Pick three (3) new water blasters

[isoaker]

I did not completely ask the question I had intended in the Nerf is "best-performing brand" at Hasbro thread. As such, for my own curiosity, what are YOUR picks as the most interesting new water blasters for 2016. Some of the new models can be found on the iSoaker.com Product Review listing, but that is not an exhaustive listing of all new items that may be available in stores. I will be adding to that listing with another brand's items soon.

That said, what are your picks for the top three (3) new water blasters of 2016?

Update: I'll give this thread two (2) weeks from its initial post before tallying results.

[jja]

1. Tornado Scream
2. Squall Surge
3. Gargantua.

while the Water warriors products offer a better price to performance ratio the UK will likely receive 2016 water warriors blasters in 2018/2019, it is also likely we dont get the entire selection, so they are less interesting as they do not currently factor in my area of play. The Tornado Scream and Squall Surge both interest me because they are available, but primarily as it has been a long time since a pressurized super soaker has been made. These blaster easily seem potent enough to field against Colossus 2s and Shot Blasts which are the common primaries in my wars. I would be interested to see if the tornado scream gets a significant change in range if the sweeping nozzle is plugged to put more potency in the main stream, this is why it get #1 over the more practically configured squall surge.
Hasbro may be reacting to the CPS patent expiring by upping the performance of their blasters, but to maximize profits in small increments of performance, such there are many cycles of blasters being superseded by more potent ones, also it is then less obvious to the consumer that previous products have been less potent than can be produced.
The Gargantua would be the most interesting of the year ( i expect it will be for the others) but as mentioned above I will likely never see one.

[SEAL]

1. Gargantua
2. Xenon
3. Argon

If we aren't including re-releases, I guess replace the Xenon and Argon with the Aqua Beast and Barbarian, respectively. Hasbro's pressurized guns seem weaker, but I'd have to try them out before making a final call. I'm more interested in the Squall Surge due to the fact that it doesn't have a weird nozzle like the Tornado Scream. The only 2016 blaster I've actually had experience with is the Gargantua, which I picked up in February. It's not BBT's best blaster ever, but it's still quite good in the light weapons class, and can hold it's own in mediums. And of course, when compared to the competition this year, it absolutely smokes them. Right now my biggest hope is that BBT makes a bigger and more powerful version of this thing next year. Like a more ergonomic Vindicator.

[jSpazz]

1. Gargantua
2. ????
3. ????

I'm sorry, but Its really the only choice this year. I finally had a chance to handle a Gargantua, which I bought for a relative. It handles so much better then the Waterlord, so much nicer to pump and no range drop-off from the pressure chamber. Like everyone else, I hope this leads to bigger blasters.

[marauder]

1. Gargantua
2. Waterlord
3. ???

Gargantua has amazing ergonomics, and is well balanced. The PC is true CPS. My only issue is that it is really small, while you get this giant reservoir. Actually, I was incredibly impressed with how BBT packed that much water into a gun the size of an XP 150. It's pretty much taking 1200 capacity and putting it into a 150 sized blaster. Speaking of the 150, the Gargantua trigger is the best Water Warriors trigger yet. It's very fast. I plan on modding the smallest nozzle on the nozzle selector pretty soon, though, for most users I think the 1x, 2x, quad burst is pretty effective; especially given the small (my only complaint) PC size. Duxburian and I almost fought to a standstill in 1000 vs Gargantua.

The Waterlord is pretty interesting. It actually launches a thicker stream further out than the Gargantua, but the pressure dies off in a way that's totally not CPS. The ergonomics are also strange and it's easy to slip out of your hands. I actually want to get my hands on DX's again to see if we could come up with some ergonomic improvements - if he's interested - because the performance is actually pretty good.

If this were a battle with a lot of people I would probably want a Waterlord on my team more than a Gargantua because it can shoot more water and shoot further, but when mobility is a concern the Gargantua is my pick because it's incredibly nimble and quick shooting (so long as you keep pumping to make up for the low PC size). I think they are pretty even in soakfests.

I honestly can't attest to the Super Soakers. It's not that I'm anti piston pumpers - just maybe 90% lol. I actually really like the shotblast. It's fun. I had planned on reviewing all the new Super Soakers, but working 2 counties away and then trying to buy a house has kind of killed that. The good news is that the house that I'm buying has a huge workshop, and a shed on top of that, and I've got a professional (like $300 new) studio microphone, a waterproof action cam, and some other equipment now. So when we get down to it I can make some really good reviews and do a good job testing out the newer guns. DX and I filmed a really sweet review of the Gargantua. Whenever his computer is running properly we will have it up on youtube.

[DX]

1. Gargantua
2. Waterlord
3. ?

My list is the same as Ben's for similar reasons. The Gargantua has good performance, good capacity, and great handling. It is easier for a wider range of people to use than a Waterlord. Waterlords are very top heavy, the grips are small and slippery, and it takes more pumping due to the larger PC. If you are prepared to run and gun, the Gargantua can do a lot of damage, but the Waterlord can skirmish better with its higher capacity, and its longer range allows you to attack just by taking some steps forward. In a battle against CPS or against 150s, I'd rather have a Gargantua. It can hit CPS in their weak spots and has similar characteristics to 150s. In a long battle with limited refilling opportunities, or a battle with heavy shooting, I'd rather have a Waterlord. In a soakfest, I'd also rather have a Waterlord. It's a very close second to the Gargantua on my list. Ultimately, the Gargantua is true CPS and acts like it. The Waterlord is HP, but drops off exactly like plain air pressure. The Gargantua brings new attributes to the table, but the Waterlord is really more like a Gorgon replacement, with less output. I'd be interested to see how it stacks up with a nozzle mod.

3rd is ? due to my lack of familiarity with the other offerings in 2016. I'm not counting the re-releases, otherwise #3 would go to the WW Outlaw, a soaker I enjoy for evidently eccentric reasons. It has high range, higher than most of the other things that have come out in recent years, and it has a nice, juicy stream that doesn't break up, one of Buzz Bee's better-designed streams. Hold it right and it remains dangerous even near empty.

The pressurized NSS offerings don't look bad, they just don't look good. The pre-charger re-releases are just there so Buzz Bee can re-assert its patent claims from the Swimways lawsuit. I really don't think they'd be there otherwise. The new soakers deserve a better and actual evaluation, but I don't have the budget necessary to acquire them this year.

[HBWW]

Pretty sure the Waterlord is 2015 and not covered here. It also rather lacked availability in American markets, although I still could've gotten one if I really wanted to. But leaving that out of the list, all I have left is the obvious Gargantua and whatever other top performing pressurized blasters are left. Aqua Beast, Xenon, and Argo seem to be it. Hasbro's pressurized offerings appear to have awful ergonomics (which seems like a first, surprisingly) and too high of a price tag, and there's no way I'd trust them to perform competently at the light primaries class where the Water Warriors products sit. The Gargantua has been worth using for that, as all the XP 150's and various other blasters succumb to leaking. However, I did experience some pump lag when using it.

[DX]

I count the Waterlord as 2016 because it was not released in the US in 2015. It didn't just "lack availability", it was not released. There was no way to get one in 2015 that didn't involve a cross-border transaction. The Canadian Waterlord is also slightly different than the American one. The actual blasters should be identical, but the Canadian box is in dual language French and English. In reviews of both, I would separate them out. The only scenario where I'd consider it to be an exclusively 2015 release is if it had never been released in the US.

[HBWW]

Hmm, I never seen it in the U.S. so I forgot it released here.

[DX]

I believe it's a Toys 'R Us exclusive, which is why you haven't seen it. We're all smart enough not to shop there.

[isoaker]

And the tallies are:

Water Warriors Gargantua: 5
Water Warriors Waterlord: 2 (while technically released in 2015 in Canada, it is new for the US in 2016)
Nerf Super Soaker Tornado Scream: 1
Nerf Super Soaker Squall Surge: 1
Water Warriors Argon (2016): 1
Water Warriors Xenon (2016): 1

Mentions: Water Warriors Aqua Beast, Water Warriors Barbarian

Number of Responses: 5
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Admittedly, this number of responses doesn't make these numbers too meaningful apart from the fact that all responders listed the Water Warriors Gargantua in their picks. That said, these choices are not surprising based on the desires of this group. To me, one other water blaster I really like for 2016 is the Water Warriors Aqua Wheel. Though pump action, small, and having a spinning wheel which does not improve performance, based on the reaction I've seen by some younger kids to this water blaster combined with its ability to have function with or without water. However, it still performs decently when filled and, to me, may help increase more younger kids to want to go and pick up a water blaster. In some ways, the fact it has a spinning wheel makes kids want to pump faster to make it spin more quickly which has the effect of also creating a better stream. I'd also push the Nerf Super Soaker Squall Surge higher on the list for its performance for its size, though its thinner trigger/grip area is not very comfortable, an oddity for a "Nerf"-branded blaster.

In the end, this thread at least helps confirm my understanding of what this group is seeking. Still need to find a way to increase overall interest in water fights which helps explain my experiments elsewhere.