Whamo Aqua Force Bow Set - Water Balloon Launcher 2 Bows

So my teenage son and his friends have been having enormous water balloon fights this summer (on my dime, of course lol) and I happily purchase pack after pack of water balloons because the boys beg me to participate with them every time... and what parent DOESN'T want to take every opportunity to spend time with their teenagers?! But after being accused of throwing 'like a girl' several times (I AM A GIRL) I decided to get dirty and get some help. LOL.But even worse than my throwing however, is my aim... so when I saw these I thought DAAAANG two birds with one stone, these boys are going DOWN!! and I placed an order immediately.Now, these advertise that they will launch a balloon up to 150 feet and the key word here is 'up to'... OR... they had a typo and added a zero where there should not have been one. You'll be lucky to launch a balloon more than 15 feet. The rubber bands are so taught that you can't stretch them back any farther than a 15' launch without breaking the cheap plastic bow... I know this because that's exactly what happened. I can throw a water balloon MUCH farther than these can shoot one.But I still had one unbroken bow and I thought okay, I will still get better aim out of these, right? well, sort of.I was smart enough to practice using this bow before the big fight and I discovered that rather than holding it like an actual bow, vertically, it's easier to get the shot you are aiming for if you hold it horizontally. I hit my tree (target) every single time......from 15 feet away, of course......and even then, the balloon was already on a downward trajectory.I later found out that the only reason the balloons burst when they hit the tree was because of the bark. Not one balloon actually burst when it hit a person. They just don't hit hard enough unless you are basically at point blank range and the target is standing still. and my targets are teenagers with the throwing arm of professional baseball players who have no problem with head shots that will leave you seeing stars! To get right up on one of these kids with this bow and awkwardly try an load it and aim and fire, i'd be hit about 6 times before I got a shot off and they'd be long gone across the yard behind another tree by then.Oh yeah, did I mention how awkward the balloon launcher part is? NO, I HAVEN'T! it doesn't reeeeeally hold a balloon so more often than not I'd leave the boys doubled over laughing at me when I put the balloon in and pulled the handle back and the balloon just kind of rolled out onto the ground before or during the release of the shot. And if you are thinking 'well that's probably because she is holding the bow sideways instead of vertically, you are wrong. It doesn't matter how you hold it, the balloon falls out.So in short, my tips for you if you if you decide to purchase this water balloon bow set are A) hold the bow sideways, and B) aim high... but my recommendation is that you don't purchase them at all...HOWEVER all is not lost, This was not the ONLY water balloon launcher I bought, oh no. I was prepared for battle this week! I also purchased a simple, cheap ($5) ZORBZ combat launcher that worked a hundred times better for a quarter of the cost! So if you really want a launcher, go check those out!! But at the end of the day, nothing beats just winding up your throwing arm and just giving it all you've got. It truly is a lot more fun than using launchers and less awkward. But at least the Zorbz combat launcher didn't break, gave the balloon distance, hit with force and shot where I aimed.

so much awesomeness. we sat on the porch and launched water balloons at the passing children. fun for hours. I actually got one to arch over the boat garage and hit a kid hiding behind it. epic!

Got this for my brother. He & his friends love them. The wrist support doesn’t stay on good at all but it really isn’t needed.

This bow set was for my grandson!

these are awesome. pretty sturdy plastic (with the exception of the arm guard which can torque off if used too carelessly) and, most importantly, well attached 1/2in rubber tubing let you launch with authority. water balloons, whiffle balls, all sorts of dangerous stuff. the tubing itself, if pulled back and launched point blank to a face / sensitive area, would definitely hurt. fortunately, it is limited for most objects without a long draw so my 4 year old son can only generate enough force to send a water balloon a few feet harmlessly.

Once you figure out how to use it properly it’s great. You have to make sure your shooting at a slightly upward angle to keep the balloon in the pouch, and it’s not like a regular bow and arrow, you have to allow room for the balloon to shoot past your arm, so you have to cock your elbow outwards or else it’ll fail every time.My dad got it for the grandchildren and he couldn’t figure it out so much, but once I handled it a few times I was shooting balloons over the crowns of 100ft Oak Trees.Not the most intuitive sling shot out there, but once you get the skill you can launch them high and far.A side note: having to shoot at an upward angle tends to keep the kids from shooting horizontally at each other, and, trust me, it hurts if you get hit from 10ft......in my book, it being a toy for kids, it’s a convenient perk to a lack of engineering

I bought this set from Costco for half the price. These things are really fun! The water balloon only shoots really far if its tiny. The water balloon is a bit of a struggle to keep in if you don't angle the bow upwards. I bought this for my husband and 3 year old to spend time together. All the neighborhood kids are in love with these bows because they are super fun to take to the park and shoot anything you find. Small balls shoot the best. For $7 a piece it was a great buy!