Super Soaker XP100 review: a classic returns, but with one problem

It’s time to go back to the ’90s with this Super Soaker XP100 review. Don’t worry, we won’t make you think about your acid wash jeans…  Super Soaker was the only name on the lips of ’90s kids when it came to choosing the best water gun, and it’s still easy to see why. 

With the Super Soaker XP100, Hasbro has kept all of the iconic retro stylings with ultra-bright colours and that all-important pressure ball for focussed sprayage. There’s also a removable tank that means you don’t need to trot the whole device through the house on a quest for a refill. 

But in a now flooded (cough) market of water guns of all shapes and sizes in 2022, can the original Super Soaker still reign supreme? Let’s break down the features and check out how it performed in our exceptionally wet test session.

Super Soaker XP100 review: Price

Price-wise, the Super Soaker XP100 is one of the most expensive in the range. At around £20/$20 full-price across a number of sites, it’s on par with the Super Soaker Floodinator, and double the cost of the icy Super Soaker Freezefire. 

Plus, if you’re not worried about branding, you can check out our Joyin 2 Pack Water Pistols review to find out why two pressure-powered water guns for half the price of this might be the watery solution of your dreams. 

The price jump here is clearly for that extra retro pressure ball tech, because so many of the most popular water guns are now pump to fire, rather than including the trigger system that this has.

Super Soaker XP100 review: Features & Design

The iconic design of the Super Soaker XP100 means that you feel like you’re picking up a solid weapon for your trip into the garden. Once the tank is full, this feels especially true, transforming the experience with the knowledge that you have serious firepower. Filling up with your regulation 1.26 litres of water is exceptionally easy thanks to the removable tank. Where previous iterations had a screw option that could often leak regardless of tightness, the XP 100 has an easy locking mechanism. Simply fill the tank and realign vertically and a mere turn of the lock keeps it surprisingly secure. 

Unfortunately, though, it’s not the tank you have to worry about leaking. While pumping to recharge the air pressure, the XP100 streams gently from the water spout. This means there’s constantly water trickling from the Super Soaker, creating seriously wet feet as you build up the air ball and a sense of disappointment for something that isn't cheap. We hate to say it wasn’t like this in the old days, but it really, really wasn’t. Or, at least, we weren't wearing shoes we cared about.

Super Soaker XP100 review: Performance

This leaking is a serious pity because in every other regard, the Super Soaker XP100 performs as well as your rose-tinted memory of it. At full pressure, a laser focussed spray of water creates a surprisingly stingy stream that definitely shouldn’t be fired in the facial area, and the hefty tank size means no need to scuttle back to a tap too quickly. The pressure disappears relatively speedily but you’ll get a shot at about 30ft initially before the stream loses pressure. Plenty of bare legs can be shot at before you’ll need to pump things up again for another round.

Super Soaker XP100 review: Verdict

Given how wet everyone is going to be by the end of your session, the leakage might not be a deal breaker but it’s a new feature we could have done without while taking this drenched trip down memory lane. The XP100’s bright colours and high pressure hijinks are as fun as they always were but for a premium price, we’d have expected everything to be watertight.