Running Out of Water: 2014 Super Soakers

I couldn't agree more when I came across Bazookafied's rant over the new Super Soaker lineup and after taking a closer look at it now, what a mess. Honestly, ever since Larami was dissolved, Super Soaker was practically destined for a downhill ride, and the effects of it are clearly showing ever since the brand was integrated into Nerf. Somehow, Hasbro went from obtaining a brand who produced some of the most badass and high powered water guns on the face of the earth to turning that around into these electric and push pull soakers that work slightly better than your average higher end dollar store water gun. Seriously, Super Soaker's future is drying up rather quickly, and it shocks me how easily Hasbro could recover it from this dry spell the brand is facing.

The Max-D 5000, something we haven't seen the likes of since the mid 2000's.

Just to give you guys a quick bit of background information on this whole watery mess, Super Soaker was owned by Larami until 2002, when Hasbro bought Larami and all it's assets. While Larami was still at the helm, Super Soaker was vastly popular, probably more so than Nerf at the time period. Larami was eventually dissolved by Hasbro and Super Soaker was basically left as a standalone brand under Hasbro. Up until 2010, the line of water guns was still in rather good shape with some notable guns like the Arctic Blast and the Flash Flood being released. 2010 was the year when Super Soaker was integrated into Nerf, which by this time was extremely popular. Super Soaker's new lineups from then on mostly consisted of push pull soakers, electrics, and re-releases of some more popular vintage soakers but that process has since then stopped. As the brand stands as of 2014, the new lineup seems very conservative and barebones compared to it's predecessors. Versus Super Soaker's biggest competitor, Buzz Bee's Water Warriors, there's a pretty large divide between the technological advancement between the two. While Buzz Bee went forwards, Super Soaker literally went backwards.

The Super Soaker Barrage versus the Water Warriors Charger. Both are 2014 releases.

Taking a look at Water Warriors compared to Super Soaker now is like looking at Super Soaker compared to Water Warriors back in 2003. The changes are almost insane; Buzz Bee to this day continues to make air pressure powered water guns and is constantly updating the line with new releases. Super Soaker nowadays generally have an entire body made out of a plastic slightly more durable than your average milk jug, not to mention the entire body is also the reservoir with a very simple pump system attached to it. Extend the pump, water is drawn into it, push the pump in, water is forced out the nozzle. I strongly believe this is in due part to that the water gun craze has faded greatly and Hasbro has really not seen Super Soaker has big of a priority as Nerf is today. Its also really all about what rakes in the most profit at the moment, and also the cost of producing the more expensive air pressure systems(Nerf is seeing this trend right as I speak) and not so much of what people really want from the brand.

This is the part the infuriates me the most, is that when Hasbro sued Buzz Bee in 2010 for infringing the CPS system patent, Hasbro has hardly made ANY CPS or air pressure soakers that weren't a re-release of one of Larami's classics since that year. The only two Soakers that were truly air pressure and not a re-release post 2010 were the Point Break and the Hydro Cannon and there were no other soakers like them since their release. And regardless of the lawsuit, Buzz Bee is still doing better because they've worked around the restrictions put on them and have moved on to a system just as effective as CPS power. You may recognize it as the Water Warriors "Pulse" series.

The internals of a Water Warriors PulseStrike.

This system utilizes something I like to call a "Hybrid Tank". This is essentially a cross between a plunger system and a pull pin air tank. Water is pumped into the tank forcing back a spring loaded plunger head and just like your average tank, it is sealed off water tight at the front by a gasket connected to a pull pin. Pull the trigger and you get a nice powerful spray. Because of the spring based plunger system forcing the water into a smaller and smaller space as the water is shot out, what do you get? Constant freaking pressure. Well done Buzz Bee, very well done.

So that's what boggles my mind, when you restrict your competitor from making a certain type of product with a system that you patented and then you go on and not make a single product utilizing that system for several years while your competitor develops something just as effective to work around those restrictions. It has no actual sense behind it other than cost. Why would you just all of a sudden stop doing what you do best while you're biggest competitor blows you out of the water?(Pun unintended) And it's doesn't help either when your current line of clearly inferior products costs more than the competition. Just to go back the above comparison, the Barrage costs $19.99, whilst the Charger costs $14.99. It almost seems like brand reputation the only thing keeping Super Soaker afloat, and that reputation is tarnishing.

In conclusion, I feel like Hasbro dug Super Soaker into a grave for no real good reason. Compared to the water guns they produced before 2010, the new and current line without a doubt sucks and compared to Buzz Bee, it's laughable. Super Soaker can recover if Hasbro actually put some proper investment into the brand like they are doing right now with Nerf. Probably the best way to do it dropping the pull push garbage altogether and actually implementing some proper air pressure systems in the guns.(This wouldn't hurt for Nerf either) I know cost is a factor in everything and I feel like it one of the reasons, if not the main reason why Super Soaker is going under and because of that I'm not 100% sure if its even financially feasible to get things back to the way they were nowadays. I guess all we can do now is just hope for the better, because right now it's just a matter of evolving or drying up for good.