The Pinokio Hopper
Designed by Evan Estrate and released in 2007 the Pinokio hopper makes a statement that few can argue with. In it’s standard configuration the Pinokio holds just over 250 paintballs which in itself is a tad more than the competition. But the Pinokio’s party trick is it’s removable top plate. This can be replaced by a nose (hence the Pinokio name) that bumps the capacity of the Pinokio up to a whopping 400 rounds.
Utilising two 9 volt batteries and turned on by an on/off button located on the back of the loader, the Pinokio uses a bend sensor located in the neck of the hopper to detect paintballs. The Pinokio feeds at over 20bps so it’s no slouch either and in my experience gentle on paint and very reliable. Personally I believe that it was one of the best hoppers available in its day even though I never used the “nose”.
Pinokio Hoppers stopped production of the original Pinokio in 2017 and the company was acquired by HK Army in 2018. Luckily for fans of oddball paintball gear, HK Army re-released the original Pinokio in 2020 so it’s still around today.
Perhaps the Pinokio’s motto should have been “Nothing Succeeds Like Excess”.