The Super Soaker EES Tempest is the
second largest of the EES Super Soaker series. EES is an acronym for Enhanced
Electronic Soakage. The EES Tempest looks and feels like a smaller version of
the Super Soaker EES Turbine, but lacks the pulse-firing feature. The electronic
lights and sounds are activated when the trigger is pulled, but can be turned
off by setting the three way power switch. The switch has two other settings:
On and Demo. While in the store, the switch is set on demo in order to allow
people to test out the EES features, but without overly draining the battery
supply. In the "On" mode, the lights, sounds, and spinning motor remain
active as long as one depresses the trigger. This makes the soaker vibrate slightly,
but does not appear to enhance the actual performance in any way.
The amount of water the
EES Tempest can carry in its resevoir is decent. However, it relies on the pressurized
reservoir system to provide the pressure to push water out its nozzle. There
is an intake hose within the reservoir that is reminiscent of the Classic Series intakes (no weight to keep the end of the intake nearer to the bottom of the
reservoir). The problem here is that if one is not careful with how one is holding
the blaster with respect to the ground, one will end up doing mist shots even
if the reservoir is still quite full.
The stream produced by
the EES Tempest when fully pumped has a good feel to it. The fairly solid stream
looks like it would sting the recipient just a touch. The shot time is decent,
primarily due to the fact that this blaster is based on the pressurized reservoir
system. However, due to the positioning of the intake tube inside the reservoir,
firing downwards as the reservoir empties will likely soon result in a mist-shot
as opposed to a stream.
Larger than blasters such
as the Super Soaker SC 400, the Super Soaker EES Tempest lays classified somewhere between a pistol soaker
and a light assault soaker. Its limited payload, lack of firing chamber, and
sub-par performance for a blaster of its size all contribute to a diminished
rating. The novelty of the light and sound effects does not last long, serving
no purpose during actual water combat. If this is your primary blaster, be wary
of anything larger than an Super Soaker XP 240 or Super Soaker Max-D 4000.
Pros
Good size/feel to the construction and nice colouring. Trigger-grip region has
a good feel (though a little small for large hands). Stream produced has a good
consistency.
Cons
Lights/motion/sound effects do not server any real function (lights too small
and not positioned in such a way to be useful during night fights). Does not
have a separate pressure chamber. Can be out-classed by any soaker larger than
a Super Soaker Max-D 4000.
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