after the VL Revolution’s™ field proven construction. eVlution™ II, the ultimate in force feeding electronic loaders. Available in Black Onyx and Diamond Clear.

 

The Viewloader Tri-Pod with X-Board technology is a multi capacity version of the Viewloader Revolution. It is an agitating loader with a feed rate of up to 15 balls per second that comes in three sizes (sold with a 200 count).

These three pods can be easily changed between games. They include a 140 count pod for front players that shoot less paint and want to present a smaller profile to their opponents. A 200 count pod for mid-players that need to carry a bit more paintballs, and a 300 count pod for back players.

Players can easily change the size and capacity of their loaders between games to match the size and location of the bunkers that they will be playing. Designed for the serious tournament player, the VL Tri-Pod incorporates a spring loaded flip cap, and improved paddle design that provides a much quicker response time and unmatched feed rate. This is the loader to use if you need fast and dependable performance. It is equipped with an improved vision system that easily recognizes dark shell or black shell paintballs. This internal vision system tells the paddle when to spin to provide fast continuous feed rates of up to 15 balls per second.

 

The Ricochet 2k is very popular with recreational players who need a reliable 12 BPS loader. This loader requires only one nine volt battery and will deliver 6,000 shots on a single 9 volt battery. It’s more economical to operate than the VL Revolution or Empire Reloader, which require 2 nine volts.

 

 

Warp Feed from Airgun Designs. The Warp Feed system exceeds 20 shots per second feed rate with 12 volt input. This is a completely different animal than the standard powered hopper. These hoppers were the first force fed hoppers in the world. While they require some creativity to mount on your marker system, they are well worth it for many reasons. The first one is the very high rate of fire. The second benefit is that the profile of your marker is much shorter with a Warp Feed system installed because the hopper is no longer on top of the marker; instead it mounts on top of the Warp Feed on the side of the marker.

 

Q-Loader. Now these are very cool in that they can force feed your marker like the above hoppers, but without the batteries! Q-Loaders are spring loaded like a magazine. These look something like a loader tube and have a special setup for them to be received on your marker. Q-Loaders like the Warp Feed system help you to remove the hopper from the top of your marker. As a matter of fact the Q-Loader when setup on your marker under the barrel will have no bigger of a profile than the end of a loader tube.

Keep it real, keep it safe