I Bought A Knock Off Odin Innovations Speed loader, But Is It Any Good?

The Odin Innovations speed loader is easily the best purchase I’ve made in airsoft.

It saves me so much time loading my midcap magazines between games that I’m able to use to take a drink of water, talk with friends or just relax. In the last few years, I’ve seen a lot of knock offs enter the market. I’ve yet to have an issue with my Odin so I’ve never thought of replacing it, but curiosity got the better of me. So, that begs the question: just how bad are the knockoffs?

*Update* YouTube has decided this video is age restricted and is not eligible for monetization. You’ll need to be signed into YouTube to watch this video :/

Compared to the real Odin, it didn’t take long to notice a difference in quality. The quality of the plastic on the knockoff is much worse than the real Odin. If you’ve been playing airsoft long enough, you know that there can be a huge difference in the quality of plastic from brand to brand. It felt like it had a cheaper finish, and I’ll go as far to say the plastic was more brittle. I’ve had my real Odin for years; it’s been dropped, thrown, rattled around in my bag and it still looks pretty good. The knockoff looked pretty rough and had some visual marks after only a few weeks. I didn’t get any cracks, but it feels like it would be much easier for the knockoff to break.

This damage happened in the first day, just keeping the loader in my backpack.

The most important part of the Odin style system is the crank. You rotate it in a circular motion to load the BBs into the magazine, and because you’re supposed to rotate the handle fast it’s the part that has the most stress during use. It uses the same plastic as the body which was not a good sign. Unlike the real Odin, the handle freely swings out when not in use, and after only a few weekends the screw for the handle was already pretty loose.

As for the internals, the two systems are different. Typically the knockoffs can hold 1,000 BBs while the real Odin holds 1,600 (or 1,200 with the silencer insert.) Externally they are both the same size and can fit into a double M4 magazine pouch. I decided to test both the knockoff and real Odin with the same magazine, a 150 round PTS Enhanced Polymer Magazine (EPM) midcap. The real Odin loaded the magazine almost 3 seconds faster than the knockoff, but it was much smoother when loading. This was the most noticeable at the end of the magazine because the knockoff became very choppy near the end of the magazine. Because it gave me some resistance, I got a little concerned I could break the handle.

So would I recommend a knockoff? Well that depends.

If you play airsoft often, purchasing the real Odin is absolutely worth the money. Since I purchased mine, they have gone down in price about $20 which only makes them an even better deal. The Odin works well, is reliable and was designed by an airsofter just like you and I. The only way I’d recommend the knockoff would be if you don’t play airsoft very often, or you’re brand new to the hobby. It’s not much more money for the real Odin Innovations Speed Loader, and the quality and usage you’ll get out of it will be worth every penny.