History of the Super Soaker(isoaker.com)
isoaker.com
History of the Super Soaker
http://www.isoaker.com/Info/history_supersoaker.html
10 comments
When I was around 13 years old I was interested in electronics, reading popular science, and listening to Run DMC and any other hip hop I could get my hands on. I really didn't see that many black inventors or scientist in the news or on TV(except the little black kid that would show up on Mr Wizad every now and then). It wasn't until I was a little bit older that I learned about the rich history of blacks in science. Being 13 years old living on a military base in North Carolina I assumed that the field was something blacks could not get into.
It wasn't until I read an article about the guy who invented the super soaker that I found out that your color doesn't hold you back from getting in any field. I learned that he held many patents and that the super soaker was just the most popular. It changed my whole outlook on things and made me do a lot more research. I knew then I had 2 loves, hip hop and electronics and I could do either one if I wanted.
It wasn't until I read an article about the guy who invented the super soaker that I found out that your color doesn't hold you back from getting in any field. I learned that he held many patents and that the super soaker was just the most popular. It changed my whole outlook on things and made me do a lot more research. I knew then I had 2 loves, hip hop and electronics and I could do either one if I wanted.
A true inventor. Even when manufacturer after manufacturer failed he kept pressing on. Kudos.
This reminds me of my old XP 150: http://www.isoaker.com/Armoury/Analysis/1998/xp150c.html
An unassuming Super Soaker by modern standards, it actually houses a deadly hack which makes it, by far, the strongest Super Soaker every produced.
The nozzle was removable to allow for a filter screen to be replaced. However, one was still able to fire with the nozzle removed. This revealed it's hidden power: The Super Soaker Shotgun. The lines feeding water up to the nozzle were exceptionally large, so it was merely the nozzle that regulated the flow. With it removed, the output capacity was massively increased. A fully compressed tank would empty in approximately 2-3 seconds. It didn't go far (10 feet tops) and required a bit of luck, but anything caught in front of it at the right time was instantly drenched in water. It was devastating. There is no modern equal and I don't know if any other guns have been produced with the capacity that this one had. I had won many a water battle with this little trick in mind. Oh, how I miss it!
Dammit, now I'm going to spend a ton of money on eBay when I really shouldn't...
An unassuming Super Soaker by modern standards, it actually houses a deadly hack which makes it, by far, the strongest Super Soaker every produced.
The nozzle was removable to allow for a filter screen to be replaced. However, one was still able to fire with the nozzle removed. This revealed it's hidden power: The Super Soaker Shotgun. The lines feeding water up to the nozzle were exceptionally large, so it was merely the nozzle that regulated the flow. With it removed, the output capacity was massively increased. A fully compressed tank would empty in approximately 2-3 seconds. It didn't go far (10 feet tops) and required a bit of luck, but anything caught in front of it at the right time was instantly drenched in water. It was devastating. There is no modern equal and I don't know if any other guns have been produced with the capacity that this one had. I had won many a water battle with this little trick in mind. Oh, how I miss it!
Dammit, now I'm going to spend a ton of money on eBay when I really shouldn't...
I wish I could be Lonnie Johnson -- R&D on squirt guns and whatnot sounds fun!
Invent an even better one!
I remember the glorious day we discovered that the supersoaker reservoir tank was a perfect fit in the kitchen Soda-Stream.
Fill the tank almost full, saturate it with CO2, then attach to the gun and pump until you could pump no more. Then shake the whole assembly until the CO2 came out of solution.
Worked beautifully, and if I remember correctly, probably added another 30-40% range to it.
Unfortunately, we finally reached the manufacturing tolerances, and something burst quite dramatically, thankfully only spraying water everywhere.
Fill the tank almost full, saturate it with CO2, then attach to the gun and pump until you could pump no more. Then shake the whole assembly until the CO2 came out of solution.
Worked beautifully, and if I remember correctly, probably added another 30-40% range to it.
Unfortunately, we finally reached the manufacturing tolerances, and something burst quite dramatically, thankfully only spraying water everywhere.
Man that brings back some memories. I was 11 and remember that big green bottle well.
Never something I thought to read about, but definitely entertaining.
Now somebody needs to do a writeup on the history of Nerf guns!
Now somebody needs to do a writeup on the history of Nerf guns!
The current super soaker models are very disappointing to me. I've held a few "battles" with neighbors in my yard and the power is not what I remember from years ago. Taking a step back in product development makes very little sense to me.
That writing out of numbers is extremely annoying. I can understand when writers do it with numbers that are unexpected, or very important. But here it is done almost consistently with every number. It makes me feel offended that the writer does not trust me enough to read numbers.
A friend of mine got this for his birthday the month it came out. His party was a watergun fight. That was quickly abandoned when we realized how powerful it was. It knocked down 6th graders at close range.
Instead we spend hours taking turns who got to have the gun and stand on the deck. Everyone else ran around in the yard and tried not to get shot. Last person standing won the round.
This is one of my better childhood memories. I am really glad this link was posted so I can use it to back up the power of the water gun in the story.