Halo Too any good?

[Siress]

I don't know why people are saying it's a pain to clean; I found it only slightly more involved than a Revolution.

Relative to this, it's a pain.

[lew]

Relative to this, it's a pain.

No doubt, and I really like what I'm seeing with the Spire series. When in doubt, get both!

[gabe]

Spire IR is an easy pick. Pretty much the standard for hoppers out right now.

On the other hand I've had my current, one, and only Rotor since 2009 and it's been an absolute tank. Zero problems, feeds plenty fast even with the tension screw all the way out and only gets new batteries once a year if that.

Have a Halo in the collection but it collects dust. Seems to work okay with rec grade paint but it's a heavy blender with more brittle paint. Mainly just use it to put on electro gats from the early-mid 2000's for photo shoots.

[ATBen]

I'll probably get the Halo now and something more modern down the line. I don't know why people are saying it's a pain to clean; I found it only slightly more involved than a Revolution.

I just hated all the little bits inside the drive cone/feed tray. The spring under the cone and that little feed gate part with the beads on was such a pain to reassemble. Cleaning is a breeze tho, getting apart and back together on the other hand I didn't like.

The revys are simple once unscrewed in comparison, the motor pops out pretty easy for a wipe down, getting the two halves together without pinch a wire takes some practice, but not bad.

My first gen rotor on the other hand is a snap, and hasn't broken any paint, it all just pops out, no tools, one tab and a button. I can switch between the high capacity shell or regular one (but why would I ever go back to the regular one lol) I only have 2 elecros, a shoebox and a gen e matrix, so all of the above are more than fast enough.

[lew]

Spire IR is an easy pick. Pretty much the standard for hoppers out right now.

On the other hand I've had my current, one, and only Rotor since 2009 and it's been an absolute tank. Zero problems, feeds plenty fast even with the tension screw all the way out and only gets new batteries once a year if that.

Have a Halo in the collection but it collects dust. Seems to work okay with rec grade paint but it's a heavy blender with more brittle paint. Mainly just use it to put on electro gats from the early-mid 2000's for photo shoots.

Any thoughts on Spire vs. Rotor? I think the Spire's 15 bps would provide me with enough of a speed buffer over any rate of fire I might attain, not that I typically shoot fast anyway.

[glaman5266]

The Spire IR is a bit easier on paint. The Rotor is the fastest production loader on the market. Both are durable, but the Rotor is also one of the heaviest loaders on the market, if not the heaviest. The Rotor comes with a spring floor, the Spire does not (have to buy it separately). If weight is not a factor then think the Rotor LTR is the better value, as the LTR has the same guts as the original Rotors.

[Magmoormaster]

Spires have a much wider mouth than Rotors, making them easier to reload. Rotor speedfeeds are a colossal pain to install. Also, Spires never jam. Ever. Rotors can be kinda picky with imperfect paint and/or not fresh batteries.

[gabe]

Any thoughts on Spire vs. Rotor? I think the Spire's 15 bps would provide me with enough of a speed buffer over any rate of fire I might attain, not that I typically shoot fast anyway.

100% agree with glaman. I love my Rotor dearly but if I was to run out and buy a new loader it would be a Spire III or an IR. They're just easier on paint and feed plenty fast and though it doesn't seem like much, the 4oz difference makes the Spire handle much better. I borrowed a CTRL from a friend recently and they're pretty good, just not enough better than a Spire that I'd consider it.

The only reason to go for a Rotor is if you just need an absolute tank of a hopper and/or you don't maintain your gear well. Rotors are like a Revvy, they just work in rain, snow, whatever and you almost never need new batteries. The penalty on the Rotor is weight. Oh, and Rotors have awful capacity stock you can get the high capacity ones but then they get overly large and top heavy. Ironically my 1st gen Rotor won't fit an entire Dye locklid pod unless it's totally empty.

[lew]

Excellent info, folks. The Spire IR looks like a good choice for my situation.

[ATBen]

Spire IR looks solid. I haven't heard many good things about the current or even second gen rotors. I mainly like my rotor cuz of the high cap shell and I got it for $50 lol. And yes, the rotor mouth is a bit narrow for me too. I actually consider it my "light" hopper, compared to my halo or reloader with 6 AAA batteries and a a full paint load.

Let us know how it goes with the spire, I'm always interested in unbiased reviews.

[lew]

For a fee, I can add bias.

Good to know on the rotor. I'll grab the Spire first, then add the Halo if I have money floating around.