best paintball hopper

Best Paintball Hopper Review in 2023 and Buyers Guide

To get the most out of your paintball marker, you need to match the hopper to your marker. I’ll help you to find out the Best Paintball Hopper with the review.

This review page will help you choose the right hopper as the best paintball gear. All the hoppers listed below have been reviewed by various players and are good choices. Hoppers with significant problems have been excluded.

If your marker shoots under about 10 BPS (balls per second), a non-electronic gravity-fed hopper should do. Above about 10 BPS, you will need an electronic hopper to feed paintballs into the gun fast enough so that it won’t misfire or chop them.

There are different types of hoppers. The non-electronic hoppers rely on gravity feed to load the paintballs into the gun. There are agitated hoppers that stir up the balls so they will more easily fall. And there are force-feed hoppers that have propellers that push the balls down into the gun’s input port.

Tips for buying the best paintball hopper

  • Choose a color that will not allow the enemy to see how many paintballs you have left.
  • Choose a hopper that can feed faster than your gun (or your trigger finger) can fire.

 

1. Proto Primo Paintball Hopper / Loader

The PMI 200 paintball hopper is a gravity feed hopper capable of about 4 or 5 BPS feed rates. Holds about 200 paintballs. Available in smoke, black, and clear.

Summary: This is a basic, cheap, durable, and effective gravity-feed hopper.

Reviews:

The following points have been compiled from various 200 paintball hopper reviews. When you read a hopper’s reviews, patterns can be seen.

From 36 reviews:

proto primo paintball hopper review

proto primo paintball hopper buying guideline

Additional Strengths:

  • The 200 is durable and takes crazy abuse. It can take a beating from slides, drops, dives you name it can take it.
  • It can take many paintball hits and not shatter.
  • This PMI hopper has a secure lid with a spring; it snaps well and stays put.
  • 200 is very light.
  • This PMI doesn’t jam up (unless you overfill it).
  • cheap: $10

Some Features You may not Like:

  • The neck is a little taller than other hoppers, so it sits high.

Comments:

This hopper is good for mechanical paintball guns; it is not good for electronic paintball guns. You can outshoot it, which will lead to chopped balls or dry fires. The 200 is good for beginners who are just getting into the sport and don’t know how to use the trigger.

If the 200 jams, you will need to shake it occasionally. If it always jams, you need an electronic hopper. Tighten the screws so the paint does not get into the shell. It can support up to about 5 – 6 BPS.

Pros

  • Works better than a standard symmetrical hopper
  • The colors are bright.
  • Feeds paintballs as fast as you can pull the trigger
  • The hopper is fairly small
  • Great price for a quality-looking hopper

Cons

  • Colors cost one dollar more than black
  • Holo sticker peeling straight out of the plastic wrap

2. Empire Reloader Paintball Hopper

The Empire Reloader paintball hopper is a sound-activated electronic paintball hopper capable of 13-15 BPS rate of fire. Sound activation means that as soon as it hears the gunfire, the motor will turn on to feed another paintball.

It doesn’t wait to sense a vacancy in the feed port like other hoppers that use an optical sensor eye. The sound activation is not affected by ambient sound and has auto-adjust sensitivity. The Reloader uses an agitator and is not considered a force-feed hopper. Push-button on/off. 200-ball capacity. This Empire has a low-battery indicator.

Summary: For paintballing at speeds up to 13 BPS, the Reloader does an excellent job. This makes it suitable for most mechanical paintball markers, and some electronic markers.

Reviews:

The following points have been compiled from various Reloader paintball hopper reviews. When you read a hopper’s reviews, patterns can be seen.

From 50 out of 200 reviews:

Empire Reloader Paintball Hopper reviews

 

Additional Strengths:

  • The Reloader is easy to clean.
  • This Empire hopper is fast never misfeeds, and always agitates on every shot. There are no paintball-chopping issues.
  • The Empire is lightweight.
  • This hopper has a good battery life. A fresh set will last 5,000+ shots.
  • The Reloader has a small target area.
  • This loader is rugged, made from strong plastic, and capable of taking direct fire, but one player reported a broken feed neck.
  • If a paintball breaks in the hopper since it is sound activated you can keep firing, as compared to hoppers with sensor eyes that might be fooled by the paint.
  • One of the best hoppers: $55

Comments:

If you have a machine gun, there is no need to get a faster hopper since you will not be able to outshoot this Empire. Every time you shoot, the hopper agitates for half a second. It turns off after about 30 minutes of inactivity. The Reloader is smaller, lighter, cheaper, holds the same amount of paintballs, and is a little faster than the Odyssey Halo. It is also cheaper and faster than the Viewloader Revolution.

One player reports this Empire loader is quiet. It makes a whirring sound when it spins which is not noticeable, but some report it is a bit on the loud side. When you get down to the last 20 or 30 paintballs, you may have to shake the marker to get the paintballs to resettle down to the feed neck, or it will misfire. This is common with most agitator designs.

The Reloader requires two 9-volt batteries. Make sure the impeller is on the right way when you receive it. You may have to flip it over. So, now you know why The Empire paintball hopper is the best paintball hopper and why this is in our top picks.

Pros

  • Multiple Materials
  • Low battery indicator
  • Lightweight loader feeds 20 + balls per second

Cons

  • The hopper is fairly big

3. Odyssey Halo TSA LCD Paintball Hopper

The Odyssey Halo TSA (Tilt Sound Activation) LCD paintball hopper is an agitating loader capable of about 14 BPS feed rate. The TSA LCD is sound-activated and agitates on the firing sound of your marker. If you lean left, the Halo’s paddle will spin right; if you lean right, the Halo LCD’s paddle will spin left to push the balls toward the feed port.

The Odyssey Halo requires two 9-volt batteries or 8 AAA batteries (uses 2 battery packs). Its LCD can display a set timer function, a shot counter, motor duration (how long the paddle spins each time: 3 to 15), microphone sensitivity threshold (how loud noise has to be to activate the paddle: Auto, or manual 5 to 95), bolt style select (open or closed), motor speed selection (3 options), timeout adjustment (5 to 50), and battery voltage.

Available in black, clear, or smoke. The Odyssey TSA LCD is available in two capacities: Frontman (150 paintballs), and Backman (210 paintballs).

Summary: For paintballing at speeds up to 14 BPS, the Halo TSA LCD is an excellent hopper with many features, but there is some concern about its durability; a number of players reported cracks in the feed port and weak shells.

Reviews:

The following points have been compiled from various Halo TSA LCD paintball hoppers. When you read a hopper’s reviews, patterns can be seen.

From 24 reviews:

Odyssey Halo TSA LCD Paintball Hopper review

Additional Strengths:

  • The gun can be held sideways, and the Odyssey will still load properly.
  • The Odyssey Halo is easy to clean.
  • The Odyssey TSA LCD is easy to strip.
  • No chop problems with the Odyssey.
  • The Halo TSA LCD is easy to operate.
  • The Odyssey TSA LCD is not very loud.
  • Using the Odyssey Halo’s paintball counter, you can keep track of how many shots you have left from your air bottle.
  • The Halo LCD is not cheap: $80

Some Features You may not Like:

  • Three players reported cracks in the Odyssey’s feed neck; one of these players also noticed cracks in the screw holes. Another player reported a broken shell. But one player reported that there were no cracks or structural damage, even after being dropped and shot countless times.
  • According to one player, paint can get inside the Halo LCD’s battery compartment and cause a mess.

Comments:

One player reports that the Halo Backman can hold 230 paintballs, though the spec says 210. The Backman is heavier; weight was an issue for one player, and the suggestion was to get the lighter Frontman. The Halo is long, but the low front profile means paintballs will bounce off when hit from the front.

The AAA batteries last longer than 9 volts, and you can get NiMH rechargeable. The Halo LCD model has more features than the Halo LED model. One player reported bad customer service from Odyssey; others reported good.

Pros

  • The Odyssey Halo is easy to clean.
  • It works great with spider pilot
  • CHEAP!!! As compared to other hoppers in this price range. This thing is amazing
  • Easily disassembled for cleaning, durable, magnetic close, and open lid

Cons

  • Thin neck
  • The magnets that hold the lid open come out pretty easily Batteries are pretty heavy

4. Viewloader VL200 Premium Paintball Hopper

The Viewloader Evolution II paintball hopper is a force-feeding 12-volt electronic hopper with a 6-blade propeller, capable of up to 19 BPS feed rate. A spring-loaded door that curves down acts as a funnel for faster fills and fewer spills.

The Viewloader has a longer neck, easy cleaning design, an LED low battery indicator, an IR sensor to control the propeller, and battery-saving circuitry. It comes in black or clear (one player reports it also comes in smoke).

Summary: For paintballing at speeds up to 17 BPS, and 22 with an optional Z-board, this hopper has it where it counts, in spite of mechanical issues. It works, and it works well. Beware about weight distribution, it will make your gun more back-heavy, which is good if your gun is already front-heavy. If you have a low-speed cheap paintball gear or gun, consider a cheaper hopper.

Reviews:

The following points have been compiled from various Evolution II paintball hopper reviews. When you read a hopper’s reviews, patterns can be seen.

From 40 out of 275 reviews:

Viewloader VL200 Premium Paintball Hopper review

Additional Strengths:

  • The Evolution II has adjustable feed rate control of 4 to 17 BPS; set it to the minimum necessary to conserve batteries by tightening or loosening a screw.
  • The Viewloader is reliable and fast feeding without chopping or breaking paintballs.
  • The lid opens downwards instead of upwards, which greatly assists in loading paintball pods since it acts as a funnel in which to pour the paintballs.
  • Evolution II is almost completely silent.
  • Several players report the hopper is durable. It had been shot a few times with no marks, indents, or cracks. One fell from an 8-foot shelf onto concrete. Another had a couple of harsh incidents, one involving a rock. One dropped down a hill and hit rocks. They all survived.
  • Those who complained that the hopper wasn’t durable were chastised by other players who took the position that those problems were lemons, bad luck, abuse, or the result of bad or cheap paintballs.
  • The Evolution II has a higher paintball capacity than other hoppers; 235 paintballs.
  • This Viewloader will feed at a near sideways angle (good for warping).

Some Features You may not Like:

  • Evolution II has a large profile; a low rise is recommended if you can use one on your marker. You can sand or cut it down (one player cut 1-1/2 inches off) to shorten it. Barrel condoms are difficult to put over and around the hopper.
  • The Evolution II’s battery compartment requires a spacer which players report is a pain. Batteries are hard to put in.
  • The lid design of the Evolution II makes it difficult to fill the hopper full without spilling paintballs. The lid is so low, the marker must be angled down to keep the paintballs in the hopper. The lid is able to break paintballs when opened, especially when full. But some liked the lid acting as a funnel to load paintballs.
  • The Evolution II’s flimsy battery door might open on its own and batteries can fall out. And it tends to break. One player reported that many players on the field have taped the door to keep it in place.
  • A couple of players reported it is kind of hard to tell if the Viewloader is on or off because of the switch, but another reported that you can hear it come on.
  • Some players report bad customer service from Brass Eagle, the manufacturer of the Viewloader.
  • The pull point to open the Viewloader’s lid could be bigger to accommodate gloves. Some players taped an attachment to the lid for something to grasp with a glove.
  • Not cheap at all: $85

Comments:

Evolution II has the shape of an egg, and is referred to as “egg II” or “evo2”; the Revolution, or “very” in the previous and original “egg”.

The Viewloader has a 6-blade flexible propeller that feeds paintballs into the feed neck. It has an IR eye to monitor if there are any paintballs in the neck. If not, the propeller will be turned on and stops when paintballs are in the neck. An auto power-off will occur after 60 minutes of no operation.

You can turn it back on by toggling the power switch.

This hopper fires 35% faster than its predecessor, the Revolution. The feed neck has been lengthened and strengthened compared to the Revolution, though some thought it “felt” weak and can be broken if abused too much, there were no reports of the neck-breaking.

Several players thought the springs on the evolution’s lid were too strong. You can be loading some paintballs from a bag and the lid will snap shut. To fix, remove the springs; the lid will still lock closed.

The stock hopper with the Y-board only shoots to about 16 or 17 BPS (the manufacturer specs 19). The Z-board improves this to between 20 and 23 BPS (depending on which player review). Don’t upgrade to a Z-board unless you need the speed, otherwise, it is a waste.

Two players commented that this hopper has a feed neck at the very front, which will distribute the weight to the back. One of these players specified that this is good for front-heavy markers such as the Spyders, Tippmanns, Piranhas, etc. To balance them out, markers that are already a little back-heavy, such as the ‘Cockers and the ’03 Shocker, can be a nightmare.

Cleaning the Evolution II was not much of an issue in the reviews. One player said it was easy to clean because you can get your hand inside the Viewloader with a rag, but two players thought the design made cleaning extremely annoying.

One player reported that without an adapter of some sort, the neck is WAY too thick to fit into most stock vertical feed necks. You need a locking/tightening feed neck to make it fit. So, you are going to get the best paintball hopper with the view loader that requires two 9-Volt batteries.

There is controversy about whether or not the Viewloader is FORCE-fed or GRAVITY fed; some say it’s in between. One player suggested using this hopper for vertical feed, but not power feed. The Evolution II is $40 less than the Odyssey Halo B paintball hopper, shoots almost as fast, is lighter, has a toggle on/off, and has a stronger shell.

If you get a black Viewloader, the enemy won’t be able to see how many paintballs you have left, but you can see through the clear lid on the back.

Pros

  • Adjustable feed rate control of 4 to 17 BPS
  • The Viewloader is reliable and fast feeding
  • The lid opens downwards instead of upwards
  • Higher paintball capacity than other hoppers; 235 paintballs.

Cons

  • Not cheap at all: $85
  • Batteries are hard to put in.
  • The pull point to open the Viewloader’s lid could be bigger to accommodate gloves

5. Odyssey Halo B Paintball Hopper

The Odyssey Halo B is one of the fastest paintball loaders. It uses a spring-driven, true force-feed, ball stack which not only keeps the stack in fact at all times but also provides instantaneous acceleration when a ball is needed.

Any type of AA battery can be used, from NiMH rechargeable to cheap discount brands. Lithiums provide the longest life and are very light. A Rip Drive Kit and Victory Board are available upgrades.

Summary: For paintballing at speeds of 22+ BPS, the Halo B is one of the fastest hoppers, but it is a bit heavy, requires sanding/grinding to fit your marker, and can’t handle dark paint. Mechanical issues of earlier models seem to have disappeared in the later ones.

Reviews:

The following points have been compiled from various Halo B paintball hopper reviews. When you read a hopper’s reviews, patterns can be seen.

From many reviews:

Odyssey Halo B Paintball Hopper review

Additional Strengths:

  • This Odyssey hopper has a very fast 22+ BPS feed rate, very difficult to outshoot it in semi-automatic mode.
  • Good customer support from Odyssey.
  • The Halo can shoot 8 to 10 cases of paintballs on one set of batteries.
  • The center-mount neck of this Odyssey loader allows it to be well-balanced on the gun.
  • The shape allows a large number of paintballs with a small profile.

Some Features You may not Like:

  • This Odyssey loader is heavier than most other loaders.
  • The hopper was intentionally designed with a large feed neck requiring sanding or grinding to fit the marker. It is so fat that sanding will drive you mad, but another player thought that while sanding was tedious, it was worth it to have a perfect fit to avoid jamming and double-feed issues. Take some 100-grit sandpaper and sand the feed neck down.
  • Halo B cannot handle dark paint; the eye cannot see it. This can be a major problem if the tournament you are at only sells dark paint.
  • The on/off button is hard to use. Press to turn on, press and hold to turn off. It can be difficult to tell if it is on or off, and with gloves on it can be a challenge to get it on while under fire.
  • Halo B is not cheap: $130

Comments:

For WDP Angel owners, the Halo B feeds balls into the gun with so much force that the marker components will wear out, or you will just chop balls. One player suggested greasing the feed belt to reduce the torque from the motor.

Halos seem to be a problem for Angels; the feed is so strong it feeds right past the detents and double feeds during high rates of fire, but apparently, it works for most other guns with regular detents. Another player with an Angel suggested unscrewing the ball detent a little bit.

Another suggestion: Take the detents out and stretch out the springs. The best advice may be to not use this hopper with an Angel, though a lot of Angel owners use the Halo B. Another player said that Halo B has few force-feed problems with closed-bolt guns.

Several suggested buying a Cobra In-destruct-detente to solve Angel’s problem, or if you have a gun with dual ball detents, then don’t worry about it.

Two players suggested that the height of the feed neck may be important, and using a low rise will reduce the pressure on the ball stack, making it suitable for use with Angels. Or, buy a Viewloader Evolution II (“egg 2”) with a Z board; you get nearly the same feed rate without the problems.

One player summarized: Halos are fine on Angels; you just need new detents.

Two players suggested changing the 6 AA batteries with a 9V instead to make it lighter, though Odyssey does not recommend this; it worked fine for them, but change the battery asap when you get the battery’s low color.

The Halo holds 180 balls, compared to Egg 2 which holds 200. The Halo is force-fed so get good paint, otherwise if one breaks then the halo will turn into a blender and send paint down the feed neck. The newer Halo B (as of August 2003) comes with “Z-Code” software which helps fix jams. One player said that with Z-Code this was the most hassle freeloader he has ever used.

This software senses when there is a jam and tries three times to clear it, and if it can’t then stops the motor and flashes the LED red and green to tell you to clear the jam. The old software would burn out the motor or bust the paintball.  The design is fairly simple; if you get paint inside it you’ll have an easy time cleaning and reassembling. The Halo’s shell is made out of quite strong plastic and will survive knocks and drops.

However, one player reported that his Halo’s paddle broke twice, he experienced numerous jams, and the shell broke twice, all within 6 months (a few players reported shell problems, but it was not an issue in the reviews).

He suggested that the Empire Reloader B is better because of the sound-activated board, the option to use 4 AA batteries instead of 6, and the blinking light to let you know that it is on (no more guessing). Still, he thought the Halo B to be second best only to the Empire Reloader B.

The Halo’s motor is fairly quiet, you can’t hear it when it is feeding. Your Halo A can be upgraded to the B version for $30. Consider getting the Rip Drive Kit; it was originally conceived for tournament players who have to be in the game. It is available to anyone that wants a backup system if their force-feed system goes down or their batteries die.

By rotating the rip drive located on the bottom of the loader, you can feed multiple balls into the ball stack at a time, allowing you to keep playing (at full fire rate). Depending on the height of your feedback, you can pre-tension as many as 12-15 balls for firing. You can also unload a ball-stack, and Chrono without turning on your loader.

A Victory Board will allow you to adjust the speed of the Halo B to match the speed of your gun, up to 35 BPS. While earlier reviews reported problems, the later reviews expressed satisfaction with this Odyssey loader. Apparently, the bugs have been solved.

Pros

  • This Odyssey hopper has a very fast 22+ BPS feed rate
  • Allows a large number of paintballs

Cons

  • Halo B is not cheap: $130

 

Ultimate Buying Guide for Best Paintball Hopper:

You already knew about paintball hopper and our top 5 picks. We have tried to choose the best five by researching hours. But now I want to let you know about the buying guide as well as how you will choose. There are many factors to consider while buying the best paintball hopper. You should look at those factors which will make you informed to choose the best one around your budget.

Most importantly Compatibility and Material are a major part of a hopper. You must choose a hopper that will be compatible with your paintball gun. You may have an older model so you need to search more to find a compatible unit.

Nowadays it is hard to find a paintball hopper but you can always buy from the same brand. Because there is no tension about compatibility as they built the best compatible for that gun. So that you should purchase the gun and paintball hopper from the same brand and it is recommended by my side.

You should focus on another part that is material. Always want to purchase long-lasting products. You don’t want anything that will destroy you easily. And materials ensure that which will be long-lasting and which not.

But for hoppers, the industry indicates that plastic is used to create hoppers and it is perfect as lightweight and easy movement. But you should not think that its plastic and it has to be cheap. You should know that high-quality nylon or poly-carbonate can make good materials as well.

Just focus on these parts listed below:

  1.  Speed feeds
  2. Feed rate
  3. Capacity
  4. Weight
  5. Risk of jams
  6. Hopper mechanism
  7. Reliability
  8. Affordability
  9. Durability
  10. Warranty
  11. Water resistance
  12. Budget
  13. Comfortability
  14. Paintball compatibility

Final Verdict:

No more talk! Just follow these 14 points and I think you will find the best paintball hopper ever within your budget range. Besides, I want to tell you that more money more quality items as brand value. But you should also focus on these points whatever your budget.

Aladin
Aladin

As a digital marketing and affiliate marketing expert, I possess a wealth of knowledge and experience in leveraging online platforms and strategies to drive business growth and generate revenue. My expertise lies in crafting comprehensive marketing campaigns that encompass various channels, such as SEO, social media, content, email, and paid advertising, to maximize brand visibility and drive targeted traffic.

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