Zombies are coming! So here today, in preparation, we’ll be going over the brand new Nerf Brainsaw blaster!
Nerf Zombie Strike Brainsaw.
Blee here! Back at it again with a brand new review for you guys! Here today, we will be doing a review of the new Nerf Brainsaw. This is the latest blaster to be released on the Nerf Zombie Strike series of Nerf blasters. The Zombie Strike line of blasters has always been the quirky, off-the-wall type of blasters and the Brainsaw definitely continues that tradition.
This thing is basically what would happen if you smashed the recent Nerf Zombie Strike Crosscut (review here) and the old Nerf Elite Rough Cut 2 x 4 blasters together. It’s pretty wild and crazy. Watch the full review to find out more. I will go over the full aesthetics and external features of the Brainsaw, I’ll show you how to do the very limited optional assembly, and then I’ll do a pretty extended firing test. Then, I’ll discuss my final thoughts and opinions on the Nerf blaster, as far as what I like and don’t like and if I recommend a purchase of the gun. Well, what are you waiting for?! Click PLAY and check it out!
Nerf Brainsaw Aesthetics – The Poor Man’s Lancer?
This is a blaster that is very reminiscent of the old Nerf Elite Rough Cut shotgun. It has the same barrel configuration, with 2 sets of 4 barrels on either side of the blaster for a total of 8 barrels.
At the front of the blaster, you have the main gimmick which is a chainsaw. It looks pretty rad, but only the very end part moves. It’s supposed to be a chainsaw, but it seems to use a circular saw blade, very much like the previously released Nerf Zombie Strike Crosscut buzzsaw. The rest of the chainsaw on the Nerf Brainsaw is purely aesthetic. It’s actually a very rigid non-moving plastic and wouldn’t be suitable for any kind of melee action.
You activate the spinning saw blade like you would a real chainsaw, with a pull cord. The orange handle for the pull cord is near the rear of the blaster, just ahead of the pistol grip on the top of the blaster. At the bottom of the blaster is the pump grip, which is fashioned after a large philips head screwdriver. Overall, I like the goofy Zombie Strike aesthetics very much. It’s very exaggerated and over the top and I love it. The only drawback is Nerf’s economy paint job on the opposite side of the blaster. There is no logo or detail and it looks very bland.
Nerf Brainsaw Ergonomics – Rigor Mortis?
I’m very happy to report that my hand fits perfectly inside the handguard. It also has a very comfortable trigger pull as well. Any way you hold it will feel very comfortable. The pump grip is a bit undersized, but it’s true to life for what it is – a screwdriver. The size shouldn’t be too much of an issue unless you have very large hands. Otherwise, you will feel right at home with it. The blaster overall is a tad bit bulky, but the large size goes with the over-the-top design of most blaster in the Zombie Strike series. It will feel a lot bigger in your hands if you’re used to using the Rough Cut, though.
Nerf Brainsaw Performance – Circumcised Rough Cut?
Let’s talk about how the blaster functions. You front-load up any number of barrels or all of the barrels with darts. Due to the nature of the Smart Air Restrictor setup inside the blaster, the Nerf Brainsaw can detect which barrel is loaded and it will fire that barrel. If you load up every barrel, the blaster will fire one dart at a time from left to right and top to bottom.
To fire a dart, pull the pump grip backwards and then push it back to its original position. You are primed. Pull the trigger and you will fire a single dart. Cycle the pump grip again for each subsequent shot. This is in stark contrast to the old Rough Cut blaster which fired 2 darts with each trigger pull. (Most models also had a functional two-step trigger where you could single fire darts if you pulled the trigger half way.) There is no such option here, which effectively limits its designation as a shotgun class blaster.
Nerf Brainsaw Final Thoughts.
How can I put this best? Nerf basically took the Rough Cut and banged a Crosscut onto the front of the blaster. So, at the end of the day, if you can choose between the Brainsaw and a Rough Cut? Choose the Rough Cut! Yeah, baby! So as far as my final thoughts and opinions on this blaster goes? I’m really digging the aesthetics. I love the look. I hate the asymmetric bland cheap “economy” painting on the other side of the blaster.
I’m also pretty annoyed by the fact that we don’t get a fully functional toy chainsaw here. They could definitely have made that work, but they didn’t. Either way, though, I still do appreciate the gimmick. Spinning the “chainsaw” up and rushing someone is still fun. It’s ineffective, but still fun. When I do that it reminds me when I first started playing Gears of War back in the day. I used to do nothing but rush people with the chainsaw in the multiplayer all day.
As for the performance of this blaster? There’s no easy way to say this: It sucks! It has ranges of less than 40 feet, at best. And each consecutive shot loses power as you work your way down the barrels. Guys, even if you love the way this blaster looks, don’t buy it unless you’re going to mod it. And it’s always mod at your own risk. Nerf says no modding, so if you’re not comfortable with that – then you might want to stay away from here. Also, at the price this is retailing for, you could get a lot of other, better blasters. So that’s my final verdict. It looks extremely cool, but performance..? Not so much.
Nerf Brainsaw Recommended Attachments.:
While the Brainsaw isn’t much of a tacticool blaster, there’s always hope. Sure, it has no stock attachment point, no barrel attachment nozzle, and only a single tac rail up top. So what can you really do with it? Not much, but here are a few suggestions. (Just for fun.)
The Nerf Modulus Red Dot Sight, because it goes with everything. And how cool are you going to look holding the Brainsaw on an angle to aim down the sight? (Hint: Very cool.)
The Nerf Modulus Blast Shield, because Zombie blood is infectious. And not in a good way. You gotta block that brain splatter!
The Nerf Zombie Strike Chainsaw, because since when was one chainsaw ever enough? I heard you like chainsaws, so we put a chainsaw on your Brainsaw!
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