Best Pods to Avoid a Pod Apocalypse?

[Meleager7]

So I've had 3 catastrophes with pods since coming back to paintball a couple years ago.

First was at Wasaga Beach big game 2019 , i had a cheapo unknown brand pod with really flexible , flimsy sides. I was in a firefight and was down to my last pod (the cheapo ) and reached for it as the bad guys were starting a push and looked at the pod and it was full of broken paint. I'd been shot in pack earlier and i guess it hit this pod too, and due to flimsy sides, it broke paint in there and I couldn't load it. So I was basically out of paint at this point and had to walk off to go reload. Very frustrating , as I could have hung in that firefight as they rushed, and maybe took a couple out with me, if I had been able to reload my gun. Anyhow, threw that junk pod out as soon as I found a garbage can. I saved the paint of course to try to clean later.

Second pod failure was again at a big game, Flagraiders battle royale 2 2019, and this time i had another old pod - VL brand , with not the tightest fitting lid anymore. I reached for this pod, and with a gloved hand you kind of lose some feel how you've got the pod in your grip, and turns out I grabbed more lid than pod , flipped the lid open as it came out of my pack, and dumped the whole pod on the ground, directly in front of Hidden Hedgehog our General for the day ! Not quite sure how I've avoided one of his blooper reels vids on that one! So I ditched that pod as well.

3rd failure was regular day at Ultimate Paintball Milton, and by this time I had picked up some decent shape Proto pods. The plastic walled sides were nice and sturdy, the cap and hinge were in good shape, and it snapped close with good secure fit. I thought I was all set! fast forward to one of the afternoon games, and i have this proto pod in my pack on the most outside pod holder. As I am crouched down on one knee, I'm sitting back on my one heel , and my heel catches the lid of this pod and strap at same time, both open and I lose another whole pod of paint on the ground ! I was super pissed! I thought I finally had some good pods!??

So at this point I think I am one good candidate for some new locking pods!!!!!!!

What are you guys recommending? They Dye Lock lids look nice but also look bulky and saw some vids they may not fit some packs? The Virtue PF 165s look good too. Anyhow, let me know which locking pods have worked for you?

cheers, M7

[gabe]

Would not recommend DYE lock lids as they are a pain to find the button latch and the bumpy sides make them stick in some pod packs. I've been seeing the cheaper Dye Alpha pods around and they look pretty decent.

[Diesel imp]

so far so good with valken pods
and fatboys, but alas, fatboy pods are an old novelty now

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

Ive seen all types of locklids and regular pods fail and dump. My solution is to just wear my pod pack upside down. Been doing that for ever.

[fullofpaint]

I like the Dye alpha's. A little sturdier lid than cheapo pods and it has a little molded ridge around the tab so it's a lot harder to accidentally pop a pod. Great if you run a strapless pack like me.

[Toestr]

I'd personally stick with the proto ones, since those are pretty sturdy and it sounds like you had a freak incident.

The best basic, 'cheapie' pods I've found are the old JT ones they used to sell at Canadian Tire. Those have 3 tabs (one on each side other than the hinge side) and all have protective 'channels' leading up to them. The plastic is also better than what cheapie pods are usually. Unfortunately, I don't think Canadian Tire sells these ones anymore, and they have a JT branded gxg style.

The only pod incident I've ever 'had' was when my dad was using a gxg pod that was missing 1/5 of the lid on the side and the lid wasn't snapped down all the way on the good side.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[shadow191]

I like the Dye lock lids. As someone mentioned, downside is that the button can be tricky to find but I've gotten used to it and it's easier to find the button than it is to find the tab on a regular pod. And the dimples on the side add some rigidity even though it's a little "bumpy" pulling it out of the pack. Been shot in the pods multiple times and it's never broken the paint inside.

[BenoitOWN]

The old proto pod is the new alpha.
I love them but I also only have one and can’t find that color yet.

I thought I liked dye lock lid but they are getting expensive with their paint dump. Once slipped and fell ... lost 4pods of paint.

[BenoitOWN]

And funny fact is I got it almost 2years ago at wasaga price draws. It was thrown from the roofs with stuff inside.

[Magmoormaster]

Both problems #2 and #3 sound like loading problems, not pod problems. It sounds like you're loading the pod with the tab facing out, rather than in. I've played for 10 years facing the tabs in, and regardless of the quality of the pod, I've never had one come open on me.

As for pods themselves, I'm partial to a set of old Blatz pods I got with some Joey packs. They're next to impossible to find now, but they have the best lid I've ever seen.

[lew]

I've used a crapload of different pods over the years. "Back in the day", WDP Fatboys were tits. Now, I like the DYE Alphas.

[440SUPERCOMMANDO]

the BASE (virtue) pods are jam up! well designed, shrouded tab, good hinge, good lid, pad under the lid, VERY STRONG WALLS, and gimmicky as it may seem, the square profile does EXACTLY as advertised turn 45* for a snug fit in the pack, straight for normal fit.

[jerryjjackson69]

Generic GXG pods are the best. They are also the manufacturer of Valken and some other brands of basic pod. Be careful though, this basic pod is the most imitated as well, and the imitations are always flimsy with lids that break, or open too easy, or the pod is fragile.

[nerdcore]

Same! Even have 100rd GXG pods for pump days cuz they make curve bottoms identical to the standard size.

Also have fatboys but I'm so afraid something will happen to them that they don't even see the field.

[glaman5266]

Generic GXG pods are the best. They are also the manufacturer of Valken and some other brands of basic pod. Be careful though, this basic pod is the most imitated as well, and the imitations are always flimsy with lids that break, or open too easy, or the pod is fragile.

I agree with this. I've been using the plain GXG tubes for several years now & never accidentally dumped one. They lock very securely & seem more durable than other generic tubes. That said, I'm thinking about picking up some Dye Alphas. They look pretty good & I want something a bit more colorful.

The Empire/JT tubes with the channeled 3-tab setup seem pretty good (have 1 in the basement), but I think the lids are just a bit TOO tight. I don't wanna have to wrench on the lid mid firefight just to get the thing open. Might just be me though.

I've never had an issue with the locking lids on the Dye Locklids. I think they're rather nice. My biggest issue with them is they are simply too large. I don't want to have to run my hopper down to nothing just to be able to fit the whole thing in. If I ran a 220rd hopper, OK then. But I use a Revolution or Dye LTR most of the time, so Locklids are a no-go for the size reason alone. They are LARGE.

[gabe]

Agreed with glaman on the locklids. My rotor has to be absolutely empty and the impeller spinning before I can pod with those and not have an extra 20-30 balls in the pod.

But also I hate the little button on the Dye locklids. It's too small, only in one narrow spot, and moves in the wrong direction. Seems like I'm always spinning the pods in my hand to find the button and then trying to get a good grip to push it down to open them.