NERF RAYVENFIRE- Return of the RAYVEN

Just like a lot of you, I was very excited to hear about the re-release of the Rayven. This latest 4th incarnation is called the RAYVENFIRE. I bought one from Kohl's who is currently the exclusive US seller.

The regular price is $69.99, however I picked mine up on one of Kohl's frequent online sales for $35. I even managed to get free shipping. The RAYVENFIRE comes packaged with a 10 dart clip and 25 standard Elite darts, and an instruction sheet.

Other than a re-paint and the slight tweak to the name   it is identical to the N-Strike RAYVEN CS-18, Elite RAYVEN CS-18 or RAYVEN  CS-12 "STINGER".

A look at the back of the box.

The color scheme is blue on white with a grey grip, very reminiscent of the colors used on blasters like the XD RETALIATOR, RHINO FIRE, XD TRIAD, and XD STRONGARM...  I have heard of the RAYVENFIRE referred to as the XD RAYVEN.

The shell is the same as all other RAYVENs with two tactical rails. one along the top the other along the right side. The left side of the blaster is unpainted with the exception of the NERF logo and the "RAYVENFIRE" name plate. Oddly there was a caution sticker placed over the caution that was molded into the blaster shell itself.

Here's a little "trivia" thing I noticed... the name on the RAYVENFIRE is painted/printed on flat. The name on all the other RAYVENs is molded, thus the letters are raised.

Like any other RAYVEN, 4 AA batteries are required but not included...

The battery compartment door is removed with a philips head screwdriver.




The included 10 dart clip is interesting... it's clear on one side and white on the other. It feels like the plastic is a little thinner than my other standard orange clips.

The one that I got also seems like it almost wants to split up the middle? Seems kind of strange that only one 10 dart clip was included with 25 darts. A higher capacity magazine would also be ideal.




Testing:
I tested and compared the RAVENFIRE against my original N-strike RAYVEN CS-18 and RAYVEN STINGER  CS-12. The trigger pull on the new RAYVENFIRE seemed much stiffer than the other two blasters probably because it hasn't been broken-in yet. Although stiffer the trigger pull felt a little smoother too?

As for performance the RAYVENFIRE and the STINGER were about even. Both got average ranges of around 46 to 52 feet (13 to 16 m), Elite Rayven standards. The N-Strike RAYVEN got an average of 30 to 35 feet (9 to 11 m). All three blasters were each loaded with 12 standard Elite darts.

Over all it's great to have the RAYVEN back in production. However the RAYVENFIRE is a Kohl's exclusive (Toys R Us in Canada) and overpriced at $69.99... A fair price for a blaster like this would be around $35 US, so wait for a sale. Personally I love the RAYVEN even more than the STRYFE and I plan on doing some mods to this one. Check the links for current prices- Kohl's  or  ToysRUs Canada  and...


                                                                                 
                                              NERF ON NERFerS!!!