Elite Paintball Guns

Now, this is a system you do want to get if you can spend that $350 asked for it. And it is totally worth that money, trust me. It’s one of the highly rated air systems on the market right now. If you have a gun that really eats air the Apocalypse 2K is your best choice. Everything with it works just great - the output pressure, the gauges, redesigned on/off valve that’s easier to use. It’s also super easy to rebuild. You won’t have any problems with air leaks or o rings or valves, or anything in that matter. It’s everything one air system should be. Here’s what the manufacturer has to say about it:

“The Apocalypse 2K is a single stage regulator; Micro Precision machined from a solid block of the toughest FAA approved “certified” Aircraft/Aerospace grade aluminum. Designed to accept input pressures up to 4500PSI and output pressure within the 200 to 1000 PSI range, the Apocalypse 2K is totally compatible with virtually all Paintball markers. The Apocalypse 2K features include; the Air America Limited Lifetime Warranty, tournament-level field maintenance, internally integrated on-off control, multiple input and output pressure safeties, ambidextrous input/output hose and gauge positioning, on-marker system fractional slide rail adjustment, severe service; “Made in the USA,” input and output gauges and a Military, Airline and Space program approved D.O.T. (United States Department of Transportation) approved composite wrapped pressure vessel.”

The only thing some people complain about is that it’s a little bit bulky and somewhat heavy. It is indeed a little big, but I wouldn’t exactly describe it like heavy. In fact it’s lighter than many of the similar systems on the market right now. You most certainly won’t regret getting the Apocalypse 2K. You have to pay the price for it, but it’s pretty much the best thing you can get.

The ACI Bulldog III is not the most preferable air system out there. Many people find it very problematic and even dangerous sometimes. The good thing about it is that it’s not a CO2. It’s also at pretty good price considering the rest of the choice. I don’t know if I can put small in between the good things since some may not like it, but for others that is an advantage. Yet again there’s not much air in a 47/3000 tank. You can get about 500 shots in most guns with that. So that’s where the good stuff end. But check out the manufacturer’s description first, before we unleash the downsides:

“The new Bulldog 3 is built to increase your flow rate (especially on Angels, Bushmasters, Shockers, Impulses, Autocockers and other low pressure markers) to eliminate drop-off and reach your target before your opponent reaches you. This top quality systems is available in a variety of sizes to match your playing style. The new Bulldog 3 Systems are similar to the old Bulldog 2 systems, except that the regulator on the tank is now all polished. Output pressure is fixed at 800 psi.”

So, on the negative side we have unreliability problems. Plenty of them. Starting with the tank leaking air even if it’s brand new. It’s also very fragile. You’ll have problems with the o rings, the gauges, the burst disks and basically everything you can think of. And mainly be careful because does things have been know of exploding on people. Well, you know any air tank can be dangerous if not taken care of properly, but this one just seems to be way too fragile. On the bright side of all that – the ACI seem to have an amazing customer service, but do you really wanna go through all that?  I’m sure you don’t want to pay that $140 (or more depending on the place you’re getting it) and then have it repaired all the time. There’s plenty of choice out there. Just keep looking.

The Zap Mach 404 is an agitated hopper that works on sound activation. I would really recommend it for rec or entry level tourney players. It’s not the fastest one out there, but you can get it up to 12pbs. It’s also pretty light, very easy to maintain and clean. The best thing in it is that it has an amazing battery life. It really feels forever before you make a battery change. It’s one good hopper to have and if you really don’t have a pile of money to spend on a super loader I would suggest you consider getting this one. You should know the cons you’re facing first, though.  Starting with the weird vibration, but with the time you get used to it and stop noticing it anymore, so it’s not that big of a deal. Another important issue: it is only fitted for zap guns, so you may need to do some electrical tape adjusting to get it to fit to other markers. It’s just some time consuming and a little irritating. Also note that when the loader gets to about 10-15 balls left in the hopper, it has a tendancy to ping pong them. The solution is simple again – refill. And those are just about all the bad things I have to say about it. I think you’ll like it. It’s pretty reliable and trustful. You can get it for about $40, depending on the place which is not too bad, right. If you ask me it’s just the right price for it. Try it if you get the chance. You may like it very much.

The Viewloader VLocity Loader will be the last one of the Viewloader saga, but what and end it is. This is one highly appreciated loader. People just seem to love it. It is extremely light (probably the lightest of all the electronic loaders out there), it’s big (in the good way as it holds 200 balls plus some room to spare so it works just great), it’s fast – 25 bps is the correct rate.  It also has 8 modes, each with a higher tension and it doesn’t chop even the most brittle paint. It’s like the dream loader, only it exists. You will absolutely check the features and then give this thing a good consideration:

•    On gun feed rate of up to 25 BPS, and a free fall rate up to 35 BPS.
•    The VLocity speed is driven by the new select force technology and an electronically controlled anti-jam propeller.
•    Select Force allows you to adjust the force that the loader places on the paintballs
•    Select Force is adjustable from off, low, medium, or high to allow the player to set the
desired force based on the type of paintballs being used.
•    Select Force allows the player to maximize the out of the gate speed without breaking paintballs
•    Electronically controlled anti-jam propeller will automatically reverse and reset once a jam is detected using the exclusive dual vision system
•    The VLocity also incorporates reprogrammable software to allow you to customize the select force and anti-jam settings
•    Lightweight and small profile
•    Holds up to 200 paintballs
•    Flip cap sprint loaded lid
•    Engineered with lightweight, extreme impact resistant polymer making it the largest capacity and lightest weight loader on the market today

On the bad side I can point out only the battery compartment – it’s a little loose and could use some additional padding, but that’s pretty much all there is. Some people find the looks a little dull, but that’s a matter of preferences and I personally like the VLocity’s appearance. Some claim it stands a little high on the gun, but it only takes some sanding down the feedneck to fix that. It really is one great loader to have. And you can get it for about $120, which for the quality provided is pretty good price. It does put it in between the highly priced loaders, but if you really want the best you should learn to pay the price.

This loader is actually pretty nice looking one. But yet again the looks are not that important, right? When it comes to performance, the VLocity Jr. is just as good as it looks. It’s one well appreciated loader and players always rate it very high. There’s a reason for that of course – the thingy is very, very light and small. It’s also pretty fast – 20 bps. The 180 balls capacity is a little bit exaggerated, but 160 are not that bad either. The VLocity is pretty silent, but you have to get used to the constant noise it makes. See the features:

•    1 force mode setting
•    20bps on marker feed rate
•    25bps free fall rate
•    180 ball count capacity
•    Instant auto anti-jam
•    Upgradeable software
•    Double vision system
•    Giant mouth lid for quick and easy loading in tight spots
•    3 blade spring loaded paddle
•    On/off switch with shield reduces accidental activation

The only downside people point out is that it’s a battery hog. Keep that in mind and always carry some extra batteries with you. The price of the loader can vary depending on the place you’re getting it, but it’s usually in the range of $70-$90. It’s a fairly good price for the performance you’re getting, trust me. The loader is very reliable one and I’m sure if you decide to buy it you’ll be very happy with the job it does.

The VL Eye Force can’t really charm you with its looks, but compensates that really well with performance. The thing is fast (at least fast enough for many of the players out there). It absolutely gets the advertized 20 bps. It holds up to 200 balls, but as with many others you may not want to fill it all the way up. It’s pretty light and easy to maintain. It’s fairly quiet when fill with paint, but once you’re empty it can easily give up your position. The anti-jam system does its job and I don’t think you’ll have problems with it. See the features:

•    Eye activated force feed comes on only when marker is fired
•    20 BPS on marker feed rate
•    2 piece body design for easy cleaning and battery replacement
•    3 blade spring loaded force feed paddle
•    200 ball capacity
•    Instant Auto Anti-Jam
•    LED low battery indicator
•    Double vision system quickly recognizes dark or black shell paintballs as well as light shells
•    Uses two 9 volt batteries

The biggest drawback of the VL Eye Force is that if you break a ball in the hopper (brittle paint, a hard slide, whatever), then the eye will be fooled into thinking that paintballs are in the ball-stack and it will stop feeding. You have to clean the loader to get rid of the problem. Other than that it is great. The thing is just amazing when it comes to batteries. The eyes tend to save you much of the used energy, so you don’t have to worry about always carrying extra batteries with you. And you can get it for about $60 which makes it fairly cheap compared to the others in its class. It’s really something to consider. May not look the best, but isn’t performance what we’re looking for?

The VL 200 is the cheap baby of the Viewloader Company. You can get the thingy for no more than $8, but I think even if it was pricier it would still be worthy. Now, you realize that speed is not something to be expected from an $8 hopper, and that’s exactly the case. You can get a 7bps rate, but don’t really expect more. The thingy is very light and strongly made. The lid is pretty goo – it closes really nice and is not in your way all the time. The VL 200 does hold the advertized 200 balls and I’m pretty sure that’s plenty for most of you. Since they’re no electronics in it you don’t have to worry about the thing breaking down on you or running out of battery or something. If you really like it simple and don’t depend on speed in your game I think you’ll be very happy with it. Here’s what the manufacturer has to say about it:

“Plastic non-electronic hopper from view loader. Features a 200 round capacity and a spring loaded translucent door.”

The only thing you may not like about it is the long feedneck. It’s about 2-3 in long and really puts the hopper higher above the gun making it an easy target. The solution for that problem is pretty easy – just cut the feedneck to the size you want. Even if you do something wrong it’s not like you’ve spend a fortune on it. If you like it you should definitely try it.

The Viewloader XSV Vlocity loader is pretty much what we can call the biggest disappointment from the Viewloader Company. With the listed features below you should expect it to be one of the best loaders out there. 27 bps (the correct rate btw), 180 ball capacity, light, silent and coming with batteries and chargers included. Sounds like one great deal, right? Now if only it wasn’t for that defective clockspring that’s pretty much ruining everything. When the loader does work you’ll have a blast using it. Unfortunately the clockspring breaks so often I can’t really recommend getting it. It will be nothing but a waste of money. Here are the features anyhow:

•  Adjustable select force with 5 force modes
•  On/Off Force technology
•  27 bps on marker feed rate
•  37 bps free fall rate
•  Clockspring propeller
•  180 ball count capacity
•  Instant auto anti-jam
•  Upgradeable software
•  Double vision system
•  Giant mouth lid for quick and easy loading in tight spots
•  Includes two lithium ion 9 volt rechargeable batteries, charging base, car charger and wall charger

Sure you can get that clockspring replaced, but spending so much money on something that’s constantly gonna break on you is simply unreasonable. And what “so much money” means is that originally you can get the thing for about $180 (you read correctly), but now since dealers and consumers know that it’s defective you can find it for about $110 which still is too much in my opinion. On top of it Viewloader don’t even admit they’ve made a bad product. They still haven’t found a way of bettering that clocksping and if it was me I would wait until they do before spending a fortune on a product that’s not gonna work for too long. Or here’s another solution – you can easily spend those money on some of the other great expensive loaders out there. At least they’ll do their job.

So from the two Tippmann loaders I’m showing you this really is the better loader to get. And yes, they may look alike but the difference is quite significant. First of all the rate of fire here jumps to 15 bps compared to the almost 10 for the AL-200. Also the thing has the Bend Sensor Technology and jams less (and I mean it) than the Al-200. It’s pretty much the same as weight (meaning light), does hold the same quantity of balls (200) and has the same battery life (a long one). Also the noise level is significantly reduced, so that’s another plus over the AL-200. I won’t speak about design cause as I already said the loaders are absolutely the same (bulky). So here are the specifications for this one:

“The new lightweight SSL-200 loader with 200 round capacity features Bend Sensor Technology that delivers up to 15 BPS. The Bend Sensor only operates when the marker is fired to improve efficiency and prolong battery life. The SSL-200 low profile design also features, LED on/off low battery indicator, quiet operation, adjustable O-ring neck to fit most markers and a snap fit wide mouth lid.”

The only downside I can think of about it is that it’s pretty hard to clean. Other than that it’s a great, reliable loader to have. The Triumph SSL-200 is pretty much twice as good as the Triumph AL-200. It’s only fair that the price is doubled, too. For the SSL-200 you have to pay about $60, but as I said it is the better loader of the two. It’s your choice anyway, if you can spare those extra $30 do it without hesitation.

The Triumph AL-200 will be the first out of the two Tippmann loaders to be reviewed. The AL-200 is the cheaper and as it usually is with loaders and hoppers, the worse one out of the two. But it still has something to show, so I thought it would be a mistake to skip it. I’ll start with the weight – the thing does run on one 9 v battery, but contrary to all the others out there that are very similar it really doesn’t weight that much. So if weight is a problem for you here’s something to help you with it. The 10bps rate as advertised is pretty much the real one. If you expect more from it, you’re fooling yourself. As to the low profile design – not really – the thingy is pretty bulky, but it does hold up to 200 balls in it so you have to give it some credit for that. The LED screen is a very nice touch and will be helpful. The battery life is good. The loader is a pretty noisy one, but you get used to the constant sound in a while. Before the critics, see the manufacturer’s description:

“The new lightweight AL-200 loader with 200 round capacity features continuous agitation technology that delivers up to 10 BPS. The AL-200 low profile design also features, LED on/off low battery indicator, quiet operation, adjustable O-ring neck to fit most markers and a snap fit wide mouth lid.”

I’m certainly not saying that the Triumph AL-200 is perfect. Not at all - it does have its issues - the loader does not have eyes, jam detection, or sound activation, so you better get used to the jamming. Also its spindle arms are very flimsy and paintballs can be lodged under them jamming the hopper and since it does have arms some thin or dimpled paintballs can be punchured. Also it’s not the toughest one out there (which is good for the weight, but don’t test it for hits). Anyway it’s cheap. You can get it for no more than $30 and really for that money it’s a pretty fair deal. Still if you have another $30 to spare and do insist on Tippmann you better check out the other review.