Dye Lock Lid Review

By Chris DeForge

It’s the big run you’ve been dreaming to make all day. The center 50 has a huge gap in the middle, allowing any sweet-spotting back player to put a rope of paint down the center of the field. You notice that the other team is planning on covering the lanes. You sprint like hell, crouched low, and dive into the moist earth, keeping your barrel high enough above the ground to avoid jamming it full of dirt. You let loose a stream of paint at the standup across from you and watch as a hand flies up, the colorful frontman dejectedly heading toward the deadbox. Nothing can go wrong. You reach in back of you to grab another pod to find that the lids are open and four hundred rounds of your paint are lying back at the center 30.

Imagine how much paint is dropped over the course of a few games? Keep that paint where it belongs!

Enter the Dye Lock Lid pod. The patent pending new pod has been saving thousands of balls across the nation. There haven’t been many improvements to standard reloading devices in over a half decade. “Guppies” to hold 100 balls and the larger, 140 ball carrying “pods” have all employed similar lid systems. The most innovation companies seemed to try were larger capacities and “speed collars”. The Dye Lock Lid combines the desire for a quicker loading system with a large capacity and durable pod.

The special lid is the crowning achievement of the pod. The standard pod has a circular plastic top with a small rectangular tab sticking out. Putting upward pressure on the tab opens the lid. The problem with the tab is that it can be difficult to pop open with one hand or while wearing gloves, and it can accidentally open inside of a pack during a slide. The Dye Lock Lid has a special button mechanism. Simply push down the small, “shield” shaped button on the side and the spring-loaded lid pops up. Push the lid back down and it closes. The pod opens very easily but won’t get snagged on packs and dump your paint all over the ground.

The Dye Lock Lid pod is advertised to hold around 150 rounds but realistically holds 140. A lot of generic pods on the market hold around 10 less than the advertised amount, so the Lock Lid gives you a true 140 capacity pod. The outside texture of the pod is also notable. Dye put plastic bumps all over the outside of the pods to help get a good grip while reloading.

The Dye “lock lid” stays closed in your pack but opens easily with the push of a button.

Unfortunately these pods aren’t perfect. The same bumps that give the pods a nice grip also cause incompatibility with a lot of packs on the market. I tested my Dye Lock Lid in a 2005 Empire Fast Action Pack. While the pod fit into the harness, I had to literally push the pod with a lot of force to get it to come out. This may be fine in a casual rec game but intolerable during a tournament or heated scenario game. There have been reports of tight fits in Dye 03 Attack Packs, NXE packs, and various other popular tourney packs. Check around the forums to see if Dye Lock Lids will fit in yours. There have also been reports about bad batches from the Dye. The test pods I used had no problems at all, but complaints about sticky opening mechanisms defeat the main selling point of the Lock Lid. Additionally, the price for the average rec baller is pretty harsh, with most retail outlets selling the pods in a six-pack for around thirty dollars. Of course it can be argued that the money saved in rescued paint will more than make up for the investment, but the price definitely may persuade people to stick with older style pods.

The “bumps” on the Dye Lock Lid. All of these pods come in see-through colors including clear, smoke, neon green, and blue.

I’d recommend the Dye Lock Lid pod to the serious weekend warrior or to tournament players looking for a great pod. Some players may find the traditional 140 pod as adequate, but the Dye Lock Lid is gaining popularity as they’re showing up in more stores around the country. For durability and quality, Dye pulls through once again.