Gel Blaster Surge XL Day N Nite Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Helen O
There was a lot of excitement in our house when we were told that we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to test and review the Gel Blaster Surge XL Day N Nite. We didn’t have to wait long for the blaster to arrive.
The item arrived well packaged in a layer of bubble wrap and shrink-wrapped in plastic. All of which could be recycled with the single-use plastic collection at most supermarkets. I really liked the design of the box; it comes with a convenient carrying handle, which is really useful, as the box is large and filled with all the accessories needed. The box also displayed all the information you could possibly need about the item, so it’s easy to make an informed decision if you’re buying it in person from a shop.
The contents of the box included:
• Gel Blaster Surge XL
• Starfire activator feedneck
• Hopper with feedneck (which holds 1000 gellets)
• Electric green tip and fins
• 10,000 electric green gellets (dehydrated)
• 5,000 Starfire glow in the dark gellets (dehydrated)
• Adjustable shoulder strap
• Velocity adjustment tool
• Safety glasses
• USB-C cable
• Removable butt stock
• Quick start guide
The blaster comes with a built-in lithium battery, which can be charged using the USB-C cable included in the box and gives around 4 hours play. The Starfire activator feedneck takes 2 x AAA batteries (not included), which lights up the feedneck, for night time play.
It was really straightforward to assemble the product and it helpfully disassembles really easily too, for safe storage in the box, when not in use.
The gellets are made of water and gel, which burst on impact. Which is great, as it means there’s no need to spend hours cleaning up any ‘shells’ as they just dissolve. Plus they are non-toxic and natural, so are perfectly safe for use in gardens with children and pets/ wildlife.
I was really impressed that the refill gellets (both the electric green and glow in the dark), came in a small box. They are tiny and dehydrated, therefore the boxes contained 10,000 and 5,000 gellets respectively. They are easy to hydrate in a bucket, with a gallon of water and only take a couple of hours to hydrate. You need to make sure that you don’t use them all at once, otherwise you’ll be overloaded with them. The hopper takes approximately 1000 gellets at a time. This is particularly important to note with the glow in the dark gellets, as once hydrated, they lose their ability to glow within a few days. There’s a handy QR code on the back of the box, with a video showing you how to hydrate them.
Refill gellet boxes are available to purchase from a number of different outlets, for a relatively low cost.
I think it would have made sense to include a second empty hopper so that it was easy to switch between the green gellets and the glow in the dark ones, rather than having to wait to empty the green ones, before hydrating the glow in the dark ones.
The blaster itself is an impressive bit of kit, it screams quality and really looks the part. It has 3 firing modes, ranging from semi-automatic (single shot), burst fire (3 rounds per shot) and fully automatic (constant fire). Once you pull the trigger, you can’t help but be impressed with the sheer power in the blast. In fact, our garden is approx. 40 metres long and the gellets fired almost all the way down the garden. Be prepared for a noisy play session, as the blaster really packs a punch.
It’s possible to vary the velocity for even punchier shots; it comes with 250fps as standard, but using the barrel tool provided, it can be adjusted to 170fps.
It’s basically an alternative to paint-balling, which can be done in the safety of your back garden, which is great. The item comes with safety glasses, which must be worn when firing, as I can only imagine the damage which could be inflicted if one or more of the gellets hit or burst in someone’s eye.
The Gel Blaster Surge XL is marketed as age 14 years +, which I think is absolutely right, given the physical size of the blaster (weighing in at just under 2KG) and also the power in the shot. The instruction leaflet which accompanies the product, issues a warning that the Blaster shouldn’t be viewed as a toy, which I think is correct, as it’s such a powerful bit of kit.
Our nephew has recently turned 14 and he thoroughly enjoyed playing with the Blaster. But, in all honesty, I think it was my husband who had the most fun! It’s safe to say, that big kids too, will have a great time with it too!
The RRP for the Gel Blaster Surge XL Day N Nite is £119.99, which I think is quite pricey, given that in order to have a proper fight, you’d need at least two to make it fair. There’s no doubt that a lot of thought and engineering has gone into the manufacturing the item and they’re offering a premium product, but at a premium price. Although, it does come with a 2 year manufacturer’s guarantee, which reflects that it’s a quality item.
The company also sell smaller versions of the Gel Blaster Surge for people looking for something similar, but on a lower budget.
The Gel Blaster Surge XL Day N Nite would be an ideal gift for an outdoor fun-loving teenager and it’s a great alternative to screen-time, getting them outside in the fresh air!
Rating: 4/5 based on price and recommendation for a second hopper
RRP: £119.99
This product can be purchased from Curry’s here.