As some have already seen, the review of the Water Warriors Waterlord is now posted on iSoaker.com. The Waterlord is the first rubber diaphragm-based water blaster to be produced by Buzz Bee Toys Inc. since the injunction imposed on them back in 2010. For various reasons, the Waterlord appears as if it will be only available at Walmart Canada in 2015, but with luck, it will appear on shelves in the US for 2016.
Being the first Hydro Power-based blaster available in awhile, there are definitely some tweaks that could be done to improve this and future Hydro Power-based water blasters. Perhaps the most notable area of improvement would be an increase in the largest nozzle setting’s diameter. I recall having past discussions with Buzz Bee Toys about optimal nozzle diameters and have heard the concerns about making a nozzle too large that range would drop significantly. However, from the feel of the power available from the Waterlord’s pressure chamber, it seems like it could easily support a nozzle double-the-size of its largest setting.
As well, while the Waterlord has great capacity for a water blaster this size, it also makes it significantly heavier. As such, the value of a shoulder strap becomes much more apparent.
In terms of burbling noises from the reservoir cap when pumping, while annoying in one sense, it is also the price paid for having the reservoir be that much larger. If the reservoir cap was placed directly on top, this would have reduced the volume since the overall height of the blaster is constrained. Perhaps, for non-pressurized reservoir, the cap could be mounted horizontally by creating a depression in the reservoir, but this would impact capacity available.
In the end, there are always ways to improve water blasters, but it is also refreshing to see a company trying to bring back technology and performance that is known to work well, but left unexploited for the past several years. With luck, not only will Buzz Bee Toys’ designs improve, but perhaps other manufacturers will follow suit, making higher-performing water blasters. My hope is for competition and high-performing retail water blaster availability will help re-grow the desire by the overall consumer population.
May this be merely the new beginning.