Nerf Super Soaker Mini Dunk-Fill Review

Water warfare isn’t a stranger to trying to market the latest idea – Xshot has had great success with their Fast Fill series, and competitors have been trying to emulate the “no need for a hose” aesthetic in years since. This year, Hasbro has the Dunk-Fill series, where the reservoir gets filled by simply pushing the reservoir below the surface of the water, and a valve will let the water in. On the one hand, you don’t need a deep bucket or pool to completely submerge the blaster for filling. On the other…well, it turns out that while not needing a hose is cool, being unable to use one is a major annoyance.

Don’t Look Up

Ultimately, this is a very short overview, as there’s not much to speak of. You have all the basics here, with a water reservoir (holding ~100mL), a trigger-based pump, and a tiny hose connecting the pieces to the nozzle. Each trigger pull squirts out a modest 0.8mL, which holds together for a few feet before breaking apart and reaching a practical range limit of 15′.

The reservoir has a large valve on the bottom; when you dunk the blaster into the water, it forces the air out holes in the top of the reservoir. Gaps and holes molded into the shell allow excess water to run out once you pull the blaster back out. The system works as designed, even if the “soaking power” of blasters like this will always be limited.

However, those vent holes in the reservoir do have an interesting side effect: you can’t use a hose, or fill the blaster under a faucet, because doing so means inverting the blaster. And doing that means the water will run right out of the reservoir. So you’re limited strictly to dunking to fill the blaster. If you have a pool or bucket or other water source, that may not matter. But if you still use a hose or an outdoor faucet, you may want to rethink your ideal $5 water pistol.

My Thoughts?

Ultimately, it’s a basic water pistol. You’re buying it for fun and/or annoyance, so there’s not a high bar beyond it working. The method of filling it, however, is worth consideration before making the purchase.