Ok, I'll admit it, Big Bee broke the toughest customer in the community. I just had to see the new and improved successor to the Blazer firsthand. So I did today what I haven't done in 3 years: I bought a new water gun. Here's a review [though kinda missing most stats] of the Orca, the premier gun of the 2007 Water Warriors line. I will complete the review eventually...

Name: Orca
Class: Large Rifle
Propulsion: Dual Hydro Power PCs
Manufactured By: Water Warriors [Commercial]

Absolute Stats:
Maximum Range [Level, Last Puddle]: ?? ft
Maximum Range [35-40 Degrees, Last Puddle]: ~43 ft
Taps Per Tank: ?? [a lot]
Pulses Per Tank: ??
PCs Per Tank: ?
Pump Capacity: ?? mL
PC Capacity: ?? mL
Reservoir Capacity: ? Liters
Maximum Output: ?? mL/s [??x]
Stock Nozzle Choices: 5
Maximum PC Shot Time: ?? Seconds
Stream Speed [0-30]: ? Seconds
Stream Speed [0-40]: ? Seconds

Relative Composite Stats:

Relative Versatility: +/- ?? Points
Relative Durability: +/- ?? Points
Relative Weight and Balance: +/- ?? Points
Relative Max Range: ?? Points
Relative PC/P/R Capacity: ?? Points
Relative Max Output: ?? Points
Relative Capacity Stats [Taps/Pulses/PCs/PCST]: ?? Points
Relative Stream Speed: ?? x2 Points
Relative Size: ?? Points
Relative Design Flaws: - ?? Points
Relative Style: +/- ?? Points
Relative Battlefield Type: +/- ?? Points
Relative Game Family: ? Points
Relative Local Rules: +/- ?? Points
Relative Progression Level: ? Points
Relative Battle Practicality [Reviewer's RBP Score]: +/- ?? Points

Buzz Bee Toys finally has some power in their lineup! The Orca does not feel underpowered.

Pros and Cons:

Range: The 2 middle-sized nozzles feature excellent range for a 2007 gun. Out shoots the mid-size CPS soakers and can challenge the large ones. However, the big nozzle and small one are lacking in range. The fan blast, 5th of the 5 nozzles, shoots like 15 feet and is far too thin to be of any use.

Output: Has a fairly large nozzle. I have not measured it yet, though it is probably somewhere between 6x-11x by rough guess. There's also a tiny nozzle [probably 1x] which does virtually nothing, at least in my opinion.

Capacity Stats: Love them! This gun shoots on and on and on. Huge capacity for a gun of this size. Yields a lot of taps and pulses. While I have not timed the shot times, I counted 6-8 seconds for the middle two nozzles.

Stream Speed: Ok stream speed on all nozzles. Most stock soakers, especially contemporary ones, have similar stream speeds. Does 0-30 in ? seconds and 0-40 in ? seconds.

Weight and Balance: Well, this thing is quite top-heavy, AKA bad vertical balance, with the narrower pump and trigger areas underneath. The lateral balance, on the otherhand, is quite good once water is in the pcs. The Orca is fairly heavy overall, but not bad. There is an included strap.

Ergonomics/Cosmetics/Gimmicks and the such: This is where I tend to bring out the big guns and BBT isn't going to be dodging this bullet. The reservoir cap placement makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It is the worst feature of the entire gun, facing straight down. Luckily, it does not leak if you screw on the cap tight enough, but it makes the most horrific squealing sound when you pump. Yes, this is the "Orca" but we really don't need any reinforcing sound effects. Covering up the hole in the cap that makes the sound possible silences the gun, but then the reservoir can't replace the water with air. I started pumping it upside down once the water was low enough, ha no whale sounds! Having every pump sound like a whale call is going to get your ass nailed to a coffin during any maneuver requiring stealth. I do like the fact that the electronic pressure gauge is activated via holding down a button, so you can totally ignore it if you want. The pump handle can be rotated, which is a bad thing because it hits the casing if you don't keep it perfectly straight. The trigger feels strong enough, though slightly less responsive than other guns I've shot. Tap/Pumping is still easy to do with this trigger. Finally, there are relatively few gimmicks in the design. The shape is kinda sketchy, as is common among contemporary soakers, but the stock colors are not bad.

Overall, I think that this gun could do well, even on the hardcore battlefield, just got to work on silencing Mr. Whale in the back. Definitely has the power to back up its size [and for only $20!].

Wow, sounds like they've improved it.
14 METERS?!
Thats more than any CPS stock so far except for the CPS-2000, but the Orca has high shot-time AND high-range. I am very impressed.
Big props to Buzz-Bee for a great step in the right direction.
Things are really picking up in terms of stock soaker power.

There is probably a simple mod that could be figured out to stop the squealing.

I'm definitely going to recommend this gun to those on my team who are searching for a good stock soaker.

So far it sounds like the Blazer (except for the whale part). What seperates them performance wise?
EDIT: Just noticed the range. Wow that's sexy, 14 meters!

I'm getting one. Plenty of range, plenty of shot time, $20...says it all. Lucky you.

I'm guessing the entire lineup uses the worst reservoir caps ever...but if you ask me, it's just asking for a backpack mod. Too bad I don't like backpacks.

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The Orca has range similar to a CPS 4100 or a 3200. 1500/1700s, 2500s, 2000s, 2700s, etc. still have better range. My ~43 figure is also not a measurement, but an educated guess based on the distance in front of my 50ft markers. Either way, the lower and mid 40s are nothing too special. Great for a contemporary soaker, but there are still plenty of stock 50ft shooters out there. I measured a nice 64.7 ft for my water cannon's riot blast a few days ago, but then again that's an unfair comparison.

Pictures will be available in tomorrow's portion of this weekend's SM update.

I was thinking of Isoaker.com's reviews, none of the guns listed other than the CPS-2000 achieved a range of over 36 feet (12 meters). Of corse, I would expect that homemade could outdistance that easily.

Isn't 12m equal to 40'? If so, then the Orca shoots around 13m, still very nice.

Always base your beliefs off your personal ranges. I'll never accept that a CPS 2500 can't clear 36, for example, because I've measured 50.3 [to the last drop, have to remeasure for last puddle, still expecting mid-40s]. Ranges also vary. Out of 3 of the RM stock 2100s, the ranges range from 28 to like 36. There is no universally accepted range for each gun, only a vague range of ranges based on what various people have found.

1 meter = 3.2808399 feet, so 12 meters is roughly 39.372 feet and so the gun should be somewhere around 13 meters.