Disaster is too Appropriate

The only thing that the Flood Force Hurricane and Flood Force Tsunami are accurately about in their names is that they are both disasters, albeit unnatural ones. Though both are pressurized reservoir water blasters, they perform so poorly that I end up longing for a pump-action water blaster when testing them out.

Baffled by how a pressurized water blaster can yield such pitiful power and have so many problems, I opted to open up my Flood Force Tsunami to look at its internals. Continue reading Disaster is too Appropriate

Spring Cleaning @ iSoaker

Though the temperatures in the forecast remain near-freeze for the upcoming weekend here, it is time for me to do a little spring-cleaning of my collection and prepare for the “On-Season”. Warmer weather should just be a week or so away (though there remains the chance of chills for at least another month).

For spring, I don’t dive into everything, but I go over my active armoury an ensure all water blasters are in good, clean, working condition. While I do clean and empty my blasters prior to storage, a few months in a box can still result in some dust accumulation (and the occasional spider web if my storage area isn’t sealed tight). It’s also the time I make decisions on what new blaster may be worth adding into my active armoury and what, if any, blaster should be moved from active to long term storage.

What do you do with your armoury at this time of the year?

Waiting for Warmth – Need to do Range Testing

While we had a fairly mild day last week (temperatures got above 10C), it’s been below or only barely above freezing here ever since. While not too bad by itself, combined with the wind, while part of me wants to do range testing on the newest water blasters I’ve added to my armoury, Mother Nature just isn’t permitting that just yet.

Looking ahead in the forecast, things don’t appear to be getting warm enough until at least the latter part of next week. Of course, though, there’s also the problem of rain for Spring. Range testing in the rain, while not impossible, is not as accurate (nor as fun) as a nice, sunny, calm wind day.

I’m hoping for a good weather break in the next couple of weeks, but only time (and Mother Nature) can tell.

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Hoping for another warmer, sunny day – with a little luck and some spare time, I just might be able to do a little range testing on some water blasters today.

Pressure is NOT always Better

So much for my Pressure is Better article.

Being curious about Target, which used to carry one of the best selection of Super Soaker and Water Warriors brand products, now stocks their seasonal shelving with Nerf Super Soaker and Flood Force-brand water guns.

For 2015, Nerf Super Soaker appears focused solely on style and pump-action-type water blasters. The Flood Force brand, made by SwimWays Corp., offers some fairly decent-sized water guns that actually use air pressure to create their streams! Might this be another good alternative brand to check out? Continue reading Pressure is NOT always Better

Water Gun / Water Blaster Buying Guide for 2015

The iSoaker.com Water Gun / Water Blaster Buying Guide for 2015 is now posted.

Aimed at those looking for advice on how to get the best water blasting for the buck, this guide strives to balance objective performance statistics together with cost and user preferences. What is the best water gun for one is not necessarily the best blaster for another.

Of course, while every water gun has its use somewhere, the water blaster models we try to recommend are ones that are more flexible on the field.

In the end, individual preferences may have you choose one of the models not recommended, but it is always better to know your options to improve your ability to make the best choice for YOU!

Soak on!

What make one pressurized water blaster superior or inferior to another?

Note: This article was written by The Oncoming Storm – it is being reposted here since the forum it was originally posted on is being closed.

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Duelfest back in 2013 had some interesting results that haven’t been looked into all that deeply

The results to which I an referring are those of the modern AP guns that were tested, Namely the Gorgon, Colossus, and Colossus 2. Here are their results against each other.

Continue reading What make one pressurized water blaster superior or inferior to another?

Pressure is Better! But why?

When talking to a new or even semi-seasoned casual water gun user about the options available, I often hear many of the following thoughts:

“I like this water gun. It’s simple to use and shoots with every pump!”

“I don’t like water guns that I have to pump so many times before it will even work. Talk about being slow to respond when someone is attacking you!”

“This pump-action water blaster gets basically as much range as that pressurized water blaster. Why should I spend more and not get any real range advantage?”

When there is time to explain and show side-by-side comparison of pump-action version pressurized water blaster performance, most will understand the advantage of pressure. However, anyone have additional ideas on how to better inform others on why we should really demand more pressurized water guns from manufacturers and retailers alike?

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Buzz Bee Toys Inc. Website updated for 2015

Buzz Bee Toys Inc.

While it happened about a week ago, for those who haven’t seen it yet, Buzz Bee Toys Inc.’s website was updated for Spring, 2015, including pages for their newest Water Warriors water blaster models.

While the site, itself, remains very basic in terms of functionality, I will admit it is at least easier to navigate than the 2014 version of the site that took ~4 or more clicks to actually reach a product page.

That said, while the new Water Warriors items are ok, it would have been nice to see a new truly-pressurized water blaster released. Then again, I probably understand better than most the challenges they’ve faced and some of the reasons behind the lack of a new pressurized water blaster at this point in time, but that is the topic for a future post.