Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

General water gun discussion.
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ncog
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:00 pm

Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

Post by ncog » Sun Nov 01, 2009 10:12 am

Hello, I currently have my eye on several soakers on Trade Me (New Zealand's equivalent to eBay). Living in NZ, Trade Me is my only real option since buying soakers in the US from eBay (or commercial sites) is unrealistic because of the massive shipping costs ($55USD to ship a CPS 2500, and $51 for an Overload) and besides, I wouldn't really be prepared to shell out the money required to get any of the great old CPS soakers...I have a (broken) 1200 and 2100 which I intend to fix and bought a working 1000 last week on Trade Me anyway (lucky, since according to my research, Trade Me has only had 10 or so CPS soakers listed over about 6 years). These are the soakers on my watchlist:

NIB:
- Vaporizer (2009)
- Bottle Shot (2008)
- Helix twin pack (soakertag version)
- Arctic Blast
- 2x XP 215s (2009 - different colours)

Used, but allegedly in as-new condition:
- WW Hydro Pulse
- XP 20

Now, as a little background, I was into water guns a lot back in 2003 and still my soakers from back then (CPS 1200/2100, Max-D 5000/6000 etc) though most of them are now broken. I grew disenchanted with water guns in 2004 with the arrival of the pathetic EES line. In the past few weeks I've become quite heavily into soaking again after some nostalgic memories were triggered by an impromptu water-fight. In the last week two major store chains over here have had sales on water guns so I've bought a LOT of recent WW soakers (+ the SS 50 and Quick Blast), and have been impressed by them. Now that I own most of the worthwhile soakers that are available in my town (NZ doesn't have too great of a soaker selection, in saying that though I've found the majority of the WW 2008/2009 line here), I've begun to consider buying some of the worse Super Soaker on Trade Me.

I fear that this is simply for the sake of buying more soakers rather than for any specific purpose, and would therefore like some advice on some modern soakers that I have mo experience with. I'm also organising a casual water-fight at my old high school this summer in December (yes, it's summer over here soon!), ideally two teams, 10 v 10, and though I have told everyone that they need to have a water gun of their own to participate I'm sure I'll end up lending a few of mine out. I'm only planning on lending out piston guns however since it wouldn't be very nice to reward the people that couldn't be bothered getting themselves a soaker with something decent, plus I'm quite paranoid about lending my important/good soakers out due to past experiences involving reckless friends. Currently I have the WW Shark + Steady Stream and SS Quick Blast as valid lending options.

Now, here are my motivations for considering to purchase the soakers on Trade Me (I'll list their individual prices as well as shipping costs in NZD, don't bother converting it to USD or anything though because though they are horrible prices when compared to US soaker prices, for NZ they're reasonable prices and I wouldn't be considering them anyway if they were too expensive. Also, the Vaporizer/Bottle Shot/XP 215s are listed by the same selling so if I won more than one of those auction I'd only pay the $6 shipping that I've included in their prices below once):

- Vaporizer ($25.50)/Bottle Shot ($21) /Helix Twin Pack ($46): The primary reason I would be buying these would be to:
a) lend them to others for the upcoming water fight, and
b) take with me on my new years trip, where a group of my friends are going tenting in a warm area up north. I want to take a few soakers, but obviously none that I am especially fond of or anything due to the risk of theft/breaking.
However, these above functions are also served by my Shark/Steady Stream/Quick Blast, so I'm thinking they're probably just a waste of money (especially the Vaporizer and Bottle Shot, which seem like pretty rubbish soakers). The Helix however could be cool to have simply because it's slightly different and is allegedly one of the better modern soakers, possibly used as a close-range backup or something (though really, I doubt I'll be participating in serious water wars that require that sort of thing anytime soon, or ever sadly due to lack of that sort of interest). Being piston soakers, there's not much in the way of mods that you can do to them either. At the moment I'm thinking I'll avoid the Vaporizer/Bottle Shot but am still in two minds about the Helix twin-pack.

- Arctic Blast ($39): I would be buying this specifically for modification. I've never done any mods before, but am eager to get into it. In saying that, I'm not overly confident with my skill in that area (as evidenced by my blunders in my XP 110 repair thread) so would not want to attempt any risky mods on any of my 'important' soakers (CPSs, larger WWs) until I was more confident. For this reason I'm considering buying an Arctic Blast, and attempting a PC expansion and nozzle drilling, using Ben's Arctic Blast mod as a guide. This is because the Arctic Blast doesn't perform very well in its stock form anyway so if something when horribly wrong it wouldn't be the end of the world. One thing to be considered however is the fact that my planned Arctic Blast mod looks a lot more complicated than the mods I would likely go on to performing on my 'important' soakers (k-mods etc), so possibly isn't the best first mod to cut my teeth on. Maybe it's better to start with something hard though...?

- 2x XP 215s ($21): I already have one original 215 and one 2009 215 (but in a different/worse colour than the ones listed) so this would likely be overkill. However, I do love the 215s and the possibility of having a 4 person free-for all indoor battle with 1x 215 and 1x WW Power Shot each is nearly irresistible (even though it likely would never happen). I'd mainly be getting these for the different colours and the fact that 215s are awesome.

- WW Hydro Pulse ($10): I haven't been able to find any reviews on this soaker, it's basically a small 1L backpack with a small piston gun attached. I quite like the idea though because it could make a good backup for a casual urban water fight (like the one I've got planned in December) if I can figure out somewhere to stow the gun while it's not being used in battle. It's very cheap thought and has allegedly only been used twice, so I'm fairly certain I'm going to buy it. If anyone has had any experience with it I'd still love to hear though.

- XP 20 (about $10): Though the reservoir sticker has been pulled off, this is allegedly still in as new condition so I'm considering getting it as a possible small sidearm for the December event + its nostalgic value and rarity (though I don't exactly collect soakers, if I buy one it will be primarily for the purpose of using it...) It only performs a bit better than the XP 215 though, of which I already have 2 and can fit in a pocket better. Therefore I must concede that it'd probably be mainly for the collectors value that I'd be getting this.

Overall I think I've had a bit too much fun buying some really solid new soakers over the past week and am now only considering these ones on Trade Me for no reason other than a slight obsession really. I don't want to be buying soakers simply for the sake of it, unless they're either worth the purchase based on performance (by that I mean performance relevant to other modern soakers, such as the higher end WW ones) or a specific use. What do you guys think I should do based on the descriptions above? I don't want to buy them all and then regret it, which could easily have happened if I'd gone ahead with it without thinking it over first.

Also, if anyone's had any experience with any of these soakers and can offer any advice that'd be great.
Is the Helix really a worthy purchase, or simply a bit over-hyped because of the useless Super Soakers that surround it?
Are the Vaporizer and Bottle Shot so redundant that they should be overlooked entirely? (That's what I'm thinking at the moment anyway...)
Does the Arctic Blast have true potential when modified, and is Ben's mod a good starting point or simply too hard for a beginner? If it is, are there any alternative mods to it that can still be fun and useful to increase my modding experience?
Is 4 XP 215s too much?
Are Hydro Pulses so bad that I should actually decide against getting one for so cheap?
Is the XP 20 a worthy light sidearm choice, or just a monstrous XP 215 (based on isoaker's stats it doesn't seem to be very much better than the 215..)

I've made sure that all of the sellers listing new water guns are happy to give returns/refunds if I buy a soaker that is defective. I know that this is probably not the best place to ask advice on modern soakers since this is an enthusiasts forum that has largely boycotted Hasbros releases for the last few years, but surely some people have at least used some of them. Cheers, and sorry for the massive post!

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cantab
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Re: Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

Post by cantab » Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:15 pm

The Arctic Blast is a great gun. If you can hit someone with the flood blast you WILL drench them. The mere threat of it can drive an enemy away a bit. The only drawback is it, like all Super Soakers using Max D valves, is prone to breaking (mine's broken).

There's nothing smaller that shoots better than the XP215. But of course you have some already.

Those are the only ones I've used.

The XP 20 might be decent. The Hydro Pulse is a glorified squirt gun I think. The Vaporiser and Bottle Shot are pretty average piston pumpers. The Helix's gimmick is cute but of questionable usefulness.

Oh, and as far as I'm concerned "as new" is meaningless. If it's not in its box with all packaging intact, it's used.
I work on Windows. My toolbox is Linux.
Arsenal:
Super Soaker: XP215, 2xXP220, Liquidator, Aquashock Secret Strike M(odded), Arctic Blast M, CPS1200, CPS2100, SC Power Pak, 3l aquapack, 1.5l aquapack
Water Warriors: Jet, Sting Ray M, Shark, Argon M, Tiger Shark, PulseMaster
Others: Waterbolt, The Blaster, Storm 500, Shield Blaster 2000, generic PR gun, generic backpack piston pumper (broken), 3l garden sprayer M, 10l water carrier:

ncog
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:00 pm

Re: Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

Post by ncog » Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:00 am

Thanks for your advice. At this stage I'm thinking of going with the Arctic Blast + Hydro Pulse and am still considering the XP 20 and 215s; the others I have ruled out. The Hydro Pulse may end up being terrible, but since it's selling for 20% of its retail value, works fine and has "only been used twice" I think I'll get it regardless (that can satisfy the "reckless piston gun purchase" criteria..)

Also, I've just learnt that the CPS 1000 that I have already bought has a stress crack on the nozzle meaning that a small jet of water sprays out the side. I'm still going to get it ($32) but just hope I can fix the problem somehow before it gets worse. Once I receive it I'll take a look at the nozzle and post a thread in the repairs section if the problem seems out of my league!

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C-A_99
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Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:09 pm

Re: Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

Post by C-A_99 » Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:16 pm

As I said at iSoaker, I'd completely avoid the Helix, Bottle Shot, and even the Vaporizer. Actually, it's best to focus on the higher end blasters, particuarly the CPS line if you can. If you need a piston that badly though, go for the Vaporizer or Sneak Attack. (from what I heard, the Sneak Attack is a pretty good piston gun) The bottle shot seems to be a bit flimsy, though one or two have said that it's not as bad as it looks but I think all of those piston guns are overpriced.

Perhaps those guns would be great for casual/light blasters only wars though (including the zombie game I mentioned at iSn). I just always prefer pressurized blasters in "combat" since they do the job cleaner and better.

VAJMH
Posts: 217
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 7:48 am

Re: Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

Post by VAJMH » Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:52 am

I'm all for the Arctic Blast, but I think that's been said already. The vaporizer and bottleshot are piston based and not so great without large arms. The XP 20 is a nice pistol too.

However I must diverge from the consensus here and say that I am a fan of the Helix. It's a great emergency/close in weapon. The water output is quite good and distance is respectable. I wouldnt go into battle armed only with a helix, but the gun is pretty light and its gimmick actually works well. The blast of a CPS 2500 can be dodged. A shot from the helix cannot. I'd reccomend it if you enjoy stealth and up close combat such as ambushes at a water fill station, etc.

What you really need to do though is find a way to get ahold of a medium or heavy assault gun, which it seems youre lacking. In my experience the 2100 and Monster X are easy to find and not ridiculously expensive. The XP310 is also another gun you should have a go at. Keep an eye out for those, focusing on the 2100 and the 310.
Last edited by VAJMH on Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Personal Collection: Monster X, Monster XL, Helix, Triple Shot, Aquapack Devastator, Liquidator, Arctic Shock, Shot Blast, Splazhzooka
Super Soaker 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 100, 200, MDS, Bow & Arrow
XP 20, 35, 55, 70, 75, 85, 105, 110, 150, 175, 250, 270, 275, 310
CPS 1000, 1200, 1350(1-3-5), 1500, 2000, 2100, 2500, 2700, 3000, 4100

ncog
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:00 pm

Re: Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

Post by ncog » Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:20 am

Brief update; I won the Arctic Blast auction, and since that seller was also selling the Helix pack, managed to leverage a better price for the Helix pack too.

I'm not going to get the Bottle Shot, but am now considering the Vaporizer again (partially because I've found out the seller has the nicer 2009 colour variant that is mainly blue). Still in two minds about the 215s and XP 20, I'll see if the sellers offer them for cheaper once the auctions end.

After this I think I'll stop buying soakers for a while (unless a CPS or something comes up on Trade Me) and focus on fixing my broken XP 110/Max-D 5000 + 6000/CPS 1200 + 2100. I'm looking forward to modding the Arctic Blast too.

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cantab
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Re: Modern soaker advice; what should I buy (if any)?

Post by cantab » Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:41 pm

One simple mod with the Arctic Blast - after removing the outer cover, the neck of a 2L bottle fits snugly over the flood nozzle. Glue it in place, and you can then use drilled bottle caps as nozzles. Seems to work moderately well, although the amount of dead space is a bit of a problem, and I was never able to fully test it because of other faults with the gun. You should be able to get something like a 5x, maybe 10x stream.
I work on Windows. My toolbox is Linux.
Arsenal:
Super Soaker: XP215, 2xXP220, Liquidator, Aquashock Secret Strike M(odded), Arctic Blast M, CPS1200, CPS2100, SC Power Pak, 3l aquapack, 1.5l aquapack
Water Warriors: Jet, Sting Ray M, Shark, Argon M, Tiger Shark, PulseMaster
Others: Waterbolt, The Blaster, Storm 500, Shield Blaster 2000, generic PR gun, generic backpack piston pumper (broken), 3l garden sprayer M, 10l water carrier:

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