Nerf Pro Stryfe X Review

Note: Hasbrk sent a free sample! Thanks, guys!

A day after the official announcement, I had a Nerf Pro Stryfe X appear at my doorstep. After spending several days tearing it apart, putting it back together, and using the blaster to shoot my friends, I can say that the Stryfe X Is a solid, if imperfect, step in the right direction for Hasbro.

Something New, Something Familiar

The Stryfe X, in terms of aesthetics and build, is mostly the same as the blaster that came before it. That’s a good thing. The Stryfe is ten years old now (thus, Stryfe X), and it’s still a staple of the blaster enthusiast arsenal, modded or otherwise. After at least four major colorways (blue, orange, battlecamo, Modulus), its appeal was hard to ignore. So making a Stryfe the start of the foam flinging side of Nerf Pro makes total sense.

The differences are good, all things considered. The grip heel has been extended, making for a more comfortable time. The magazine well and release have been filled in for half dart magazine use, with the button replaced by a release paddle. The tactical rails did change to Rival-style rails, oddly enough. I’m still not sure of the reasoning there, given the lack of compatible accessories. The Nstrike barrel lug is gone (not a huge loss, considering the “Pro” side is the focus), but the stock mount is still there!

Meanwhile, a few other changes have been made. A large motor cover sits on the blaster now, and a large, rechargeable 3s lipo snaps in place where the alkaline batteries once sat. Indeed, the motor cover and “extended battery cover” ideas come straight from the modding community. It makes the blaster much more asymmetric, but that’s a tiny nitpick that will only concern a handful of people.

The battery unit is ejected with a mechanism similar to the Perses; press a button, then manipulate a slide to release the battery, It’s quite effective, and it’s a mechanism worth keeping. The battery also charges from a USB-C cable. Just plug it in until the light turns off!

There are no safeties, aside from one near the trigger that blocks the rev trigger. So in battle, you’re welcome to keep your blaster revved up between shots as well as between magazines.

Performance

With the included Accustrike half-length darts, I averaged 158fps, with some shots going at least 10fps above that – given the shape of the Accustrike head, I imagine that’s largely a function of dart orientation. With other dart types (Dart Zone Max, Worker HE), I averaged 149fps. Interestingly, my anecdotal results matched those from this video, where other dart types had better accuracy.

It should be noted that after 2-3 shots, the Accustrike dart heads were already separating from the foam. The heads may be built to take energy from the flywheels, but it’s at the expense of having usable darts after a few times out of the blaster.

Rate of fire, of course, was quite good for a geared semi-auto blaster, seeing a more than reasonable four darts per second.

Want some war footage? Have some (casual) war footage!

Internals

The Stryfe X is built like the designers (modders themselves) wanted it to be. That is, much better than stock Stryfes.

The blaster has a custom cage, with a 41.5mm crush, 37,3mm diameter wheels, and a ~9.5mm gap for darts to fit through. In addition, the Stryfe X has FK-180 motors under the hood, with a custom “3535” wind inside the motors (describing how the copper wire inside the motors is done). The result is a blaster with high torque for spitting out those Accustrike half-length darts.

There are a few extra bits here and there (boards with PTCs on the motors, etc.), but in general, the blaster is made with a straight circuit from battery to switch to motors and back.

Last Thoughts

The only negative I can think of is the price tag. $120 for a semi-auto “pro” blaster? The Mk3 retailed for $130 initially while offering more, and the Omnia is going for $90. Even so, the Nerf Pro Stryfe X works without any issues, uses aftermarket magazines, and (most importantly) works without needing fixed. That’s hard to beat, especially for newcomers to the hobby.

It’s a great starter blaster, club loaner blaster, and there are many other uses, I’m sure. The Stryfe X is worth the price, and if you’re hesitant on getting one…it’ll be worth the sale price, at least.