In so doing, they lose any hint of being a true Nerf product, much less one with the “Elite” moniker. And that’s the problem here-these units were clearly built to a price based on ancient technology (in an overseas factory run by Hasbro’s partner, Sakar International), and not to a proper Nerf standard. Sure, it could be that these units were defective, but the fact that they perform exactly like similar-looking units from 30 years ago tells us they’re working as intended, to a specification that apparently hasn’t changed in decades. The range of the units might well be 1,000 feet as advertised, but using them at even 100 feet was so difficult, it wasn’t worth trying to find out. The walkie talkies emitted a constant hash of background noise so strong, it was difficult for the children to hear each other, much less carry on a useful conversation. They have belt clips, but those are largely pointless because the handsets are too large and heavy to clip onto anything but an adult-size belt (remember, these were purchased for children, which we presume is the target market since most adults would simply rely on cell phones or high quality units from Midland, etc.).Īnd while these units physically resembled models that adults having grown up in the 1980s might recall, it turned out they performed that way, too. Upon opening the package, we noticed that the headsets were largely constructed of hard plastic, with nary a trace of the trademark Nerf foam in sight (or feel). But as we quickly discovered, not everything with the “Elite” name performs at an elevated status. Nerf N-Strike Walkie TalkiesĪt roughly $20.00 per pair, these Elite-branded, “1,000 foot range” units seemed like a reasonably good purchase. And ultimately, our experiences with both products was poor enough for us to feel a warning to our readers was warranted. Nonetheless, during the course of reviewing so many high quality Nerf products, we felt the difference in performance between the good quality Nerf items and the poor quality items was so distinct, it would be a disservice to our readership not to at least provide some form of communication on the matter. Nor did we even plan on even mentioning them on this website.
We didn’t specifically purchase them for review, so this is not a formal test. Over the holidays, we purchased two items for which we had specific uses: a Nerf Single Blockade for use during an office party, and a pair of N-Strike Walkie Talkies as gifts for one of our team member’s two nephews. …during the course of reviewing so many high quality Nerf products, we felt the difference in performance between the good quality Nerf items and the poor quality items was so distinct, it would be a disservice to our readership not to at least provide some form of communication on the matter.īut first, allow me to provide some context. But selling poor performing goods that don’t adhere to any of the core Nerf brand values is another story altogether. And if selling non-blaster, non-sports Nerf products allows Hasbro to continue developing more complex and high-performing core products, then we wish them all the success in the world. It’s like Porsche deciding to sell SUVs… these rolling behemoths provide the revenue necessary to continue development of increasingly expensive and exotic sports cars.
And, for the first time since the launch of this website, we’re issuing a “Do Not Buy” recommendation to our readers.įirst, let it be said that we have nothing against Hasbro wanting to extend the Nerf brand. But today we’re focusing on two specific examples of why this level of brand extension can be problematic. And although your editor has a degree in advertising and spent nearly two decades in the business, virtually anyone with a degree in marketing or business studies knows that over-extending a brand can be dangerous. There is no shortage of Nerf-branded products on store shelves today, from cameras to cell phone cases to shoes. Two Nerf-branded products that fail to deliver.
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