Its not supposed to be out yet, but I found an Alpha Strike Cobra at a Target for last week. As expected,Alpha Strike isNerfs answer to the budget brands that have taken away its market share in the lower price points. Although the Cobra is not my favourite for comfort, it’s better than I expected. Even if I have other preferences, I expect those brands (at this price point) to have a hard time in the near future.
The single blaster pack comes with 12 darts and four half-bottle plastic targets (which do connect and can be blasted apart).
Here are my thoughts.
Minimal Construction
To start things off, lets see how the blaster is actually made. The Cobra ditches the classic, thick plastic shell for a skeleton look. The blaster has no screws. A panel can be snapped into place by plastic tabs. Inside, the insides have been simplified to the point that the plunger head snaps onto the rod with thick tabs or a cylinder with a rotating system. The shell is strong despite the absence of plastic.
The main spring is fairly strong, and also narrow in diameter. Interestingly, the philosophy of less is more extends even to the plunger head, which doesnt have an o-ring seal. Instead, the plastic head has a flared end that extends to the diameter of your plunger tube.
The trigger is finally sealed inside the shell. It rotates on a point with the catch attached and supported by the shell’s ribs. This is a weakness if you want to modify the blaster. You are probably not the right target audience for the Alpha Strike series if you modify the blaster.
Performance
With the included yellow Elite darts (which remind me of french fries when Im hungry, oddly enough), the Cobra averages 69fps. This is on par with typical Elite blaster ranges.
In addition, its easy to get off a shot every second, even with the stiff prime.
It is a different matter whether you need to empty the cylinder so quickly.
Comfort
This is the major downfall of the Cobra. Although the handle is adequate for holding the blaster in one hand, it feels terrible due to its skeleton. It can be somewhat ignored when the blaster is used in short spurts, but long term useis uncomfortable.
The blaster can be stopped from getting into your hand by wrapping it with tape.
Last Thoughts
The Nerf Alpha Strike line looks to be a solid market entry, after so many years of Nerf offering – blasters and leaving budget blasters largely untapped. The blaster works well, and is comparable in power to other Nerf blasters. The blaster’s ergonomics are poor and it is difficult to use for long periods of time.
I still prefer the Xshot Reflex 6 (and its Walmart version, the Destroyer), due to the somewhat better performance and the far more comfortable handle for less ( or usually). However, the Cobra is good enough to potentially overshadow it, especially on impulse purchases. After all, theres now an option screaming #1 Blaster Brand in bright colors and at a similar price range. We’ll see how it all plays out at Christmas.
