Way back in 2018, what feels like roughly six decades ago, a German company revealed an over-engineered rechargeable self-filling water gun that fired single blasts of water instead of long streams. The new SpyraLX does the same thing, but replaces batteries and an electric motor with a manually-operated mechanism for refills and pressurizing the blaster.
The Super Soaker proved there’s lots of money to be had with reinventing the water gun, and while the Spyra One brought as much innovation to the Summer staple as Lonnie Johnson’s creation did, there were a few issues with the powered blaster that prevented it from going mainstream. Not only did you have to remember to charge it, the Spyra One was also notorious for leaking, often leaving the user as wet as the person they were targeting. That problem was resolved with last year’s upgraded Spyra Two which also improved the range, refill times, and battery life of the toy, but both models sold for $175 which was extremely expensive, even for a toy targeted at adults.
The new SpyraLX does away with the heavy rechargeable batteries, pumps, and motors of its two predecessors and replaces them with a rear handle the user repeatedly draws back to fill the blaster’s reservoir which pressurizes it at the same time. Instead of requiring access to hoses and faucets, users submerge the front of the SpyraLX into a bucket of water (or pond, lake, or pool) while the handle is pumped. Once full and pressurized, pulling the trigger fires quick blasts of water which hold together for a distance of about 30 feet, although performance will vary depending on the wind and weather.
The best feature of the SpyraLX, which appears to be available now through the company’s website, is a new $89 price tag. That is still expensive for a water gun when Super Soaker keeps churning out countless models year after year at less than a third the price of the SpyraLX, but having tried the original Spyra One a few years ago, we’ll admit the unique firing mechanism makes a compelling case for splurging on one once the Summer arrives.