NerfN-Strike Elite Triad EX-3 Blaster

These pack a punch, really powerful shot for their size. Instruct your kids how to use them so nobody loses an eye.

I have owned over 8 different Nerf guns over the many years that I've been involved in office warfare, from the original N-Strike line to the new Elite guns. This little "noisy cricket" is by far the best.Pros:- The gun's range is actually even better than the full-sized Retaliator and the Strongarm.- Accuracy is just as good as any other gun in the Elite line.- Small! Fits in many small hiding spots within easy reach, and allows me to respond quickly to ambushes from coworkers.- Easy to load. Office warfare is more about a few well-placed shots as opposed to spray-and-pray (nobody wants to pick up more than a handful of darts... we have work to do, after all). The larger guns tend to be more cumbersome to load (anything with a clip is too much trouble).- Will never jam.- Easy to tell when it is cocked (you can't tell on the larger guns, I always have to trigger it just to make sure).- Amazingly inexpensive.Cons:- 3 shots is often sufficient, but having owned 2 Mavericks and a Strongarm, I do miss having 6 shots available. The 3 fall short of "just enough".I highly recommend this to anyone searching for a fun and effective Nerf gun!

This diminutive blaster still packs a wallop. Though the draw on the plunger on bottom is a little tough, it's nothing a ten-year-old couldn't handle. Internal valves allow the blaster to detect which barrel is loaded, so you'll always fire if there's a dart in. I believe it when it claims to reach 75 feet, though I haven't had the chance to test the range out yet. I actually bought two, one for each pocket.Pros:Small, concealable blasterThree dart capacityWonderful range and powerIron sights are pretty accurateKnows which barrel is loadedCons:Plunger draw is a little toughDoesn't fire Clip-System darts, but will fire suction cup darts (though not as effectively) and Elite darts.Note: it does warn against keeping the darts in the gun for extended periods of time, i.e. when storing. Presumably, if darts remain loaded, over time they will wear out the springs that control the valves, and the gun may malfunction. I keep mine unloaded unless it's in use.

I originally purchased these for my twin 4 year old sons to use at their big brother's Nerf birthday party. They were very excited about them, and I like the overall design and the fact that there are only three darts for them to worry about (read: shoot at me at one time. I can easily retaliate before they have time to reload). The only bummer was, the way you have to pull down on the bottom of the gun to prime it, was a little difficult for them. They aren't wimpy little guys either, but it required a little more strength and grasping ability than they possessed. As we have had them a little longer, they are getting more adept at using them, one of them managed to sneak up on their big brother last week, which they were fairly excited about. These guns have been left outside for days on end, and so far still work just fine. My husband just found one hidden in the weeds he was weed eating, and with the exception of fading from the sun, it still worked. Some of the other, more expensive guns we have had in the past warped from the sun and wouldn't shoot properly. All in all, I think these are a great little toy for the younger crowd, just be forewarned you may be asked repeatedly to help them at first.

This little gun packs a punch! We have bought many nerf guns in the past, but in terms of power this one puts the rest to shame. If I had to guess, when an undamaged nerf dart is fired, it shoots at around 70 fps, much faster than anything from the accustrike series. The first dart will always shoot true and is quite accurate, as it shoots from the bottom of the barrel, but the second and third shot needs to be compensated for as they fire a little bit to the left/right. It is perfect for target shooting, and that's what I mainly use it for. I wouldn't shoot your kids under 10 with this unless they are wearing something with long sleeves to lessen the sting, it stings a bit when hit. Overall, this little gun is fantastic. Best $6.00 I've ever spent on a toy

Great for the IT work atmosphere where you have computer geeks who love to pummel each other with darts throughout the day. It's cool in that it's under $10, easy to wield and packs a wallop hurling darts at least 50+ feet and fast. So, don't let it's size fool you, it shoots fast and hard. You simply don't expect something of this size to have the impact that it does. Another cool thing is if you load just a single dart, it doesn't matter which of the three holes you load it in, it will fire it! It does work with a variety of different darts, although I believe they have to be the "elite" style, which you can pick up on ebay for $5 or less for a hundred darts from overseas, which I very much recommend over buying authentic nerf darts unless you don't mind paying through the nose. Darts break, get lost, so why pay top dollar for them? Go the ebay route for that...The gun does have it's drawbacks. It's short barrel means aiming is pretty random and hitting anything more than 15 feet away is more or less chance. Plus it only holds 3 darts and has to be cocked each time, but that's the trade off for something stealthy & pocket size. The cocking lever might be tough for real young kids, more so than cocking mechanisms of other larger nerf guns.Overall cheap powerful nerf gun!