Don't shoot at point blank range – foam darts are soft, but if you get hit by them at very close range they might sting a little. The darts won't have any chance to slow down in the air, so at that range they'll be hitting you as hard as they can. The blaster rotates 360 degrees on the included tripod, and can also be fired full-auto without the crank. While I’m unsure exactly how hard this one shoots, it is advertised for kids ages 6+ and includes safety glasses. If you haven’t heard of them, X-Shot is a brand of Nerf-style foam dart guns that is owned by the Zuru toy company.

This blaster has a double-sized barrel, and you alternate between shooting either the outer or inner row of darts with the switch. Nobody wants to spend more time fiddling around with their toy gun than playing with it, so we assessed how straightforward each toy was to handle, fire, and reload, and we considered how convenient its capacity was. Fun factor The X-Shot dart is about equal when it comes to the quality of the Nerf Elite dart. However, X-Shot darts are lighter and fly a little further on average. The X-Shot Excel Regenerator is probably the best choice for kids because it has so many ways it can be customized. There are plenty of X-Shot darts included, 48 to be exact, so you have more than enough to fill the 35-dart chain. To add to the fun, you can get extra links to extend the chain or wear on your shoulders like Rambo.

Zuru X-Shot vs. Nerf

Though they will cost more, I will always recommend something in the Nerf Rival series as the best out now. There are few that hold hundred of rounds and are much easier to load with the hoppers on top. Your opponents will do everything in their power to get their hands on the Crusher. This includes up to (but not limited to) tripping you while you're running to get it and then enlisting the help of all their siblings to hold you down while they steal it from you (speaking from experience here.) While all the toy dart blasters on list are referred to as either Nerf Miniguns or Gatling guns, this is the only true Nerf Gatling gun I could find. This is definitely not name brand, but this ArtCreativity Gatling dart blaster is very cool with the actual crank-style firing system. Our choice for the top Nerf Minigun is the XShot Crusher because it is the highest quality for the price. The Crusher looks the most like a real minigun, includes a 35-dart belt, and 48 darts. With slam fire, it shoots about 4 darts per second at up to 80 feet per second!

A Nerf minigun is one that has rotating barrels and is either chain-fed or has large drums to keep you firing fast for a long time.

Dino Attack

To fire this blaster you prime with the top white handle and then pull the trigger to fire one dart. It has a range of up to 90 feet and shoots up to 80 feet per second. The Nerf N-Strike Elite Titan CS-50 is a fun full-auto Nerf blaster that you didn’t know you needed. Nerf has a much wider selection of blasters compared to X-Shot as they also have been around for much longer. However, X-Shot has some comparable blasters that perform better, and are significantly lower priced. It also includes 16 darts, so you get a few more than what it can hold. With most dart blasters performing about the same it is always nice to be able to fire a bit longer. Who Should Buy The Excel Xcess There is nothing like the exhilaration of sitting at the table, having your morning coffee, trying to wake up and have a foam dart flash in front of your face that was fired from an XShot blaster given to a 7 yr. old by his uncle.