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Buy the Halo B $99.99

The Halo B hopper, made by Odyssey, is one of the most widely used hoppers today. It is said to have a feeding speed of 22 bps (balls per second), while holding a total of 170 paintballs. It is also supposed to include a few other features including a low battery indicator, the revolutionary rip drive (a handy feature when you’re in a jam), and claims to have 20,000 rounds per battery charge.

The Halo B has a high rate of feed, however, this can only be maintained in short bursts and only with 6 (6!) AA batteries. The average speed for a Halo B will be about 17, without a new board. The hopper, which is already big, has a lot of weight from the 6 batteries. To solve this problem, Odyssey made the hopper so that it can run on 4 AA batteries instead; however this reduces performance substantially. The average speed for a Halo B with only 4 batteries will be about 15 bps, with burst up to 18. Another downfall of the batteries is that the Halo B will chew through the batteries rather quickly, so be prepared to spend a few extra dollars on more batteries or on some rechargeable batteries. There is, however, a solution to this battery problem which is in the 9-volt mod you can add to the Halo B, making it run on two 9v batteries as opposed to 6 AA. The mod costs close to $20, however the weight and batteries you will save pays for itself. Another problem I have had with the hopper design is the battery holder; the slide is almost impossible to get in.
Battery Report Card: B

The design of the Halo B is made to be able to hold about 170 paintballs. This is fairly accurate, sometimes you will have a little less, sometimes more, but there is nothing to really complain about. However, because of how the hopper is designed, the last few paintballs may not roll down into the feed of the hopper, so to get those last few crucial shots you need to tilt the gun back to have them roll in. Not ideal in a really bad situation. The lid on the Halo B is another problem in itself, as it can be difficult to get the lid off quickly to reload, and to stay open. Again, not ideal for a crucial few moments in a game, when your opponents are running down field and you’re out of paint. My last complaint about the design of the hopper is the feed-neck, which is found to be very wide. Even in a clamping feed-neck, the hopper is too large to fit. You can sand it down however, which is not something I want to do with an expensive product such as this hopper. However, there are solutions to all the above, but not for a stock Halo. Another disturbing problem with the hopper is the fact that is incredibly hard to disassemble and put back together, so if you ever break a ball in the hopper, its better to have a spare instead.
Hopper Design Grade: C

The rip-drive, first used on a Halo B, is the highlight of the marker. This device is used to manually un-jam (or feed) paint into your hopper, this rests just under the back part of the hopper. A very handy feature, it allows you to bypass the eyes on the hopper and feed some paint to shoot, a very handy device for any player in a tight spot. I know it saved me in one tournament game, which my team ended up winning and advancing to finals, all thanks to the Rip-drive, which allowed me to feed paint to shoot after I forgot to change batteries. However, you shouldn’t have to replace new batteries in the middle of a tournament.
Rip Drive Grade: A+

The Halo B hopper has many flaws in it, something you do not expect to have in an expensive investment for one of the “finest:” in hoppers. However, because of all the flaws, there are quite a few modifications and extra parts you can install on the hopper to make it incredible. Upgrades for the hopper, such as the Victory board (select feed mode up to about 30 bps), the Speed-feed (fill you hopper without removing a lid-genius!) and lighter drive cones; you can make your Halo B hopper into one very useful hopper. However, all the upgrades cost money, on an expensive hopper to begin with. The Rip-Drive, the one redeeming quality of the Halo B, is something not to be missed though, and I should think it to be included on future hopper designs.

Summary: A quality hopper, if you add the right parts. Not worth having stock for its retail price.

Pros: Rip drive, customizable

Cons: Heavy, hard to clean, poor battery charge, price

Final Report: B