The Water Warriors Orca is the largest of the Water Warriors blasters released in 2007, replacing the Water Warriors Blazer. The Orca features numerous improvements over the Water Warriors Blazer's design. Unfortunately, the Orca also has some shortcomings, reducing our opinion of this otherwise good blaster.

The Blaster ::

Nozzle / Firing Chamber ::

The Orca features a nozzle selector with 5 nozzle settings: 4 varying stream sizes and one fan setting. Selected nozzles are powered by what appears to be a dual Hydro Power chamber (though some report that the dual chamber is actually just a single, dual-bulbed chamber). Stream size selections vary from a small, water conserving stream to a large, drenching stream. Oddly, the order of the streams on the nozzle selector is not intuitive as nozzles are not ordered by increasing sizes. As well, the nozzle selector does not seems to effortlessly align in place; a misaligned nozzle selector results in water spray coming from between the blaster and the nozzle selector as well as a poorly formed stream. As such, some care is needed when switching between nozzles to ensure the desired nozzle is both selected and aligned properly. However, once aligned, all nozzles function well.

Nozzle performance is as follows: the smallest nozzle definitely conserves water, but feels too low in output for a blaster this size; the two middle-sized nozzle selections have a similar feel in terms of performance, though one is definitely pushing out more water than the other; the largest nozzle setting unleashes a substantial stream, yet oddly feels not as forceful as other soakers with similarly sized nozzles; and the fan setting feels a little on the weaker side, but delivers a horizontal, spreading fan that can coat a wider area, though at ranges much shorter than the stream settings.

As in earlier water blasters, the trigger mechanism opens variably depending on how much the trigger is depressed. Because of this, stream power can actually be controlled to some extent, though it also means that one must ensure one is pulling the trigger completely to achieve full power out of the selected nozzle.

Pump ::

The Orca features a common forward-mounted pump the glides smoothly and works well. Due to the shape of the pump grip, it may get a little slippery if one's hands get wet. The pump rod is slightly on the soft side meaning that it may bend slightly during pumping. This should not cause any problems, though one should be wary not to overstress the pump rod which may lead to strain on the pump seals or even rod breakage.

One minor gripe is that the size of the grip means that is glides quite close to the bottom of the forward part of the blaster at the end of the pump motion. As such, if the pump grip is not aligned, it will hit the bottom of the Orca. Additionally, loose clothing can also get caught between the pump grip and the blaster.

Triggers / Grip ::

The trigger and grip area on the Orca is simple, yet functional. The trigger, itself, is pulls smoothly and the grip area offers a decent amount of space, though some with particularly large hands will be constricted by the base of the blaster. On the bright side, the electronic pressure gauge activation button has been moved from behind the grip as in the Water Warriors Blazer to onto the right side of the soaker. This prevents unwanted activation of the gauge as well as eliminates the problem of skin chaffing due to the previously poor positioning of the gauge activation trigger. The only drawback to this change is that the button placement works well for right-handers, but may be a little more awkward to use for left-handed individuals.

The Reservoir ::

The reservoir on the Orca, unlike most fixed-reservoir water blasters, is situated on the back, underside of the reservoir. This arrangement may have been intended to facilitate filling from some sinks, but has resulting in some undesirable consequences. Firstly, as others have noted, when air is being drawn into the reservoir during pumping, the Orca makes "whale" noises (though here, at iSoaker.com, we think it sounds more like a dolphin *smile*). Noise level seems to vary depending on the speed of pumping as well as amount of water remaining in the reservoir, but it can be rather distracting as well as a problem for those who are hiding during a battle, not wanting to give away their position due to unwanted blaster sounds.

As well, with the cap on the underside the reservoir, it must be securely tightened to ensure it does not leak. During testing, even with a properly secured cap, some leakage through the cap's one-way valve was observed.

Perhaps the most concerning problem with the cap's placement is its proximity to the pump's intake tubing which lies just forward of the cap's position. Oddly, unlike the Water Warriors Blazer that has a fixed bottom opening, the Orca uses an intake tube to draw water from the reservoir into the pump. As air enters through the cap during pumping to replace the water being drawn out of the reservoir, it seems that some of the air bubbles entering via the cap are subsequently drawn into the pump, leading to unwanted air being pushed into the pressure chamber. This unwanted air reduces total amount of usable pressurized water as well as causes some frothing in the streams. A little care is needed when pumping to avoid drawing in air.

On the bright side, total reservoir volume is larger on the Orca when compared to the Water Warriors Blazer, allowing one to soak a little longer on the battlefield. However, as an intake tube is used, a little more water in the reservoir will not actually be usable as well.

Note: the later generation of Orcas had their reservoir cap moved to the top of the reservoir, eliminating the burbling issue.

Overall ::

As a whole, the Water Warriors Orca is a decent, potent blaster. Its electronic pressure gauge is not particularly useful as most would simply pump up the PC until the pressure-release valve kicked in, but at least it is no longer activated with every trigger pull. While its power and assortment of streams offers an excellent amount of flexibility on the field, some of its design flaws results in the Orca getting a poorer overall rating than it could have gotten.

Pros

Nice styling, clean lines, and good solid feel to the soaker. Electronic pressure gauge button moved away from the grip and no longer activated every time the trigger is pulled. Streams produced have great, solid feel to them. Five nozzle settings allow for plenty of flexibility on the field depending on the situation. Reservoir volume expanded, yet blaster still feels well balanced. Has a strap to facilitate carrying and use.

Cons

Cap on underside of the reservoir, resulting in pumping noises and some potential leakage problems. As well, bubbles drawn in through the cap can end up pulled by the pump into the PC, resulting in poorer stream performance. Bottom-mounted fill cap does not offer substatial improvement in terms of ease of filling. Grip area limiting and may pose a problem for those with larger hands. Electronic pressure gauge requires batteries to work; gauge activation button easier to use for right-handed users, but may prove more awkward for left-handed users.

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Related Content .:

 Product Listing Page | Water Warriors Product Evolution Tree 

Water Warriors Hydro Power Based Systems

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