iSoaker.net :: Soaking the world!

by DX on Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:36 pm

Ok, I'll admit it, Big Bee broke the toughest customer in the community. I just had to see the new and improved successor to the Blazer firsthand. So I did today what I haven't done in 3 years: I bought a new water gun. Here's a review [though kinda missing most stats] of the Orca, the premier gun of the 2007 Water Warriors line. I will complete the review eventually...

Name: Orca
Class: Large Rifle
Propulsion: Dual Hydro Power PCs
Manufactured By: Water Warriors [Commercial]

Stats:
Maximum Range [Level, Last Puddle]: ?? ft
Maximum Range [35-40 Degrees, Last Puddle]: ~43 ft
Taps Per Tank: ?? [a lot]
Pulses Per Tank: ??
PCs Per Tank: ?
Pump Capacity: ?? mL
PC Capacity: ?? mL
Reservoir Capacity: ? Liters
Maximum Output: ?? mL/s [??x]
Stock Nozzle Choices: 5
Maximum PC Shot Time: ?? Seconds
Stream Speed [0-30]: ? Seconds
Stream Speed [0-40]: ? Seconds

Buzz Bee Toys finally has some power in their lineup! The Orca does not feel underpowered.

Pros and Cons:

Range: The 2 middle-sized nozzles feature excellent range for a 2007 gun. Out shoots the mid-size CPS soakers and can challenge the large ones. However, the big nozzle and small one are lacking in range. The fan blast, 5th of the 5 nozzles, shoots like 15 feet and is far too thin to be of any use.

Output: Has a fairly large nozzle. I have not measured it yet, though it is probably somewhere between 6x-11x by rough guess. There's also a tiny nozzle [probably 1x] which does virtually nothing, at least in my opinion.

Capacity Stats: Love them! This gun shoots on and on and on. Huge capacity for a gun of this size. Yields a lot of taps and pulses. While I have not timed the shot times, I counted 6-8 seconds for the middle two nozzles.

Stream Speed: Ok stream speed on all nozzles. Most stock soakers, especially contemporary ones, have similar stream speeds. Does 0-30 in ? seconds and 0-40 in ? seconds.

Weight and Balance: Well, this thing is quite top-heavy, AKA bad vertical balance, with the narrower pump and trigger areas underneath. The lateral balance, on the otherhand, is quite good once water is in the pcs. The Orca is fairly heavy overall, but not bad. There is an included strap.

Ergonomics/Cosmetics/Gimmicks and the such: This is where I tend to bring out the big guns and BBT isn't going to be dodging this bullet. The reservoir cap placement makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It is the worst feature of the entire gun, facing straight down. Luckily, it does not leak if you screw on the cap tight enough, but it makes the most horrific squealing sound when you pump. Yes, this is the "Orca" but we really don't need any reinforcing sound effects. Covering up the hole in the cap that makes the sound possible silences the gun, but then the reservoir can't replace the water with air. I started pumping it upside down once the water was low enough, ha no whale sounds! Having every pump sound like a whale call is going to get your ass nailed to a coffin during any maneuver requiring stealth. I do like the fact that the electronic pressure gauge is activated via holding down a button, so you can totally ignore it if you want. The pump handle can be rotated, which is a bad thing because it hits the casing if you don't keep it perfectly straight. The trigger feels strong enough, though slightly less responsive than other guns I've shot. Tap/Pumping is still easy to do with this trigger. Finally, there are relatively few gimmicks in the design. The shape is kinda sketchy, as is common among contemporary soakers, but the stock colors are not bad.

Overall, I think that this gun could do well, even on the hardcore battlefield, just got to work on silencing Mr. Whale in the back. Definitely has the power to back up its size [and for only $20!].

Edited By Duxburian on 1173840314

by **scorpion** on Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:57 pm

Awesome! Do u hav pics? if u do pleas post them!

by **forestfighter7** on Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:35 pm

Awsome! Finally a review of a new gun. It sounds pretty good. Pics would be appreciated along with definite stats.

Soak On!

by **SilentGuy** on Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:57 pm

Range + capacity + low price = tons of potential. I just might pick one up sometime. And I'll third the pics request.

Something definitely has to be done about the pump caps on the series. Oh well, it was a welcome review!

by DX on Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:44 pm

I've got some good pictures including stream shots! They will be available in tomorrow's portion of the SM Weekend Update.

by **Croc** on Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:46 pm

I'm going to have to go to Wal Mart soon. See if they have it there yet...
Wow, that sounds amazing - 43 ft w/o modding
Nice Review DX

by DX on Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:36 am

The gun is advertised as capable of 40ft range. Whether it actually comes out to 43 will be up to the tape measure tomorrow morning. Ranges in the 40s aren't anything special though.

by **isoaker** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:02 pm

Sounds sweet! Colour me envious! :goofy:

Looking forward to hearing the full range of stats on the Orca. Pics would be good!

With respect to the upside-down fill cap, though noisy, I was under the impression it may make the Orca easier to fill more completely from a shorter sink/faucet, no?

:cool:

by DX on Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:29 pm

If anything, it makes it much harder. The slant of the reservoir hits the side [at least with my sink]. Either way, supposedly easier refilling is never a reason to make the pumping noisy. That's the worst trade-off I've ever seen in a water gun. Quiet pumping can be critical in certain situations. I can live with the rest of the Orca's aspects. Haven't checked the ease of modding yet, but I doubt it is good given BBT's history.

I'll go out and measure when the sky stops looking like it wants to rain.

by **CA99** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 4:07 pm

Hmm... I might do a mod to the reservoir cap when I get this, so there's a cap on the top instead of bottom.

Can anyone get pics of the new guns?

by DX on Sun Mar 04, 2007 4:28 pm

I could in theory get any style pics of any of the WW line and some of the SS line, however, I don't want to buy them all. I bet they are all over the region though. If you live in the New York metro area, check your chain stores! Unfortunately that is only like 3 people here.

by **isoaker** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 4:47 pm

In terms of the noise, I wonder whether it is more of the valve in the cap's fault more than the fact that it is upside-down. I'm definitely eager to test out one once I can get my hands on it! :goofy:

At any rate, I'm sure Big Bee will definitely appreciate all the feedback on any of the Water Warrior soakers, both positive and negative traits. 'tis the best way for them to see what people like and don't like about their designs.

Speaking of Big Bee, he's been really, REALLY hard to get a hold of these days; rather busy with lots of things, I suppose. Hopefully, though, he can be coaxed to pop by the various forums once things settle down a bit.

:cool:

by **CA99** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 4:50 pm

What I would do is bring a digital camera to the store, is there anything wrong with that?

I'll also definately be looking around for the new guns as well, and get pics as soon as I can. Probably going to take a while though, considering where I live.

by **isoaker** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:00 pm

C-A_99 wrote:What I would do is bring a digital camera to the store, is there anything wrong with that?

Some stores don't like their customers taking pictures of their merchandise. It really depends on the store, the workers there, and how strict they are. In a store, one is technically on private properly, though in theory, the store workers do not have the right to confiscate film. See The Photographer's Right

:cool:

by **Dr. D** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:50 pm

I just went out to KB Toys today and found one there on sale for $22.00! Aesthetically, its a massive improvement over the Blazer in terms of shape, style and color, and balances much better (Does anyone besides me think it resembles a smaller, much more compact CPS 2700?). Like the Blazer, it seems slightly unnecessarily bulky and adds just enough weight to not be able to hold it comfortably with one hand, but it really doesn't matter very much. Range-wise I haven't measured yet, but it seems to shoot at least 3-4 feet farther than my Blazer did, and certainly has an extra "oomph" of power. Size-wise I'd equate it to about a CPS 1200, except the unnecessary bulk at the top and the underhang that supports the electronic pressure gage make it slightly larger than the former. Overall, it's an amazing light-infantry primary blaster that I would recommend to anyone who complains that they wish they still made CPS 2100s and CPS 1000s except for one thing: The 100% inexcusably inexplicable excuse for a fill cap! Here's a list of some of my biggest gripes about the senseless cap:

1. Having the fill cap on the bottom makes it impossible to run around and use the gun with the cap unscrewed. This means that if you're filling the gun up at a water station and you get ambushed and need to run, you need to spend 2-4 seconds screwing the cap on before you can use it so that the entire reservoir doesn't gush out and soak you. Although 2-4 seconds may seem short, in responding to an unexpected ambush it could easily and often does mean the difference between victory and defeat. Additionally, one is not able to unscrew the cap in anticipation for an on-the-run fill without leaving oneself virtually defenseless. A side-arm could remedy this, however it would be difficult considering the gun's weight in one hand.
2. As Duxburian pointed out and I learned for myself today, for some reason having the cap on the bottom of the reservoir causes the gun to "wail" (no pun intended) every time the pump is pulled forward. I'm no expert on water gun mechanics, so I'm not sure exactly why this occurs, but I'd guess that it has something to do with the air replacing the water pumped to the PC coming up from the bottom and passing through the water instead of coming from the top and staying at the top. Although it may seem like a cute gimmick that the "Orca" makes a whale mating call, this gimmick pretty much is telling your enemies "HEY! I'M RIGHT HERE IN THIS BUSH! Luckily, like the Blazer it has one of the longest shot times in a stock soaker ever, so it isn't as necessary to pump it as often as you would have to pump a 2100. Regardless, it might not be the best idea to bring the gun along on a stealth mission.
3. It just looks stupid. Plain and simple. Buzz Bee keeps coming so close to making really cool looking soakers, but every time it always seems like they have to get something wrong. For the Blazer it was the bulky size, for the Hydro Pack it was the disgusting colors and for the Scorpion it was the low underhang. They came painfully close to getting it perfect this time with the colors and shape, but the cap on the bottom just looks stupid. I know that this is a minor and insignificant concern, but it just sort of bugs me.

Gripes with the fill cap aside, the Orca is by far the all-around best new CPS that's been released since the CPS 2100 in 2002. It's easily worth the $20.00 retail, and I easily suggest it to anyone starting out who doesn't have access to the CPSs of old and to anyone looking to expand their armory in general. Although I won't be using it very often as a primary blaster in battle, it works perfectly as a loaner gun in a major war for anyone who doesn't own a CPS. Although it's not the next CPS 1500 or a Monster X, it's certainly a glimmer of hope for the thus-far gloom-and-doom post-Larami future of soakerdom.

Ugh, perfect time for my digital camera to die out on me! :goofy: If I can't manage to get it back online in the next few days, I'll take some pictures with a disposable and scan them up. Sorry! :soaked:

Edited By Dr. D on 1173052364

by **mr. dude** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:24 pm

So is it more powerful than a Blazer? Does it take about the same number of pumps?

by **isoaker** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:02 pm

@ Duxburian and Dr. D: before I forget, when completed, may I repost your reviews on the yet-to-be-created iSoaker.com Review page?

:cool:

by **Dr. D** on Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:12 pm

Sure thing. I'll try to have some pictures to give you by this time next week, as long as I can find a camera that works.... :angry:

by DX on Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:25 pm

Sure. I'll add my stills, stream shots, and better stats when I find time.

by **XP20Warrior** on Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:48 pm

I'll try to get some if all goes well. Maybe I can upload them from my phone. I'll mess around with that.

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