Battle of the Squirt Guns: MXL, Monster, Blastmaster

General water gun discussion.
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ZOCCOZ
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Battle of the Squirt Guns: MXL, Monster, Blastmaster

Post by ZOCCOZ » Sat May 06, 2006 12:16 am

I posted this one 2003 on WWN, so this might be new for some of you. The results also might suprise you.
Battle of the Squirt Guns 2001
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SSCBen
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Post by SSCBen » Sat May 06, 2006 1:37 pm

Back then, I remember looking shortly at the article, but now that I read it again, a few things seem to really stick out, and I'm not talking about how they switched the Monster XL and Monster images by accident in the comparison.
“Originally, we felt our audience stopped at (age) 11,” says Al Davis, executive vice president of Larami, makers of the Super Soaker line. “We found that was not true.”

The revelation came about four years ago, he says, when the company took its water guns to Florida for spring break. They were a big hit with the college crowd.

Mr. Davis doesn't have figures for how many adults buy and use water guns, but from all indications those numbers are on the rise. Larami has begun making commercials targeting that market, he says.
This seems to be exactly the opposite direction Hasbro has been taking the Super Soaker brand. Yes, they still take their water guns to spring break for "the biggest water fight around" or whatever they promote it as, but I am sure that the college-age kids would much rather take a real CPS to today's water guns any day.

Good to see that a straightforward water gun such as the Blastmaster is well represented. Then again, given the competing water guns, I suppose it wasn't hard for the Blastmaster to win in their opinion. The only other straightforward water gun there was the Monster which would have won in my book, but I suppose they really think that size and price matters.

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ZOCCOZ
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Post by ZOCCOZ » Sun May 07, 2006 1:26 am

Didn't the management change in Hasbro happen somewhere around 2003? I think back then alot of changes happened in the different Hasbro toy line sections.

First time I read the article I thought it was total bull, also seeing those guys as somewhat wussie for complaining about the MXL weight as adults. Then after actualy having used a Blastmaster 660, I now can understand their point of view. Now having said that, those users clearly lacked experience. If putting the MXL on single 5X nozzle only, then pumping would have been less problematic. 40 pumps will get around 14 seconds, while only 20 pumps will get 7 seconds. Thats some prity good shot time for only 20 pumps.

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Sun May 07, 2006 2:17 am

I think part of the change in Super Soaker's attitude is due directly to Hasbro. Larami didn't mind the mass market for high-quality soakers, but as control eventually shifted (completely) to Hasbro--who catered primarily to young children--features and safety became "more important" than power and such.

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Flannel
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Post by Flannel » Sun May 07, 2006 2:34 am

Anybody in that picture from the forums?

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Sun May 07, 2006 3:03 am

That's actually the question I though of in the beginning. I'm not sure if one of them is Zoccoz, whether he is the reporter, or if he has absolutely nothing to do with the article.

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Post by ZOCCOZ » Sun May 07, 2006 3:21 am

I have nothing to do with the article other than first posting it in the Forums. Plus at the time the article was written (2001) I was 20 and didn't give a rats bottom about soakers anymore.I lost interest with 15, and got hooked again with 22. Ironicaly skipping the whole CPS experience when it first came out.

[Edit]: I also forgot to mention that I have abit of a better clothing style than those dudes in the article, which can be seen in the Photo Album.

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Flannel
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Post by Flannel » Mon May 08, 2006 2:42 am

The link looks cool man, looks cool... :)

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Post by joannaardway » Mon May 08, 2006 11:13 am

It goes to show that you don't have to have the biggest soakers to have a reasonable shot at winning.

However, there's nothing wrong with lots of waterpower.
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