iSoaker.net :: Soaking the world!

by **JLspacemarine** on Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:21 pm

I've done some soaker shopping yesterday. I saw the the whole waterwarriors and supersoaker 2007 line and I finally bought the hydroblitz. Why? Because I was disappointed about the tigershark's tiny grip area, and after all, I prefer the blazer over all the 2007 BBT blasters. But most of all I got impressed by its huge size. I mean, take a look at this:

http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/5448/dscf3045vw9.jpg

Now that everyone knows what I mean :goofy: , lets see how it performs. When fully pressurized and settled on the burst mode, it shoots 5 bursts (It says 4 on the package, but mine shots 5, I don't know why) of about 150ml each (My measuring cup has no milliliters, so take these stats as estimations)within 3-4 seconds. It is also possible to shoot one at a time, so you can switch between the two modes when pressurized(oddly, some water squirt out of the small nozzle when you don't switch fast enough on the stream mode). On the stream setting, it has a ~3x nozzle with a shot time of about 16 seconds, which is really good I think. It also hold a great amount of water, enough to release a lot of bursts. Add an aquapack and you'll have an endless water supply (only if you can afford one with your gun, because the hydroblitz alone is fairly expensive: 49,99$ here in Canada)

On the negative side, the Hydroblitz is somewhat strange to use. Although it seems to pressurize easily, I get tired quickly of pumping this blaster. The pump handle feels weak, but you don't need to force it much so I think it won't break if a reasonable force is used. It is hard to tell when the blaster is fully pressurized, because even if you pump it 100 times, you won't hear any PRV sound. It has two different strap hooks (I noticed that it is impossible to remove the strap up front, possibly because it is near impossible to use and hold this blaster without a strap), but unfortunately both ways of attaching the strap are not so comfortable.

Overall, I think the hydroblitz is a great weapon from Hasbro, but it could have been a lot better for its price, size and weight. If you liked the flashflood, you'll like this new soaker. Because, performance wise, think of the hydroblitz as a bigger and improved FF. Of course, I'll confirm this only when I'll be able to measure range though (you know, the weather these days... :soaked: )

->More pictures to come.

Edited By JLspacemarine on 1176955008

by **SilentGuy** on Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:28 pm

Nice, complete review. Glad to see it's not that disappointing after all.

Perhaps it's a bit underpowered for its size, but I'm wondering what it would be like if you increased the power of the bladder. Great range and output would at least make it more intimidating. :cool:

by **isoaker** on Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:23 pm

@JLspacemarine: Nice pic and good review! Look forward to any more info/stats you can share! Also, may I repost your review and pic(s) on iSoaker.com?

I want a Hydro Blitz, but haven't seen any yet.

:cool:

by **Dacca** on Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:26 pm

they said it was big. now i know they should have said huge.

still thinks its kinda blocky, but hey, its the closet thing soakers have to a minigun

by **JLspacemarine** on Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:32 pm

I just tested it again, about 27-30 pumps are needed to fully pressurize the weapon (5 bursts or stream for 16 sec), 7-8 pumps to shoot one burst, and like on the FF, only 2-4 pumps to get the stream's max range. With a full reservoir you can shoot a total of 20 bursts (4 full charges), and finish the remaining water with few seconds of 3x stream. Wow, I noticed how useful is the ability to switch modes when pressurized, you can shoot one burst, than shoot 5 secs on 3x, then shoot some more bursts, etc. Something superior over the FF's single riot blast. I'm starting to really like this weapon. :goofy:

http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf3047ss8.jpg
The hydroblitz
http://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf3043ei3.jpg
Back of the package
http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf3046lp3.jpg
The nozzles, notice the screen that might limit range
http://img185.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf3074uu2.jpg
Stream, (looks more potent for real)
http://img185.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf3066ua4.jpg
Burst
http://img340.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf3075mx3.jpg
An awesome shot of the first milliseconds of a burst

@Isoaker_com: Of course, you can repost my review, although it is not so complete. Maybe I could modify it a bit and submit it to you later. What do you think?

@SilentGuy: Me too, I'm wondering if it could be modded, the hydroblitz would be a beast with some more power. But this soaker uses a interesting system that i'm not too sure about for now, I might open it up to see what's inside that huge casing. It feels like something else than the bladder is charging up in the main barrel when pulling the trigger before a burst comes out. A second bladder, maybe? I don't know. ???

by **isoaker** on Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:05 am

Great pics! Thanks for sharing 'em!

In terms of your review, if you'd be willing to submit a completed review once you've got a moment or two to put it together, I'd happily await its completion. How/when your review is reposted is up to you.

Of course, after reading your review, I definitely want to get one to try it out, myself!

:cool:

by **bb1** on Tue Apr 17, 2007 4:24 pm

If I am not mistaken, that last pic is your soaker hapilly sucking up somebody's milkshake :soaked:

by **WaterWolf** on Tue Apr 17, 2007 4:51 pm

It feels like something else than the bladder is charging up in the main barrel when pulling the trigger before a burst comes out. A second bladder, maybe?

About a year ago I had drawn up blue-prints for a design that utilized that, but had decided that it would be impractical. Sounds like Hasbro like the idea though.

by **SilentGuy** on Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:00 pm

Wow...is that the fifth of WaterWolf's posts that's been messed up? Is there something wrong with the account?

Great pics! That last one was neat. :cool:

The burst system sounds interesting. Anybody know how the burst-fire system from older guns worked? I'll check the patents, I'll swear I saw something.

I'm guessing there's a piston powered by a spring. The piston moves back as the tube gets filled, then it creates an opening to discharge the water and gets moved back forward by the spring. I think.

But yeah, it looks like those burst shots could use a little more oomph. What's the range for the bursts?

by **isoaker** on Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:59 pm

@Silent Guy: I can read WaterWolf's post. Are you still unable to see it?

Back to topic: yeah, pics are neat, particularly that last one!

:cool:

by **bb1** on Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:12 pm

I return to my previous comment on that last pic.

by **SilentGuy** on Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:28 pm

Wait...it is my computer? Weird, I'll have a look in dreaded IE...might have to see if it's an extension or something is causing a problem (doubt it). I still can't see it though.

*looks in IE*

Hmm, it's fine in IE. I'll try to see what the problem is, although this is the strangest thing I've ever encountered. I'll take a screenshot if you want. :laugh:

by **JLspacemarine** on Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:42 pm

Unfurtunately, I got dissapointed about range when I tried it outside. The stream seems to reach a bit more distance than the stream on the FF, but the max range for the bursts is only 30ft. These blasts of water aren't effective for long range targets.

To improve range, I might do a nozzle selector mod simmilar to the one I've done to my FF, or I could just try removing the screen at the end of the nozzle. I wont do anything too risky for now because I still can get a refund for it, and it costed me a lot.

I noticed that the balanced weight of the hydroblitz when full and the smooth pump makes pumping possible with only one hand, making it a good choice (though expensive) for dual wielding. Imagine unleashing 10 consecutive bursts on someone. :soaked: :cps3000:

Edited By JLspacemarine on 1176943452

by **SilentGuy** on Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:57 pm

Haha...dual-wielding miniguns?! :laugh:

I was just thinking of a nozzle selector mod in order to get smaller streams. But as you say, it did cost a lot...hmm. If you do decide to keep it, I'd do the nozzle mod (the original burst nozzle doesn't seem to be too smooth anyway) and maybe a bladder mod...your choice though. :cool:

by **hydroblitz** on Wed Apr 18, 2007 11:33 pm

Wow! I didn't know that someone had a HydroBlitz :love: on this website.

:cps2000: :soaked: :cps2500:

by **JLspacemarine** on Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:32 am

I just opened my Hydroblitz. Fortunately opening it was easy, there is no glued pump caps or nozzle caps, I just unscrewed every screw I could see, and it was opened in no time. Wow, these are the most interesting internals I've ever seen.

http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/2568/dscf3079ll6.jpg
As you see, there is absolutely no waste of space.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8838/dscf3081ls1.jpg
PRV
http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/3744/dscf3082ol1.jpg
Pump extended (I wonder how this little pump can be that effective)
http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/5323/dscf3083gx0.jpg
Pump retracted
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3230/dscf3084ck4.jpg
Trigger valves, nozzle selector and the secondary bladder(I was right on that point)
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3237/dscf3086re0.jpg
The part that moves as the secondary bladder extends, opening the burst trigger valve

All this may explain why this gun cost so much. Next would be to access the bladder to maybe colossus it, but I'm not sure if I need to colossus both bladders. I think that if I do the secondary alone, it won't be able to shoot bursts or it will shoot slower but better bursts. And if I increase the power of the main bladder alone, the stream will be improved but the bursts won't. They'll just shoot faster. I think.

Any suggestions for more power?

by **wetmonkey442** on Sat Apr 21, 2007 6:46 am

Jeez, no wonder this thing takes a few pumps to get pressurized, that pump is almost comically small for a gun that size. I do admire how they squeezed everything into their though, frankly I thought it was going to be relatively empty inside.

Great assortment of pictures here, do you mind if I repost some on Downpour? And if you don't mind forwarding that review to me after you've sent it to iSoaker, I'll post it up in the reviews section.

Soak On

by **WaterWolf** on Sat Apr 21, 2007 7:22 am

Sweet pics.
Its good to see Hasbro is starting to use the space inside the casing more efficiently, rather than having large areas of empty air inside. It looks like my theory about the burst shot system was correct too.
They have a mini CPS-PC that the main PC fills and is then emptied in one burst, sort of like a more controlled riot-blast

Thats quite an interesting trigger set up. Those new MX-D valves look stronger and hopefully will be more durable too.

Edited By WaterWolf on 1177154641

by **isoaker** on Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:34 am

Great pics and definitely look forward to including your review on iSoaker.com once you're happy with it!

The Hydro Blitz is one complex soaker, that's for sure! ..and such a tiny-looking pump. I'd assume the diameter is large than standard soaker pumps such that the actual pump volume is roughly equal. I also get a little concerned, though, with that level of complexity over something eventually failing inside the internals after multiple use. Time will tell, I suppose.

Now, if only I could get my own hands on one! :goofy:

:cool:

by **SilentGuy** on Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:11 pm

iSoaker, could I use a different account and let you deactivate this one? I have to log out to view WaterWolf's posts...this is too much.

You're right about the burst fire feature - definitely uses that second bladder. That also probably explains the reduced range - the second bladder has to be weaker than the first one in order to fill.

The pump tube is short, but it's wider, because of the leverage from the pump arm.

Definitely a complex gun...

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