There are thousands of paintball hoppers and loaders to choose from, and each hopper and loader has its unique qualities. Players can spend anywhere from $5 to upwards of $200 on hoppers, so choosing the right one can be a difficult task for even the best players.
At first look you may think picking the correct paintball loader is too complex. These paintball loaders range in price from just a few dollars up to several hundred dollars. By following our simple paintball loader guide, you will quickly learn what you need to make an educated decision when making your purchase.
Paintball loader myth
The biggest myth in selecting a good paintball loader is asking how “fast†(ie, what is the bps or balls per second).
Our staff shoots more makes and models of paintball markers and paintball loaders than any other company in the world. In addition to our trading company, we own and operate world-class indoor and outdoor paintball field paintball pod holders.
This experience helped us realize that there is no reason to own a paintball loader that can feed faster than 15-25 balls per second. Most fields and tournaments set speed limits for safety reasons. Because of this, do not fall for the sales pitch of needing a paintball loader that can shoot more than 25bps. 95% of the time you will only need a paintball loader that can feed 15bps.
Netball loader guide
Before selecting the proper paintball loader, you need to know what paintball gun you are buying the paintball loader for.
If the paintball gun you have uses a battery, you should select a paintball loader listed in the section below.
If the paintball gun you have does not take a battery, you will be happy with any paintball loader listed in the section below.
If the paintball gun you have has a cyclone feed paintball loader system (example: a5 or x7), you should select a paintball loader listed in the Shop Paintball Guns and markers online – USA section below.
Electronic paintball loaders and hoppers
Dye box paintball loader: dye produced this loader exclusively for the dye dam (dye assault marker) for an aggressive $399.95 price tag. This paintball loader has a 325 paintball capacity, rapid reload, adjustable torque, and black ops gameplay mode. if you own a dye dam, you can use this loader or any other electronic loader listed below. This loader will only work with the dye dam paintball marker.
Dye rotor paintball loader: the dye rotor has the best track record of any professional-level paintball loader on the market.
It is extremely lightweight, tool-free for easy cleaning, has a long battery life, a crazy 50+ bps, a built-in jam release trigger, and a capacity of 200 balls. these paintball loaders sell
for and up. They will work on all paintball guns. If you buy this loader, you will never need to upgrade, even if you upgrade your paintball gun.
Empire scion paintball loader: “The empire scion is a good mid-level electronic hopper that will be perfect for a mid-level paintball gun (i.e., invert mini, empire axe, eclipse etha, etc.).
The paintball loader will feed at 15 bps or more, has auto jam clearance and has a toolless battery door. Priced at, it is a good option for the price.
Empire prophecy z2 paintball loader:
“Tthe empire prophecy z2 hopper competes directly with the dye rotor.” it holds 200 paintballs, has a toolless assembly, is low profile and lightweight, works great with rebels, has an electronic “reverse” button to unjam the loader if needed, and has a simple on/off toggle switch. These are priced from $99.95 to $169.95. This is a decent paintball loader, but it takes third place behind the dye rotor and virtue spire.
Invert halo to paintball loader:
“The halo too hopper came from the odyssey halo hopper that led the market in loader sales during the mid-2000s.” it’s a basic electronic loader that feeds at 20 or more balls per second and holds up to 180 paintballs. It is the best paintball loader to buy at the mid-range price level.
Get paintball loader:
“the JT revolution hopper is a beginner-level loader that feeds at 12 balls per second and holds 180 paintballs.” it uses “agitated” technology, which uses a spring-loaded paddle that forces balls down into the paintball gun chamber. This is very old technology and is better than a gravity-fed hopper, but it is at the bottom of the barrel when compared to other electronic paintball loaders. Priced at just over $40, it is one of the cheapest options in this hopper category.
Kingan spyder paintball loader:
“the spyder fasta hopper is a mid-level paintball loader that feeds 30 balls per second and holds 230 paintballs.” priced at just under $100, you get a lot of great features for the money. However, it is not considered a “mainstream” paintball loader at the tournament level. It functions fine but is mostly used at the recreational and woodball levels.
Pinokio paintball loader: “the pinokio hopper is a universal design that incorporates 2 shells to allow for speedball and woodsball play.
When using the speedball shell, you will have a sleek design that holds 250 paintballs. When using the woodsball shell, you can hold a massive 400 paintballs! This dual functionality, coupled with a 30+ ball per second feed rate, gets you a unique paintball loader for $150.
“The Valken Vmax and vmax2 hopper are one of our best mid-priced loaders on the market,” says valken.
They are available in a variety of great design colors and will appeal to the tournament and woodball players.
They feed at 30+ balls per second and hold up to 220 balls. Priced at $65-$95, you will be very happy with the performance of this paintball loader.
Virtue paintball loader: “the virtue spire paintball loader was released in 2010 and is the only hopper that can compete with the dye rotor.” the spire hopper is offered in numerous colors, has two types of shell capacities (200 and 260), an easy-to-swap lid, and a speed feed design. The virtue spire and the dye rotor are the two most popular paintball loaders used by tournament players worldwide. priced at $190 and up, you will make an investment that can be used on any paintball gun you will ever own.
Top three electronic paintball loaders (pro level, over $100)
1) dye rotor
2) virtue spire
3) empire prophecy z2
Top three electronic paintball loaders (mid-level, under $100)
1) invert the halo too.
2) Valken Vmax
3) jt revolution
Gravity-feed paintball loaders and hoppers
Genx global paintball loader the gene 200 round paintball loader is a quality product that provides a simple solution to feeding paintballs to your paintball gun.
Simply push the hopper into your feedback, lift the lid on the hopper, and fill it with paintballs. No batteries are required. Gravity will take care of moving balls into the barrel of your paintball gun. Starting at $1.99, you won’t find a cheaper paintball loader.
Proto paintball loader: “the proto primo paintball loader will hold 200 paintballs and has an innovative shell design that helps prevent balls from jamming Shop Paintball Guns and markers online – USA.
” Gravity is the most efficient gravity-fed paintball loader on the market because of this feature, which allows it to push balls faster into your gun. priced at under $20, you will have the best hopper available for the price.
Cyclone-feed paintball loaders and hoppers
Tippmann paintball loader: “the Tippmann cyclone low-profile paintball loader is required for all Tippmann a5 and x7 paintball guns.
“This hopper has a wide mouth profile, so it will fit on your cyclone feed system.