The Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast is a new pistol-sized blaster for the 2013 Nerf Super Soaker line. While the smallest of the new Nerf Super Soakers for 2013, it appears to also be the only one that uses a pressurization system, albeit neither air nor rubber CPS-bladder technology. Instead, the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast employs a rather Nerf Gun-type spring-based system.

The Blaster ::

Nozzle ::

The Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast features a single, small nozzle. The spring-based firing mechanism used seems barely adequate enough to produce an acceptable water stream. Even though the blaster pushes ~6mL of water per shot, the stream shows notable drop-off with the last drops barely getting any power at all. While lamination on the first part of the shot appears decent, the lack of volume and power really make for an underwhelming stream.

Upon testing outdoors, the stream performance (or rather lack thereof) becomes even more apparent. While the stream from the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast reaches up to ~7.5m (~24'), a decent amount of the stream never makes it that distance, leaving a line from around the 3m mark. Thus, even though one is only shooting ~6mL (~0.2oz.) of water, perhaps as much as 3mL (0.1oz) never manages to get the full distance of the shot. Moreover, there seems to be some issue with the pump not always loading properly even when the reservoir is mostly filled, resulting in unexpected mist shots. This is particularly notable since one will not know one is misting until attempting to shoot.

Pump ::

The Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast features a top-mounted pull-back-style pump that is reminiscent of pumps found on a number of foam dart guns. Akin to a Nerf Dart Gun, pulling the top part back extends a spring while filling a piston-type firing chamber with water. The inner mechanism then locks ready-to-fire upon the pull of the trigger while the upper, outer casing can slide back to its original position. Unforatunately, as noted above, the firing chamber only holds about 6mL (~0.2 oz.) of water; not really enough to do any notable soaking. Furthermore, the spring used seems to have the strength on par with a pistol-sized Nerf dart gun. While fine for pushing out darts that weigh ~1g, the power provided by the spring lags when trying to push out the 6mL (~6g or 6 darts worth) of water out of the nozzle. The tail end of streams made by the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast seem to barely clear the opening.

Of course, as the packaging notes, the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast can be used in "Slam Fire" mode. Basically, by pumping rapidly while holding the trigger down, one can unleash a faster barrage of attacks. Again, while perhaps more useful in a Nerf dart gun, in the case of the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast, rapidly pushing out 6mL bursts of water does not improve its soaking capability significantly. Moreover, in this "mode", due to the top-mounted position of the pump and the blaster's small size, keeping the blaster aimed accurately while firing is nearly impossible.

Additionally, as noted above, the pump seems to sometimes fail to fill the pressure chamber properly when pulling the pump back. This partial fill would occur even when the reservoir was mostly filled with water. This is undoubtedly due to the positioning of the intake versus the natural positioning one may use when re-priming the blaster. The problem here, apart from the result mist shot, is that one does not really know that the chamber is incompletely loaded until one attempts to blast.

Grip ::

The trigger and grip area on the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast, like the rest of the blaster, are well moulded and quite comfortable to hold. Again, Hasbro Inc. spent a good amount of time refining their triggers and grips.

The Reservoir ::

The reservoir on the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast opens on the front and holds ~122mL (~4oz.) of water. Oddly enough, the cap of the reservoir does not allow air to enter if properly tighened and there appears to be no other valve or opening to let air enter the reservoir as water is pulled out via the pump. As such, as the reservoir is drained, the reservoir ends up under negative pressure. Luckily (?), since the reservoir volume is not too large, it does not collapse inwards, but it does make opening the cap a little tougher. As well, this negative pressure does not appear to affect the pumping mechanism too much, either, since the pump only draws a small amount of water at a time.

Overall ::

As a whole, the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast is a solidly built blaster with nice styling, but lacking on available power. Its single nozzle produces mediocre streams since the pressurization system lacks both volume and potency to keep the stream solid even for its rather short duration. The Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast is perhaps useful solely for very small or indoor water fights wherein one does not wish to get anything significantly wet. However, due to its lacking performance, using the Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast even as a back-up for a larger engagement is not really worth its weight.

Pros

Nice styling, sturdy build.

Cons

Stream very small and suffers from drop-off. A significant amount of water never reaches full range. Very limited pump volume and low spring power results in very limited soaking capabilities. Pressure chamber not always filled properly by pump, resulting in mist shots even when the reservoir is mostly full. Reservoir lacks inlet for air causing reservoir to become negatively pressurized as it is emptied. "Slam fire" mode not particularly useful.

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Related Content .:

 Product Listing Page | Nerf Super Soaker Product Evolution Tree

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