If you like to indulge in a paintball game, then you know how vital a hopper is to your gameplay. A paintball hopper is responsible for feeding your gun with the paintballs to shoot in the game. The hopper you use determines how many balls you can shoot per second and how smooth your game will be, or you will constantly be shaking your hopper to see if it can cough balls faster. Luckily for you, there are many choices available in the market.

Which type of paintball hopper is right for you?

Before purchasing a paintball hopper, you need to know the different available types, the qualities of each, and the factors to consider when selecting one.

Types of paintball hoppers

• Gravity-Fed Hoppers

As the name suggests, a gravity-fed hopper attaches to the paintball gun’s feed neck and drops paintballs into it using gravity. Their downside is a low shooting speed of ten to twelve paintballs per second max.

• Electronic Hoppers

Electronic hoppers come with battery-powered motors that spin feed trays, fins, or paddles to feed balls into the gun’s breech more quickly. Electronic hoppers shoot fifteen to twenty paintballs per second, giving players fast and smooth gameplay.

Factors to consider when choosing a paintball hopper

• Capacity and size

A good hopper is considered one that can hold at least fifty paintballs to avoid reloading now and then. However, depending on your needs, you can get one holding even more than a hundred balls.

• Firing rate

Although electronic hoppers are more efficient than gravity-fed ones and fire relatively faster, they also fall into different categories. There’s a beginner range for newcomers, but the best choice is a mid-range or high-end range hopper.

• Weight

To enjoy your game, you need a modern, lightweight, compact hopper that won’t weigh you down.

• Durability

You don’t want to develop a new hobby of changing hoppers now and then, so pick one that can withstand the game’s toughness without breaking or cracking.

• Competition level

A beginner-level hopper is okay if you are a beginner who’ll only indulge in paintball occasionally. Regular paintball players, however, are better off with mid-level to high-end hoppers.

• Style and compatibility

Your gun is the primary determinant of the kind of paintball hopper you should buy because they have to be compatible. You can also pick a matching color for the style aspect.

Reputable paintball hoppers in the market

There are many reputable companies manufacturing great paintball hoppers, but below are some of the top-ranking ones:

Top gravity-fed hoppers

• ALEKO Paintball .68 Caliber Hopper
• Allen Paintball Products Sight Feeder Hopper
• Dye Proto Primo Paintball Hopper
• GOG Multi .50 & .68 Caliber Hopper
• Maddog Gravity Fed Paintball Hopper

Top electronic hoppers

• Valken Paintball VSL Tournament Electronic Hopper
• HK Army TFX 2.0
• Empire Halo Too Paintball Hopper
• Virtue Spire Electronic Paintball Hopper
• Dye R2 Electronic Paintball Hopper

Parting Shot

To have the ultimate gaming experience when playing paintball, you need a swift and reliable hopper for your gun. The above tips will educate you on choosing the best paintball hopper for flawless gaming.