by wetmonkey442 on Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:48 pm
Yes, that's what I've always found to be the case.
Here's the review. It's complete except for range and volume stats which I should have before the end of the week.
Water Warriors Tiger Shark Review
Front to Back
The Tiger Shark is part of the new ’07 lineup of Water Warriors guns. It is second in size to the larger Orca and can be seen as a direct descendant of the similarly priced/sized Piranha/Lightning. The Tiger Shark is a relatively mid-sized blaster that relies on the diaphragm technology used in previous models of the Piranha/Lightning and Blazer. This same technology is utilized in the Orca. The single diaphragm used in the Tiger Shark is housed a spherical gray pressure chamber located about halfway down the length of the gun.
The Tiger Shark features 3 nozzle selections, rated approximately at .5x, 1x, and 3x. The range of nozzles is nice to see, and they all seem to perform solidly. The largest range was observed with the medium nozzle. Stream lamination on all 3 nozzles was above average, with lamination on the smaller two nozzles much better than other equivalent soakers. The three nozzles are housed in a nozzle selector that is bright orange like most Water Warriors or Super Soaker brand guns. The rotation of the selector was clear and unobstructed. The Tiger Shark’s trigger valve is arrayed in line with the bottom nozzle in the nozzle selector. When choosing a nozzle, it’s important to remember that the water will be flowing through the bottom nozzle. Luckily, it’s hard to align the nozzles in between selections, as a definite “click” is felt when you snap a nozzle into place. Thus, leakage resulting from misaligned nozzles should not be a problem commonly experienced with the Tiger Shark.
The main casing of the Tiger Shark is dark gray and is pleasingly neutral. No bright colors here to strain the eyes, or give away a position during a night fight. The pressure chamber and reservoir are both gray, darker than the rest of the casing. The nozzle selector, trigger, and pump cap are all bright orange. The reservoir cap, trigger handle, and pump handle are all colored a subdued red. There is a minimal amount of aesthetic features to this gun, however the curious lack of adornment finds an exception in the presence of three thin plastic tubes that arc over the top of the pressure chamber (never coming in contact with the chamber itself), connecting to the main casing of the gun on each side. They seem strangely out of place, and are not hollow, thus they serve only for aesthetic ornamentation. It had not been tested at this time, whether it is possible to remove these tubes. It has been reported that similar tubes above the pressure chamber(s) of the Water Warriors Orca are removable which can only lead to the assumption that, with sufficient force, it is possible to detach the tubes from the casing of the gun.
The trigger system utilized in the Tiger Shark is the original pull valve trigger. It doesn’t rely on a ball valve the way Max D trigger systems do. In this way, the durability of the trigger system may have improved, forsaking the extra boost in range that the ball valve seems to lend. The pressure relief valve used with the Tiger Shark is extremely loud and obvious. It screeches when the diaphragm has filled with water and dumps excess water back into the reservoir.
The reservoir is nice and big; however it is opaque, so water levels are hard to tell by just holding up the reservoir and attempting to eyeball the demarcation. Luckily, the weight of the Tiger Shark is fairly well balanced, and thus, with a bit of experience it is quite easy to guess approximately what fraction of the tank is still filled with water simply be feeling the weight.
The pump on the Tiger Shark seems a bit on the short side, but this does not seem to affect the number of pumps needed to fill the diaphragm with water. It took approximately 13 pumps to activate the pressure relief valve. The pump handle itself is large and cylindrical, reminiscent of earlier Super Soaker designs (think CPS 1000). It’s comfortable to hold and pump, however the pump itself is a bit wobbly as it sits in the pump shaft. This causes the pump handle to inadvertently hit against the edge of the pump cap when the pump is pushed back after being withdrawn. It does not cause the pump to bind however it does cause minor aggravation of the plastic, and may reduce the structural integrity of the pump over time.
The largest and most noteworthy failure of the Tiger Shark lies in the handle. The main handle, held when using the trigger, is almost ridiculously small. Any adult or even adolescent with normal sized hands will have trouble fitting three fingers below the trigger. It is necessary to let your pinky finger wrap around the bottom of the casing that connects the handle with the rest of the gun. This is uncomfortable position. Another unfortunate downfall of the handle is the way the casing above the handle is shaped. Quite the anti-thesis of such comfortable soakers as the MI Defender, the Tiger Shark’s casing forms a completely flat plane directly above the handle. This does, in no way conform to the natural contours of the human hand, and places all of the weight of the soaker on the upper part of the hand. While the Tiger Shark is not a heavy water gun, holding it is such a position becomes tiring after awhile.
The Tiger Shark comes with a strap, which is always a good thing to see in mid sized soakers. Although the Tiger Shark is fairly small, and not cumbersome at all in terms of size or weight, the strap allows a user to wield the Tiger Shark simultaneously with another gun without fear of slipping and dropping the gun.
Battle Effectiveness/Capability
The Tiger Shark is a mid sized diaphragm soaker. However it handles, feels, and operates more like a larger air pressure soaker. The usefulness of the constant pressure technology is exemplified in the largest nozzle. It has quite a kick and has above decent range for a gun that size. An individual using the Tiger Shark is more than capable of holding his/her own against user wielding smaller CPS class soakers and downwards. It is not recommended to use the Tiger Shark against any soaker bigger or more powerful than a CPS 1500. However, the Tiger Shark is a decent opponent to any of the larger modern soakers, and more than a match for the majority of water guns on the market today.
The Tiger Shark is relatively small water gun, and can be wielded comfortably by practically anyone over the age of 5 or 6. Smaller children might have trouble holding the gun and pumping. The balance of weight makes the Tiger Shark comfortable to hold over long periods, although the ill-designed handle can wear on a user’s hand.
The Tiger Shark is most effective when paired against similarly sized soakers. It can hold its own against a CPS 1200. The true strength of the Tiger Shark lies mainly in its shot time. It has an extraordinary 22 second shot time on the smallest nozzle. Its extensive 17 second shot time on the medium nozzle can be utilized in many ways depending on game type. In a standard soak fest, a user can simply outlast the opponent and then move in to soak when the opponent needs to repressurize. In a 1HK game, the Tiger Shark’s shot time, when coupled with a tap/pump battle approach can stretch a fully pressurized diaphragm on for quite a long time.
Overall, the Tiger Shark is a versatile and solid soaker that, despite drawbacks, can perform solidly in any water gun fights. In the right hands, the Tiger Shark proves to be an ideal soaker for any situation.
Overall Stats
Pumps to Fill: 13-16
(10/10) When Compared Against Similar Soakers
Range: 7/10
Power: 7/10
Shot Time: 8/10
Mobility/Balance: 9/10
Design: 7/10
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