Product:

Adventure Force Water Strike Typhoon Cannon

Manufacturer:

Prime Time Toys

Avg. Price:

$15 (Walmart) (Blue/green in store, red online exclusive)

Range:

35' max, 20'-30' usable range

Rate of Fire:

~20mL pump volume, single stream

Summary:

Solid pump-to-shoot soaker with more capacity than you'd expect.

Adventure Force Water Strike Typhoon Cannon Review

With the middle of January comes the arrival of the “spring” toys, including Super Soakers and the like. Admittedly, I have less use for water blasters than dart blasters. But they’re still related, and I find myself interested regardless. As such, I ordered the Typhoon Cannon as soon as it appeared online for purchase. Among the current selections, it’s a solid choice, especially if you’re looking for fast refills and endurance,

Bigger Reservoir Than Advertised

When the Press Release information was sent to me, the Typhoon Cannon was listed as holding over 65 fl oz. of water. At that point, I had already ordered the Red version of the blaster (online only) as opposed to waiting for the blue/green version to appear on Walmart shelves. When it arrived, however, I found out that 65 fl oz. was an understatement. It will hold that comfortably, of course, with little to no risk of accidentally losing any from tipping the blaster. Filled all the way up, however, it’s closer to 90 fl oz! Even with that capacity, the Typhoon Cannon is easy to handle, since it opts for moderate height and width in order to get all that volume.

The blaster is well balanced, with both the main grip and pump grip being easy to, well, grip. Interestingly, the trigger, while nonfunctional, actually moves. I’m guessing enough kids like having a moving trigger that it’s simply considered a necessity.

The blaster features a “Blitzfill” cap – after the success of the Xshot Fast-Fill, being able to quickly reload is now a necessity. In this case, it’s a wide port with a snap-on (but not air-tight) cap. Will you refill it in just one second like the other soaker? Probably not. But it still fills really fast from a tub or pool, and is wide enough to accommodate a hose or outdoor faucet.

Admittedly, the plastic does feel slightly off; I’m used to the smoother plastic of Buzz Bee and Hasbro soakers. But it’s sturdy, nonetheless.

Performance

The Typhoon Cannon pumps roughly 20mL per stroke (about 2/3 of a fluid ounce). That comes out to almost 100 shots at the stated capacity, and more if you feel like going overboard.

The stream of water being fired isn’t quite as laminated as hardcore water warriors will like. However, the main mass of water stays together pretty well out to 20′ before it starts breaking apart into a rainy mass. After that point, most of the water will fall between 20′-30′, depending on how hard you’re pumping. Due to the stream breaking up at that distance, angling doesn’t help much.

If you do stand 35′ away from a wall and fire, though, you will get some water on the base. So I guess the range claims are true? It’s still pushing it, of course, but at least something does “blast up to 35 feet”.

On The Inside

Because I’m not satisfied until I’ve torn something apart…here you go!

It’s nothing out of the ordinary, of course. The pump attaches to the very bottom of the reservoir, and a wide tube connects the pump to the nozzle out front.

What else can I say? It’s a large, molded reservoir, with a shell that covers the rest of the important bits and provides a grip. For this kind of blaster, that’s all you need.

Final Thoughts

Whether you grab the regular version or order the red, the Typhoon Cannon is a solid choice among the current crop of water blasters. Given the current trend of “Power Pump” type blasters, it has enough capacity for the price to stand out. Granted, you may not find it as useful if you come across the rare person with a good pressure-based soaker. But in most cases (and for kids in general), it will do just fine.