Monday 14 June 2010

The History of Water Guns

In this time and age, it is almost impossible to claim that one did not have a certain amount of fun back in the days with water guns. Whether it was the Super Soakers or just an ordinary hand-held squirter, water guns were a mighty bunch of toys that allowed for simple fun amongst friends and family. But to truly know a toy, we need to go through the history of such, and the eventual evolution to the possible decline of current times for water guns and the demands for them.

Back in the Days
It would be fairly accurate to say that the first water guns came about in the early 80's with the introduction of the squirt gun into the consumer market. This is also noted to be the same era when most of the ideas for the more modern technology concerning water guns came from. Shortly after this, in 1984, the first Electric water guns came into the market, pushing aside the old school piston systems of the original water guns. At the dawn of the 90's the first Big Brothers of water guns came into the picture with the introduction of the Super Soakers, with the peak of their popularity right into the 21st century with the classics like Super Soaker 300 and the Legendary 98's. Finally, as we come closer to current times, possibly due to the wane of outdoor activities within the Urban Cultures across the globe, toys like water guns took a step back from Consoles and PCs.

The Basics
Essentially, a water gun, whether "high tech" like the Electric water guns or just the simple "pistols", work on the same principles. You will indeed find that there is a piston contained within a cylinder or a similar aspect, and this is where the load of water will be stored for future pumping action that will eventually eject the water from the water gun. The design of all water guns will involve a one-way valve and the amount and level of projection of water depends basically on the size of the pump cylinder. The more space there is and the more work a piston is able to do, the more water it will be able to project and the more ground it will be able to cover.

Recommended Fun
If you are reading this article and feel inspired to run out and grab some friends for some water gun shoot-outs, here are a few tips and pointers as to what to get exactly. To get used to the original fun, there is the Water Warriors Hornet, a simple side action pump water gun. It is easy to use and is able to project water fairly well, making it fun to use and sure to make a wet impact. There are also other fun water guns out in the market like the Stream Engine, a giant of a pump action gun that works like a huge syringe. But at the end of the day, if it is enough shoot around and have some summer fun, that is all that matters right?

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