Wednesday 19 June 2013

Nerf N-Strike vs Elite Round 2: Firestrike (Aus version) vs Nitefinder EX-3 (EDITED 3/7/14)

The second round of Elite vs N-Strike will be their single shot equivalents, the Nitefinder and Firestrike.

EDIT 3/7/14: Having picked up a pair of non-freak Firestrikes, the comparison will be altered accordingly.
Aesthetics:
The Nitefinder is very much just a shell for the plunger and light. The dart holders on it are obtrusive on the space below the blaster and are pretty ugly.
The Firestrike is a much more stylistic and good looking blaster, with angled shell and all sorts of pointless but good looking details.
As usual, no score awarded here.
Accessories:
The Nitefinder comes with itself, 3 Suction darts and a set of instructions.
The Firestrike comes with itself, 3 Elite darts and a set of instructions.
Obviously this round is a draw.
Range/Power:
The Nitefinder was known for being quite powerful, getting up to 14m stock. For the N-Strike era this was impressive.
The Firestrike, as an Elite blaster, is expected to achieve high ranges. I always say that my Firestrike is a freak unit, because it can achieve ranges of 26m with Elites flat. But since that's the Firestrike I have, it's the Firestrike I'll use for this comparison.
Firestrikes get 11-14m ranges. Unlike the Nitefinder, the Firestrike is quite inconsistent, with some darts diving into the ground and some darts floating further.
Obviously the Firestrike wins this round.
The Nitefinder wins this round because of its consistency.
Accuracy:
The Nitefinder, with Suction darts, is pinpoint accurate. You can hit a soft drink can from 10m away consistently with a little practice.
The Firestrike is not so accurate. Partially thanks to the sheer power of it, and partly due to the Elite darts, the Firestrike cannot consistently hit soft drink cans at 10m away. At best it can hit human sized targets consistently at 10m. However, most shots fly relatively straight, and you have a good chance of hitting a human sized target at about 10m if you aim properly.
The Nitefinder wins this round easily.
Usability:
Both blasters effectively function the same, being nearly identical in concept and design, with one important difference. The Nitefinder's light activates on partial trigger pull, which means you only get to see the light for a split second since chances are you'll accidentally fire the blaster too. Trust me, I've tried numerous times and failed on the most part.
The Firestrike's light activates by pulling a second trigger, independent to the main trigger, and so you can have it on as long as you want without risking accidentally firing.
Both lights are equally dim and pathetic.
Because the Firestrike's light is easier to use and doesn't risk accidental firing, it wins this round.
Rate of Fire:
The Nitefinder and Firestrike have very similar designs, and use the same firing mechanism, and so have similar, if not identical, rates of fire.
Capacity:
Both the Nitefinder and Firestrike hold up to 3 darts.
Value for Money/Availability:
The Nitefinder was available throughout all sorts of retail stores for as little as $5 on sale. It was extremely cheap and effective when it was sold. The Firestrike can be found in most major retailers for as little as $8, but can sometimes go down to $5 each. Like the Nitefinder, it is cheap and effective.
Because the Firestrike performs better, but is more expensive, this round is a draw.
While the Nitefinder does have the superior performance, the Firestrike is more compact and all round more usable, and so this round is a draw.

Overall the Firestrike has won 2 1 rounds, the Nitefinder 1 2, with 4 draws. Therefore the Elite Firestrike is the winner of this comparison, but barely. For pinpoint blasting the NF is better, thanks to the Suction darts it uses.
Therefore I declare the Nitefinder EX-3 to be the superior blaster. While the Firestrike does look a lot cooler, the fact remains that the Nitefinder fires further and more accurately.

After the second Elite vs N-Strike post, the score is:
Elite: 2 -- N-Strike: 0
Admittedly this round was extremely close, and the Firestrike only won because its light is easier to use.

After the second edited Elite vs N-Strike post, the score is:
Elite: 1 -- N-Strike: 1
The superior accuracy of Suctions and Whistlers vs Elite darts will be a recurring theme when comparing N-Strike and Elite blasters.

9 comments:

  1. stuff the nitefinder it was bullcrip

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    1. The Nitefinder was a great blaster. Modded properly it could hit 100ft ranges (30m), and with basic mods can hit 60ft (18m) easily. Stock, it's accuracy is incredible and its power is quite good.
      Not to mention its stupidly low price, which makes it great value for money.

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  2. First off, I am very accurate and my Firestrike can hit a 5cm bull's eye from 10m away. Secondly, my orange trigger Firestrike hits 28m without mods. This is the US version.

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    1. My Firestrike isn't that accurate, especially when using Elites. Since that's the Firestrike I have, that's the one I'm using for the comparison. I'm finding it a little hard to believe that an Elite blaster can consistently hit a 5cm target at 10m range, considering how unstable Elites are.
      Also 28m ranges stock is incredibly hard to believe, even if it is an orange trigger one. My grey trigger one shouldn't be hitting the 26m it was hitting, instead it should be closer to a measly 9m. My 26m range claim is ridiculous enough and even I don't believe it, so I'm having serious trouble believing that a stock orange trigger Firestrike can hit 28m.

      If you make a video that consclusively proves that your Firestrike can achieve both of those feats, then I will be forced to eat my words, but until then such claims are very difficult to believe.

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  3. I've done the firstrike clip system mod. It was bad after all. My stock one isn't fire accurately, though.

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  4. my firestrike is orange and hits bulls eye from about 35m whithout mods .however my nitefinder isnt that good ;)

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  5. If you put elite darts in the nitefinder mind = blown shoots as powerful as a centurion in like 1/10 of the size

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  6. i have 0 firestrikes butt 2 nite finders and the batters don't work. the orange color for the firestrike sucks i like the elite blue.

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  7. My orange Firestrike(orange trigger, US model) fires much, much, much farther than my Nite-Finder(orange trigger, US model). I haven't measured the range, but by eyeballing it, it fires about 80-90 ft, and is very consistent and accurate.

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