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Accuracy
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Battle Effectiveness
Hey, Nerf Nation. I have one simple request, and that is to have Nerf Guns with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!
Luckily, Dorm Labs has provided me with what is, in essence, a sophisticated heat beam which they called “a laser.” I call it the Nerf Tactical Laser.
Dorm Labs Laser Module
Now before we dive into this Nerf tactical laser review, let me tell you a little bit about my history with toy guns. I started out many many years ago with Nerf. I got my first Nerf blaster somewhere around the year 1997. But when I got a little bit older, I grew away from the hobby. Eventually, somewhere along the road, I picked up an airsoft gun. I loved everything about it and the whole idea behind these guns was fascinating. I went all out on the tacticool aspect of airsoft. I had shoulder holsters, tactical drop leg holsters, tactical laser sight modules, grips, silencers, extended magazines, etc. You name it and I had at least two of them. So I have always loved the tactical aspect that toy guns can have. I loved how they mimic their real steel counterparts. Then one day, I caught sight of a more recent Nerf gun, and it was glorious. It was love at first sight. “Was that a picatinny rail on a Nerf blaster?” No, but it was close enough. Tactical rail mounts, extended barrel attachment points, stock attachment points, sling mounts, carry handles, and magazines! Nerf had effectively implemented dart-loaded magazines that they called by the slang term “clips.” Amazing! So when I saw this Nerf tactical laser module from Dorm Labs, it made me smile. On to the review!
Unboxing the Nerf Tactical Laser.
This is how you’ll find the Nerf Tactical Laser after you take it out of the box. Very neatly packaged and it was covered in bubble wrap to ensure it arrived in perfect condition. They also include a free Nerf Elite Dart. That was a nice touch. Anyways, let’s rip it out of its plastic and take a closer look.
Once you take it out of the plastic, you can see exactly what that little piece of paper is all about. It’s a pretty substantial warning about the potential damage this thing can cause. It isn’t specific to this product, though, any laser will mess you up pretty bad if you use it the wrong way. So be safe! The Dorm Labs website states pretty clearly that this product is for use by responsible individuals age 18 and up. So now that we’re past all of the scary stuff, let’s get on to the actual Nerf tactical laser and what else is included with the module.
Here we see the actual Nerf tactical laser module, the cord with the pressure switch, an allen key, an elastic band holding it all together. Oh, and there’s also an Elite Dart thrown in just for the heck of it. Pretty typical stuff here. Very good.
Attaching the Nerf Tactical Laser.
The only thing you need to attach the Nerf tactical laser module to your blaster is a screwdriver. Simple. Why do we need a screwdriver? Well, as we know, Nerf tactical rails aren’t the most secure. They are very cool, but not usually very sturdy. With an attachment like this that screws on, you know it’s not going anywhere. So, moving along.
Unscrew the two screws on the side of the Nerf tactical laser. You’ll have to unscrew them completely to remove the side of the tactical rail clamp. Taking the screws out is very smooth and easy, but take your time. You don’t want stripped screws.
Take the screws completely out and remove the side panel of the rail mount. Keep the screws and the side of the mount in a safe location. You’ll need them again soon.
Hold the Nerf tactical laser module up to the blaster you’ve selected, and align it with a tactical rail. The little nub on the laser module should align with one of the dips in the tactical rail. It doesn’t have to go over the orange rail clip like normal Nerf attachments, but I chose to put it there anyway.
Pro Tip: Screw the screws into the side panel of the rail mount before you start to attach it back onto the laser module. They’ll be held in place perfectly, which will make it a lot easier to reassemble the module. Trust me.
Next, place the main Nerf tactical laser module atop the tactical rail where you fitted it earlier. Then hold the panel up to the side of the laser module and make sure the screws line up with the screw holes.
Hold everything in place and make sure the rail mount “lip” is fully under the blasters rail mount on both sides. Push it together firmly with your hand. Then screw it in.
Screw both screws all the way in until they’re nice and tight. If you start hearing plastic creak, or see small shards of plastic shavings underneath your work space, you’ve gone too far!
Congrats! You’ve successfully installed the main part of the Nerf tactical laser module. But don’t celebrate too much, we’re not done yet.
It’s time to affix the pressure switch onto the handle of the blaster. Pull it over either side of the blaster and think about where you’d like to place it.
Hold the pressure switch and position and slide the elastic band over the handle and then right over the pressure switch.
Grip the handle and readjust the pressure switch until it’s in the perfect position. I like it right where it will sit under where my middle finger rests on the pistol grip handle.
NOW you can pat yourself on the back. You’ve done it. Congratulations! You’re super tacticool now!
Nerf Tactical Laser Module Performance.
It looks good, but how does it perform?! Isn’t that more important? Well, let’s check it out…
After a quick adjustment with the included allen key, the accuracy of this laser module was spot on, so to speak.
At longer ranges it obviously wasn’t as thorough, as the Nerf Elite Darts drop substantially over longer ranges. But it was still pretty close to where the dart landed. Very functional.
I did this review during daylight hours, but to illustrate how powerful the laser is, I pointed my blaster into one of my closets. As you can see the laser is very bright and powerful indeed. Very nice.
Summing Things Up…
Summing things up, I quite like this Nerf tactical laser module from Dorm Labs. It reminds me so much of my good old airsoft days. It reminds me just how tacticool today’s current Nerf blasters are. It is very stable and solidly built. The laser is strong and powerful and it shines bright (like a diamond?). It also looks very cool, very tacticool to be more specific. The installation was plain and easy and anyone could do it. K.I.S.S. is the motto and Dorm Labs has stuck to that method perfectly. From the packaging to the installation to the operation, this was a breeze. And it comes with a free Elite Dart! Thanks Dorm Labs! If you’d like to pick up one of your own, head on over to www.dormlabs.com or click on the picture below. Thanks for reading!
