Aiming for the torso is the best way to avoid spoiling play, and gives you the best chance of landing a hit. Read on for our full test results, and key info on safety tips and equipment you can use to ensure you play with Nerf guns and X Shot toy guns safely. But their interest faltered slightly after discovering its lacklustre performance – and assistance from an adult was often needed for reloading. Along with the kids, adults enjoyed the simplicity of this gun and found its power and accuracy matched all the competition.

Xshot Excel Crusher Review | Blaster Hub Xshot Excel Crusher Review | Blaster Hub

It's not as accurate as the X Shot Dino Attack Claw Hunter but it fires further, so adults can still enjoy a slight competitive edge.Kids' verdict: Similar to the X Shot Excel Crusher, the kids loved this high-octane toy for its high capacity and its ability to fire lots of foam darts in quick succession. Priming the blaster also adds energy to a spring-loaded gear system within, releasing it when the blaster fires and spinning the barrel. Adults' verdict: Along with the X Shot Dino Attack Claw Hunter, this was the adults' favourite toy overall.

Crusher | Nerf Wiki | Fandom Crusher | Nerf Wiki | Fandom

Don't aim for the head – even if you're wearing protection over your eyes, it can still be quite uncomfortable to get hit by a foam dart around sensitive spots such as your ears or mouth, and your opponents won't thank you for it. Although not the most accurate, it has a brilliant range and the kids enjoyed raining foam darts on their foes with little effort or skill needed. The ratcheting sound it makes grows on you – I found it annoying at first, then realized there has to be sound SOMEWHERE to go with this monstrosity. As well as testing them on those key specs, we armed a bunch of kids and adults with the toys and set them loose in the garden to see which they found the most fun to play with. Being a hip-fire blaster, accuracy (outside of dart type) largely depends on platform familiarity, but given how light the blaster is, aiming isn’t hard compared to something like a Prometheus or Titan.Use the easy pump to prime mechanism to make it rain on the competition that will have them begging for mercy. Reaching on top of the gun to use the pump action was tricky for some kids, and they were mostly drawn to other more powerful and exciting-looking toys. Parents will have to do it for little kids, but compared to being too weak and coming apart while running around, a strong connection is much preferred.

Excel Crusher (35-Dart Clip + 48 Darts) by ZURU, X-Shot Red Excel Crusher (35-Dart Clip + 48 Darts) by ZURU, X-Shot Red

The X-Shot Excel Omega can annihilate your opponents with the single shot function from up to 27m / 90 feet away!

The short range and repetitive need to pull back the handle to load up another foam dart became tiresome. With 16 darts in pack, load the 10-dart capacity clip and insert before pulling back the priming handle to fire distances of up to 24m / 80 feet! Kids' verdict: Kids flocked to this toy thanks to its large size, exciting sniper-rifle design and Fortnite branding.