New Evlution 3 Paintball Loader

As tournament level paintball markers became faster and faster, players were looking for better ways to keep paint in the air and in their feednecks. The Evlution II, popularly referred to as the “Egg” due to its shape, filled a niche above the traditional Viewloader Revolution. For some time the Evlution II was one of the premier loaders for fast tournament play until the dawn of both forcefed loaders and “lower end” electronic loaders began to fill the market. The Evlution II still sells on the new and used market as a reasonably priced loader quick enough to feed mid and high end markers.

Viewloader had not marketed anything new in the form of electronic loaders (with the exception of the Viewloader Quantum) until the release of the VLocity. Shortly after the VLocity Junior and wide-mouth shell kits were introduced, along with the XSV VLocity which came with an angled lid and rechargeable battery pack. An entry level replacement for the revolution, the Viewloader Force, was also introduced. These new products represented the higher and lower end of the loader market respectively. The Evlution platform has thus been revamped and released to occupy the “mid-level” loader market, providing a fast loading platform with a price to satisfy those who aren’t looking to spend 90 to 110 dollars on a new loader.

The Evlution III features the same design as its predecessor internally, but comes pre-equipped with a faster board (as opposed to the Evlution II, which had to be upgraded with a Y board). Viewloader advertises a 23 ball per second feed rate, four balls per second faster than the Evlution II though the actual feed rate is probably slower. Six blades push balls into the raceway, and a vision-eye detects whether or not the loader should feed paint. The eye does detect dark colored paintballs. The lid is also the same as the Evlution II, a plastic door which pivots against two screws and locks into place. Out of the box however, the springs carry a lot of action and so the door will quickly and forcefully slam to a close so the user should exercise caution in placement of their fingers during the loading process.

The Evlution II back in 2002 was released to address the weaknesses of the original Evlution. The Evlution III still includes a battery spacer to ensure the 9 volts fit well in the battery door and have constant contact. Still, EGG2 users frequently had to use duct tape or other modifications to keep the battery door affixed to the loader, as it frequently would partially break or would not sit flush with the loader resulting in poor battery contact. The Evlution III features a simple locking lever which securely holds the entire battery door into place. This lever is easy to open and close but requires sufficient enough force that it should not open by itself.

The feed rate on the Evlution II was also adjustable via a variable resistor on the side. The Evlution III comes with a white dial which is more prominent and easier to access on the side. The side of the loader also still features a low battery LED indicator which may explain sluggish feed rates.

Overall, the “Egg” is still an Egg. The Evlution III does not introduce force feeding or any complete redesign and still exists as a cheaper alternative to a VLocity, but a step above the Quantum and VL Force. It has a very respectable free fall rate regardless and I had no trouble putting out quick streams of balls when tested on full speed setting on an Eclipse 07 EGO. Still, the Evlution III like its predecessor tends to make the gun a bit back heavy, especially on today’s increasingly smaller markers.