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pinokio hopper

MINTY_71

replacement killer
Feb 18, 2006
212
9
28
romford essex
Has anyone got / or used one of these ..?
Was thinking of buying one but wanted some info in its
Performance before I buy..

Or is a virtue spire a better option ?
Will be used on a shocker .

Any help advise would be greatly appreciated .
Thanks guys .
 

Liam92

#16 Reading Entity
Nov 4, 2009
2,371
587
148
Glasgow, Scotland
not used one but they are definitely great feeding hoppers, the bend sensor technology works great. personally i think they are just huge on top of guns, and don't have as low a profile as what you get nowadays. They also aren't as easy to get into quickly if you do get a break midgame or between points and above everything else, i think that unless you plan on using it a lot, the big nose cone would probably find itself stuck in your gear bag most of its life.
 

MINTY_71

replacement killer
Feb 18, 2006
212
9
28
romford essex
Yeah.. I'd probably never use the nose cone tbh .
But the simplicity of it.. Just /on off and that's all
sounded good.
Kinda forgot about it not having a low profile ..
May go for the spire. It's just the price that an issue.. £50 difference .

Thanks for the info mate.
 

emisnug

"I am Become Death, squeegier of Worlds"
Oct 10, 2011
795
222
78
Middle of bloody Nowhere
Well, having used one for the past year or so, I can definitly say they are simple! They work every single time though. As you said, one button, on/off. If you have a ball break inside it, remove the cap and start cleaning with a spray bottle and it'll be as good as new!

As far as low profile.... personally, I've never actually been hit on the hopper.
 
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Liam92

#16 Reading Entity
Nov 4, 2009
2,371
587
148
Glasgow, Scotland
Well with so many products it's all about looking at what you get for your money. Yes it might not be the latest technology like g-force sensing spires or auto unjamming z2s but it's a tried and tested method and will, at the end of the day, feed consistently at 10bps. I actually forgot about the opening at the front being as big so it's not quite so hard to get in about it.

Its not a good idea to compare the pinokio directly to loaders like the spire because quite simply they are in a completely different price range. I've no doubt the spire is the better loader overall, but that's the price you need to pay.

For where it's at, the pinokio is a good price and as emisnug said that he doesn't find it to be too big, a lot of it is down to personal preference as well.
 
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emisnug

"I am Become Death, squeegier of Worlds"
Oct 10, 2011
795
222
78
Middle of bloody Nowhere
You've also got to remember that I got my pinokio when it was on sale, last time I went stateside, so I paid a lot less than the $150 asking price.

One thing that the pinokio does is draw a lot of attention to itself. It does look comically big on top of some of the smaller markers (e.g. a mini), but it has never let me down, despite getting several nicknames, the nicest of which is "The Compensator"

As Liam said, if it can feed at 10bps, it will do what it's supposed to, which is really what matters at the end of the day. Compare it to second hand rotors and Z2's, but as far as a direct comparison to the Spire, it does the same job, but it does it in a different manner and is a lot less refined from a visual design aspect. But it works, which is one of many reasons why I've not bought a Spire (Also, I don't have any money, but that's besides the point)
 
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MINTY_71

replacement killer
Feb 18, 2006
212
9
28
romford essex
Thanks guys .. I really appreciate your advise and help.

I've got time to save, and to make a choice ..
So it's all good.

Thank you....
 

Liam92

#16 Reading Entity
Nov 4, 2009
2,371
587
148
Glasgow, Scotland
Thanks guys .. I really appreciate your advise and help.

I've got time to save, and to make a choice ..
So it's all good.

Thank you....
I didn't actually realise that pinokios were as expensive. I'd highly recommend looking at the empire scion which is not long out and is going for £83. Its not got any extra bits like the pinokio which you said you wouldn't use (money wasted i suppose) and it's got the z2 auto unjam technology, but is cheaper because it doesn't have the toolless disassembly shells.
 

Tricky Dicky

Turks
May 9, 2008
979
82
63
33
Inverness
You have propably had enough advice already, but here's my 2p...

Use to own a pinokio and loved it!. Great on batteries, easy to maintain as you can literally run a tap through it to clean it (again... I'm been serious!), take the front nose off mid game if you need to get into it, its extremelly lightweight and finally it feeds great.

With reference to getting into the hopper mid game?. I can honestly say I have never needed to do that on a pinokio, it's never broke a ball or jammed. It's just so simple that it works. The same can not be said for my rotor... But that's another story ;).

The size i have to admit never really bothered me, if your snapping or coming out from the bunker the gun and hopper should be inline with your head/ face. In this posture it makes no real difference how tall the hopper is, in rare cases it will be bigger than your head. But then you must have a pea head surely :/.

Finally... I must admit I don't use it anymore, I sold it. Purely because I still use a vlocity. Which funnily enough has never caused me issues, and until it does I will continue to use it, on that day though I will bin it and start using my prophecy (yes, another loader) again :p
 
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