Hokey Religions And Ancient Weapons Are No Substitute For A Good Snowball Blaster At Your Side

While Han Solo might have had a need for a good snowball blaster at his side (especially during those boring downtimes on Hoth), the Wham-O Snowball Blaster wouldn’t have cut the mustard with the Corellian smuggler. The Snowball Blaster is a product that fills an altogether unnecessary need - it molds snowballs and launches them, a task your hands are certainly capable of - still, it is a gadget and one that must be put to the test. I received the Snowball Blaster as a Christmas present but the snow hasn’t been good for packing until this past weekend. So, on Sunday, I brought out the Blaster and put it through its paces. Watch the video above to see how the Blaster works.

Image: Dave Banks

I found that the launcher, which is basically a slingshot with an outer housing, works pretty well for adults or anybody with some upper body strength, but my seven-year-old son could throw his snowballs four times further than he could launch them with the blaster — the rubber tubing was just too tough for him to pull. The best part of the Blaster was the perfectly round snowballs it created. The snow’s temperature was just right this weekend, so they were densely packed and perfect for throwing and launching. I brought out a tape measure and I easily surpassed the claimed launch range of 50 feet, reaching a consistent 60 foot range. The problem is, I could throw the same snowballs another 25 feet with my arm.

Loading and launching the snowballs took too long compared to traditional methods, so we gave up on it pretty quickly and just threw them ourselves. But we did use the snowball mold to create a stockpile of snowballs and then invited some neighbors over to be ambushed.

As the sun began to set and the temperature began to drop, we headed in for a little hot cocoa and to warm up by the fire. After an afternoon’s use, I don’t think the Snowball Blaster is worth it. Yes, it is fun to use a few times and makes wonderful snowballs, but there is no way it’s worth the $30 they want for it.

Wired: Perfectly symmetrical snowballs have great appeal to your inner perfectionist.

Tired: No real need for this novelty and is tough for younger kids to use. Hand thrown snowballs go farther.

Arctic Force Snowball Blaster by Wham-O, $30.