If you are like me, come summertime you are ready for the kids to get out of the house and get some energy out. Water guns can be a great way for young kids to get away from their electronic devices and get out some of that excess energy. Although my favorite water guns are still NERF Super Soakers, there are a lot of great ways for kids to absolutely drench each other in good fun.
How to Choose a Water Gun for Kids
- Weight. Lightweight water guns are easier for smaller kids to run with and chase other kids around with. Some of the larger Super Soakers, although fun, are difficult for a 4-year-old to tackle.
- Firing Mechanism. How easy is it to fire the trigger, and maneuver the water gun.?
- Re-load. How easy is it to refill the water gun? Can a younger kid reload it on their own or do they need help?
- Price and Value. Water guns can be purchased for under $5 up to over $50. Some water guns have good accessories and other toys included with the guns.
- Safety. It is important that water guns are fun and spray a lot of water, but it is critical that the water guns are safe for kids as young as 2 years old.
- Theme. Some of our favorite water guns are Star Wars, Fortnite, or zombie themed.
Top 11 Budget Water Guns for Kids
With these guns your young ones can have lots of fun, and you don’t have to take out a loan to buy these guns.
| Model | Pros / Cons |
|---|---|
Super Soaker ZipFire Read Review | Pros: |
Scatterblast Blaster Read Review | Pros: |
Nerf Freezefire 2.0 Read Review | Pros: |
Fornite TS-R Water Gun Read Review | Pros: |
Fortnite HC-E Super Soaker Read Review | Pros: |
Kwik-Tek Bazooka Read Review | Pros: |
Soni Pistol Water Gun Read Review | Pros: |
Fire Extinguisher Water Gun Read Review | Pros: |
JOYIN Water Blaster Read Review | Pros: |
Emoji water blaster Read Review | Pros: |
Young Choi Water Blaster Read Review | Pros: |
Best NERF Water Guns for Kids
There are a lot of great water guns out there, but our favorite water guns for kids are still Super Soakers, so get nostalgic and pick some up for your kids, and maybe just maybe you can use them too.
NERF Super Soaker ZipFire
If you are looking for a great water gun for a preschooler, then this is the choice for you. The ZipFire is a great starter water gun for kids. It is easy to fire and reload and doesn’t weigh a whole lot. One of the best part of this Super Soaker set is that it doesn’t leak much. These mini water pistols are good choice for a 2 or 3-year-old because they shoot pretty far but don’t put out a ton of water.
Technical Specifications
This is a good deal at around $20 and includes 2 small Super Soakers that are 6″ x 8″. The Super Soaker ZipFire can be purchased in 5 different colors–white, green, yellow, purple, and blue. They can shoot around 20 feet. The firing mechanism is a simple pull trigger that doesn’t’ take a lot of force.
NERF Super Soaker Scatterblast Blaster
Girls love Super Soakers, too! NERF’s Scatterblast Blaster is the go to gun for my 6-year-old niece. She loves to play water games with her friends. The Scatterblast Blaster has a great look and feel with a shotgun draw and bright white, blue, green, and orange colors. With this your child is sure to get outside and get away form their screens and have some fun.
Technical Specifications
The NERF Scatterblast Blaster can hold up to 22 ounces of water. This is a huge upgrade in water capacity from the ZipFire, but because of the water stream it still won’t last a long time. It fires water up to 30 feet away. The gun has 4 smaller nozzles and 1 larger nozzle from which it fires. This Super Soaker has a flip up site that looks good but isn’t very helpful in a water war. The Scatterblast Blaster fires like a lot of NERF guns with a pullback action.
NERF Super Soaker Freezefire Blaster 2.0
Ok I admit it, I love these water guns. Seriously who thought of throwing ice cubes in a NERF gun for more fun? Get ready to drench your competition with ice cold water. This is a smaller gun and perfect for a 4 or a 5-year-old kid. Kids younger than 5 may have some difficulty in making the water shoot far because water distance is based on the force pushed. That may actually make this safer for preschoolers. I’d highly recommend this water gun even though it is a little more expensive than some of the other options at around $20.
Technical Specifications
These compact water blasters hold a moderate 20 ounces of water. Just like the Scattershot Blaster, this works with a pump or shot-gun style action. The Freezefire can work with or without ice cubes. To add freeze power to it simply add ice cubes to the large water opening. This is also how you fill the Super Soaker if you are just adding water.
New NERF Fortnite Super Soakers for 2019
Check out these brand new Super Soakers that can be pre-ordered now on Amazon and come out in May 2019.
NERF Fortnite TS-R Super Soaker Water Blaster
Fortnite toys are hot, and this great looking Fornite TS-R Super Soaker comes out May 7, 2019. I’ll be honest this water gun looks absolutely fantastic. My kids love Fortnite and can’t wait to try this Super Soaker out. With its dual blue colors and Fortnite logo, this water blaster will surely be a hit with Fortnite fans. Since this water gun is a little larger than some of the others on this list, I’d recommend waiting to give this gun to your kids after they reach the age of 6.
Technical Specifications
The TS-R holds a solid 36 ounces (1 Liter) of water. It works with simple pump or shot-gun action like a lot of the Super Soakers. In order to get the NERF TS-R water blaster to work you will need to continuously pump the action. The tank can easily be filled by opening the cap and dunking the Epic Game’s TS-R.
NERF Fortnite HC-E Super Soaker Toy Water Blaster
Get ready to drench your opponents with the NERF Fortnite HC-E Super Soaker. This water gun is available May 7, 2019 but is available now for pre-order. The NERF Fortnite HC-E is a great looking replica of Epic Game’s HC-E water gun. With classic Fortnite colors of purple and blue, this is sure to be a hit with a 4-year-old or older.
Technical Specifications
The Fornite HC-E can hold only 7.4 ounces, which is much less than a lot of these other options. The HC-E weighs only 2.2 pounds so it can be maneuvered easily. This water gun is 2.6″ x 11″ x 9″ long. I would definitely say this kid’s water gun is more bark than bite. The HC-E works by a simple trigger firing mechanism and is easy to fire for young kids.
Top Off-Brand Water Guns for 4 and 5-year-old Kids
We have reviewed our favorite Super Soaker alternate brands and water blasters not made by NERF. Typically these guns are lesser in quality and durability, but generally less expensive compared to an equivalent NERF gun.
Young Choi’s Kids Water Gun
Kwik Tek AQUA ZOOKA Quick Fill Water Bazooka
This Aqua-Zooka is a great water gun for toddlers or any kids. This drenching style water gun launches a ton of water a far distance without a lot of effort. Because it uses water so fast and doesn’t store much water, this style of water gun is best for pools, beaches, and boats. It makes a great companion for an outing on the water. This water gun works great even if it gets exposed to a little sand. A little warning: these styles of water guns do leak if you are trying to drag it full through a house. I’d highly recommend buying these two at a time because it is way more fun to fire back and forth.
Technical Specifications
The Aqua-Zooka can shoot water up to 60 feet, and younger kids can easily reach 20-30 feet. All that you need to do to load this water bazooka is to fully submerse the water gun in water, and then pull the handle back. To fire simply reverse the direction and drench your friends. Your 3-year-old will get a kick out this water gun. Some really young children may need some help to re-load, but these little ones will still get a kick from the stream of water this fires.
SONi Water Pistol 3 Packs Squirt Gun
This inexpensive set of three water guns can be purchased for around $10. What they lack in flair they make up with value. These are great beginner water guns for kids. If you don’t have extra money to dump into the more expensive Super Soakers, these will still give your kids some fun summer water days without breaking the bank. These water guns have been known to leak a little, but what do you expect for this price?
Technical Specifications
These water guns for kids are made of ABS plastic and come in blue/ white. These water blasters measure 6.5″ x 5″ x 1″. These work with a simple trigger fire–just squeeze the trigger and release the water. Simply open the lid and tap the water gun to fill it. The Soni water guns come with a 30 day money back guarantee. The Soni blasters can shoot about 20 feet.
Fireman Backpack Extinguisher with Nozzle and Tank
What kid doesn’t like to play fireman? I know my kids love to visit the firehouse and see the firetrucks. With this fun red colored fireman backpack water gun, kids can pretend to put out fires. Your toddler or 4-year-old and their friends can get into an epic backpack water fight and stay safe in the process. The full tank can be a little heavy for little kids, so we recommend only filling the tank 1/3 or 1/2 full. Another option is to fill the tank up for your little one and put the backpack on the ground.
Technical Specifications
This backpack holds about 80 ounces of water and can shoot a steady stream of water up to 25 feet. This definitely will not fire as far as the Super Soaker but is a lot more safe. In order to fire the water gun fire extinguisher, simply pump the gun with the yellow handle. This toy has been tested to US safety standards to make it more safe for young kids. The extinguisher comes with two different nozzles so kids can fire a longer distance or fire four streams of water at once. The backpack holds so much water that kids can play for a lot longer than they can with the other water guns we recommend.
JOYIN 2 Pack Super Water Blaster
This is the closest of all the non NERF Water Guns to being Super Soaker quality. If you are looking for an alternate to NERF water guns this is the choice for you. Your 6-year-old will be very happy to open these water guns for their birthday. These guns work well but can leak if they aren’t held level.
Technical Specifications
This large water gun can shoot up to 36 feet and can hold up to 25 ounces of water. This is actually a little better than the similar sized NERF Scatterblast blaster. The cost is right on the JOYIN water guns, as you can get 2 water guns for under $20. This also is a little less expensive than the Super Soaker. The JOYIN water guns are made from safe non-toxic materials and meet rigorous US toy standards. These guns come with a 90 day money back guarantee. This water gun measures about 16″ x 8″. To fire the water gun, use pump action. Open the plug and fill the water gun back up.
Toyrifik 24 Pack Emoji Blaster Water Guns
This is a great water shooter for young kids. The value here is just unreal. For about $1 per blaster you can buy these for a birthday or pool party for everyone in attendance. The emoji faces make these a perfect fit for a kid. Even a 2-year-old girl can fire one of these. Who can help but have a good time around all these smiles? These water guns are best used near a body of water such as a lake or pool. This one can be filled with a bucket.
Technical Specifications
Each water shooter is just a little under a foot long and is made of plastic and foam. Each Emoji water blaster can shoot up to 30 feet. In order to reload the water blaster, you need only put the nozzle in the water and gently pull back. In order to fire simple push the plunger forward causing a large amount of water to be dispersed.
Check out this great video on the world’s largest Super Soaker. Great fun, but probably not young kid approved. Don’t forget to check out our great blog post on NERF Guns for Young Kids.
