Adventure Force Cricket Pro Review

It’s been out a while…but I waited until it was on the local Walmart shelf before I bought it and did a review. Such is life.

If you’ve seen the Dart Zone Max Solo, then you know the concept: turning the classic “Nerf Jolt” design into a pro blaster. Where the Solo was chunky and rugged in in design, however, the Cricket is thin and sleek, with a few tweaks in function and design that let it hit pro performance at half the price. Is it as versatile as the Solo when it comes to modding? Perhaps not. But for $7, it’s a heck of a deal.

If You Like It, Then You Shoulda Put a Ring on It

The Cricket Pro folds and unfolds a bit differently than the Solo. There are two joints to speak of, one for unfolding the blaster in general (locked in by a button on the right side), and one for flipping down and loading the barrel (a tab on top of the blaster has “load” molded into it). The barrel rests on a large plastic ring/tube that rotates within the shell. It’s a unique look, for sure, but the design helps minimize other parts of the blaster. After all, now you only have to rotate a length of barrel down against the body, instead of trying to move an entire, blocky assembly that needs a cutout for the trigger, a thick hinge that’s also the trigger mounting point, etc. The barrel also sits freely in front of your blaster while you’re loading it – no need to choke your grip or other wise let go of the blaster itself.

The decorative paint works here – it’s a process that works best on flat surfaces, and the Cricket Pro uses the space it has well.

Operating the blaster is simple. Pull down the T-pull to prime the blaster. Flip open the barrel to load a dart. Close up the barrel, then pull the trigger to fire. If that didn’t work…make sure you switch the safety off.

Performance

Like the Solo, there are enough steps for firing the blaster that you’re getting a shot off every three seconds, at best. It’s not a primary-type blaster, after all, but it’s very easy to use.

Dart velocities, it turns out, are exactly as promised. Both of the Cricket Pros I picked up were averaging 110fps, matching the numbers listed on the packaging.

Those numbers might vary a little bit using other darts, be they the new Nitroshot darts from Dart Zone or some other brand. I’d still expect above 100fps, however.

Internals

If you saw the Solo, then you know what to expect here, because the same basic features are all there. Trigger, catch, plunger within the grip, etc. Time will tell if people are able to mod this to the same extent as the Solo.

Last Thoughts

I enjoy my Solo, but I’m really enjoying a tiny pistol like this being only $7 at Walmart. I can legitimately run an all Cricket loadout at the next HvZ game I attend, pulling these things out of pockets to fire them. But aside form enabling my silliness, the Cricket Pro is quite good, whether as a backup or as something you just want for plinking. It’s hard to argue against the performance with a price like that.