The best water guns make our old Super Soakers look stupid. And I don't mean from a vibes standpoint. No; even the most basic water pistols are head and shoulders above what we used to muck about with in the backyard. Dunk-fill, auto-fill, electronic firing modes… phew. Then Spyra enters the picture, and oh lordy.
If you've not encountered the water guns brand before, I'll put it this way: imagine a Super Soaker by way of Star Trek. These things are sci-fi marvels; rather than firing piddly streams of H20 when you pump the priming mechanism, they're electronically powered and shoot individual rounds of water at stupidly high speed (which means they're incredibly accurate). They also track your 'ammo' with an LED HUD, some fill up automatically in seconds when you dunk them in water, and many have alternate firing modes to suit your needs. Basically, they blow everything else out of the water. And in the case of the Spyra water bomb thrower, I mean that quite literally.
If you want the cheapest Spyra water gun that still provides the same technological kapow, go for this model. It's uncannily accurate and electronically powered to provide small bursts of water rather than streams, and it's lighter, so it's more easily carried into battle. This one has an easy-access hatch at the back for fast filling, too, and fires up to 26 feet.
This is comfortably one of the best toys around. Rather than a weak stream, it fires bursts of water that are incredibly accurate up to distances of 50 feet. It also boasts multiple firing modes and fills up in around 10 seconds by dunking it into a source of water. Oh, and there's an LED heads-up display to let you know how much 'ammo' you have left in the tank.
I've been lucky enough to mess with most of the Spyra range, and they never fail to make my jaw drop. The SpyraThree is downright magic, for example. It shows off every trick in the book; it fills up the tank within seconds when you dunk it into water, has an LED HUD for tracking how much ammo you have left, and sports multiple fire modes ranging from automatic to single shot. But what's really impressive is when you line up a shot and squeeze the trigger. This thing is absurdly accurate, to the point that I was able to hit my mark most of the time – not something that's usually possible with standard water pistols. (And no, it doesn't hurt to get hit; you feel the shot, but not so much that you'll be bowing out of the game.)
The cheaper SpyraGo is similar, albeit without some of the same bells and whistles. Even though it removes some of the fancier effects like auto-fill and multiple fire modes to reduce cost, it's still accurate enough to put Super Soakers to shame.
The downside to all this is obviously expense. Even though the SpyraGo is the least expensive option, it's still pricier than many Super Soakers combined. But my goodness, is it worth it – particularly if you can get them on offer during sales like the upcoming Prime Day event.
More are on the way, too. The flagship model is being updated with the SpyraFour, which is packing a far larger capacity, more shots per refill, and five firing modes. Next is the SpyraDash, which doesn't have any electronics at all. It relies on pressure instead and is far cheaper as a result, but still claims to have a high degree of accuracy. In other words, there should be something to suit everyone in the Spyra range.
Is any of this necessary? Of course not. But wow, is it fun; none of the other water pistols I've used can even come close to these. Besides making the Super Soakers I had growing up feel like pea-shooters, they also make pretty much everything else on the market right now look silly too. Considering how far things have come in recent years, that's no mean feat.
- See today's best water gun deals at Amazon
For the best price cuts on collectibles, don't miss the best Prime Day Lego deals over the next week or so!
