These are the most common hoppers you will see usually on rental equipment or with a marker package at a store.  They are basic gravity feed and will feed consistently around 5 BPS using only gravity.  The two most common sizes are 200rd and 50rd.  The smaller 50rd hoppers are great for pump players who want a low profile for their marker becuase they usually dont shoot fast enough to need a motorized hopper.  One of the main drawbacks to these hoppers is the paint will get jammed up trying to get through the feedneck and you have to shake the hopper a bit to get it feeding again.

The Proto Primo is Protos' answer to an inexpensive loader that still feeds well with no batteries.  Their design features a 'shelf' in the bottom of the hopper to relieve pressure on the paint in the feedneck.  It still holds around 180-200 rounds but they claim it will feed at 10 BPS consistently becuase the paint is funneled into the feedneck and you don't have to shake the hopper to unjam it.  A great innovation, they work quite well on pumps as well as mechanical semi-automatic markers.

The Empire Overdrive Sonic is a design that was first introduced by Extreme Rage.  It is a battery operated agitation style hopper.  Once turned on the cone inside the hopper constantly spins to keep the paint moving and, in theory, feeding consistently.  It has 3 speed settings on the switch on the left side of the hopper (slow, medium, fast) and claims it will feed from 9 - 13 BPS.  Due to the fact that it never stops spinning it can be slightly annoying to hear the motor running constantly and it will eat the batteries if left on all day.  It holds around 175 rounds and is a relatively inexpensive motorizred hopper however personally I suggest skipping over this model.

The Viewloader Force and Viewloader Eye Force are the newest generation of the original Revolution and EVlution style hoppers from the late '90s and early '00s.  They both are quasi-force feed loaders with soft paddles that push the paint into the feedneck of the marker.  The Force, like the Empire Overdrive, turns on and constantly spins to keep tension on the paint and to keep it feeding.  the Eye Force has a break beam sensor in it that will stop the hopper from spinning when it sees that the paint has stopped moving and is blocking the sensor.  The reason I say these are 'quasi-force feed' is that they just use soft plastic paddles to push on the paint and they don't keep a constant tension on the feedneck stack.  They claim feedrates of 18 BPS from the Force and 20+ BPS from the Eye Force but in reality probably hover around 16 - 17+ BPS.  They are ok hoppers overall, personally I would choose the Eye Force over the regular Force just because of battery savings.

The Kingman Fasta loader is from the same company that makes Spyder paintball markers; this is their answer to the hopper market.  The fasta is offered in several configurations for different players and needs. You can get an LED Model in 9 volt or 18 volt with just a simple on/off button and LED power indicator, there is also an LCD model in 18 volt with a screen on the back that has a battery indicator and game timer built in.  It is an agitation style hopper with an innovative catch cup design that allows it to feed at a pretty fast rate; they claim 30 BPS but it's more like 22+ BPS.  For a while the 9V LED model was the only approved hopper for the Woodsball Tournament League because it claimed 12bps feed rate which was all the league allowed.  They are overall a pretty good hopper and feed consistently due to the design of the catch cup and fins on the motor.

The Empire Halo TOO is the newest incarnation of the original Halo B design.  This hopper takes many of the upgrades that Empire has designed for the halo and put them all under the hood of this new loader while changing a couple classic features to keep it affordable.  This hopper is a truly force-feed design with the drive cone and motor keeping tension on the ball-stack in the feedneck and forcing the paint into the marker.  It comes with a sound activated programmable board eliminating the need for eye sensors to detect when to feed, the Empire Freeway anti-jam ramp to keep the paint from jamming in the catch cup, and a 'belt' driven motor/gear set that I have never seen fail in 8+ years of using them.  The only complaint I have with these loaders is the plastic they use for the shells is not as strong as the original polycarbonate and I have seen the shells crack on the feedneck more often than the originals.  That being said this would definitely be my favorite loader under $80.

This is the newest generation of the very first Force Feed paintball hopper.  It has 9 years of innovation and design built into it and remains one of the best tried and true designs on the market today. This uses most of the same, but updated, technology that the original Halo B used;  Break Beam eye sensors, Rip Drive to un-jam and feed if batteries die, Victory V-35 6-speed circuit board, spring-loaded drive cone for constant force-feed tension and a 6-pack AA battery compartment.  These claim feed speeds of 35 BPS which I would actually believe as I have personally tested them up to 30-32 BPS on several markers.  They are great for any mid-end to high-end marker and will feed as fast as you need for any situation.  I still use these hoppers as my go-to feeder, the only drawback is taking them apart for cleaning if you break paint inside.

This new loader from Valken was released in 2011 and uses very similar technology to several other loaders from the past with a lot of nice new innovation to boot.  It's not a force-fed loader, but more similar to the Kingman Fasta in it's catch-cup and impeller design. It's very soft on paint and does not jam with normal paint or re-balls.  The company claims 20+ BPS but in my testing I think it works perfectly for 12.5 BPS with PSP ramping but for 15 BPS+ in semi it isnt as consistent as other high end loaders.  It uses two 9 volt batteries which don't last as long as some other hoppers but it will definitely last for a weekend of play.  The best thing about this hopper is it's completely tool-less disassembly; it can be taken completely apart in under 15 seconds to clean and service.  It's a great hopper for mechanical markers or PSP but for high rates of fire there are better loaders on the market.

The Pinokio is a truly unique modular hopper shell design, the internals however are very similar to the Fasta, VMax, and even the older Ricochet hoppers.  It comes from the factory with the standard nose cap which will allow the hopper to hold 220 paintballs but you can also install the included extended nose cone to up the capacity to 400 paintballs.  It feeds around the same speed as the Fasta at 20+ BPS due to the soft impellers and the catch cup design.  Great for scenario and woodsball players who want to have a massive capacity loader so they can keep from having to load as often.  There is also a new version in the works which will make it's appearance here once I have more details.

The Prophecy Z2 is the newest high end loader from Empire Paintball.  It takes its roots from the Halo Feed System to the next level and perfects it for 2012.  It has a completely tool-less design for easy disassembly and cleaning and a thick high-strength plastic feedneck that will never break.  It runs on four AA batteries housed in the nose section which last for at least 2 months of weekly playing and will feed easily at 35+ BPS.  It features a sound activated board that starts feeding every time the board hears the marker fire and a tension clutch system that stops the hopper feeding as soon as it feels the stack stop moving.  It also features the famous Halo-Style Rip Drive for feeding if you run out of batteries as well as electronic anti-jam buttons on the back of the hopper to quickly spin the motor in reverse to clear a jam.  The only annoying thing I've found with this hopper is that since it comes apart to several pieces, if you break paint inside it there are more crevices to clean out.  That being said I think this is one of the most well designed hoppers on the market today and will work great in any application.

Many view the Rotor as the quintessential paintball loader.  It is the product of 5 years of design and testing and backed by one of the largest companies in the industry, Dye.  The rotor is a really simple system, single button for on/off, tool-less disassembly, three AA batteries that last at least 2 months of weekly playing, no eyes to get dirty, finger-pull quick anti-jam lever, feed rate of 40 BPS (caught on high speed film), durable polycarbonate shell that will never crack, water and heat resistant...need I go on?  They are currently on Generation 3 of this hopper with the newest re-designed corkscrew to prevent jams, the feed system works on a motor-tension sensor that stops feeding as soon as the paint stops moving in the feedneck, very reliable.  The only drawback to this hopper really is the price, at the end of 2011 Dye raised the price to close to $200 from the original price of $160 which keeps it out of reach for a lot of players.  If you can afford one though they are great loaders.