Nerf Jolt EX-1 Review

The Nerf Jolt EX-1 is the smallest Nerf blaster available currently. It was released very late 2011 into some US stores, surprising everyone (with all the talk of the Rayven CS-18 as a distraction). It is different to most N-Strike blasters having an orange paintjob, and is smaller than the Secret Strike AS-1 (the previous smallest blaster).
The Jolt comes with itself, 2 Whistlers, and if you get the multi-lingual version, a folded piece of paper with safety instructions in many languages. I got these multi lingual ones as the store I bought from had imported the Jolts independently - no other stores around had them.

The Jolt supposedly resembles the Noisy Cricket from Men in Black, but I haven't seen the movie, so I can't tell. Either way, it looks pretty cool with it's orange paintjob, faux grip printing and the handle sticking out the bottom.

The Jolt works like any conventional single shot - load the barrel, pull the handle at the bottom (allows for tiny size) and pull the trigger. Being so small, the plunger draw is very small, not exceeding an inch. Also, to make the handle comfortable to hold, the plunger tube is tiny. To compensate, the air seal is excellent (close to perfect, able to vacuum load supposedly) and the spring is extremely strong. This can make it non-ideal for little kids, but for big kids it's fine.

As mentioned on UT when they got a Jolt, the front part of the handle, being open to allow for the trigger mech, is rather uncomfortable and cuts into your hand. This isn't a problem the way it would be with something like an LS or AT, because you shouldn't be spending all your time in a war holding out the Jolt.

The trigger utilises a piece of plastic, rather than a spring, to stay in position and lock the plunger in place for firing. This piece of plastic is likely to snap off with excessive use, but because Jolts are so cheap, it doesn't really matter.
The handle is styled to presumably fit a small human hand, but of course can be sanded down to your liking. Usage tips here

Now the most important part: performance. How does something this small stand up to all it's bigger cousins?
In short, brilliantly. The Jolt hits ranges of 12m+ (will re do range check when I have the space) and has decent accuracy with Whistlers (I have one dud dart veering off, but the other one is fine).
ROF is like any other single shot - approx 1 dart per 3 seconds.

I bought my Jolt from a tiny hobby retailer in a Malaysia shopping centre (no named store) for 16RM - the equiavelent of about 5.3AUD. Given they retail for around 5USD, and will come out for 5-7AUD (no sightings in Aus yet), they are awesome value for money.
This is the best pocket blaster I've ever used. I'll write up a comparison post soon.
IMO this is also the best single shot blaster you will find. ('blasphemy' cry NF fans)
I absolutely <3 this blaster.

With the release of the 'Elite' Jolt and Triad, the N-Strike Jolt is somewhat obsolete but still performs decently, and more importantly is much less bulky than the Triad, making it a better pocket pistol.

Pros:
Epic power, good accuracy, size is nice, handle is easy to pull, short draw allows for quicker priming, easy to holster and hide, super cheap
Cons:
Generic single blaster cons, handle is not ideal shape, extra aesthetics cause discomfort and can dig into your hand

Power: 6/7
Accuracy: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Usefulness: 5/5
Rate of fire: 1/5

Overall: 3.96/5

Personal Rating: 4/5 - one of the best single shots you can get.

Micro size, mega power, mega value.
Must buy.