well, this has been the topic of much thought for me in the past couple weeks. With my x-mag coming in the next 6 months, (lol) its time to think about what type of hopper I want to put on it. Now, before anyone flames me about "there's TONS of threads on which hopper is faster", this IS NOT what this thread is about. I am constructing a list of pros and cons for each product, and am attempting to decide which product is an overall better value. I am going to list/discuss different features of each hopper, and then sum it up at the end.
EGGO 2 (no, i CANT call it an eVLution. eggo sounds better. besides, its funnier.)
FEED RATE:
Reliable in the neighborhood of 16 ballsper second. Hopefully the Y-board fixes this. (havent been able to test one with the Y). Have seen several people encounter skip shots with the egg. these were all on pre-Y units. Once again, maybe the y-board will eliminate this if it gets the hopper up to 19-20 bps reliably. However, the egg is still the second fastest out there.
CONSTRUCTION:
The EGG seems to FEEL, a bit more 'flimsy'- - in comparison to the old revolutions as well as to the HALO B. Feel is all that it is, though. I have not seen or heard of ANY snapped feed necks with the egg- - - cant say the same for revvies (duh. .) OR Halos.
DESIGN:
overall, the egg is definitly unique. It's not a very streamlined design in my opinion. I like the way it looks, but it definitly SEEMS 'large' when sitting on the gun. the way the hopper is assembled i like. It is very easy to take apart and clean. No difficulties with lining things up for re-assembly. I could easily take this apart and put it together in just a couple minutes between tourney games. Only down side is that the screws bite into plastic (just like the revvies). It works, but can lead to problems.
battery compartment:
Although it provides inferior juice when compared to 6 AA's, the 9-volts are lighter and easier to install. The battery door is very easy to open and close, with no tools required. The battery spacer is an 'interesting' feature. I never had a problem with batterys in my old revolutions, but with the egg the compartment is made a bit on the large size. Sometimes you won't get good connections from the batteries to the terminals unless you use the provided spacer. Additionally, in 2 cases I had to use an additional peice of cardboard wedged between the door and the bottom of the batteries to ensure the the conection would stay constant (i.e. stay turned on.)
lid:
This is one that i personally don't care for. I do like the way that it sits when on gun, but it takes several re-loads before you can fill the hopper without spilling half your paint(in a game) additionally, because of the way the lid/ door sits in the design, its alot harder to completely fill the hopper up- - - you have paint spilling out the sides of the doorway although technically there's room for another 15 or so balls.
The way the lid catches shut is kinda nice, but it requires noticable force to get the thing open, and locked open so you can reload.
I have seen one instance of broken lid/door.
all things considered, I have yet to see even experienced egg users reload as fast as people with halos or even revvies.
RELIABILITY.
The only problems with reliability i have seen are when the batteries dont fit right, and require additioal spacing. other than that, no problems at all.
Battery life:
I have no actual figures here- - nor is any information given in the owner's manual. Anyone have any ideas? how many cases of paint from 2 9-volts?
COST
fair, especially when priced against the other loaders out there- - $70-90 depending on where you shop.
COMPANY CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Well, I definitly do not have a fantastic opinion here. Brass eagle stays on my crap list for customer service. We still have an Evultion 1 sitting in the back that failed to work right out of the box, and they refused to switch it or do anything to make the situation right. Additonally, B.E. is still selling the super fragile rev shells, KNOWING that they break WAAAY too easy- - - but still forces to sell the 'bad shells' until they are all gone. maybe then one day they will make some better than that.
now, on to the halo b.
HALO B
FEED RATE.
Well, the halo b is the undisputed champ. in the feed rate. 20somthing plus bps. No doubt its definitly the fastest out there.
Construction.
The halo definitly seems to be more solid. its also alot heavier than any other hopper out there. I have seen broken shells/ snapped feed necks with the HALO b's. ( i don't know how- - the feed neck is about as thick as can be. . . ) The fact that you almost ALWAYS have to take sandpaper to a new hopper before it will fit is kind of a turn-off, also.
DESIGN:
The halo is SLIGHTLY more traditional looking than the egg, but its still doing 'it's own thing'. I think that the looks of the shells are more attractive. The hopper 'looks' fast.
The halo is much more difficult to take apart and clean. Many things must be held, jiggled, and talked to in the right way for them to want to go back into place. One plus, though- - -the body screws attach to nuts, not directly into the plastic.
However, over tightening is still a concern. cracking the shells is a very real possibility.
Battery compartment:
I absolutely HATE this on the HALO. The simple fact that odysey had to make a VIDEO showing people how to install batteries without damaging the shells suggests that there is a problem. like assemblying the rest of the hopper, unles you hold the peices the right way, jiggle them the right way, and promise them candy will the battery 'clip' go into the compartment EXACTLY the right way. Additionally, considering how often many people are having to replace the batteries, the fact that you need a screwdriver to change the batteries (and a relativly special size phillips head, i might add) is not a good thing. Also, if you put the batteries in the wrong way, it's possible for the screw that holds the door on to get bent (if the shell dosent break first). had this occur on a guy's halo i was replacing the shells for- - - he had put the batteries in the wrong way, bent the screw in the process. it WOULD NOT come out- - i just broke it apart. no biggie because the feed neck was snapped, as well as where the lid attaches. .
lid.
I like the lid. more traditional in design- - its easy to load, and allows you to actually fill the hopper up without too much difficulty. have seen one instance of broken lid.
on/off switch.
Dont like it. I can make it work, but unless you push the button and release it just right, it wont come on. One halo i sold went to a friend- - who used it in a tournamnent that night. Maybe it was just pre game jitters - - but at the starting gate, just before we announced the 10 count, he couldnt get the hopper to come on. he wasnt holding the button down quite long enough.
RELIBILITY.
not doing so good here, from what ive seen.
4 out of the last 6 Halo B's we've had in the shop have suffered problems. All have had to be sent back to odyssey. another guy walked in with one the other day (bought it elsewhere) and in his also would not work. Now, it seems like everytime i turn around these hoppers are breaking. Not to mention they are a royal pain in the butt to take apart and clean (when compared to virtually every other hopper out there)
It's becoming a running joke around the fields- -- I think im going to develope a pack system that does not hole 140 tubes- - - it holds extra halos, already loaded. THat way when your current one on the gun craps out on you (one game is about the time all the halo's around here have lasted), you just quick draw another $150 hopper from your pack, rip off the old one and chunk it, and replace.
I have also seen halo's jam on paint-- in one case requiring the player to dump all the paint out of his hopper, reach in with his fingers, pick out the too balls that were jammed together, and then re-load. Once again, this was in a tourney game.
Battery life:
definitly has a healthy appetite for batteries. once again, i do not have actual figures. I have heard of people saying that you really need to use the nice expensive lithium batteries with these (6 of them run you about 30 bux) to keep them running longer- - but for $30 in batteries, i dont think i should have to change them more than once a year- - IF that. Anyone that hase actual numbers about battery life, please post it up.
COST:
MSRP of $150- - - waay above any other motorize loader out there.
Company customer service:
From everything ive seen odyssey has been great in this department.
Conclusions: Please remember that alot of this is my opinion (i.e. 'looks')
an 'x' denotes the advantage in one particular category:
---------------------HALO--------EGGO--------
Feed rate-------------X----------------------
Construction----------------------X----------
looks-----------------X----------------------
Disassembly-----------------------X----------
Battery Compartment---------------X----------
Lid-------------------X----------------------
On/off switch---------------------X----------
Reliability-----------------------X----------
feed neck stregnth----------------X----------
Customer service------X----------------------
Cost------------------------------X----------
Battery life----not sure, but i think the egg.
Ok, please feel free to add any information- - -I've owned an egg (pre-Y) and it was o.k. I had THOUGHT i wanted a halo, but in light of the recent couple weeks, im not sure now. From the looks of it, even though the HALO is a couple balls faster, the Egg looks like a MUCH better value for your money.
What do you guys think ?
Carl
EGGO 2 (no, i CANT call it an eVLution. eggo sounds better. besides, its funnier.)
FEED RATE:
Reliable in the neighborhood of 16 ballsper second. Hopefully the Y-board fixes this. (havent been able to test one with the Y). Have seen several people encounter skip shots with the egg. these were all on pre-Y units. Once again, maybe the y-board will eliminate this if it gets the hopper up to 19-20 bps reliably. However, the egg is still the second fastest out there.
CONSTRUCTION:
The EGG seems to FEEL, a bit more 'flimsy'- - in comparison to the old revolutions as well as to the HALO B. Feel is all that it is, though. I have not seen or heard of ANY snapped feed necks with the egg- - - cant say the same for revvies (duh. .) OR Halos.
DESIGN:
overall, the egg is definitly unique. It's not a very streamlined design in my opinion. I like the way it looks, but it definitly SEEMS 'large' when sitting on the gun. the way the hopper is assembled i like. It is very easy to take apart and clean. No difficulties with lining things up for re-assembly. I could easily take this apart and put it together in just a couple minutes between tourney games. Only down side is that the screws bite into plastic (just like the revvies). It works, but can lead to problems.
battery compartment:
Although it provides inferior juice when compared to 6 AA's, the 9-volts are lighter and easier to install. The battery door is very easy to open and close, with no tools required. The battery spacer is an 'interesting' feature. I never had a problem with batterys in my old revolutions, but with the egg the compartment is made a bit on the large size. Sometimes you won't get good connections from the batteries to the terminals unless you use the provided spacer. Additionally, in 2 cases I had to use an additional peice of cardboard wedged between the door and the bottom of the batteries to ensure the the conection would stay constant (i.e. stay turned on.)
lid:
This is one that i personally don't care for. I do like the way that it sits when on gun, but it takes several re-loads before you can fill the hopper without spilling half your paint(in a game) additionally, because of the way the lid/ door sits in the design, its alot harder to completely fill the hopper up- - - you have paint spilling out the sides of the doorway although technically there's room for another 15 or so balls.
The way the lid catches shut is kinda nice, but it requires noticable force to get the thing open, and locked open so you can reload.
I have seen one instance of broken lid/door.
all things considered, I have yet to see even experienced egg users reload as fast as people with halos or even revvies.
RELIABILITY.
The only problems with reliability i have seen are when the batteries dont fit right, and require additioal spacing. other than that, no problems at all.
Battery life:
I have no actual figures here- - nor is any information given in the owner's manual. Anyone have any ideas? how many cases of paint from 2 9-volts?
COST
fair, especially when priced against the other loaders out there- - $70-90 depending on where you shop.
COMPANY CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Well, I definitly do not have a fantastic opinion here. Brass eagle stays on my crap list for customer service. We still have an Evultion 1 sitting in the back that failed to work right out of the box, and they refused to switch it or do anything to make the situation right. Additonally, B.E. is still selling the super fragile rev shells, KNOWING that they break WAAAY too easy- - - but still forces to sell the 'bad shells' until they are all gone. maybe then one day they will make some better than that.
now, on to the halo b.
HALO B
FEED RATE.
Well, the halo b is the undisputed champ. in the feed rate. 20somthing plus bps. No doubt its definitly the fastest out there.
Construction.
The halo definitly seems to be more solid. its also alot heavier than any other hopper out there. I have seen broken shells/ snapped feed necks with the HALO b's. ( i don't know how- - the feed neck is about as thick as can be. . . ) The fact that you almost ALWAYS have to take sandpaper to a new hopper before it will fit is kind of a turn-off, also.
DESIGN:
The halo is SLIGHTLY more traditional looking than the egg, but its still doing 'it's own thing'. I think that the looks of the shells are more attractive. The hopper 'looks' fast.
The halo is much more difficult to take apart and clean. Many things must be held, jiggled, and talked to in the right way for them to want to go back into place. One plus, though- - -the body screws attach to nuts, not directly into the plastic.
However, over tightening is still a concern. cracking the shells is a very real possibility.
Battery compartment:
I absolutely HATE this on the HALO. The simple fact that odysey had to make a VIDEO showing people how to install batteries without damaging the shells suggests that there is a problem. like assemblying the rest of the hopper, unles you hold the peices the right way, jiggle them the right way, and promise them candy will the battery 'clip' go into the compartment EXACTLY the right way. Additionally, considering how often many people are having to replace the batteries, the fact that you need a screwdriver to change the batteries (and a relativly special size phillips head, i might add) is not a good thing. Also, if you put the batteries in the wrong way, it's possible for the screw that holds the door on to get bent (if the shell dosent break first). had this occur on a guy's halo i was replacing the shells for- - - he had put the batteries in the wrong way, bent the screw in the process. it WOULD NOT come out- - i just broke it apart. no biggie because the feed neck was snapped, as well as where the lid attaches. .
lid.
I like the lid. more traditional in design- - its easy to load, and allows you to actually fill the hopper up without too much difficulty. have seen one instance of broken lid.
on/off switch.
Dont like it. I can make it work, but unless you push the button and release it just right, it wont come on. One halo i sold went to a friend- - who used it in a tournamnent that night. Maybe it was just pre game jitters - - but at the starting gate, just before we announced the 10 count, he couldnt get the hopper to come on. he wasnt holding the button down quite long enough.
RELIBILITY.
not doing so good here, from what ive seen.
4 out of the last 6 Halo B's we've had in the shop have suffered problems. All have had to be sent back to odyssey. another guy walked in with one the other day (bought it elsewhere) and in his also would not work. Now, it seems like everytime i turn around these hoppers are breaking. Not to mention they are a royal pain in the butt to take apart and clean (when compared to virtually every other hopper out there)
It's becoming a running joke around the fields- -- I think im going to develope a pack system that does not hole 140 tubes- - - it holds extra halos, already loaded. THat way when your current one on the gun craps out on you (one game is about the time all the halo's around here have lasted), you just quick draw another $150 hopper from your pack, rip off the old one and chunk it, and replace.
I have also seen halo's jam on paint-- in one case requiring the player to dump all the paint out of his hopper, reach in with his fingers, pick out the too balls that were jammed together, and then re-load. Once again, this was in a tourney game.
Battery life:
definitly has a healthy appetite for batteries. once again, i do not have actual figures. I have heard of people saying that you really need to use the nice expensive lithium batteries with these (6 of them run you about 30 bux) to keep them running longer- - but for $30 in batteries, i dont think i should have to change them more than once a year- - IF that. Anyone that hase actual numbers about battery life, please post it up.
COST:
MSRP of $150- - - waay above any other motorize loader out there.
Company customer service:
From everything ive seen odyssey has been great in this department.
Conclusions: Please remember that alot of this is my opinion (i.e. 'looks')
an 'x' denotes the advantage in one particular category:
---------------------HALO--------EGGO--------
Feed rate-------------X----------------------
Construction----------------------X----------
looks-----------------X----------------------
Disassembly-----------------------X----------
Battery Compartment---------------X----------
Lid-------------------X----------------------
On/off switch---------------------X----------
Reliability-----------------------X----------
feed neck stregnth----------------X----------
Customer service------X----------------------
Cost------------------------------X----------
Battery life----not sure, but i think the egg.
Ok, please feel free to add any information- - -I've owned an egg (pre-Y) and it was o.k. I had THOUGHT i wanted a halo, but in light of the recent couple weeks, im not sure now. From the looks of it, even though the HALO is a couple balls faster, the Egg looks like a MUCH better value for your money.
What do you guys think ?
Carl
. I would have to reccomend the Halo over the egg though. Mike (the guy on my team) had gone through either 3 or 4 feednecks for his egg in a short amount of time. I also have to add this. Think of it sitting on a warp. Egg+warp=bad. I also had trouble with Clint's egg. When I borrowed it (that crazy night where none of my crap worked) and had to reload it, the lid snapped off, and I was not pulling on it hard at all. One disadvantage to the Halo is it sucks battery juice. I bought some NiMh batteries to save some $$$ in the long run.
a few times and it's still working awesome. Only problem is it's hard to see hits on the front of it, and bad refs often say you're "playing on with an obvious hit", when it's impossible to see.
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