Whether you are looking for your first loader or are considering an upgrade, these are my recommendations for loaders in 2025. Much like our picks for guns under $500 we pulled these prices off of ANS gear but we have no affiliation with them

Under $50

Protoyz Speedster

The Protoyz Speedster is currently on sale for $34.95 at ANS Gear and that essentially clears the field. There are no other loaders worth mentioning in this price range while that sale is going on. It is a bit on the heavy side but it is built like a tank, battery efficient, and loads fast enough for the majority of those on a budget. These were around $100 for a while and generally considered a fine choice at that price, but with this price drop they make everything else in this price range hardly worth looking at.

The one runner up to consider, especially if that sale price ends, is the Valken Vmax+. Its internals look suspiciously like my old View Loader Evolution but has shells that aren’t made out of Kinder Surprise chocolate. It loads faster and is lighter than the Speedster so at $49.99 it is worth considering, especially if you are using a marker without eyes.

$50-100

Empire Prophecy Z2

This was one of my favorite loaders on the market when it first came out. Mine has lasted years despite shells that are a little weak for my liking. It loads faster than you will ever shoot and looks good doing it. ANS Gear has some new old stock of these and they do pop up elsewhere from time to time. There are lots of options in this price range including the Halo Too and the Sonic, but my pick is still the Z2 while supplies last.

The true runner up would be a used Rotor, original or LTR.

$100-150

Three great options

The race is much tighter in this price range so we are going to do a top three.

In third place is the Rotor LTR. At $109.95 the Rotor is your best option if you are running a mechanical marker. It seems counterintuitive to need a faster loader for mechanical play, but when you are using a marker without eyes force feed loading becomes a must. The Rotor is not a bad choice for an electronic markers either but with modern play using 10.5bps its speed is a bit wasted. It does not include a speedfeed but they are inexpensive to add, just know it does lack the quick change option of some of its cohorts.

In second, a new contender in the JT Triad. The first run of Triads had some odd issues that soiled their name a bit, but by all accounts this has been rectified. They are essentially an updated Prophecy Z2, but slowed down to 15bps. This makes them more than fast enough for bother mechanical and electronic markers with less risk of jamming. They come with a speedfeed, rain lid, and spring ramp installed. This makes them a great option for the money at $149.95 and has forced other companies to step up their game.

Lastly, in first place is the Virtue Spire IR2 SE. The SE version of the IR2 solves its main drawback by coming with an installed spring ramp that should have been included from the start. It also comes with a speedfeed and lid, making it a great value at $129.95. This strikes me as Virtue’s answer to the Triad and I am happy to see it. Ignore the regular IR2 unless you have a specific speedfeed you are planning to pick up.

$150 and above.

There are some great options for $150+…… and I cannot recommend any of them. There are little to no features of the higher end loaders that I feel justify their price. The Spire V is a great loader but other than looks and a slightly higher capacity it is really hard for me to justify spending nearly twice the price of the IR2 SE. The Rotor R2 is known to have some quirks compared to the LTR to the point where you will see many of the Dye sponsored pro players opting to use the LRT over it. The extra features like the expandable capacity is good in theory but other features like the Reload Alert System are often turned off or ignored.

Don’t get me wrong, the top end loaders are all going to perform great on the field, they just won’t out perform anything in my $100-150 recommendations. If you are the kind of player happy to spend extra for fancy milling or anodizing these higher end loaders are aimed towards you. Want to spend an extra $100 for the perfect looking Spire V to match your new marker? Go for it, just don’t expect actual performance improvements once you cross into this league of loaders.