Nerf Vs. BOOMco. What’s the Differences?

By: Jeremy Alden

While Nerf is arguably the most well-known brand of foam dart blasters out there, there are several other lines available on the market that are said to offer a comparable experience.

 One of these lines that may be offered up during discussion is one known as BOOMco.

For those who may have come across BOOMco. during their research and are curious to know which one of the brands may be considered the best out of their competitors, let’s compare Nerf and BOOMco. to see which line of dart guns comes out on top!

A Brief History of the Competing Brands

Nerf

When it comes to which company has had the most amount of time to dominate the market and perfect their brand, Nerf leads by decades.

A subsidiary of Hasbro, Nerf broke into the market in 1969 with their introduction of the Nerf ball. 20 years later, they developed their first Nerf blaster that shot out small foam balls at enemies (with the first “dart” blaster coming out in 1992).

Now, they have over 18 lines of Nerf blasters and hundreds of options to choose from that give consumers a massive arsenal of weapons to use in their pursuit of total Nerf domination.

Boomco

BOOMco. by Mattel, on the other hand, is a relatively new company that only began releasing toy blasters in 2014. 

While they have released a considerable number of blaster during their years in operation, they have, unfortunately, been inactive since 2017 and appear to have discontinued their dart-blasting products.

Blaster Ammunition

While Nerf and BOOMco. may often be compared together, the truth is that the most fundamental part of their design is vastly different: the dart.

Nerf darts are made of foam with rubber tips that are designed to stick to certain surfaces. BOOMco. darts are not made of foam.

Rather, these darts are made of flexible plastic that have “Smart Stick” tips on the end of them that are designed to adhere to products with Smart Stick surfaces. These fundamental differences provide users with a unique set of advantages and disadvantages when choosing one brand over the other.

Is BoomCo made by Nerf?

Mattel created the BoomCo blaster in 2014. The original BoomCo blaster was produced in 2014 as part of Mattel's larger organization. In 2017, Hasbro acquired Mattel and all of its affiliated smaller brands over three years after that.

Nerf and Boomco are all part of one big Hasbro family. 

Nerf darts are extremely hard to break, but their foam construction can make it harder to maintain accuracy. As they wear down, they may also become impossible to use in some products.

That said, the lightweight foam makes for a more desirable blasting experience for young children as they foam darts will pack less of a punch than other ammo rounds. This same lightweight design makes it easy to carry them around during battle.

BOOMco. rounds are more accurate due to their durable plastic construction and can withstand some force. However, once they break, there is little chance that they will be able to still function, which means that you have to be very careful while using them in battle.

Additionally, the plastic body creates more force, which may hurt more during close-range battles.

These features do not necessarily make one line better than the other. However, this is something that you should consider when shopping around for either line as the purchase you decide to make will make a difference during battle.

- Check out the different types of Nerf Darts here. 

Blaster Style, Quality, and Variance

Because of Nerf’s earlier start, the sheer number of blasters and the varying lines that they stem from greatly outnumber BOOMco.’s line of blasters.

With Nerf, you will encounter many differences in color schemes, body designs, and functionality, providing you with a host different blasting experiences that can help you find what you’re looking for.

BOOMco. has about 20 different blaster options to choose from, with the main color scheme being a combination of fruit punch red and sky blue.

Many of the options under this brand match up with some of Nerf’s blasters, although the general look lacks the sleekness that Nerf has to offer (but these blasters are by no means cartoonish).

There is some variance between products, so if you do choose to purchase BOOMco. products, you will be able to find what you need.

Put simply, BOOMco. does have different types of blasters to choose from, but the overall style and design tend to remain the same, sometimes mimicking blasters in existing Nerf lines.

If you are truly looking for a varied buying experience, you are going to have much more look shopping for Nerf blasters instead.

General Performance

Surprisingly enough, the performance of Nerf and BOOMco. products is pretty close. We like this test that the Spruce conducted on six different BOOMco. products and six Nerf blaster.

The results showed that Nerf slightly beat BOOMco. in range and velocity but that BOOMco.’s rate of fire was slightly higher. (Of course, it is important to remember that this is not a comprehensive study but rather a quick overview of the potential differences in general performance.)

If you’re looking for a blaster that can compete with others on the battlefield, chances are that you are going to fare better by selecting a Nerf blaster.

That said, choosing a BOOMco. product is not necessarily going to make or break your overall experience. Just keep in mind some of the other details listed above as you begin shopping for either type of blaster!

Best Bang for Your Buck?

This will most likely be one of the most important deciding factors when you consider purchasing Nerf or BOOMco.

From the dart packs to the blasters, most BOOMco. products are actually more expensive than similar Nerf products, with many basic blasters starting at $20 or more (a basic handgun like the Nerf N-Strike Elite Strongarm only costs $14) and necessities like dart packs costing $10 for 16 darts (in comparison, Nerf dart packs will get you at least 100 or more for the same price).

If you feel like branching out and trying something new, there are certainly a handful of BOOMco. blasters to try. If you are looking for a great experience as well as getting the best bang for your buck, Nerf is the clear winner in this department.

So, when it comes to Nerf vs. BOOMco., who is the winner? The answer truly depends upon what you are looking for when you want to purchase a dart blaster.

If you have your sights set on something reliable, affordable, and a brand that can provide you with a multitude of different experiences, Nerf is definitely the first brand that you should look to.

If you are looking for something new and are willing to shell out a bit more money, BOOMco. may be able to supply you with something you have never experienced before.

No matter which brand you may feel a pull toward, use the comparison guide above to learn more about these two different lines of blasters and what the advantages and disadvantages are of both before you make your final purchase.

Related Links:

Nerf Super Soaker Hydra Vs. Soakzooka

Best Nerf Vortex Footballs

Best Avenger Nerf Blasters - For Superhero Levels of Fun