The HK Army Pinokio 250/400 Hopper!

Sometimes a paintball product comes around that just doesn’t fit the mold. In the world of paintball loaders and paintball hoppers, that product is the HK Army Pinokio hopper! Originally created by an eccentric inventor who played paintball and fell in love with the game, and marketed by him for several years, the west coast giants at HK Army have resurrected the Pinokio 250/400 paintball loader and given it new life – and for the players who know its capabilities and performance this is great news. If you’re new to the HK Army Pinokio paintball hopper read on to learn why this odd-looking loader soldiers on today on the top of paintball guns around the world!

What’s in a name? When it comes to the Pinokio Hopper, the name is everything! If you read “Pinokio” and it conjures images of the Disney boy whose nose grew whenever he told a lie, you’re on the right track. The HK Army Pinokio 250/400 is so-called because in its standard configuration, it carries an already-impressive 250 .68 caliber paintballs in a lightweight shell. However, with the push of a button the front nose cone pops off the hopper’s shell and can be instantly replaced with its included Pinokio hose cone that, once installed, enables the hopper to hold a whopping 400 rounds! That’s right – its nose grows. So Pinokio. That’s out of the way.

A gimmick like a paintball loader with a growing nose wouldn’t have lasted over a decade in the game if the rest of the hopper didn’t work. The good news there is that the performance of the Pinokio Hopper is outstanding! Unlike other loaders and paintball hoppers, the HK Army Pinokio 250/400 paintball hopper manages to feed well over 20 balls per second, but is not, in-fact, a force feed loader, meaning it is much gentler on paintballs as they feed than many other options! Rather, the Pinokio hopper utilizes a bend sensor placed in the loader’s neck – this sensor detects each paintball as it passes by on its way into the paintball gun for firing and sends a hard-wired message to the loader’s board to spin its agitating arms to keep the paintballs feeding consistently. This technology has the secondary effect of helping the Pinokio hopper be extremely efficient on batteries – 2 9volts will power a Pinokio paintball hopper for days of play!

Constructed of polycarbonate and using 2 9volt batteries for electronic power, the HK Pinokio Hopper is extremely light at barely a pound! The Pinokio is also simple to operate – a single button at the rear of the shell turns the loader on and off. While the Pinokio loader is delivered with a flip-lid that snaps securely closed, numerous companies including HK Army and Exalt make universal Speed or Quick feeds to fit, making reloads much faster and easier. Changing batteries with the Pinokio is as easy as pull the battery door, located at the bottom underside of the shell, backwards and off, replacing the two batteries and getting back to playing paintball – no need to dismantle the whole loader like some other models. Speaking of dismantling the loader, it isn’t necessary. Even cleaning the internal components of the loader is as simple as opening the flip lid, pulling off the front nose and lightly spraying the internals down with a few sprays of warm water, wiping everything out with a soft cloth or paper towel and putting it back together.

Unique, simple, reliable, lightweight and affordable, the HK Army Pinokio 250/400 hopper is a great product that has stood the test of time and is back by popular demand thanks to the people at HK Army! Players looking to shoot fast and carry more paintballs than their opponents in a simple, reliable and efficient package need look no further than the Pinokio Hopper.