The Nerf Super Soaker Rainstorm is a new syringe-type water blaster model released in 2022 by Hasbro Inc.

Brief Overview .:

Unlike the Nerf Super Soaker Torrent, at least the Nerf Super Soaker Rainstorm is roughly the size I expected after first seeing initial preview pictures from the Internet. The Rainstorm is nearly twice as long as the Torrent and has a slightly better feel. Unfortunately, like the Torrent, this water blaster leaves much to be desired.

While the initial pictures of the Nerf Super Soaker Rainstorm made me guess that this water blaster would have a "shower-head" arrangement of small nozzles, this is no correct. Instead of nozzles covering the firing-region of the water blaster, the 60+ nozzles are arranged in a running-track-like organization. However, if one looks more carefully at the shape of the front of the Rainstorm, you will notice that there is a ridge that extends forward from where the nozzles are positioned. Since this is a syringe-type water blaster wherein filling and firing are done through the nozzles, this ridge causes problems which are described in the next paragraph.

One feature that is notable in a good way is the design of the pump-grip. This grip's design gives the user a number of options to hold the grip, allowing one to select which holding style one prefers. Unfortunately, the rear-most part of the grip is a little too short for accomodate larger hands comfortably, since there are multiple ways this grip can be held, chances are one can find a comfortable positioning of one's hand somewhere on this grip.

Unfortunately, like the Nerf Super Soaker Torrent, the Nerf Super Soaker Rainstorm dribbles. A LOT. After drawing in water the first time and holding the blaster level to the ground, water soon begins to flow from the lower nozzles. Undoubtedly, the upper nozzles allow air to enter the upper portion of the pump chamber since there are no valves, allowing water to exit the lower nozzles more easily. While it does not appear to complete drain, I would estimate that half to 1/3 to 1/2 of the pump chamber can dribble out of the nozzles. Thus, to get the most from the blaster, one must load and blast it nearly immediately. However, even the act of filling is thwated by the design elements of this blaster. Regarding that ridge that defines the outer border of the nozzles, because it extends forward, when one attempts to fill from a bucket, bowl, or pool of water, there is a air gap/bubble created that is very difficult to avoid, making one draw in a sizable amount of air into the pump chamber. This air can be readily felt when blasting with the Rainstorm and this water blaster's performance additionally suffers from it.

Upon drawing in water again, I found that my hand on the pump grip was getting wet. It appears that the seal for the pump rod, likely being a more rectangular shape, does not seal well and allows some water to get to the backside of the pump after a blast. Thus, when drawing in water a second time, some of the water that got trapped in the backside of the pump splurts out when the pump rod enters the blaster. This is made worse given that one wishes to fill more quickly to prevent water dribbling out, making a bigger backside splash. In short, expect to get yourself wet when using the Nerf Super Soaker Rainstorm. The final annoyance from water ended up on the backside of the pump is that it also becomes much more difficult to dry out this blaster after use. It took me several attempts and shaking the blaster with its pump extended to get the trapped water out.

While holding a larger water blaster feels more fulfilling, having a larger cross-sectional area for a syringe-type water blasters significantly divides the force one applies when blasting. Compounded by the air-intake problem, it is difficult to create a forceful blast from the Rainstorm's nozzles. While getting hit by this many streams would undoubtedly soak someone rather quickly, this water blaster's functional range is very limited.

* Note: at present, this blaster is being kept in its original packaging and iSoaker.com has no plans to do additional testing

In the end, the Nerf Super Soaker Rainstorm remains more of a novelty water blaster and does not perform as well as one would hope. Its build appears to have a number of technical problems. On top of that, the dribbling issues further reduce the fun and utility of this water blaster. Perhaps best used for casual water fights where refilling sites are ample and most combat is close-quarters, the Nerf Super Soaker Rainstorm is likely outclassed by all but trigger-based water blaster.

Pros

Multiple streams can readily drench a target within range

Cons

Poor range; very difficult to avoid drawing air into pump chamber; significant dribble from the nozzle after filling; large pump means power-per-nozzle ends up low; pump seal imperfect resulting in water getting into the back-side of the pump

Images

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Related Content .:

 Product Listing Page | Predicting Pump-Action Performance

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