Product:

D-Dart Tempest V2

Manufacturer:

Bullseye Limited

Avg. Price:

$35

Range:

50fps average

Rate of Fire:

2.5-3 darts per second

Summary:

Still a bit lacking in performance compared to other blasters, but a fun step in the right direction after V1!

D-Dart Tempest V2 Review

A year and a half ago, we saw the release of the original Tempest. It was a cool, if underpowered, concept. But it also wasn’t compatible with the vast majority of darts. A year and a half (and one global pandemic) later, V2 is finally out (currently on Amazon). It’s a tad more expensive, and still shows the limitations of 4 AAA batteries, but using standard length darts makes for a marked improvement. And of course, the fact that upgrades are possible is more than enough to tempt the serious Nerfers. Read on!

Ring of Fire!

V2 offers virtually the same platform, albeit with a few exceptions. First, there’s the tweaked rotation indexing; the teeth on the back of the drum aren’t as tall. In addition, there is one less dart in the package – the designers elected to choose one barrel to serve as the “rest” position. This makes life a little easier, especially for small kids, as refilling and indexing V1 left open the possibility of accidentally firing a dart into unpowered flywheels, leading to a jam. Ease of use definitely trumps the loss of one dart. After all, you still have 27 darts!

The blaster has a simple on/off switch in front (no rev trigger to speak of), and a fire button that feeds current to the drum rotation motor. Unless you’re really fast, this is a blaster that’s easier left on during use than trying to flip it on and off in a hurry during battle. Hopefully a future version will include a small rev trigger of some kind to make it even better to use.

Finally, the most important feature: standard length darts! All those darts you have lying around can now be fired without needing to modify or remove anything. That’s a huge hassle lifted for general consumers.

Performance

The Tempest V2 is still fairly low powered, with initial shots averaging around 50fps and dropping a bit under repeated fire. However, with a stock firing rate approaching 3 darts per second, it at least gives the user some sustained fire if they can get close enough for it to matter.

Modification

As stated in the intro, modifications for the Tempest are a given now; Foamblast designed a cage for the blaster, and Out of Darts carries complete kits for rewiring the blaster. Those with experience in such things can get so much more performance, provided you get an appropriately sized and specced Lipo.

Also, I can totally see someone removing the handle and mounting this on the front barrel attachment of a blaster, as an emergency room clearing option.

Final Thoughts

The D-Dart Tempest V2 is a definite improvement over the first version. Granted, it’s still weak compared to most other blasters. But the unique mechanism and improved usability make it a ton of fun to use. And the tinkers among us can still do things to it! Grab one and have some fun.

Product Rating

Range

5/5

Rate of Fire

8/5

Build Quality

8/5

User Friendly

10/5

Price / Value

8/5

Total

7.8/10