Help...Good hopper for the Tac-One

[DBC]

I have two hoppers that I use with my Tac-One -- an electronic one and the gravity feed Archon hopper. The Archon hopper works very well for the price (about $11). I use it when I play woods ball. It does a good job of keeping up with my marker without having to shake. The only bad thing about this hopper is the lid -- it does not not snap tight enough.

[drg]

A question on the "rip drive".... Why would I want something on a motorized hopper to wind up? Sure it'd be nice *IF* the drive system broke or the batteries suddenly run out of steam but for the $$ I expect it NOT to break and if the batteries where that low I'd expect some kind of warning.

Sure you out there say it can happen, but if it really mattered would you not have extra batteries in the staging area and change them if they where in doubt? And if the thing broke it simply did not meet up to it's expectations of it's serviceable life and why would one pay that much for it.

So why do I need this feature/back up on what is priced as a deluxe/high end hopper?

And yes, I am grumpy today.

I have never had to use my rip to preload my halo, actually i usually use it to UNload the halo spring when I am taking the loader off. But the answer to your honestly silly question is that even the most well-engineered things fail sometimes. Sometimes through no fault of their own ... I could see user error for example not securely connecting the 9v connector on the battery cage, and it pop off during the game. Or a misshapen ball could easily be missed while loading pods and jam the loader. These loaders cannot gravity load. You need this feature to make the deluxe/high end hopper usable in 100% of all situations (ostensibly).

[drg]

think of it this way. you know how the cyclone feed pre sorted the balls then forced them into the breech after everytime you shot a ball? thats exactly what the Force Fed (halos) hoppers do. except the cyclone runs on excess gas from the valve where these hoppers run off of battery.

Question - do cyclones really generate proactive positive pressure on the ball stack to load a ball? It was my understanding that they operated like eggs, feeding balls into the neck with each shot but never getting proactive positive pressure like halos and other spring-preload type loaders. I suppose if timed right the gas pulse could create feed wheel movement prior to the bolt fully opening, but judging by the location of the ram and the size of it (and the maximum ROF figures for cyclone feeds), it doesn't seem likely.

If they do not, then the above statement is not true, the cyclone is similar to an egg, whereby the balls are not kept under proactive or constant pressure, and are fed basically on demand in reaction to something else, be it the previous shot or ball gaps detected by the eyes.

True force fed hoppers, with true preload provide constant pressure on the stack (even though the motors operate reactively), so the ball is literally pushing against the closed bolt waiting for it to open.

[TheTramp]

[Warwitch]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in about the Q. They are really easy to load, assemble, disassemble, etc. Its just not similar to other hoppers so everyone says they are difficult. I wouldnt even think of putting a regular loader on my E-tac. Lets you play tighter and not nealy as awkward as a warp/revy combo.

[Anjin3515]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in about the Q. They are really easy to load, assemble, disassemble, etc. Its just not similar to other hoppers so everyone says they are difficult. I wouldnt even think of putting a regular loader on my E-tac. Lets you play tighter and not nealy as awkward as a warp/revy combo.

Man the Q-loader sounds great....I am just paraniod about it being a pain. Ive heard great things about them and I have heard horror stories...in about equal amounts....so I just dont know...it is very tempting.

Also got to see a Apache today....wow are those things light!

There are so many choices....and many seem good. LOL this is going to be more compicated then i thought.....

[Zone Drifter]

My only motorized hopper is the Apache. I bought mainly because it fits very nice with a warp setup, and can keep up if i decide to go without a warp. Like someone said before though, it is a bit loud, and while its very tactical looking, probably isnt as good in tac ball as a Q-loader. I'm probably going to purchase a q soon, it allows for many different mounting options, and it could be fun.

[Warwitch]

Im really hoping (and I have sent several emails to Q) that they will come out with a 50 round version of the Q-pod. That would open it up to even more mounting options, mainly right where a rifle mag would go. And also let you carry ammo more efficiently on chest rigs

[Marrr]

!

q-loader is the same 'horror' story as understanding everything how automags works!There is nothing obscure, and WHEN you know how it's works,it is easy to understand and fix your problem.
Everything needs to have time and a little brains!There is nothing to be afraid and those people who have problems with Q usually are in speedbaal or don't have a time and will for read and learn Q-loader tips.
Yeah.....and that idea for Q with 50 amo is just perfect for woods.......will be less weight,easier to load and even MORE TIGHTER PROFILE!!!
(sometimes guns, with those huge hopers over the gun, looks just ridiculous and takes all reality of woodsballing off....my 4 cents...)

Keep going ad god luck to find YOUR hooper!

[Warwitch]

Take apart a Halo and take apart a Q and see which has more parts. Now you tell me which is the harder system to maintain

The reloading is not what most are used to either so, just like anything else, you have to parctice.

[FiXeL]

Take apart a Halo and take apart a Q and see which has more parts. Now you tell me which is the harder system to maintain

The reloading is not what most are used to either so, just like anything else, you have to parctice.

True that. I've never used a Q before but this was simply because i didn't like the idea of using 140 rnd sized pods that could carry only 100 rnds. It does have its advantages tho, you can mount it virtually anywhere on the marker. If i had to choose between a warp and a Q, i would definatly take the Q. I have played with a warp before but i abandoned it for 3 reasons:
- Too heavy.
- Had to turn the ACE off when using it on my Xmag
- No more hopper shots but alot more headshots.

For hoppers i've used mostly revvies and halos. The halo is nice if you have a e-gun, it can load pretty fast but compared to a revvie its quite heavy. A revvie should be more than enough for your tac-one, or any other mech and you can pick those up pretty cheap. The apache is also a nice loader, never had it but i'm considering buying one for my own tac-one.

I don't know howmany guns you own, but i prefer the conventional hoppers simply because i can put that on any gun i bring to the field.

[Warwitch]

I recently changed my Q setup by adding a warp mounting plate. Faces forward and sits right where the warp feed would go. So now I dont have to switch hands to shoot left. I can just roll the marker over like you would with a warp but its so much more compact. I will put up a pic when I get home.

Edit: Here ya go.





Though it was more "milsim" and I loved how well the Q tucked under the TW2 stock, the new arrangement makes for much faster loading while staying on target. I couldnt effectively shoot left with the air coming in so far back. So to remedy this I bought a ND Dropkick rail and reversed it to provide some clearance for the remote line. So Ive ditched the sim concept for a more effective setup.



I was ripping this thing on max full auto, with just the controll bore for a barrel, and it was surprisingly accurate! Loud as hell though

[djellum]

My choice

I have had real good luck with my empire reloader. its basically a sound activated revy speed wise but it acually puts a ball in the stack every time you fire (no pressure on the balls though). simple, proactive instead of reactive, gets awsome battery comsumption, and i have never had it fail to work in about 4 years. its good for a realistic 10-12 a second (i capped my pm at 10 with the eyes off and didnt break all day). Dont know how much they are now but cant be more than $20 or so. Any of the hoppers mentioned are great, but I like this one because every ball the gun uses it replaces, no waiting for sensors and then stir and let gravity work (that just makes me feel safer) I like it better than my egg, but i dont outshoot it, and thats the big question. How fast are you going to shoot?

[jade_monkey07]

Maybe you can try new Kingman Spyder Fasta loader.Good speed,nice look,can care 230 paintballs(lol) and price for it is really affordable!!!!

Good luck!

i agree with marrr, i have the spyder fasta, 15bps force fed, 1 9v. theres also a 20+ something bps one too with 2 9v

[Anjin3515]

anyone know if the Apache is sound activated? Its on sale near me for like $47 for the LED version....
Right now I am leaning towards this or the Q-loader....
I just have to decide what I think will work best for me.
Thanks.