Note: this review has been edited reflecting better (working) test samples. Thanks to Boley for sending them out for free, and for looking through the batch numbers to try and pin down what went wrong!
The Electro Surge is a nice callback to classic soaking, with the tactical shape (though thankfully bright colors) and a battery-powered mechanism. It doesnt compare to the soakers we love to use, but it hits 20 at the press of a button. For its a great option for the little kid that just wants something that fires a stream on command.
It Looks Nice
Judging just from the looks, the blaster is certainly appealing. Its brightly colored, but has the shape of a bullpup firearm. Although the front grip is a little odd, larger hands may find the thumbhole and main handle too small. However, smaller hands and children would feel right at home. The magazine at the back is decorative. The blue reservoir, however, is the blaster’s stock. As long as the angle is right, water will flow from the reservoir’s rear end. Although the plastic is cheaper than soakers from major blaster companies, it’s largely due to the fact that different plastics are used. For what needs to be accomplished here, its more than sturdy enough.
The blaster uses 4AA batteries and has a waterproof compartment at the front. As the trigger sits near a simple contact switch, it barely moves.
Part 1: Why Does This Thing Not Work? What Is It?
After blasters 1 through 3 failed to fire, I decided to open the blasters and find out what was happening. The blaster (in theory) has one motor driving a basic gear pump water should flow around the outside of the gears as they spin, and go from the inlet side (reservoir hose) to the outlet side (nozzle). The suction action should create a vacuum that brings water forward for firing, but it didn’t. Even if I did something silly like suck on the nozzle to prime the pump manually, it would not fire the gears just spin in place without any water moving. Clearly, the pump casing didnt actually seal against the gears. After a lot of emailing with the manufacturer, I was able to get samples from another area. They were literally taken from a Walmart shelf in California and sent to me.
Part 2: Ok, I See What’s Supposed To Happen
These worked very well once I had new samples.
Sure, youre only firing a few mL per second, but 4 AA batteries can only do so much pumping. The blaster didnt appear to bog down when the trigger was held down for an extended period.
