Best Water Guns for Summer Fun Time in the UK

The Nerf water pistols are made by the world largest toy maker, the Hasbro company and it is an ultimate winner in many water battles the kids start, primarily thanks to the fact that it has a big water tank (you can pour up to 2 litres in, although there are smaller options for this model) and a powerful stream it releases. In fact, there is even a warning from the manufacturer to avoid shooting into your opponent's face and eyes due to the danger of water hitting them with power enough to cause a slight injury.

This particular toy is made in the shape of a blaster gun. It is brightly coloured, like most Nerf products, fairly lightweight for the intended age group, and easy to use. Shooting is performed by using a pump-like mechanism (note that the trigger is made mostly for aesthetic purposes) and when you need a refill of water, you use an opening at the top with the screw lid. The said opening is rather big enabling you to fill the tank by immersing the gun in water as well as simply from the tap. It is strongly recommended to only use clean tap water since in the case of accidentally getting some of it into your eyes (say, from being soaked wet head to toe and dripping water from your hair) you can damage your vision.

The distance this high powered water pistol can shoot at is pretty impressive as well, it is stated to be up to 11.5 metres, although, we imagine it depends on the strength you apply to the pump so younger kids might have a handicap of sorts sometimes. Or maybe not, since kids these days...

This SIMREX model is the closest you will get to a fully functional blaster among water guns. Although it is visibly a toy thanks to the bright colours (there are two options—white-blue and green-grey-orange), it also has an actual working trigger instead of a decorative one, and a scope to target your game enemies with more precision. Granted, there are no actual optics in it but that's not what we're looking for in a toy, right? Kids just love pretending to aim through the sights when they shoot the water at each other, it's fun.

The size and the shape of this model are very ergonomic and balanced, it is convenient to hold whether you run and hide or shoot. The water war game becomes much more fun with the high-pressure streams from this gun. The materials have been tested and confirmed to be safe for use in toys; they are also durable and can handle rough games kids are prone to.

The shooting mechanism is based on a pump you use to build up pressure inside before you pull the trigger. The maximum distance this water pistol shoots at is approximately 10 metres (33 feet). The water tank can hold up to 450 ml of water (15 fluid ounces), which is considered a fairly good volume for a toy of this type, not the largest yet better than many competitors in the same price range.

Hasbro's Nerf division offers quite a number of quality water pistols and this is one of the most popular models. The original water tank or this super soaker is 250 ml in capacity, which is not all that much in comparison but seeing as the tank can be easily replaced by a standard soda bottle you can have a stash prepared beforehand and quickly replace them instead of going to the tap each time you need a refill. And if your stash is made of several 2-litre bottles, you will be unbeatable since no other water gun has a capacity of more than a couple litres.

The toy is lightweight and easy to move around with. It shoots water as far as 7.6 metres with appropriate strength applied to the pumping mechanism. Shooting itself is easy, you just pull the front part front and back and the water squirts; the pump moves pretty easily, no need to strain your muscles and kids can handle this blaster with no apparent difficulties as well. That said, it is necessary to remember and tell your children to not shoot at other kids' faces (or adults, for that matter) since the stream power can be quite strong.

This model can also be a powerful weapon not only against rivals in a game of war but also to scare off the pests like foxes or neighbour cats making a regular appearance in your backyard and stomping on your neatly trimmed grass or stealing your pets' food.

If your kid loves adventure tales like those about Robin Hood he or she will probably love this little crossbow water gun. Granted, it is not a longbow Robin himself uses in most cartoons and movies (although there was that one time with Kevin Costner using a crossbow in the 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves movie) but when it comes to water battles a longbow is kind of unadaptable for the purpose. Besides, a crossbow is much more convenient. And this toy is pretty fun.

This brightly-coloured toy is made of non-toxic ABS plastic, it is durable and won't cause any allergic reaction. It has a real-looking bowstring and playing with it your little one will strengthen their arms as well as learn to coordinate movement. The crossbow itself is small but the spray it produces shoots pretty far, up to 10 metres depending on the power applied to the mechanism. If the 140 ml water tank supplied with the toy is not enough for your kid you can replace it with a soda or water bottle of larger capacity, the screw with which the tank is adjusted to the water pistol allows this with no problems.

Finally, it is really easy to assemble this toy, not even a screwdriver is necessary, your kids will be able to play with it in mere minutes after you unpack the delivery box.

The best thing about this model is its shooting range. It's nothing trifle like 5~7 metres but a whole 20! It is a true long-range water pistol. Which, by the way, makes it extremely useful for getting rid of strays wandering onto your property—you don't even need to come outside, just shoot that fox from your window, the spray will come with enough power to scare it away without really harming it (after all, it's just an animal, not a burglar coming after your family heirloom jewelry). And after several tries, chances are the animals will remember that your garden is off-limits.

When it comes to the water battles, though, there is one shortcoming: this toy has no water tank to make several consecutive shots. You suck the water up into it, aim at your target, and push the water out with all your might; then you need to refill for the next shot. On the bright side, however, the full tube gives you 2 solid seconds of water spray shooting and refilling takes next to no time at all, it won't deter you for long and won't become a handicap in a game. And thanks to the simple design, cleaning this toy after a game takes a mere minute.

The material this water pistol is made of is nearly indestructible, it will live through being dropped during a battle just fine.