Nerf Vortex Review: Shoots Hard, Shoots Far, Shoots Painfully

When you think Nerf, you think darts — the name and the ammo are synonymous. But the toy arms dealer’s newest arsenal shoots tiny discs. Tiny, stinging, accurate, incredibly fun discs. They’ve terrorised our office. You’ll love ‘em. We do.

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We tested three Vortex blasters: the pump-action Praxis ($US25), the one-shot Derringer-style Proton pistol ($US10), and the battery-powered, full-auto, Nitron ($US40). Every single one blasts its green plastic disc shots straight, far, and with a lot of zip — these ain’t foam darts. When you fire, you’ll notice a big difference from the wobbly darts you might be used to — when you make contact, instead of the usual “Ah!”, your target’ll belt out an “Ah, crap!” Whether it’s a soda bottle or your friend’s neck, you’ll have little trouble hitting your mark. And if not, the ricocheting havoc is just as fun.

No Like

The guns feel a little on the cheap side, but they are on the cheap side — they’re plastic toys. The plastic stabilising ring on each disc round also hurts a little more than it should — I definitely would not want to catch one in the eye. This might require more caution than you’re used (or willing) to practising when having a plastic firefight.

Verdict

The Vortex line combines a few fundamental principles. Toy guns are a lot of fun. Frisbees are a lot of fun. Frisbees fly really far — how about shooting tiny frisbees out of a toy gun? It works. Each Vortex firearm compliments the others, and owning multiple won’t feel redundant. Just try to aim below the neck. And above the waist. [Nerf]