The EyeForce is the “high end” of Viewloaders value loaders.  It is a true force feed hopper that uses eyes, holds a full 200, and is rated for 18 bps.

The neck is too long for almost EVERY feed-neck.  To avoid issues with it breaking, the first thing I recommend is to cut it down so that it doesn’t stick out so far.  That’s really the only major issue with the EyeForce design, but even that makes sense since it is in the value segment.

There is 3 screws to take this hopper apart.  It comes out in 2 pieces, the top piece you can actually throw in the dishwasher to clean, then wipe off the raceway in the second piece.  While not as easy to clean as the Rotor or Pinokio, this is still stupid easy to clean.

Uses 2 9v batteries, gets pretty good battery life.  Not as good as a Pinokio, but better than something like the HaloB, or the newer Halo Too.  As stated, holds a full 200 paintballs.  The body is very sturdy, will easily survive even very rough play.  Because of the eyes, is not constantly spinning like the lower end Viewloader Force.

Advantages:

• Cheap
• Good Capacity
  
• Easy to Clean

Disadvantages:

• Feedneck way too long
  
• Eyes can get clogged

Conclusion/Verdict:

Overall, probably the best value loader out.  Will keep up with just about any shooter, yet only costs $50 brand new.  Easy to clean, decent battery life.  While not tops in anything, also doesn’t come in last in any feature.  Still one of my favourite hoppers to rock.

By: Timothy L. Miller

Date:25/01/2010

Manufacturers Website: Viewloader

Price:$50

Rating: 4 Stars

Setup: N/A

Viewloader Eye Force Gallery

The Halo Too is Inverts first attempt to make a hopper.  Instead of starting from scratch like Dye did, they took a trusted design (Empire Reloader B) and built on that.  They improved the construction by using a much more durable material.  They used a board that is essentially identical to the Reloader B2 board, which offers the advantages of adjust-ability.  In order to fight in the more value oriented segment, they reduced the number of batteries from 6 to 4.  This reduces the maximum speed of the hopper, but it’s still plenty fast enough to keep up with modern tourneys.  And if you have a 6 AA pack from a Halo/Reloader or one of the battery packs, it’ll fit and go just as fast.

Size is identical to the HaloB/ReloaderB.  Although it weighs a bit more due to the material it’s made of, this is a very welcome change as the shells are MUCH more durable.  Halo/Reloader speed feeds fit on this, as do rip drives with the extended prop shaft.  I have never tried, but have read that the Magna clutch kit will also fit on the Halo Too without issue.

Advantages:

• Familiar Design
  
• Lots of after-market parts since it takes Halo parts
  
• No eyes to get clogged
  
• Light

Disadvantages:

• Capacity
• Heavy if you use the Pinokio Nose
  

Conclusion/Verdict:

While not a bad value at $70, the Viewload EyeForce is $20 cheaper, and holds ~20 more paintballs.  Is about the same speed, and easier to take apart to clean.  On the other end, the original Prophecy is now only $30 more expensive, faster on the same amount of batteries, gets better battery life, and holds ~50 more paintballs.  Kinda stuck in that “middle ground” where it’s good, but not good enough in any area.

By: Timothy L. Miller

Date:25/01/2010

Manufacturers Website: Invert

Price:$70

Rating: 4 Stars

Setup: N/A

Invert Halo Too Gallery

We would like to apologise for our absence from the paintball world for the last months! But fear not we are back again, bigger better and stronger than before! We still want your reviews and to make this the communities website!

So guys comment below, or tweet us with whats hot in your opinion at the moment! ? We are working on new stories and news as we speak but please give us a hand!

Many thanks and looking forward to our new start

UKPB

The first viewings and launch of the new line will be at Skirmish USA’s Invasion of Normandy July 18 and 19, so to all you lucky enough to go and have a look tell us what you think and have a good look!

The line will be available in 2 colours a Olive Drab and Brown, there are very few images at the moment, but rest assured as we find more information we will update you all!

We look forward to seeing these, and getting a hands on! Gallery Follows

PRESS RELEASE:
DYE Precision Incorporated Releases Latest Commercial Spot “AXIS PRO PATTERNS”.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

San Diego, California (June 12, 2009) – DYE Precision Incorporated today released their latest commercial spot “AXIS PRO PATTERNS” showcasing the latest update to their highly acclaimed Proto Axis Pro Goggle System.

The spot features the latest Proto Axis Pro Goggles in the Enigma and Hollywood patterns, giving them a stylish new look. The goggles will be available June 22nd, 2009.

For more information on the new Axis Pro Patterns featured on the spot, please visit: www.protopaintball.com

Direct link to “AXIS PRO PATTERNS”.
http://www.youtube.com/DYEPAINTBALLVIDEO

For more information contact:
DYE Precision, Inc.
10637 Scripps Summit Court
San Diego, California 92131
P. 858.536.5183
F. 858.536.5191

Update 2: Further images of the pre production samples of the blue and red impulse, see end of post.

Update 1: It has officially been launched here is the press release and images;

Press Release:

Impulse – The Beat Goes On

Smart Parts unveils the all new Impulse professional tournament marker at Bitburg Millennium Series event.

Loyalhanna, PA – May 28, 2009 – The Classic Impulse was one of the most popular electropneumatic paintball markers ever produced. It found its way into the winner’s circle in the hands of teams like the All Americans and Strange. Pros loved it for its performance and amateurs loved it for its price. Even though it has been out of production for several years, it remains a popular used marker due to its fast rate of fire, simple cleaning requirements and rock-solid reliability.

Now, the beat goes on. Paintball players at the 2009 MAXS European Masters paintball tournament in Bitburg, Germany were treated to the unveiling of the all new Smart Parts Impulse. Smaller, faster and smoother than its legendary predecessor, the Impulse is built to exceed the needs of today’s professional tournament paintball player.

“The Classic Impulse was a phenomenally successful marker and players have been asking us to bring it back for some time,” said Smart Parts Vice President, Adam Gardner, “but we weren’t going to do it until we could do it right. That all came down to perfecting a new valve and dual-regulation system that gives us the speed and gas efficiency players expect from a poppet valve marker, combined with the smooth kick-free shooting that we deliver in our best spool valve paintguns.”

True to its heritage, the Impulse is a stacked tube marker, but this isn’t just a modification of the Classic, it is an all new marker with a more compact design, and numerous new features including:

• Pressure balanced poppet valve allowing 1700 to 1800 shots from a 4500 psi 68ci system
• Dual regulation allowing extremely low bolt force and eliminating kick
• Air buffered firing piston shoots smoother with less vibration
• Ultra-compact in-grip regulators reduce forward weight for improved balance
• Hose-free design eliminating common leak points
• Rechargeable lithium polymer battery powering the Impulse through approximately 100,000 shots per charge
• Hinged Vision eye covers open without tools for cleaning and aren’t easily lost because they stay attached to the marker
• Volume chamber fore-grip eliminates shoot-down
• Modular body design allowing for fast repairs and mix-and-match color styling
• Freak compatible barrel system accepts bore inserts for changing paint sizes
• Trigger based programming with modes for all major leagues and scenario use
• Q-Lock feedneck quickly clamps and adjusts to all high performance hoppers

“The keys to the new Impulse design are its valve and regulators.” says Hans Semelsberger, Smart Parts’ Director of Technical Sales. “Most poppet valves are pushed closed by the air inside, so when the pressure is right for good efficiency, you have to hit them pretty hard to knock them open, and that shakes the gun, throwing off your aim. Our pressure balanced valve lets the air pressure push forward and backwards on the valve core at the same time. Those forces cancel each other out and the valve opens easily regardless of the pressure inside. It’s so soft, I can push it open with my little finger. Because the valve opens so easily, we are able to use two-stage regulation to drive the firing piston with very low pressure gas. That makes the Impulse gentle on paint, and lets it shoot without kick.”

The all new Impulse will be shown at the PSP Chicago Open in Bolingbrook Illinois, June 24th-28th, 2009, and will be available soon at Authorized Smart Parts dealers everywhere.

Smart Parts, Inc., is a leading developer and manufacturer of equipment and accessories for the sport of paintball. Smart Parts, Vision, Freak Jr., The Freak and Impulse are registered trademarks of Smart Parts, Inc.

Impulse Flier (Click for full size)

Blue Impulse (Click for full size)

Impulse Read (Click for full size)

Well its official and we look forward to hearing about and seeing this! You heard it here first!

==========

Well, we have been hearing a lot of hype and excitement over the new Impulse, a continuation of the previous extremely successful Impulse. What is said to be a cross between an ego and a luxe. There is a huge anticipation to this marker and some hype relatively unheard of in the paintball world. With Smart Parts keeping twitter updates and the launch at 12 tonight, many people will patiently be waiting and getting extremely excited. As we hear news of this we will update so keep your eyes peeled tonight and tomorrow for all impulse news!

Rumoured to have the LPR (Low Pressure Regulator) and HPR (High Pressure Regulator) all in the grip, Macro or Macroless? There has been one official 3d Render of the grip contained below. And some very simple outline images often seen at product releases. All images are below.

Many people have made wild guesses to what might be coming but we are reserving judgment and will wait to see what happens.

We expect that this is going to be an extremely interesting marker and look forward to seeing it. So keep your eyes peeled here and we will update as soon as there is any news or updates.

Pre Production Samples

Smarts Parts Impulse First Images, Pre Production 1

Smarts Parts Impulse First Images, Pre Production 2

Smarts Parts Impulse First Images, Pre Production 3

Well i just visited the Valken website and saw this, looks like a new paint to the already large line. This brings that total to 4 different paintballs. Look forward to hopefully seeing these in the UK? Maybe? Looks good Valken keep up the good work!

The new paintball is called Noxious;

Noxious is a competition grade, neon fill and shell, 2000 count box with various colors. It’s highly visible fill with outstanding accuracy make this the choice for competition level play. 100% PEG, safe for players and the environment.

Below is an image of the box;

Below is a copy of all the paintballs Valken are offering;

Zing is a commodity grade, 2000 count box with various colors. It’s consistent flight characteristics make this the preferred choice for field operators and stocking pro-shops. 100% PEG, safe for players and the environment. Easy clean up.

Breach is a recreation grade, 2000 count box with various colors. It’s consistent flight characteristics make this the preferred choice for field operators and stocking pro-shops. 100% PEG, safe for players and the environment. Easy clean up.

Noxious is a competition grade, neon fill and shell, 2000 count box with various colors. It’s highly visible fill with outstanding accuracy make this the choice for competition level play. 100% PEG, safe for players and the environment.

span style=”font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";”>Graffiti is a top-shelf, 2000 count box with various colors. It has extreme marking attributes with reliable break-on-target characteristics and superior accuracy that place this paint on the top shelf of any pro-shop. 100% PEG, safe for players and the environment.

Click for full size

I will keep you all updated as i know more!

Kyle

MacDev is an Australian based manufacturer of paintball equipment that started making aircraft parts. The Droid is a spool-valve marker released by MacDev in 2007. It is the first spool-valve marker developed by MacDev. The Droid is easily capable of reaching 25 bps, if not more, and can shoot 1600-1700 paintballs on a 68/4500 cold fill. It weighs in at 1kg with the stock barrel. The drive train within was a completely new design, which allowed it to have very good efficiency for a spool-valve marker.

The Droid is not a very loud marker in the sense that it is not aggressively milled. In comparison to markers such as the Ego and Geo, the Droid did not have much hype or popularity to begin with. However, it did manage to attract customers with its significant price difference and surprisingly good performance.

With the Droid comes the Gladiator regulator, which is similar to the CP regulator. It is a well designed regulator and ensures shot consistency, giving the Droid virtually ball-on-ball accuracy. When run in, the marker shoots +/- 2 fps on the chronograph.

The stock barrel that comes with the Droid is the MacDev Matchstik 14″ barrel and .689 bore. This barrel is excellent and maintains accuracy with each shot. There is no need to get a new barrel or barrel kit (unless you are dealing with very large or very small paint, whereby the Shift barrel kit is a good way to go.).

There is no kick with each shot, making the marker very easy to control when shooting ropes of paint. It is amazingly quiet as well, as each shot sounds like a muffled cough. Compared to markers like the Geo, DM8 and Shocker, this marker performs very well.

However, I do have a few qualms with it. The first being that the eye wires and solenoid wires tend to get tangled and makes it very difficult to do regular maintenance and cleaning on the marker if paint gets between the grip frame and the body tube. The second is that there are a very large number of O-rings for the drive train, which also impedes progress when performing full maintenance. Apart from this, I do not have any issues with the Droid and would be willing to recommend it to anyone.

Advantages:

• Efficient for a spool-valve marker
• Quiet
• No Kick
• Light
  

Disadvantages:

• Too many wires
• Too many O-Rings

Conclusion/Verdict:

The marker is definitely cheaper than most high-end markers, performs just as well (if not better) and hasn’t failed on me to date. It is very good value for money and will definitely impress you. Like other high ends, if it is regularly maintained, it will perform like a dream.

Forum Discussion

By: Aswan Yap

Date:16/08/2009

Manufacturers Website: Macdev

Price:£560-£600  Now much cheaper

Rating:

Setup: Droid (stock), Viewloader VLocity Jr. w/ Hyperdrive, Guerrilla Air 68/4500 Myth Tank, Shift barrel kit.

Macdev Droid Gallery

Sources: Some images from pbnation copyright to original owners

There will be 15 limited edition DM9’s and 4 of each PM8, the DM9 features are as follows;
- Titanium .690 Barrel Back
- Custom milled body with 2 toned anodizing.
- Machined Mikko signature on side
- Ironmen trigger
- Mikko USB OLED TADAO board and Mikko grip panels
- Billy Wing (Ironmen edition) Bolt

Said to be priced at $1650

The PM8 features are as follows;

- Dye UL Barrel
- Dye clamping feed neck
- DYE Hyper3 regulator
- 4 Colours (Silver, Blue, Yellow/gold and Black)
- Tadao Mikko OLED board and grips

thanks all! Kyle

Sources ; CS Paintball and This is Paintball CA

The last marker in the real Matrix line for Proto, most people would say this marker made it that there was no reason to step up to the DM8 (and many, myself included, believe that’s why there isn’t a PM9).

Actually slightly lighter than the DM8, the PM8 had a completely new design of bolt. This design actually was carried over in favor of the DM8 design to create the DM9 (with evolutionary changes). These come with the UL frame and board stock, which was many peoples first upgrade on previous Proto Matrices. They also had the LPR changed from a horizontal layout like all previous DM’s and PM’s to a vertical layout…giving it it’s signature “hole” at the front. This is one of the styling things that either makes most people LOVE the design of the PM8, or hate it. I personally love it.

Evolutionary changes made these the most efficient matrix ever released when they were still made. They’ve been surpassed by the DM9, but are still quite decent efficiency when broken in and properly tuned, capable of getting 1600+ shots, and easily getting 1400+ shots off a 68/4500.

The Proto 2-piece barrel is actually just a smaller bore, differently milled version of the Dye UL barrel. As such, it shoots AMAZINGLY well, and there is absolutey NO need for a new barrel. If you want a better selection of bores, get a couple UL backs, the threading is identical, and the Proto tip will fit on them no issues. Shooting it, it shoots like just about any other Matrix. It’s VERY smooth, with basically no kick. I am not a fan of the stock UL trigger, but with the Critical Raze on the UL, I find no other marker more pleasant to shoot.

The one thing most people fault these for is the fact that they still use ribbon eyes, that have an unfortunate stigmata of being fragile. I’ve never actually had ribbon eyes fail on me personally, and have multiple markers (including multiple Protos) that use them. As long as they aren’t abused, they don’t have issues. However, for those that really hate ribbon eyes, there is a wire-eye conversion out that uses EXTREMELY thin wired eyes to put in for the PM8.

Maintenance is not as difficult as it was with earlier models, but it’s still quite complex when compared to simpler spools such as the Quest and G3. There are quite a few orings to lube, and you have to make sure to lube them sparingly or you’ll get bolt stick. Also, like all spools, you’ll need to lube rather frequently. Every few cases is recommended. Another trate it shares with other spool valves is that you may have to turn your LPR up in the cold to compensate for the thickening of the lube, which will cause you to be able to feel some minor kick.

Advantages:

• Very smooth shooting
• Inexpensive for a higher level marker
• Self-cleaning eyes
• UL frame stock

Disadvantages:

• Ribbon Eyes (not a problem IMO, but some people dislike them)
• No longer made

Conclusion/Verdict:

One fantastic marker as long as you are willing to do regular maintenance, and don’t tear your markers apart every day just to play with everything. Shoots smooth as any marker ever made, gets quite decent efficiency, and can be had
under $400 now used.

Forum Discussion

By: Timothy L. Miller

Date:05/08/2009

Manufacturers Website: Proto Paintball

Price:$600  Now much cheaper

Rating:

Setup: PM8 w/ critical trigger, Crossfire 70/4500 stubby, stock proto 2-piece barrel, Vlocity w/ Gangstar chip

Proto Matrix 8 (PM8) Gallery