Tuesday 17 April 2012

Comparison: Nerf Rayven CS-18 vs Alpha Trooper CS-18

This is a comparison of Nerf's two best Clip (Mag) System blasters.


Aesthetics:
The Alpha Trooper is a very minimalist blaster - it only has what it needs. On the other hand, the Rayven is stylised very nicely, as you can see in the pics.
Accessories:
The AT comes with itself, an 18 drum and 18 Streamlines.
The Rayven comes with itself, a Firefly Tech 18 clip (mag) and 18 GITD Streamlines.
Because of the similarities, this round is a draw.
Range:
The AT gets 11-14m, with 14m only on freak shots.
The Rayven gets a relatively consistent 12m with fully charged batteries.
These ranges are pretty much the same, so this round is also a draw.
Accuracy:
The AT gets a spray of about 0.5m wide, but up to 2 or 3 metres in firing distance freak shots and standard shots.
The Rayven gets a spray about 1m wide, but only 1m variation in firing distance.
These are also very similar, hence this round is yet another tie.
Usefulness:
The Rayven is semi auto and super easy to spam, but requires several seconds to rev up. It has several safeties, but they've never malfunctioned in my experience.
The AT is pump action and has slam fire, so can be fired in an instant as well as spammed. Likewise it has several safeties, and as above they've never malfunctioned.
There are two key points to note, however.
The Alpha Trooper jams more often than the Rayven because it uses a breech, while the Rayven can misfire and requires several seconds to rev up for full power.
In my experience AT jams are more common than Rayven misfires, but the Rayven's necessity for revving balances this.
This round is a draw because both blasters have minor issues.
Rate of fire:
The AT can get 4dps, but this is very taxing on your arms after excessive slam-firing and has a fair chance of jamming.
The Rayven can get up to 5dps quite easily.
The Rayven wins this round.
Capacity: 
The AT's drum can hold up to 20, while the Rayven's clip (mag) only 18.
The AT wins this round.
Value for Money:
The AT costs $30 from Target, while the Rayven can be obtained for $40 from BigW. The Rayven is available elsewhere for more money.
IMO the extra bits and pieces in the Rayven (novelty, aesthetics, coolness, GITD Streamlines and the clip (mag) lighting up are worth the extra $10, so this round is a draw as well.

The Rayven has won 1 round, the AT 1, with numerous ties. Therefore this is a draw between the Rayven and AT.
In terms of usage, the Alpha Trooper CS-18 is the most user friendly, but the Rayven CS-18 is easier to get more power and intimidation out of. The Rayven is also easier to spam and looks far cooler.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks that was very usefull :)

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  2. Id like to say though, I got an orange mod works kit (massacre) for the alpha trooper, and it shot about 100-120. Thats top notch. But I got my raven, put in 2 trust fires, and 2 normal recharge-ables because I didn't do any rewiring, and I got an absurd, 135-145 ft range at full rev. So I'd say, if you mod both, got with the rayven, and be cautious about surprises, because you might not have time to rev up. You can get a shot off after 1 second of revving, which has about the same power as a modded recon after 1 second of revving. But after you rev for 2 seconds, you can wreak hell on all zombies or players.

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    Replies
    1. Those ranges don't sound reasonable unless:
      A) You're using unusually light darts which fly much further than stock darts
      or
      B) You're measuring the ranges at a 30-45 degree angle.
      Parallel to ground ther is no way a Rayven with 2 trustfires and 2 AAs can break 100 feet without absurd weather conditions, and given SG Nerf's Retaliator with 8kg spring can't break 100ft, there is no way a Massacred AT can break 100ft parallel to ground.

      Also you can stick 4 trustfires in a Rayven without rewiring, but you risk burning out the motors after prolonged usage.

      You do have to note that people have different playing styles and play areas, however. In an open playing field, the Rayven's rev up time is not so much of a buzz kill as it usually would, at which point you can spray your heart out at high ranges. It is not as easy to slam-fire a spring replaced AT, but the advantage of being able to instantly fire without having to rev up is a good advantage in a compact, close quarters play field.

      Another thing, if you've increased the voltage in the Rayven, you can get a shot of almost instantly, but it will only travel maybe 8m, depending on voltage. You need to rev it up fully to increase your effective range, but it still works fine on super short rev times.

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    2. Oh yes I was talking about angled shots sorry. Im used to that. it seems to me though, that even though the raven shoots farther angled, it tends to shoot lower to the ground than the alpha trooper when shot flat. Id like to mention the orange mod works kit is the massacre kit, the one that comes with the metal trigger. (it includes a 25k spring and a polycarbonate plunger tube) I'd say if you shot both guns flat, that the alpha trooper would hit around 70-80 and the raven around 60-70 with a pretty wide spread. I went to this site hoping I would finally be able to solve my alpha trooper vs raven for primary issue, but then I decided to just use my alpha trooper and then bandolier my rayven!

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    3. Ok, now your ranges from your modded blasters sound reasonable.

      Also, the AT massacre kit does NOT come with a 25kg spring. It comes with a 5+kg spring.
      You'll break the blaster if you did get that 25kg spring.

      Thanks for your comment.

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  3. Did you ever think about comparing the EAT to the Elite Rayvan?

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    Replies
    1. No. I never got my hands on a completely stock Elite Rayven.

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