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By Ross Patton ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Jun 26, 2023
The Best Nerf Guns
We spent dozens of hours researching Nerf blasters before we bought the 9 best models on the market today for a head-to-head Nerf weapon battle royale. We carefully inspected each product for the subtleties and differences in features that set it apart from the others. We considered how hard the manual powered Nerf blasters are to set as well as the size and price of the batteries for the electric models. We even measured the maximum distance each blaster was able to shoot its projectile. Most importantly, we judged how much fun each model was to use. Read below to see the results of our comprehensive Nerf blaster review.
The Nerf N-Strike Strongarm Blaster is the leading single-handed style toy blaster that doesn't use batteries. It features a flip-out style cylinder that houses the six included darts that will have you feeling like you're the star in an old western film. It is ideal for kids because it's easier to set to blast than many others. One of our favorite features of the N-Strike Strongarm is if you keep the trigger held down, it can automatically shoot all six darts.
Our only complaint with the Nerf N-Strike Strongarm is that it takes longer to load than many other models. The revolver style is fun, but it could leave you vulnerable to people with toy blasters that are easier to load in a toy blaster battle. Still, the Strongarm is a great choice for a manual-powered model.
The Strongarm is one of best manually powered toy blasters that we've tested
The Nerf Ultra One Motorized Blaster could launch a dart nearly twice as far as the second-place contender and more than three times as far as the weakest blasters. This is primarily a result of the dart design on the Ultra One, which features aerodynamic fronts plus grooves on the back that give them spin like a well-thrown football. The drum-style cylinder is massive, holding 25 darts, plus there are also holders for four more on each side of the stock.
Unfortunately, this blaster can only fire Ultra One darts, which are more expensive to replace than standard darts. If you're being bombarded with a different style of dart by your opponent, you can't pick them up and use them to return fire. Also, C batteries are heavy, and since the blaster draws a ton of power, they won't last very long. Having said all of that, the Ultra One Motorized Blaster is pure awesomeness, especially if you want a model with a phenomenal range.
The Ultra One Motorized offers a high level of performance
If you want a toy blaster for dirt cheap, take a look at the Nerf N-Strike Elite Jolt Blaster. This thing is tiny, easily fitting into a pocket. But don't let its size fool you; its range is very impressive. The Elite Jolt reminds us of a particular secret agent's blaster of choice and is also great for kids who aren't quite big enough to handle the bulkier models.
The biggest drawback to the Elite Jolt Blaster is it requires reloading for each shot. In full-on toy blaster combat, this would not be the best Nerf gun to reach for. Although, it would be nice to have one hidden in your boot, just in case. Another disadvantage is that it's slightly hard to set. While it might be the right size for a child, you will likely need to help them blast it — which may not be a bad thing. Generally speaking, the Elite Jolt Blaster is a great blaster at a reasonable price and is fun for just about anyone.
For a different style of toy blaster, check out the Nerf Rival Roundhouse XX-1500 Blaster. Instead of foam darts, the XX-1500 shoots foam balls, and they shoot fast and far — one of the best ranges that we've seen. We love the construction of this model. It has five integrated magazines that hold three foam balls each, and as the toy is set, its entire front cylinder is loaded. Also, it's great that the Rival Roundhouse XX-1500 has a trigger safety lever.
The entire front cylinder has to rotate every time you want to shoot, making this Nerf gun a bit hard to set. For this reason, it is not the best option for small kids. Once the foam balls hit their target, they tend to roll and bounce into odd places, making them a bit challenging to keep track of. Even so, the Rival Roundhouse XX-1500 is perfect for a ball-style toy blaster.
The Rival Roundhouse has a revolving cylinder that holds 15 foam balls
The Nerf Longstrike Modulus has a very inventive design with an array of configurations. It can be used as a short barrel blaster, or you can attach an extended barrel, or then set it up as a bipod with extendable legs to the barrel. The Modulus scope can be attached in any configuration. It includes three six-dart clips, two of which get stored in the stock while the other is attached to the blaster.
The lone complaint about the Longstrike Modulus is that the bolt-action setting on the side is a bit awkward and slow. If your goal is rapid dart deployment, it will be better to go with a battery-powered blaster or a manual model that is easier to set.
The Longstrike Modulus has a removable bipod, scope, and barrel extension
When it comes to battery-powered toy blasters, the Nerf Fortnite SMG-E Blaster is hard to beat in that it was designed to replicate a model from the actual Fortnite game. With a single six-dart clip that easily loads and snaps into place, you'll spend less time fumbling with darts and more time blasting them. Unlike some battery-powered models with large revolving cylinders, the clip feeds darts straight into the barrel and thus fires quickly. Also good: it uses AA batteries that are readily available in most households and more affordable than the C and D batteries used by some other models.
The main disadvantage is its short range. For maximum dart sailing distance with your battery-powered toy blaster, go with a more powerful option. The SMG-E is best if you want a battery-powered Nerf gun that is easy to operate and fires quickly.
Spent dart cartridges eject out of the side of the toy
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor range
Reloading takes extra time
The Nerf NER Elite Trilogy DS 15 is a favorite for the simple fact that it shoots three darts at once. Whether you are blasting targets or contending with friends, three darts in the air at once will give you a better chance of scoring. Once you pre-load the five triple dart cartridges, they are stored in the stock for the next shot. As you set the blaster, using the bottom handle pump, the used dart cartridges pop out of the side of the toy body.
The Trilogy DS 15 divides the potential energy of a shot into thirds by launching three darts at once. As a result, it has a poor range. Another downside is that you must pack the cartridges with darts before loading them into the blaster. Between the cartridges and darts, that's a lot to keep track of. That said, we still think it's a very fun toy, especially if you want to blast three projectiles at once.
The Pokonboy 2 Pack Blaster is perfect for someone who wants a complete battle set in one purchase. This set includes two blasters, plus 30 standard darts and 30 suction cup darts. Even if you lose a bunch, you'll never run out of projectiles. Underneath the barrel, this model holds two darts, perfect for quick reloading. This blaster is small — only 8 inches long by 5 inches tall.
The Pokonboy is a single shot, so you have to load a dart and set the blaster every time you want to shoot. Regrettably, during range testing, this blaster came in dead last. But for those that want two blasters with a plethora of darts at a decent price, this would still be a great kit.
We love the Best Choice Products Foam Dart Blaster's removable modular scope, and that the clip holds 20 darts, which is one of the largest capacities for a blaster of this style.
The disadvantages of the Best Choice are that its range is very poor for a rifle-style toy blaster, and during our tests, this model emitted an unusually whiny and annoying sound. This company aimed to make a decent toy blaster, but if you seek performance, we'd recommend going with another model.
The BCP model has an extra-large clip
Credit: Jason Peters
Why Trust GearLab
Our testing process begins with extensive research to find the top products. We then purchase those contenders for hands-on testing. In this category, we bought 9 toy blasters for our head-to-head comparison. We put each product through the paces, testing key performance attributes like range, projectile capacity, ease of use, and fun factor to rate and rank each product. After our extensive testing, we pick our favorites and explain why they're the best to help you find the very best product for your needs and budget.
To head up our comprehensive toy blaster and blaster review, we used our resident foam dart weapons expert Ross Patton. Ross grew up playing with toy blasters and organizing battles with his neighborhood buddies. As an adult, he completed a B.S. in Environmental Science, has ten years of product testing experience under his belt, and is a Senior Review Editor at TechGearLab.
A duel challenge has been accepted
Two paces away then turn and shoot
Fire!
Analysis and Test Results
We began by formulating a test plan. To provide our readers with the best toy blaster assessment possible, we determined that our score should be narrowed down to three key metrics, in no particular order — range, projectile capacity, and fun factor.
Range
The test plan for firing range was simple — take the blasters out to the local soccer field on a day with dead-calm wind and see how far each one could shoot a dart. Then we broke out the old trusty measuring wheel and recorded the distance from the furthest dart back to the shooting point.
We used a professional-grade measuring wheel to precisely measure the distance that each projectile traveled
Credit: Jason Peters
The Nerf Ultra One Motorized Blaster was easily crowned the champion of this competition. The Ultra One's dart tips are specially engineered, and the grooves on the back of the projectile give them a spiral flight through the air that helps them fly faster and farther than the rest. When we unleashed this beast, we were blown away as we watched the darts sail nearly half of the soccer field — the furthest dart that we sent went 135 feet.
Surprisingly, second place for the range assessment was given to the Nerf Rival Roundhouse XX-1500 Blaster — the model that uses foam balls as a projectile rather than darts. The furthest ball we recorded traveled a distance of 88 feet. It's even more impressive that this is a manually powered toy blaster that is not that hard to set. The Roundhouse gets the thumbs up from the GearLab crew.
Just behind the Rival Roundhouse XX-1500 in our range experiment was another one of our favorite manual-powered models, the Nerf N-Strike Strongarm Blaster. We measured the Strongarm's furthest dart to be 77 feet from the point of origin.
The Nerf Ultra One Motorized Blaster shoots darts farther than the rest
Credit: Jason Peters
Projectile Capacity
If you are deep in a toy blaster clash, it's nice to have extra projectiles ready to go. We considered the number of darts or foam balls that each model has loaded and ready or ready to load.
The Ultra One Motorized Blaster has a 25 dart drum, along with four dart holders on each side of the stock, for a total of 33 darts that are ready to go on this model. Although the extra darts on the stock will take a few seconds to load, at least they're on hand and accessible.
The Ultra One Motorized has a 25 dart cylinder
Credit: Jason Peters
Another model with a decent amount of readily accessible darts is the Nerf Longstrike Modulus. This toy blaster uses six-dart clips that are easily locked into place and ejected. Best of all, it holds two extra clips in the stock that you can keep pre-loaded for a total of 18 darts ready to blast your target or opposing team.
The Longstrike Modulus houses a total of 18 darts between its three clips
Credit: Jason Peters
Fun Factor
This metric was our favorite. We took our panel of expert professional product testers, provided them eye protection, set the blasters out in front of them, said, “Have at it,” and watched everyone smile from ear to ear. At the end of a full-blown, no holds barred foam projectile battle extravaganza, we simply asked everyone which models were their favorites. A few models easily stood out.
Our favorite model for pure fun is the Nerf Rival Roundhouse XX-1500 Blaster. With the set handle on top and the 15-round rotating cylinder, this thing can send foam balls very far and at a very rapid rate.
We give the Rival Roundhouse a fun rating of 10
Credit: Jason Peters
Finally, when it comes to single-shot models, the Nerf N-Strike Elite Jolt Blaster was our favorite. This tiny blaster has a phenomenal range for its size, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
The Jolt packs quite the punch for such a tiny toy
Credit: Jason Peters
Conclusion
At GearLab, we aim to equip you with the best data possible so you can make an informed decision before you make your purchases. We hope that having read this review, you will be able to choose the perfect toy blaster for your needs and budget, whether you are looking for the model with the longest range, the largest projectile capacity, or the one that is just plain old fun to shoot.
