Super Soaker History
Aug 17, 2022
Super Soaker is an American brand of recreational water guns that use manual compressed air to shoot water with greater power, range and accuracy than traditional water guns. The Super Soaker was invented in 1989 by engineer Ronnie Johnson. The prototype is a combination of PVC pipe, acrylic glass and empty plastic soda bottles.
Piston pumper
Piston water guns have been produced for many years. These guns do not have triggers; they are fired simply by pumping. Although this design feature allows them to reload rapidly, piston pumpers tend to have less range and less power than other designs.
Air pressure with pressurized reservoir
Originally made popular by the Super Soaker 50, pressurized reservoir systems are still common for small water guns. A water gun using this system is pressurized by air being pumped and compressed into its reservoir. When the trigger is pulled, a valve is opened and the compressed air pushes the water out of the nozzle.
Super Soaker started with two pressurized reservoir water guns, and has continued to produce them in various shapes and sizes.
Air pressure with separate chamber
This is a more powerful air pressure system that was also first introduced by Super Soaker. It is designed so that water is pumped from the reservoir into an empty plastic container. As the water is pumped in, the air sitting inside becomes compressed. When the trigger is pulled, the valve opens and the compressed air forces the water out.[12] The brand first used separate air pressure in 1991 on the Super Soaker 100 and has since used the technology in many other water guns.
Spring-powered
Super Soaker has made a few spring-powered water guns. They first made the Quick Blast in 2008. The Quick Blast was a triggerless gun which functioned similarly to piston pumpers, but had a spring-loaded piston inside. The Quick Blast had a firing valve, which automatically opened once a certain pressure was reached. The spring would then push the water out the nozzle.
The Super Soaker Shot Blast, released in 2010, used a system nearly identical to the Quick Blast with different styling.
In 2013, Super Soaker produced the Flash Blast. While this blaster was spring-powered, this pistol-sized blaster used a system different from the previous two. Its slide was cocked back once. Then the trigger was pulled, firing a short stream of water. Function of this gun is similar to Nerf guns.
Motorized
Super Soaker later made many motorized water guns. In 2011, they released the Thunderstorm, which used an electric pump to push water directly out the nozzle. In 2012, Super Soaker made two motorized water guns: The Lightningstorm, a reproduction of the Thunderstorm with added accessories, and the Electrostorm, a smaller motorized gun.Each required four AA batteries to run.
CPS (Constant Pressure System)
The Constant Pressure System is the most powerful system used by Super Soaker. The user pumps water from the reservoir into a rubber bladder, which expands as more water is forced into it. The stretched rubber exerts a constant pressure on the water, giving the blaster a thick and constant stream throughout the entire shot. In most older models, the resulting blast is forceful enough that recoil can be felt.
Hasbro has implemented the Constant Pressure System in Super Soaker blasters a number of times since completing the takeover of Larami Corp in 2002. The most recent implementation was in the 2011 'Hydro Cannon' while the largest post-takeover pressure chamber (at 900ml) is found in the 2007 'HydroBlitz' blaster.