With the end of summer comes the beginning of a refresh of the main Nerf blaster line! Elite has been replaced by Elite 2.0, with an emphasis on black and metallic blue color schemes, simple assembly, and more attachment points. In the case of the Trio, it’s replacing the Triad, providing three quick shots in a pocket-sized platform. It fills the niche quite well, at a low price, even if it doesn’t quite seem to hit the 90ft claims on the box.
Snapped Together
The Trio has a tiny bit of paint on one “Nerf” logo and “TRIO” logo; all other writing is simply molded into the plastic shell. The Triad’s triangular barrel setup is exchanged for three inline barrels. It, along with the large shell and need to mount a tactical rail, makes for a chunkier blaster than the original. It will still fit in a large pocket, of course.
There are two sling points on the blaster, if you wish to clip it to something.
Performance
While the smart AR setupresults in diminishing fps results, they didn’t actually decrease very much, from 68fps averages for the top barrel to 62fps for the bottom barrel. In addition, it’s easy to fire off all three shots in two seconds, and then to reload the blaster.
It should be noted that, in spite of box claims, I was unable to hit 90′ with any angled shots. One did come close, at 86′, but one would hope that a few shots would actually hit the number on the box…
Internals
The very bottom of the handle, where the main spring rests, is made to snap in and not readily come undone. I have yet to be able to remove it without damaging anything. If progress is made in that regard, I’ll let you know if spring replacements are possible or helpful!
Final Opinion
The Trio makes for a nice update to the Triad, although I’m sure opinions on the styling will vary from person to person. However, for the price, it still delivers the hits you’d expect – even if they don’t quite live up to the box claims. Still, if you’re a fan of the Nerf brand, it’s had to go wrong with this $8 purchase.