I did my Nerf Slingfire vs Air Warriors Sentinel video a while ago. Let’s see if anything has changed since then…
Nerf vs Nerf: Nerf Slingfire vs Air Warriors Sentinel.
Today we will be doing an episode of my Nerf Versus series, where I compare two (somewhat similar) Nerf blasters to see which one comes out on top. On this episode, we’ll be pitting Nerf against their oldest rivals, Buzz Bee. Today, it’s going to be the Nerf Slingfire versus Air Warriors Sentinel. Or Buzz Bee Sentinel. Or Ultra Rapid Tek. Yeah, something like that. Anyways, these two blasters are both Lever Action, so of course, the comparisons would be endless. And yes, I know this has been done before, but not by me… Not by Blee! So, sit back and prepare to check out my take on the whole “Sentinel vs Slingfire: Battle for the Best Lever” debate. As always, the TL;DR crowd can take solace in knowing I did this comparison in video form awhile back. You can watch it down below…
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Nerf Slingfire vs Air Warriors Sentinel: Functionality.
First things first, let’s talk about how these blasters work. Luckily, they operate very similarly (on the outside). To fire either blaster, first load up the included magazines. Duh. Then, swing the priming lever out and all the way forward. Insert the mag and then swing the lever back to its original position next to the grip. You are locked and loaded and ready to fire! To fire the rest of the darts, simply swing the lever out and back to prime and press the trigger again for each shot. Easy enough.
Winner: Tie
Nerf Slingfire vs Air Warriors Sentinel: Power.
Next, let’s talk about the power of each blaster. The Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire is just about on par with every other N-Strike Elite blaster. Some early production models of the Slingfire actually performed really poorly, but the issue was fixed in later models. Either way, though, the Slingfire loses.
Hands down, the Sentinel wins in this category. The Buzz Bee Sentinel is more powerful than any other stock Nerf Elite blaster on the market. Period. You can see the difference when you fire the darts and you can feel the difference when you are shot by these blasters. Ouch.
Winner: Buzz Bee Air Warriors Ultra Tek Sentinel
Nerf Slingfire vs Air Warriors Sentinel: Aesthetics.
On to the looks department. First up, the Buzz Bee Air Warriors Ultra Tek Sentinel. The Sentinel is about as aesthetically pleasing as most other Buzz Bee blasters from around the time it was produced. Which is to say, this thing is butt ugly. It looks plain and unfinished and as I say in the video, “it looks like it needs to be sent to a children’s coloring book factory.”
The Slingfire, on the other hand, looks pretty cool. It has that over the top zombie aesthetic that we’ve come to expect from the Zombie Strike lineup. Bright green and faux wood, complete with fake wrapping on the handle? I love it!
Winner: Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire
Nerf Slingfire vs Air Warriors Sentinel: Ergonomics.
The Slingfire has the looks and it scores another win in the ergonomics department. The stock is a bit short, sure, but that’s its biggest flaw. And considering the demographic for these toy blasters are 8 and up, that’s not a very big flaw at all. It’s short for me, but not overly so, and I can still shoulder the blaster. Outside of the short stock syndrome, it has a very comfortable grip and a perfect feeling lever handle. It’s made of a soft, flexible plastic and feels great to hold and use.
The Sentinel has a very plain design, yes, but couldn’t it make up for that with good ergonomics? In theory, yes it could. However, the truth is a lot more grim. The Sentinel fails in looks and fails even harder in ergonomics. The stock is so tiny that when I try to shoulder it, it feels like my wrist is going to break in half. The metal priming lever sounds good when you first hear about it, but when you use it? Not so much. This thing hurts your hand and is very uncomfortable.
Winner: Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire
Nerf Slingfire vs Air Warriors Sentinel: Winner?!
And the winner is… The Slingfire! The Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire wins in every category except for unbridled power. The look, the feel, everything is just plain better with the Slingfire. What good is all of that power with the Sentinel if it literally hurts you to use it? I can mod my Slingfire pretty easily and get it shooting at the same level of the Sentinel, but with added comfortability. While it’s true that you can further mod the Sentinel to be even more powerful, power isn’t everything. For me to fully enjoy the Ultra Tek Sentinel, you’d have to not only increase the power, but pad the priming lever, chop off the baby stock, epoxy an N-Strike stock point on and more. Everyone is on the Sentinel Hype Train, but not me. I’d choose a Retaliator, an Alpha Trooper, even – yes – a Slingfire over the Sentinel.
Featured MOD.:
And, since the Nerf Slingfire won, we’ll take a look at one of my favorite mods for the Slingfire. This mod, which seems to be purely cosmetic, looks absolutely amazing! It’s called the Wolf’s Revenge and was made by modder EmporiumofWondersCo. Click the pic and head on over to Etsy to see more pics and info about this blaster! Be sure to check out the rest of his shop where he has a few more wicked looking Nerf blaster mods. Check it out!
Foam Head Opinions