Nerf Super Soaker Power Drench XL Review

Power Drench marks the return of both Constant Pressure System (CPS) blasting and the Quick-Fill Device (QFD), two things that have been missing from water warfare for a while. The smaller of the two blasters in the line, sadly, was largely a disappointment, between the low volume, tiny shots, and the price.

Luckily, the Power Drench XL is a far better buy. Between appreciably large shots and a true “flood” mode, the Power Drench XL is not just capable in battle, but it also makes the user feel like they’re actually doing something. When a soaker has actual kick to it, you know you have a winner.

Mixing Old and New

At first glance, the Power Drench XL looks just like a Rival Perses or a Hyper Mach 100. The Super Soaker stylings are there, of course, but the form factor is exactly the same. It’s easily identifiable as Nerf, even if you don’t have the packaging or any visible logos in sight. Why change what’s comfortable, right? Underneath that form factor, however, is a large volume that’s dedicated to a reservoir made of rubber tube.

The blaster comes with a modern QFD, which you screw onto the end of a hose before opening the faucet. Insert the blaster’s barrel into the QFD, and a valve opens up, filling the rubber tube with water. Once you’re full, water begins coming out a small overpressure port in the side of the blaster. It’s a nice visual aid for knowing you’re full, just remember to face it away from you!

The blaster features two modes: Pulse and Flood. You switch between the two by rotating the cap around the firing nozzle. Doing this reorients some of the parts inside to change how the blaster behaves. In “Pulse”, you get around 17 shots before running out of usable volume, with each shot being more than good enough to drench the front of a shirt. Flood, however, unlocks all the blaster’s power, giving you two roughly equal blasts of water before needing to reload. That mode is the one that kicks back, and it’s so satisfying to use!

Like the Power Drench, there is a valve stem inside that moves back and forth, sacrificing a bit of water at the end of each firing cycle. So while not all the water gets sent downrange, it’s a lot less noticeable here due to how much water you’re firing. I still don’t quite understand how the mechanism works, but it’s clear that it’s far more efficient once you make the blaster large enough.

Testing, 1-2-3…

In testing, the usable volume in the reservoir hovered around 630mL. Even with water losses due to the firing mechanism, that’s well over 300mL a shot in flood mode. And in burst mode…*does math on a napkin*…even accounting for losses, that’s 30-35mL a shot. And no matter the mode, it’s a blob of water traveling up to 40′ away, well in excess of most soakers on the market. You’ve got range and power – as long as you have access to the QFD, you’re set.

Inside the Beast

The Power Drench XL is mostly reservoir, as far as internal space is concerned. The firing chamber (if we want to call it that, since operationally it’s still reservoir space), though, is far larger than that of the Power drench, and the internal bits are scaled up as well. Pulling the trigger moves an internal sleeve in this space, which displaces the valve stem and fires some of the water. Once the valve closes again, releasing the trigger moves the sleeve back to reset things, and pushes a bit of water out the side in the process.

Last Thoughts

$40 is apparently what it takes to relive the glory days of childhood! At least if you want the true experience of blasting your opponents with a ton of water.

Just make sure you have a hose handy for the QFD, and enough water pressure to make the whole thing work. Once that’s covered, though, you’re going to have a blast.