It's Nerf or Nothing!

The newest line of Nerf Blasters are called the Nerf Vortex. They were introduced in 2011. For the Vortex Nerf took a new direction and went with discs instead of darts. By going with discs Nerf pretty much doubled the distance compared to their previous darts. The Nerf Vortex discs can shoot up to 65 feet away. The Vortex discs are still soft but since they shoot farther they do hurt a little more if shot up close. They are also more likely to ricochet off of walls and objects. All of this line can load rapidly for quick shots.The The Vortex series are mostly red and green brightly colored blasters. Some of the more expensive ones are battery operated and can let loose tons of discs. Nerf named the discs XLR(Xtra Long Range) discs. The discs come in green, orange or a glow in the dark version. Most of the bigger blasters come with tactical rails just like some of the dart blasters. These rails allow you to easily add and remove scopes, lights and other accessories.

Nerf toys are still as popular today as when the first NERF Ball was introduced back in 1970. Sadly I don't seem to find a place to buy the original. Well, I'm guessing I can probably find an old one on eBay. But, new ones don't seem to be being made anymore.

The Word NERF stands for Non-Expandable Recreational Foam. The ball is extremely light and soft. Therefore the ball was perfect for playing indoors. A game inventor named Reyn Guyer made the first NERF ball. He intended for it to go with a volleyball game to be played inside. Parker Brothers loved the idea and decided to market it but, without the net. Parker Brothers just wanted the ball and it became a huge hit. It was the first ball parents would have no problem with kids playing with inside. The ball was so light it could be thrown at windows and lamps without any worries about anything being broken. By the end of its first year over four million Nerf balls were sold. In 1972 the Nerf basketball game was invented and is still sold today. NERF is now owned by Hasbro. In the early 90's they had a huge advertising campaign selling Nerf Blasters. Nerf blasters were guns that shot little foam balls. The Nerf guns were tons of fun and I remember having huge Nerf wars with my friends all of the time with them. The slogan at the time was "It's Nerf or Nothing!" Today the new slogan is "Play your game." But, I still much prefer the older one.

My boys and I have a great time with my, oh I mean their Nerf toys. We have a few of the Nerf N-Strike blasters and we play dart tag in the backyard all of the time. We also play inside sometimes and so far nothing has been broken. We have the Nerf Blitz football and it is my favorite soft football. It isn't made of the typical Nerf foam. Instead it is made of a very soft rubber and filled with air. It is very easy for the kids to catch and it is great even when it gets wet. Previous Nerf football would be great until they got wet. Then they would be as heavy as a brick and drip water everywhere. I do miss my turbo football. That one was awesome too. No matter what it almost always got thrown as a perfect spiral. I always had a Nerfoop in my room as a kid. It would be great for passing the time. It wasn't built like a tank or anything. But, it would last a few years under reasonable stress. Unfortunately the new Nerfoop isn't nearly as durable. Which is quite a shame since it was one of the first Nerf toys and is still in production. For my boys we got a similar toy from Pottery Barn Kids with a wooden backboard. Today Nerf has even expanded to make a Wii game.

Nerf has added swords and in close weapons to the mix. There are some pretty massive additions and can definitely use two hands. Now there is a large Batlle Axe and a Long Sword. The Warlock Axe is bright yellow with silver colored double sided blades. The foam on the blades is softer than usual. The Marauder Long Sword has a red or black two handed handle and a very long blade. These new weapons should easily plow through the previous N Force Swords. You will need precise control and maybe even two of the previous swords to take these on in your next Nerf duel.