Interesting Trigger System

[sbell25]

I was in Target the other day, browsing the toy section. Practically no water guns, save for a couple of Lanard pistols, and seeing the price I decided to give them a try.

I ended up buying an Aqua Rebel and an APS X3.5, and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed. They are very nice little guns. Anyway, I was having trouble identifying the trigger system on them. I initially thought it was a pinch trigger, however it didn't quite feel like the trigger on my SS 60 so I decided to open up the Aqua Rebel and have a look. I don't believe this trigger system has been described before:



From what I could gather, it works like a pull valve but in reverse. The yellow part on top is the bottom of the tank. Rather than water pressure keeping the valve closed, it's trying to force the valve open. The arm is attached to a powerful spring (which you can't see in the picture) which pushes on the valve pin, keeping it closed. Pulling the trigger rotates the arm away from the pin, allowing the water pressure to open the valve. You can't see it very well, but there's a hose underneath which leads to the nozzle.

This system is quite good, as it's completely silent to operate, doesn't kink like a pinch trigger and looks to be pretty reliable. Judging from the feel of the trigger pull, my XP 215 uses this system too. Has anyone else come across something like this before?

Edit: here is the iSoaker.com review of the Aqua Rebel, for those who haven't heard of it before.

[Silence]

Thanks for the pictures! I do admire your ability to tell that it's not a pinch trigger just from the feel...I can only distinguish between Max-D and normal spring systems.

Where's the connection to the nozzle? Is there a tube that goes through the reservoir and into the valve?

From what I can tell, the valve is a completely rearranged pull valve. A diaphragm or piston probably presses onto a single face which contains both the inlet and outlet. That would seem to justify the use of a spring to keep the valve closed (since the pressure isn't pushing from behind).

[sbell25]

The hose is underneath in the picture and is directly connected to the valve, and leads off to the nozzle.

As for being able to tell that it wasn't a pinch trigger, the main thing I noticed was that pinch triggers sort of rotate, whereas this trigger moves back in a straight line. My thinking is that any trigger that feels like a pinch trigger but moves straight back, is probably one of these (unless it's a ball valve like BBT uses). I'm not 100% sure, but I think that some of the later XPs like the 215, 220 and 240 use this sort of valve.

How you described the valve's operation is exactly what I was thinking. I really like this system, although the only problem I can see is that it wouldn't scale up in size very well. Having a larger sealing face would mean a greater force trying to open the valve, so you'd need a more powerful spring making the trigger hard to pull. But for pistols that don't need high flow, it's perfect: reliable, easy to pull and silent.

[Silence]

I thought I had replied to this thread, but I guess I didn't.

Thanks for pointing out the valve's outlet. I guess it does make sense to put it on the side. Having two openings on a single face (as I had suggested) would definitely limit flow even more, unless it's designed like coaxial cable, which is just more complicated.

Do have any insights about why the valve is so quiet? I simply don't notice little sounds like that in any water gun, so I wouldn't know.

[sbell25]

I think the reason the valve is so quiet is because it opens as slowly as you pull the trigger: the water pressure eases the valve open as the arm moves away from the pin. It doesn't open very suddenly like a pull valve, which makes that distinctive 'thonk' noise.