Archiving iSoaker.net

Alas, my initial thoughts on how iSoaker.net would be used have not come to be. As my time and interests have drifted elsewhere, I realize the best thing to do is to focus my energies on things that still inspire me and stop burning time on things that just no longer of interest. However, given the amount of content here, I do not simply wish to remove this site. As such, iSoaker.net is going into stasis mode. No new content is planned for the foreseeable future, but the existing content will remain accessible to all visitors.

As for me, I’ll be focusing my energies on iSoaker.com. Soak on!

iSoaker Review Planning for 2016

Water blaster and water gun reviews remain the primary focus for iSoaker.com. However, as the quality and quantity of brand name water blaster models have changed over the years, while we would like to review every model available, budget and time constraints make this goal unrealistic in the near-term. As such, decisions must be made to prioritize review creation.

First and foremost, of course, is whether a particular water blaster model is available. If we cannot get our hands on an item, it simply cannot be reviewed.

Next, we make some initial assumptions on the performance of a water blaster model. Having handled and tested hundreds of different water guns already, we make fairly accurate predictions on how an untested model will perform.

That being said, there are two classes of water blasters that have always interested us. First, as evidenced from the start of Aquatechnology, high performance (e.g. high output, good range) water guns are what inspired the creation of this website in the first place. As such, any water blaster that appears that it should perform well or, of course, to confirm if a water blaster performs poorly, are put higher on the list.

Beyond high performance models, we also have interest in testing unique or intriguing water blaster models. Some water blasters are intended for use by younger users. While such models may not be too useful in large scale water wars, the earlier children are introduced to the joys of water fights, the more likely they will continue enjoying water fights as they grow, seeking out higher performance water blasters once they can physically handle them.

Taken together, we aim to review the models that look like they should be the top performers for their brand. Beyond those, interesting-looking or novel water blaster models may be tested. Time and availability remaining, other less-notable models may be tested and, of course, we remain open to others’ suggestions and feedback if we end up not doing a deep review on a particular model or if a water blaster model is available from another manufacturer that we had overlooked, thusfar.

In the end, we hope to review the most notable of the newest water gun models and fill in more as time and access permits. 2016 looks to be a fun year for water blaster testing at iSoaker.com. Soak on and Leave NO one dry!

Happy New Year – Welcome, 2016

Happy New Year – welcome, 2016!

2015 was an interesting year in the world of water guns and water blasters. Elastic pressure blasters returned with the release of the Water Warriors Waterlord, but it was only available in Canada. The Nerf Super Soaker line didn’t release anything notable for 2015, but information on upcoming 2016 air-pressure based Nerf Super Soaker models appeared in mid-October, one of the earliest dates new water gun information has appeared online.

Granted, by mid-December, iSoaker had the honor of unveiling upcoming Water Warriors 2016 water blaster models.

With samples of both Water Warriors and Nerf Super Soaker brand water blasters already in-hand, though the winter has just begun, we will be busy at the start of 2016 measuring as many statistics and reporting our findings on these new models as quickly as possible.

Beyond new water guns, iSoaker.com, itself, is sporting some revised styling and new features, particular on the Water Blaster / Water Gun Reviews Listing as well as on individual water blaster review pages. More granularity was added regarding how the different pressurization classes are noted and options to sort by them works, too. Specifically, air pressure now differentiates between pressurized reservoir and pressure chamber systems while elastic pressure now includes insight on bladder, diaphragm, and/or spring systems. There are some items where specifics have not been added yet due to some level of uncertainty, but those are mostly for novelty-type items.

2015 was fun, but ’tis now time to bid thee adieu.  All-in-all, 2016 looks like it’ll be starting off great and we hope things get even better as the year progresses!

iSoaker Warriors (Google+) Going into Stasis

After a year-and-a-half, I’m opting to no longer regularly update the iSoaker Warriors Google+ page. Having had parallel updates with the iSoaker Warriors Facebook page, the Google+ page managed to only attract 21 people and only 1 or 2 people replying. The Facebook page now has 125 followers and more replies than I can easily count. Continue reading iSoaker Warriors (Google+) Going into Stasis

iSoaker.net – Sept., 2015 Developments

While I definitely intend to continue writing up more “A Closer Look” articles, with summer coming to a close, the frequency of new articles will slow a bit as work and life are starting to have me a little busier. There are also other aspects of iSoaker.net as well as iSoaker.com that I wish to develop; everything, of course, costs time.

Of course, with autumn approaching, that also means we are getting closer to learning more on what new stock water blasters will be available for 2016.

I am also looking for means to inspire others who are interested to help build this site, but one step at a time.

Soak on!

War Stories / Battle Reports being migrated

The War Stories category is now added as a subsection of iSoaker.net. While iSoaker.com focuses on the technology and gear that make water fights and water warfare possible, iSoaker.net shall look more towards the User-side of the equation. Amongst other things, I am presently migrating old Fan Stories, War Stories, and Battle Reports over from iSoaker.com to iSoaker.net. Once the migration is complete, I’ll be re-directing the link on iSoaker.com to the iSoaker.net category. One major advantage for using iSoaker.net to house battle reports and war stories is that iSoaker.net members have the ability to draft and publish their stories through the website. There has been a lull in war stories submissions to iSoaker.com for a variety of reasons, but hope the development of iSoaker.net inspires others to share their water blaster and water warfare experiences!

Soak on!

100 iSoaker Warriors and counting

iSoaker Warriors (Facebook) now has 100 members. Founded on March 12, 2014, growth has been steady, but increasing more recently. The recent focus on content creation, not just content reshuffling, is something we hope others are finding interesting and informative. Of course, I hope more eventually also enjoy reading our updates and visiting iSoaker.com and iSoaker.net. From the beginning, my goal remains the same: to share my love of water blasters and water warfare with the world and have others enjoy the fun of drenching each other as well.

Soak on! Leave NO one dry!