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Monday, December 24, 2018

Nerf Sawtooth Review (3/10)

Old school tacticool.
This is a blaster that's been on my bucket list for ages and I finally got the chance to snag one in very good condition. This is the 1995 Nerf Sawtooth and it has the very unique distinction of being the first clip fed Nerf blaster in history and if it weren't for this, modern staples like the Longshot and Retaliator may have never existed in their current form. Let's see if this old thing stood the test of time.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Nerf Deploy CS-6 Review (3/10)

Because they thought this was still a good idea.
School is starting wind down a bit so I'm going to try and ramp things back up around here. Not too long ago I reviewed the Expand-a-Blast, which I crowned the worst dart blaster I've ever tested in years bar none. I did praise it for having some slightly novel ideas, it's just that they were so badly executed that it pretty much ruined the whole blaster. Fast forward several years and apparently Nerf still thought the whole self-expanding blaster idea was still the coolest shit on the planet, and for whatever reason they decided to give it another shot. The product of this was the Deploy CS-6: a laughingstock in an era already defined by mediocrity.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Dyson AM06 Desk Fan Review

Cools you off. Makes your wallet sweat.
To be totally honest, I have no idea what would drive someone to buy a $300 desk fan, especially when you can buy one in the range of $20 that gets the job done. Electric fans are just one of those things we don't give much though to anymore; the basic design of them hasn't really changed since the 20th-century primarily because they just work. The maniacs at Dyson however, felt some need to radically redesign the thing into another ludicrously expensive appliance. That being said, it is pretty cool. Literally.

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Hyperkin Duke Xbox One Controller Review

One big boi.
Xbox controllers have long held a reputation of being some of the best in terms of comfort and feel. The sleek yet slightly chunky shape feels great in the hands while the button and stick layout feels strangely natural. Nowadays you can get them in any combination of color you'd like, or a ludicrously expensive model you might not actually need, yet things weren't always this way. Back in 2001 when Microsoft was just dipping their toes into the console game, they released a controller so reviled that they replaced it less than a year after it released, and now it's back. This is the Duke, everybody's favorite terrible game controller.

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Nerf Rival Prometheus MXVIII-20K Review (10/10)

"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."
I think there has been several times where some company has come out with a blaster that basically sets the bar in terms of sheer insanity. Once it was the Punisher, then the Rhino-Fire, and even that managed to get one upped by the Colossal Blitz. At that point I was pretty certain, you can't really have any more blaster than this, and then Nerf showed up with the Rival Nemesis which might as well have been the atomic bomb in blaster form. Apparently they thought even that wasn't enough so they decided to... make a few improvements. The end result is the Prometheus MXVIII-20K and nothing, and I really mean nothing could have prepared me for just how amazing and overkill this hipfire cannon is.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Overhauled Nerf Air Tech 4000 Mod Guide

As I mentioned in my review, the Air Tech 4000 is a pretty average blaster for how large it is. It does however have a whole boatload of potential to be something amazing like it's smaller counterparts, the Air Tech 3000 and Air Tech 2000. Of course, being practically twice as large as an AT3k, it's going to require roughly twice the work. Basic premise of this mod is a full re-barrel with rear loading capability and a pump replacement. Time to get messy.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Nerf Air Tech 4000 Review (6/10)

Average has never been this weird.
This going be a first for me. For someone who's been in the Nerf game as long as I have, it's kind of odd that I've never owned one of the venerable Air Tech blasters. Renowned for their rock solid performance and extremely simple mod-ability, they are probably some of the finest blasters to ever grace this earth, or at least the Air Tech 2000 and 3000 were. Naturally, I didn't buy either of those two and had my eyes set on a bigger prize, the seemingly more badass Air Tech 4000 which unlike the other two blasters, never got a re-release because it was so surrounded in mediocrity. But is it really all that terrible?

Monday, July 9, 2018

Apple iPad 9.7" (2018) Review

Good just got a little better.
I've used an iPad Air for a couple of years during high school and have had a kind of love hate relationship with them. For the basic stuff, it's always been a very convenient way to get some work done and get distracted in the same time frame. However, I've often found attempting to do anything too elaborate with it was an exercise in head scratching and wanting to throw it out a window, my school's bloated restriction software didn't improve life either. So with that experience long behind me, I got a chance to play around with the new iPad to see how things have fared, for better or worse.

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Nerf Zombiestrike Dreadbolt Review (6/10)

Norman Reedus approved.
Nerf's bows have never really been that good. Before they were just regular plunger powered blasters with some useless bow arms and elastic stuck to them that most people removed anyways. Lately they've decide to take those useless bits and actually make them do something but as we've seen before, they're not all that great. Granted, everyone seems to be long past wanting to imitate Katniss Everdeen and Daryl Dixon so Nerf has been dialing back on it's lineup of bows. Apparently someone at Hasbro wasn't ready to give up just yet and this was the result: the Dreadbolt. So, is this big bad crossbow any better than it's predecessors? Let's find out.

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Super Nite Finder Mod V2

Hopefully this time it stays in one piece.
Memorial Day weekend left me with a lot of time, and a whole lot of nothing to do apart from dying of heatstroke as soon as you step outside. I decided to go ahead and revisit an old project I abandoned a few years back. The idea was simple, take a regular ol' Nerf Nite Finder and shove a massive plunger into it in hopes of building a springer pistol that could slam darts down range at over 100 feet. Basically I failed many times, but this time around I think I finally got it right.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Bose Soundsport Free Wireless Earbuds Review

Cut the cord.
I've always kind of considered the whole rush for "wireless everything" to be kind of a joke. It's like literally the most half-assed excuse for drastic changes to occur for not much real benefit. Wireless charging? Until I don't have to physically touch my phone to anything to charge it, lame. Wireless headphones? Even more crap to worry about having to charge, lame. Fully wireless earbuds? So not only do I have to charge them now, I'm in even greater risk of losing them, super lame. Yet, here I am typing this review with a pair of fully wireless earbuds stuck in my ears, wondering why I ever thought these were a legitimately dumb idea.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Brass Barreled Nerf Warthog Mod Guide

Let's make you less terrible.
If any of you guys have seen my Warthog review, you know that this pistol honestly isn't very good. It's ranges are sub par and often inconstant on top of it just being loud firing for no really good reason. I decided to bust this thing out of the closet for one more day of fame on this blog, because it's getting a bit of an overhaul. This guide will show you how to turn the Warthog into something a lot more usable.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Nerf Expand-a-Blast Review (1/10)

Expand-a-Crap.
Call me insane but I've had a very strong desire to review something terrible lately. I've been on a long streak of reviewing things that only really dip as low as being decent, and I'm tired of it. Masochistic it may seem, but I find writing bad reviews to be a whole lot more fun than good reviews so I went on the hunt for something that would hopefully fit the bill of breaking this streak of good. So I took my search to eBay and picked up this; an Expand-a-Blast, released in 1998. Let's take a closer look, or should we?

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Nerf Modulus Mediator XL Review (8/10)

Pump it up.
Modulus is kind of a weird series. It's lineup basically prides itself on shelling out abominations of plastic with some semblance of functionality with anywhere from sub-par to solid performance figures. Usually the core blasters aren't bad, they just look and feel generally terrible with all their tacked on accessories that usually serve zero purpose other just to increase overall bulk. There really isn't much of reason to buy a Modulus blaster over any of their less expensive Elite counterparts, however this one right here might be worth considering. Say hello to the Mediator.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Nerf Alien Menace Ravager Review (6/10)

"One ugly mother****er."
Man, they just keep churning this stuff out! Well, I have been out of the loop for quite a while now but that's not going to stop me from throwing my two cents on some of this new gear. Anyways, Alien Menace has prided itself on being weird and unconventional although most of the blasters aren't really all that strange beyond their appearance. This right here is the Ravager, it looks ridiculous but is that really it? Let's find out.

Nerf Doomlands 2169 The Judge Review (6/10)

I am the law.
Nerf has been cranking out some pretty bonkers blasters lately, a lot which are on the same kind of insanity we haven't seen since the vintage days. You'll get oddballs like the Voidcaster which seem impractical but actually perform rather well, or you get things like the Brainsaw which are just flat out garbage on all accounts. This right here though, I feel sort of ushers in a whole new definition of insanity. Say you want the biggest piece on the field, practicality isn't an issue but you don't want a sniper rifle, a machine gun, or even a rocket launcher. Nothing really fits that bill right? Not anymore. Meet The Judge, the most ridiculous blaster I've ever laid hands on.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Nerf Alien Menace Voidcaster Review (8/10)

Out of this world.
Nerf's Alien Menace line has been kind of stagnant as of late, launching with only two blasters and it's been that way for quite some time now. Finally they've churned out something new and rather fresh, featuring a radical new firing mechanism and seriously unconventional looks. This is the Voidcaster, and it actually surprised me a bit.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Alienware Area 51 R2 Upgrades

Upgrades? I don't need upgrades!
So to my absolute disbelief, I actually found myself dissatisfied by the performance of my Alienware Area 51 R2 for the first time in my two years of owning it. Yeah no kidding, this monster that weighs somewhere north of 60 pounds and has not one, but three GTX 980s crammed into it managed to put a frown on my face, and I have nothing but my heavy use of VR to thank for it. This left me with only one option that I haven't resorted to for years: it's time for a rebuild.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Nerf Accustrike Raptorstrike Review (7/10)

Pop, lock, and drop it.
Nerf's new Accustrike series didn't have all that great of a start after releasing two arguably dull blasters. The Alphahawk, while it had a fantastic shell didn't have much more to offer in terms of performance or creativity. Of course Accustrike was destined to grow, and I saw more potential from the line with it's rather good breed of new darts. Now, Nerf has finally dropped us a what appears to be the heavy hitter the lineup has been lacking. This is the Raptorstrike, an answer to the lack of sniper type blasters Nerf has available.

Monday, January 8, 2018

Microsoft Surface Book With Performance Base Review

All the power in the world.
After nearly two years of service, the time has finally come to retire my trusty Surface Pro 3. Scratched, dinged, and worn, that tablet has been hammered though some tough loads and unfortunately it's rampant near meltdown levels of heat and noise got to the point where I had to downclock the CPU to stop it from running the fans on full while browsing Wikipedia. I originally opted to replace it with a current generation Surface Pro since I still love how versatile the thing was but I decided instead that I wanted something with a little more of a conventional touch this time. So I picked up what Microsoft considers to be the end all, be all of laptops, the Surface Book.