Extremely Durable Laser X – 88016 Original Blaster Reviewed

One question that many people have been asking is how long does Laser X last?

To answer that question and give a real review, we got our hands on a laser X Original blaster that has been in use for 5+ years at Laser Tag Kenya. We found that it looks and works as good as new and the trigger is well designed for fast shooting. That’s besides the overall futuristic and ergonomic design with the placement of the battery case above your hand.

Laser X - 88016 ORIGINAL Reviewed
	Pros: - Still good as new after 5+ years of heavy commercial use Cons: - no screws to open it up	Buy on Amazon

Here’s the in-depth analysis.

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How Laser X Original Looks after 5+ Years of Heavy Commercial Use

Here’s a look at the blaster which has been used for over 5+ years in a commercial laser tag facility.

It certainly looks as good as new. Of course, it has a few scratches and definitely has endured many bumps and drops. But, if it was polished up, you would hardly tell the difference between a new one and this one.

Best of all, it works just as good as new.

Here it is turning on:

The lights turn up brightly and everything operates just fine. It’s no surprise that there are many second hand Laser X blasters available on E-Bay. Evidently, the second-hand device is just as good as a new product, even after many years of use.

Let’s have a look at the general features, before analyzing this blaster in greater detail.

General Features Pros and Cons of the Laser X Original Blaster

Just to give you a general overview of what you can expect with the laser tag gun, here are the overall features of the blaster.

This includes an analysis of the pros and cons of each feature:

Evidently, there’s a lot more you’ll gain from this blaster, compared to the disadvantages.

But, lets’ dig a little bit deeper to find out exactly what makes it tick.

A Detailed Review of the Laser X Original

You might find several surprises looking closer at the laser tag gun.

Here’s what we found out when examining it further.

The Blaster

This unique look makes the Laser X Original stand out from many other models.

It’s definitely a futuristic design and ergonomic by the placement of the battery case right behind the handle, so you can bear the weight on your hand.

However, you may notice that there doesn’t seem to be any screw attachments for the overall blaster (except the screw for the battery case). That brings a challenge in case of repairs, forcing you to pry open the device which has the different parts joined with some sort of glue.

The Chest Receiver

Having a wired connection to the blaster means the chest receiver probably has a faster response time than a wireless chest receiver. Whether that is significant during game play, is yet to be determined. However, it ensures that signals pass through even if there’s any obstacle between the gun and receiver, since certain materials can affect wireless networks.

The Infrared Emitter

At the front of the blaster is the infrared emitter.

The front of the blaster has an orange tip, fitting various regulatory requirements in certain regions, although that may not be necessary since the blaster isn’t a realistic toy gun.

The Battery Case

Having a tightly screwed on cover for the battery case makes its extra safe for young kids who shouldn’t access the batteries.

Opening it up just simply requires a screwdriver.

The Trigger – Firm and Functional

The trigger is definitely firm, giving you a very tactile sensation that makes the experience quite realistic. It also bounces back pretty fast after pressing it; hence, useful in making multiple shots at once (a pretty good strategy to ensure that at least some of your shots hit the target).

Here’s how far back the trigger goes when pressed. Note that it doesn’t go all the way back. Just partially depressed inwards, meaning a short pressing depth which is conducive for making many more multiple consecutive shots faster, compared to any trigger that would have a longer pressing depth.

The Chest Receiver Has an Earphone Slot and Volume Control

You’ve likely already heard of the nighttime stealth mode. But you’ve probably not heard of the daytime stealth mode.

The earphone slot makes it possible to sneak up to your opponents without them hearing you. All the sound effects that typically come from the speaker at the back of the blaster now come right into your ears. Plus, it also gives you a mesmerizing sound track, like walking through an action scene in a movie.

Interestingly, the on-off power button for the set is on the chest receiver and not the blasters as seen in many other brands. It might be convenient to have all the control buttons in one place – the chest receiver – instead of having them scattered between the blaster and chest receiver.

The volume control button adds one more layer of game modification. So you can set it to a volume that works best for you. Fortunately, it’s conveniently placed on the chest receiver that’s basically stationary on your torso – not on the phaser that you’re likely swishing around to hit multiple moving targets.

Adjustable Strap on the Chest Receiver

The strap isn’t really adjustable, but flexible. This makes it wearable by both kids and adults. Surprisingly, after 5+ years of use, it’s still pretty flexible and the plastic holder at the back is very much intact. Just imagine the multitude of kids who played with that thing for all those years. It certainly is durable.

One more notable aspect of the strap is that it’s a double strap that forms an X shape around your back and shoulders, which keeps it firmly attached on to your torso, unlike the strap on various other blasters that only have a single strap which goes around your neck (this means the blaster dangles over your chest making it a moving target that might be a bit hard to hit).

What’s Inside the Chest Receiver

Unlike the blaster part, the chest receiver has about six screws at the back to open it up.

Using a star-shaped screw driver, you can easily check the inside.

But there’s not really much to see here, except an LED at the center of an indented reflective surface, and the receiver at the bottom.

You’ll notice that the materials used for these parts certainly look quite durable – not something that can be easily broken or indented with rough use.

What’s Inside the Battery Case

Opening up the battery case is even simpler: just one screw here.

The three AAA batteries are all aligned in series.

This means that the total voltage of the battery is the sum of each battery, giving about 4.5 volts. It’s interesting that the batteries are placed horizontally, instead of stacking them up vertically. Probably that’s aimed at distributing the weight across a wider area to improve stability when holding the blaster.

Lighting Patterns

The lighting effects offers a specific pattern of various color variations to show you whether you have a fully loaded blaster, you’re running low on shots or you’ve run out shots.

Immediately after reloading, you’ll have full blue lights on the back light (the front light alternates between blue and red).

As you continue making shots, the back light gradually turns to various shades of purple.

Eventually, the back light turns red when you’ve run out of shots.

You have just 10 shots before the back light actually turns off and you have to reload in order to make any more shots. Reloading requires you to hold the trigger while the blaster is in the normal horizontal position, then tilting the blaster across a 90 degree angle while still holding the trigger. You will get a sound effect when it reloads so you know.

We realized that you can tilt the blaster across a 90 degree angle even sideways to reload it. This means that during play, you don’t have to worry about tilting within a specific direction. Just as long as you tilt it at a 90 degree angle, you’re good to go. However, you can’t do it fast. When you make the 90 degree tilt, you have to hold it at the end of the tilt for a second or two before I tactually reloads.

Comparing Laser X Original with Other Blasters

Now that you know what you’ll get with the Laser X 88016 Original, you might be curious about how it actually compares to other Laser X models.

Here’s a comparison of three models from GetlaserX.

Laser X 88016 Original vs. Laser X Micro Double Set

Two major differences between the Original and the Micro models is the longer shooting range of the original (200’ range vs. 100 foot for the Micro), as well as the receivers (the Micro has arm receivers whereas the Original has chest receivers).

Here’s a more detailed comparison.

Laser X 88016 Original vs. Laser X Micro B 2 Pack

For the Micro B model, you don’t get a receiver vest, plus the blasters are 5-inch in size, far smaller than the Original model that’s more than three times that length.

Here are the various differences and similarities.

Laser X 88016 Original vs. Laser X Micro Double Set vs. laser X Micro B 2 Pack

If you wish to compare all the blasters, side-by-side, here is a comparison of all three.