picked up an orca

General water gun discussion.
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mike2
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:00 pm

picked up an orca

Post by mike2 » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:17 pm

Since I'm new and really don't know much about super soakers. My question is this: why don't we see more super soakers anymore? They started getting big....now you don't see many of them. Which is why the older ones that were considered "the best" are going for 100$ plus on ebay. Since I don't have that kind of money I went out to walmart and chose the best one I could find. It's the orca by water warrior. I just tried it out and i guess it's all right. I have nothing to compare it to. Be nice if I had a 2500 or 3000 and base my review off of those but oh well. All in all it gets the job done. What do you expect for $20?

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Drenchenator
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Re: picked up an orca

Post by Drenchenator » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:35 pm

The Orca is definitely the best out there at the moment. Compared to the other guns out right now (especially those from Hasbro) it blows them out of the water.

The nozzle selector is the big thing. I hate the two-valve thing that Hasbro has going now, so the Orca's nozzle selector is great. It offers some change in output, though not much--according to iSoaker, the smallest nozzle gets .73 oz/sec while the largest gets 6.93 oz/sec.

It shoots about 35 feet, which is more or less good enough--but not in the 40s like most of the CPS line. It has great capacity in both the chamber and reservoir, equaling or better than the CPS 2100. The Orca is likely the only water gun I will buy this year if I do buy one--frankly it's the only one I think would be worth buying! It's not the same as a CPS 2500 or 3000, but as you said, "It gets the job done."

There are several reasons for the low quality of guns in recent years, most of which are outlined in the two quotes below. The first is from Ben's Introduction to Water Guns; the second is from the General FAQ.
Hasbro owns the Super Soaker line. Recent Super Soakers and other water guns have been a far cry from the peak of 1996 until 2002. There are several reasons that are not completely clear for this.

First off, Hasbro itself buying Larami did not translate into a change in water gun design. Hasbro has owned Larami since 1995, but they did not completely absorb Larami until 2003 when the name Larami ceased to exist. Those who place all the blame on Hasbro don't realize that all of the CPS series was produced under their watch. However, the complete absorption of Larami seems to have coincided with a change in water gun design.

What is clear is that larger water guns do not sell very well. Combine that with the fact that larger water guns take up more shelf space, larger water guns translate into less profits for retailers. Unlike what you may believe, retailers have a lot of leverage in what can sell. Back in 2004, we were told that the "price limit" by consumers was set at $20 and that water guns had to be smaller than those in the peak. Anything higher than $20 simply wouldn't sell.

What seemed like complete flops to hobbyists like the EES line, the Oozinator, and AquaSquirtz, were likely attempts to sell to the market. Children are today's water gun market, sadly.

However, recent times have made those justifications seem less likely. In 2007, a water gun called the HydroBlitz was released. The HydroBlitz is similar to the CPS 1500 in size, but definitely not performance. The HydroBlitz retailed for $39.99, which is twice as high as the supposed price limit. Hasbro also revealed that their 2008 Nerf line will be more targeted towards adults. We do not know what Hasbro's plans for the future are, but they appear to be trying to break into the market with larger, albeit underpowered, water guns.

Are the days of big water guns behind us? No. Older water guns can be bought used from yard sales, thrift stores, and eBay. Homemade water guns are popular choices. And I wouldn't count the market out either. In 2004, the CEO of Buzz Bee Toys who make the Water Warriors line of water guns asked hobbyist if they would be interested in a high powered water gun that would sell at sporting good stores to an older audience. And this website, Super Soaker Central, is going to start a business selling water guns. The current trend is towards better water guns.
The manufactures have drifted from the "big and powerful days" of the late nineties for a variety of reasons. Most of the reasons deal with the retailers and what they want. Retailers can't easily sell expensive toys. Moreover, the big guns take up a lot of shelf space. The retailers thus can't stock as many products. The cost of materials also has risen. Lastly, the audience of water guns is mostly younger kids.

These reasons are not completely solid though. In 2007, Hasbro released the Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6. This Nerf gun is over three feet long and costs $29.99 USD. A topic at NerfHaven also revealed that Hasbro is targeting older audiences now because games like Assassins are popular with Nerf guns on college campuses.

In all, they still may make weak and small guns because those maximize their profits.
Last edited by Drenchenator on Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The Drenchenator, also known as Lt. Col. Drench.

mike2
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:00 pm

Re: picked up an orca

Post by mike2 » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:58 pm

Great post! I don't feel so bad now about picking up an Orca. You're right though! It's the best thing out there as far as "new" goes. & they changed the cap around which was great. I'm going to try out the different nozzle settings. On my dog of course lol.

emperor_james
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Re: picked up an orca

Post by emperor_james » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:05 pm

I just bought a Water Warriors Krypton, and I actually prefer it to the Orca, because it is significantly more powerful and more comfortable to use overall.

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Silence
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Re: picked up an orca

Post by Silence » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:44 pm

The Orca gets good range and has clean streams, and it's somewhat cheap, so it definitely has value. But I miss the buck and the feeling of power that you get from CPS water guns. :)

The Flash Flood might be better on that front, but it isn't being produced any more. You can still buy them new, though.

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