Dart Zone (or more properly, Prime Time Toys) has made incredible strides in producing blasters that can compete with Nerf’s Rival line. Several like the Powerball and Quantum, I have reviewed previously. In the case of the Velocity, I reviewed a previous version, the Adventure Force Accelerator. The Velocity is an improvement upon a good blaster. And with Black Friday rolling around, you’ll soon be able to find it for just $20 at Target.
Amazingly, despite having had an article on its introduction, I never actually did the review. Let’s fix that!
Slightly Bigger (And Better)
The Rev trigger is shaped slightly differently, sticking out farther than on the original Accelerator.
It Takes Guts
If there are improvements to be made, it’s in lubing up the pusher arm for an easier trigger pull. I’ve also heard from one user (though I have not experienced this myself) that balls can get caught on a ridge within the loading area and get squished by the pusher arm instead of being, well, pushed. In that case, sanding down the “cliff” on the inside solved the problem.
Performance
The Velocity, as noted, feeds much more consistently with the hopper agitation. In terms of ammo speed, the 6 D cells required to run it manage to spit out rounds at about 89fps on average. With the Rival NiMH rechargeable battery, however, that rises to a respectable 95fps. There’s always something to be said for using the battery option that can supply the current the motors want.
Final Thoughts
The Ballistix Ops Velocity is a solid improvement on the Accelerator that came before. There are still some minor annoyances, but the user experience is markedly better. Normally it retails for $40. If you buy it this Black Friday, however, you can get it for $20. That’s an absolute steal for a reliable and well-performing ball blaster, and it’s one you should take advantage of!