Author’s note: a big thanks to Buzz Bee Toys (the manufacturer) for sending out a free sample! I will do my best to evaluate it on its merits!
The great thing about blaster packs is that they encourage kids (and the young at heart) to play with each other. That applies to water blasters as well as foam flinging toys! In the case of the Hydro Arsenal Two Pack, you have decent performance and comfortable grips, and some attachments for the added play value. Is it a standout? No, but that’s hard to do in the water blaster category, quite frankly. But is it a solid choice for your collection? Yes, especially if you and a friend are just starting.
A Real Grip? From Buzz Bee?
Each blaster in the two pack comes with a scope attachment, which goes on the top rail (the same as other Buzz Bee blasters). Obviously, crosshairs don’t help much with a curving stream of water. But it’s for the imagination factor, so we can let it slide.
Finally, the front nozzle turns! You can choose between a single stream for distance, or four streams for soaking someone up close.
Performance
Due to issues separating the halves of the shell, I couldn’t measure the pump volume itself. However, firing into a container, I ended up averaging 1oz per shot. This lines up essentially perfectly with my experience of 30 shots per tank.
Refilling will take a bit of time, due to the small screw-on cap.
The Guts?
This is the best pictures you’re going to get. The cap at the front of the pump “body” is solidly solvent-welded, so further prying would damage the blaster shell. But there’s nothing out of the ordinary, with the pump sitting beside the reservoir port, and a tube going to the front nozzles.
Last Thoughts
Once the initial batch issues were resolved, the Electro Surge was great for firing a stream with low effort. However, you’re always going to get better performance once you step up to firing the blaster yourself (even if it’s a pump-to-fire model, and not pressurized). The Hydro Arsenal is that next step up, with a good balance of distance, firing volume, and endurance.