We've got the Powerhouse Counterpunch regulator which is your high-end regulator option on the paintball market right now. The counterpunch regulator is your tried & true option offering stainless steel construction and it is USA Made! The customer service at Powerhouse is also very good which helps with any issues, but we can honestly say that not many counterpunch regulators have had issues that we have sold.
The new Hook regulator is a more budget friendly option because it is made of aluminum instead of stainless steel. It is offered at $99.95 instead of the $180 price point of the Counterpunch. You are still going to get great build quality from Powerhouse but overall reliability and longetivity may be less because of the wear that will happen with the aluminum construction versus the stainless steel.
Some other important distinguishing things of the Counterpunch regulator is that it will include an Infamous regulator case as well as many different color options. The Hook regulator will only be offered in black and will not come with a regulator case to aid with cost savings.
With these things considered, the main point is that the internals and threads of the Counterpunch are stainless steel. The stronger construction of stainless steel will not allow for the threads to wear over time of screwing into your marker's ASA. Aluminum over time will definitely wear and the cartridge (or entire regulator) will need to be replaced. This makes the Counterpunch very appealing because it basically will never fail/wear. I've had my counterpunch for probably at least 2-3 years now and my threads still look brand new.
We have seen the failures of the aluminum construction with Ninja regulators over time. The aluminum on them started to wear & rust over time. We would expect over time to see this with the Hook regulator but it should take years for this to happen.
Other things to consider between these regulators is that the Counterpunch regulator offers a direct fill port meaning it bypasses anything in the regulator. The hook regulator offers the standard fill port and the direct fill port is a superior design on the Counterpunch. A few other differences on the hook regulator is inside the piston is going to be an aluminum and the jet is also aluminum. The jet on the hook regulator is not going to be replaceable.
So from a longetivity perspective, the Hook regulator offers quite a bit of reliability but the aluminum internals and threads are going to need to be replaced at some point compared to the stainless steel parts of the Counterpunch reg. You may have to replace the gauge or fill nipple on the counterpunch eventually from wear and tear, but the stainless steel parts should fail less than the aluminum parts of the Hook.
The position of the fill nipple is still adjustable with the Hook reg similar to that of the Counterpunch. This is a premium regulator feature. Output pressure on the Hook is also adjustable from 450-650 PSI which is perfect for most modern paintball markers. Adjusting output pressure is even easier due to not needing a special tool (simply remove or add shims) as with the Counterpunch regulator. The Counterpunch regulator does allow for more accurate output pressure adjustments as you can turn the adjustment to whatever output pressure you would like within the pressure range.
Both regulators have wave springs which allows for better consistency.
In summary, the Hook reg is going to offer great performance but may need serviced more frequently. The Counterpunch regulator offers stainless steel parts, more custom colors, and great reliability in the long run. Expect 3 to 5 years worth of performance out of the Counterpunch without having to replace internals. The Counterpunch will most likely perform better in severe hot or cold due to being stainless steel.
