The Water Warriors Xenon (2016) is a re-release of the original Water Warriors Aqua Master Pre-Charger Xenon (2005) water blaster by Alex Brands Buzz Bee Toys Holdings for 2016. The last time a blaster with the air-pressure-based pre-charger system was released was nearly eight years ago in 2008. The 2016 Xenon uses the same sliding-piston technology as the original, but instead of having a push-button to toggle the pump's function, the 2016 Xenon has a lever that must be manually toggled to switch between functions. Otherwise, the 2016 Xenon functions the same and even retains its light-up electronic pressure gauge feature.

 

The Packaging

The Water Warriors Xenon (2016) is mostly visible in its packaging. However, its trigger and grip area are obscured by the front panel. The window for its separate pressure chamber is clearly visible as is the light-up pressure meter. What is not readily apparent from these pictures is just how wide the Xenon is compared to most other current water blasters. The Xenon (2016) is about 33% wider than the Water Warriors Gargantua.

The back panel shows an image of the unpackaged Xenon along with visual instructions on how to properly pre-pressurize the firing chamber before use as well as how to depressurize the system after use. The back of the package also shows the operation of the colour-changing electronic pressure gauge, but the picture makes it appear like the colours change from green-to-red, but this is not the case.

Unboxed

Free from its packaging, the familiar shape of the Xenon comes into view. With its styling created back in 2005, the Xenon (2016) looks rather different than other modern water blasters and brings back memories to those familiar with the early days of the Water Warriors brand air pressure-based models. The overall shape is arched with very few straight lines and few sharper angles. The colours are actually virtually identical to the Xenon's 2008 version, with the only notable difference being the replacement of the pre-charge toggle button with the lever-based switch.

The Pressure Chamber .:
The 2016 Xenon, as with all the other models in the Aqua-Master Pre-Charger line, has a air-pressure-based firing chamber with a sliding piston that separates the pressurized air from the water.

To pressurize the back-side of the firing chamber, one first lifts the level on the side of the Xenon to change where the pump draws from and pumps into. Then one beging pumping to push air into the back-side of the chamber. For best results, it is also advisable to hold down the trigger to minimize the amount of air trapped by the sliding piston in the forward section of the chamber. After pumping roughly 20 to 30 times, one should feel that no significant amount of air is being pushing into the back of the chamber, suggesting it is now fully pressurized. At that point, the lever should be pushed down to its original position allowing water to be drawn from the reservoir and pumped into the forward part of the chamber. Presuming the back was properly pressurized the front will only take a few pumps before the over-pressure valve activates, preventing additional water from being pushed in.

The benefits to this system are that by separating the pressurized air from water, mist-shots are prevented, the water blaster is much quicker to pump and fire, and there is no angle limitation when shooting. The drawbacks are that it takes a little longer to first prepare the blater for use and the amount of water that can be pressurized at a time is less than expected.

As noted above, the Xenon (2016) retains the light-based pressure gauge. This electronic gauge requires 2 AA batteries (provided) and goes through a sequential colour change from light white-ish to blue-ish to green-ish as pressure increases. As the trigger is held and the generated stream causes a drop in pressure, these colours then go through the reverse sequence. The electronic pressure gauge is activated by depressing the trigger switch position on the rear of the trigger-grip area. As such, one tends to activate this function upon every nozzle trigger press, using battery power when one is not necessarily paying attention to the gauge. Moreover, the light colours used for the gauge are subtle and may not be very clear on a bight, sunny day. This makes the usefulness of this pressure gauge rather limited.

The Nozzle .:
The Xenon (2016)'s single nozzle is powered well by a fully-charged pressurized pre-charger chamber. Interestingly, output measured from the 2016 version is about 30% better than that reported for the original Xenon. Whether this is due to more accurate measuring, variation between specific products tested, or an actual difference between these two models remains unclear. What is clear is that the stream produced by the Xenon (2016) has good power and potency with a semi-short shot time when fully pumped.

Capacity .:
Sporting a mostly-white coloured reservoir on its top, thanks to its slightly wider nature, the Xenon (2016) manages to hold enough water to complete charge its pressure chamber approximately ten times before needing a refill. Doing a fill-pump-and-top-off would provide a User with eleven full shots before needing to refill the blaster. The reservoir is accessed and filled through the Xenon (2016)'s top-rear-mounted threaded and tethered reservoir cap. The cap screws on and off easily and has the preferred simple air inlet valve that allows air in when water is drawn out of the reservoir via the pump, but prevents water from dribbling out of the cap's intake hole when angling the blaster during use.

The Pump .:
The Xenon (2016) has a standard forward-mounted pump. The pump grip is adequate and the stroke length pushes a decent amount of air or water per stroke. As noted above, the lever on the left side of the Xenon (2016) toggles whether the Xenon is pumping air into the back-side of the firing chamber or pumping water (or air) from the reservoir into the forward-side of the firing chamber. The primary fault of the pump, however, is its low clearance as it slides below the nozzle region. Since the pump grip can freely rotate around the pump rod, a mis-aligned grip will hit the bottom side of the front of the Xenon, preventing the pump from moving as easily. If one can keep one's hands straight, this problem may not be noticed.

Ergonomics .:
Same as the original, there are two triggers on the Xenon (2016): one controls the nozzle valve while the other activates the electronic pressure gauge. The electronic pressure gauge is housed within the forward-top portion of the blaster, making it easy to see. Colours change from yellowish to bluish to greeninsh as maximal pressure is achieved. In bright light, however, the different may be a little difficult to discern.

The placement of the electronic-pressure gauge trigger on the back-side of the grip feels somewhat uncomfortable, especially after prolonged use. This placement also means one tends to continually activate the pressure gauge when holding the blaster even when one is not pumping. This will undoubtedly use up the batteries more quickly, though approximate battery lifetime remained unknown.

The bottom of the grip is attached to a forward part of the underside of the blaster. While the area is limiting and may not accomodate larger hand sizes. Older users may find their pinky finger below the base of the blaster when using.

When filled, the Xenon (2016) is decently balanced, but its older design is not as comfortable to hold and use as newer models like the Water Warriors Python 2 or Water Warriors Colossus 2.

Overall .:

In the end, it is still good to see the re-release of an Aqua-Master Pre-Charger water blaster. The Water Warriors Xenon (2016), thanks to its unique pressurization system, performs better than the majority of pump-action water blasters and offers more flexibility than other standard air-pressure water blasters. The Xenon (2016)'s main limitation is its limited amount of pressurized water it can store at any one time, but since it is easily repumped, this limitation is not too problematic. Able to keep pace with most other air-pressure-based water blasters, Xenon (2016) Users should still remain wary of others using large air-pressure water blasters and, of course, large elastic-pressure-based water blasters. That said, in 2016, there are few other available options for new water blasters that fit the above criteria.

Pros

Pre-charge system separates the pressurized air from water, reducing misting and improving general stream performance. Has large reservoir and good pump volume.

Cons

Slight lag when pumping quickly. Relatively low water capacity firing chamber volume. Fairly opaque reservoir makes judging fill level difficult. Pressure gauge requires batteries to function and is not easy to read in bright light, making it of limited use.

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Related Content .:

 Product Listing Page | Water Warriors Product Evolution Tree 

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