Part of the Nerf N-Strike line, the Nerf Vulcan is one of the most ambitious Nerf guns that Hasbro has ever made.

The first thing you’ll notice when you take the Vulcan out of the box is that this is a really big Nerf gun, not at all suited for a stealth mission. This is to be expected — it is a machine gun afterall — but you won’t appreciate size and weight of the gun until you hold it in your hands for the first time.

Once you take the Vulcan out of the box, you’ll notice that it comes with a few accessories: a much needed tripod, an ammobox, and an ammobelt. Inside the ammobox, you’ll find 25 darts loaded in the ammobelt.

If you’re thinking about buying the Vulcan, you’re probably attracted to the idea of firing off 25 rounds in less than 10 seconds. And really, who wouldn’t enjoy blasting their friends/kids/baby seals with that kind of firepower? Unfortunately, as appealing as the idea is, the Vulcan isn’t all high fives and fist pumps.

For starters, the price tag on the Nerf Vulcan is pretty hefty ($40). It also requires 6 D batteries to operate (unless you want to go into single-shot manual pump mode). As you would expect, it also takes a very significant amount of time to load 25 rounds into the belt after every 10 seconds of fun.

One of the primary complaints about the Nerf Vulcan is its tendency to jam. In my experience, this problem can be mitigated significantly by keeping the belt straight and ‘feeding’ it in with your non-trigger hand. However, I can see that younger kids would probably have a hard time with this, and I’d imagine they’d grow frustrated rather quickly.

The range on this Nerf gun  is also somewhat lackluster, but in the end it’s acceptable given the awesome rate of fire. Expect average shots to reach about 15-20 feet.

On the positive side, the Vulcan is an absolute blast to use, and like many N-Strike guns, features the tactical rail system. This means that it’s compatible with accessories from other Nerf guns, such as the Recon’s sights, the Longshot’s scope, and the Unity Power System’s scout blaster.

All in all, the Nerf Vulcan is a great deal of fun and should keep you busy for hours — even if most of that time is spent reloading.

Here’s a Vulcan user guide from Nerf:

The Nerf Nite Finder EX-3 is a re-release of the original Nerf Nite Finder, and aside from the new yellow and black paint job that matches the rest of the  N-Strike line, the Nite Finder EX-3 is the same fantastic blaster that Nerf warriors have come to know and love.

If you aren’t familiar with previous incarnations of the Nite Finder, it is widely regarded to be one of the most reliable Nerf guns out there, due largely to its simple mechanics and sturdy construction. It’s also one of the easiest Nerf guns to mod, with a simple plunger system and easy-to-work-with materials. As with all guns, some mods are more difficult than others, but removing the air restrictor on the Nite Finder requires nothing more than an exacto knife and some superglue, and it can result in a nice performance increase. An even simpler modification is to wrap rubber bands around the front of the gun, and then loop them through the cocking mechanism.

The Nerf Nite Finder features a ‘laser’ sight (it’s really just a red light) that you can calibrate for aiming in dark lighting. Despite the packaging’s claims that this sight will lead to precision shooting, the laser isn’t really accurate beyond 15 feet, as Nerf darts drop rather quickly. I don’t mean to say that the light isn’t cool — it is. It’s just that it isn’t especially effective. Younger Nerfers especially will probably get a kick out of the laser, but those older than 10 will likely think it’s pretty worthless.

As far as price goes, you aren’t going to a better deal than the Nite Finder. Whereas most Nerf guns cost $20 or more, you can find the Nite Finder for closer to $10.

Out of the box, you can expect the Nite Finder to shoot about 35 feet, which is pretty great for a single-shot spring Nerf gun. The accuracy on the Nerf Nite Finder EX-3 is also exceptional, and the weapon can easily be handled by young and old Nerf warriors alike.

The Nerf N-Strike Switch Shot EX-3 can be bought on its own or as part of a bundle with the Nerf N-Strike Wii game.

The Switch Shot EX-3 gets its name from the fact that you can switch between using it as a regular Nerf gun or as a Wii Remote. It’s undeniably cool to have a real Nerf gun that can be used as a remote for a Wii game, and if you’re looking for a gun-type accessory for the Wii, you can’t go wrong with the Switch Shot. It’s definitely the best there is, but truth be told, it makes a better Wii remote than a blaster.

The biggest drawback of the Switch Shot as a blaster is that you can only load a single Nerf dart at a time. Now, there’s definitely a time and place for single shot guns, but in this day and age where many modern Nerf guns are utilizing a clip system, the Switch Shot just feels outdated.

The range and accuracy also leave a lot to be desired, even for a single shot blaster. Of course, there are many modifications that you can make to the Switch Shot to increase its range, but even then, it’s difficult to recommend over superior single shot guns like the Nite Finder.

Also, let’s be clear about one thing: The Switch Shot is not cheap, and there are many other choices that will bring you more bang for your buck (see the Raider or Longshot for example). In the end, there  really isn’t any reason to buy the Switch Shot as a standalone product, especially when the Nite Finder gets much better performance, is more easily modifiable, and can be bought for a fraction of the price.

Ultimately, the N-Strike Switch Shot EX-3 makes a fun remote to use when you want to shoot things on the Wii, but as a standalone blaster of Nerf’s other offerings.

The Nerf Secret Strike is a tiny little Nerf gun with a solid amount of firepower for its size.

The packaging on the Secret Strike claims it can shoot up to 30 feet, which is true if you feel like priming ten times. Seeing as I’m impatient, I usually prime about 7 times and shoot closer to 25 feet, which really is remarkable for a tiny little Nerf gun like this.

A lot of people seem to have issues with the Secret Strike not working at all, and I would imagine that almost every one of these problems can be attributed to over pumping. Do *not* exceed ten pumps, or you risk stretching out the bladder. Once that’s done, there’s nothing you can do — your new toy is shot and you’ll need to buy a new one. All pump-priming guns like the Secret Strike and Magstrike have this problem — it’s just natural given the technology, and is in no way a defect. So be careful and you’ll be alright.

I’m not 100% sure, but I think that the N-Strike Secret Strike blaster is the first Nerf gun to come with a belt clip. Now, Nerf, I obviously enjoy your products or I wouldn’t have made this site, but if I saw anyone walking around in a public place with a Secret Strike attached to their belt…well…I’d sneak up behind them, pull mine out of my pocket, and shoot them in the back of the head — because this thing is awesome and the world would be better if everyone had one.

In closing, the Nerf Secret Strike is a fantastic little blaster that you can carry around in your pocket. However, if you’re looking for a meatier gun with more versatility, you might want to give the Raider or Vulcan a try.

The Nerf  Disk Shot is a great way to kill some time with some friends when the weather is too crappy to go outside or your thumbs are sore from video games, but as with all things, playing with targets is no substitute for playing with real live people.

The Nerf N-Strike Disk Shot is basically an indoor skeet shooting machine, and it’s a lot of fun.

Before I bought the Disk Shot, I halfway expected that I would need someone to ‘pull’ (like at a shooting range). Thankfully, this is not the case. You control when the foam disks shoot from the launcher with a controller that attaches to your gun.

I really only have two gripes with the Nerf Disk Shot:

1. You really need to have 10 foot ceilings, as the disks shoot a good 9+ feet in the air. One solution for people with shorter ceilings is to set up the launcher at the bottom of the stairs and pick off the disks from the top.

2. The Nerf Disk Shot launcher is loud. I don’t really mind the “natural” sounds of the launcher, but the beeping can get on your nerves a bit when someone else in the house is playing. However, this problem can generally be solved if you just grab your Raider or Vulcan and go start a war. In fact, I recommend this method for solving most of life’s conflicts!

Of course, you can always take the Disk Shot outside, but you lose some of the chaos that comes with shooting the disks in the house (and really, the chaos is the fun of it).

I’d recommend this as a family toy. All kids get excited about playing with Nerf guns, and the skill involved at shooting the disks will appeal to most parents. It’s a good way to spend some quality time together.