Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy review: "Fully unhinged"

The Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy is ridiculous in the best possible way. It shouldn't work - if anything, it looks as if its three-in-one functions will actually be a hindrance.

But that isn't the case. This may be one of the best water guns we've tried this year, and it took us completely by surprise. Thanks to an affordable price point and great performance, the Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy could end up being our blaster of the summer. 

Features & design

I get the feeling someone at Hasbro walked into the Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy design meeting and chose chaos. That's because this blaster comes with three different firing modes - standard shot, wide radius, and what might as well be 'fully unhinged'. 

Its secret weapon is an adjustable nozzle that pulls back to reveal two flexible tubes. While having it extended locks them in place for a classic water pistol experience, moving it backward lets them loose by varying degrees (you can opt for half-out or totally unchained). The pressure of firing makes these twist in every direction, shooting water all over the place in a shower of carnage.

Throw in some impressive stats and the Hydro Frenzy has a lot going for it. Along with a decent capacity of 24 fl oz (or 709 ml) that shouldn't weigh smaller water warriors down, its 'normal' mode also has a surprisingly good range. Seriously, this thing will reach around 30 feet if it's in a straight-shooting position. That's notably better than the brand's other big 2022 release, the Super Soaker Twister. 

Performance

Despite all this pizazz, the Hydro Frenzy didn't impress me much at first. To begin with, I couldn't get the tubes to fire as advertised - when let loose, they simply shot forward… albeit not very well. In addition, the bottom-most tube would dribble water occasionally or if held at certain angles. Although this is a fairly common issue for water pistols due to internal pressure, it wasn't a good start. Sure, this Super Soaker worked well when the nozzle was fully extended to lock those tubes in place. But otherwise, something was wrong.

And yes, there was indeed an issue - I'd been doing it all wrong. Whoops. 

I eventually discovered that the trick is pumping the Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy slowly. This makes it work as you'd expect, allowing the two tubes to fling water everywhere. It's absolute bedlam, and no one will be able to avoid this thing (probably not even you, to be honest). While that won't help you hit targets with pinpoint precision, it's hilarious and should go down exceptionally well with younger fans. This is pure, unbridled chaos.

However, because it's also unexpectedly good as a standard blaster, you're left with a multi-purpose delight rather than a five-minute novelty. I was expecting to prefer the Twister, but the Hydro Frenzy became the one I'd recommend after a few days of testing. Add a very reasonable price of around $17 / £20 and you've got a real winner on your hands.

Should you buy the Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy?

It doesn't really matter who you're buying for, or why - if you need a good water pistol that isn't going to cost the earth, it should be the Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy. This is a great three-in-one blaster that'll give you (ridiculous) memories to last a long while.

OK, there are some foibles like a slight dribble when the Hydro Frenzy is held at certain angles. And you can't fire too fast if you want it to work well. But for the most part, it's spot-on and exactly the sort of thing you didn't know you needed.

How we tested the Super Soaker Hydro Frenzy

To get a feel for how this blaster worked in action, I spent a few days filling and firing the Hydro Frenzy under a variety of conditions. This included measured range tests like those we put the best Nerf guns through, leak checks, and how long each refill lasts.