What Is The Difference Between Airsoft and Gel Blaster?

If you're thinking about buying toy guns, airsoft guns are usually the go-to. But there are plenty of issues when it comes to airsoft. From environmental concerns to safety issues, there are plenty of reasons you may not want your child playing airsoft.

Luckily, we know a great alternative to airsoft guns —gel blaster guns.

But what are gel blaster guns, and what makes them different from airsoft guns? In this article, we'll go through the major differences between the two. We also discuss what makes gel blasters a great alternative to airsoft.

What Are Gel Blasters?

Gel blasters, or gel blaster guns, are a type of toy gun that shoot gel beads made up of water. They're a safer alternative to airsoft guns and aren't as controversial. These gel guns are also used in close-quarter combat (CQB) skirmishes. These are similar to airsoft games, where two teams battle against each other in a "battle royale" style.

What Are Airsoft Guns?

Airsoft guns are one of the first toy guns ever made. They originate from Japan and were made after civilians were banned from owning real guns. Although airsoft guns are toy guns, they can look incredibly realistic.

Unlike gel blasters, they shoot tiny plastic bbs at incredibly high velocities. These are some of the reasons why airsoft guns are controversial in certain countries.

What Are The Differences Between Airsoft And Gel Blasters?

Both gel blasters and airsoft guns can be used in CQB skirmishes, and they're both super fun to use. But when it comes to ammunition, safety, legality, and other factors, they couldn't be more different. We'll give an in-depth explanation of each of these differences below:

Ammunition

Airsoft and gel blaster ammunition use different materials. Gel blasters shoot out gel balls or beads that are made from a super-absorbent polymer called sodium polyacrylate. There are many types of super-absorbent polymers. But sodium polyacrylate, in particular, is capable of absorbing water 100 to 1000 times its size. That is why gell balls are also known as water beads or jelly beads.

Before you can use these gel beads, you have to soak them in water for at least four hours. Failure to soak them long enough can cause your gel blasters to malfunction. Make sure to soak the gel balls completely and allow them to reach their full form before loading them up into your gel ball blasters. You can learn more about what gellets are made of in our blog.

Airsoft guns, on the other hand, shoot out plastic pellets also known as bbs. Airsoft bbs and gel balls are roughly the same sizes. They're both around 6mm to 8mm in size. When it comes to weight, gel balls are usually around 0.21 grams, airsoft bbs can weigh between 0.12 to 0.40 grams. But the most commonly used airsoft bbs are around 0.20 grams, which is almost the same weight as gel balls.

Safety

Although airsoft bbs and gel balls come in roughly the same size and shape, they aren't the same when it comes to safety. Since airsoft bbs are made from solid hard plastics they are much more painful than gel balls. They're even capable of breaking teeth. Gel balls are mainly made up of water, and they explode on contact. They aren't even hard enough to cause bruising or welts.

Airsoft bbs seldom crack unless you're shooting them at hard surfaces. But if you're shooting them at people, they rarely ever crack. That makes getting shot by airsoft bbs really painful. In fact, there are certain dangers of airsoft guns you should be aware of - and wrote an entire blog post on the matter.

Similar to paintballs, airsoft bbs are capable of leaving bruises and welts wherever it hits. And if you happen to get shot up close and on exposed skin, it can penetrate your skin and wound you. They can even get stuck inside your skin.

Both airsoft bbs and gel balls can be dangerous if you aren't wearing eye protection. A majority of toy gun injuries are eye injuries, and plenty of them result in long-term ocular problems. If you want to avoid getting hurt, you must wear the proper protective gear.

In airsoft, you need a full set of protective gear. But with gel blasters, you only need eye protection.

Legality

The main reason why people tend to look for alternatives for airsoft is that there are tons of legal issues surrounding airsoft guns. Countries such as North Korea, Yemen, Syria, Honduras, Singapore, and Turkmenistan have banned the use of airsofts.

In the United States, airsoft gun laws differ from state to state. In some states, minors aren't allowed to own airsoft guns. Similarly, merchants may not be allowed to sell to minors.

If minors are to use airsoft guns, they must be owned by their parents. And, they must be used only in the presence of their parents or legal guardian. Failure to follow these laws will lead to punishments for both the parent or legal guardian and the minor. Open carry of airsoft guns is also prohibited in certain states.

Gel blasters, on the other hand, are completely legal. At least, provided you aren't using them to threaten other people. you also cannot carry them around in public. There have been certain cases in other countries, such as Australia, where gel blasters were used to hold up a pharmacy. But other than that, there are no specific laws regarding gel blasters, especially in the United States.

Environmentally-Friendly

Gel balls are made from water-absorbing polymers that are non-toxic and 100% biodegradable. The moment a gel ball comes into contact with a surface it explodes. Once it explodes it immediately begins to evaporate, leaving zero traces of the gel ball. So not only is it eco-friendly, it's mess-free too.

Airsoft guns, on the other hand, are not very eco-friendly. Their pellets are made from plastics that could be toxic and take years to degrade. Plus, their tiny size makes them a hassle to clean up. If you're playing airsoft outdoors, the pellets will just litter the ground and get buried in the soil where they'll stay for several years to come.

Cost

You can find pretty cheap airsoft guns for less than $100, but they're usually low-quality and can be quite disappointing. Meanwhile, you can find high-quality gel blasters for under $150. You get to save even more money on gel blasters because you don't have to spend on protection, unlike in airsoft where you need a full set of gear that can cost you an extra $200 to $300.

Gel Blasters vs Airsoft: Final Word

After comparing airsofts and gel blasters it's clear to see that gel blasters are a great alternative to airsoft guns. Gel blasters are safer, less painful, cheaper, and more eco-friendly than airsoft guns.

More importantly, they're 100% legal in every state. So if you're looking for a great alternative to airsoft, then gel blasters should definitely be your number one choice.

Get The #1 Gel Blaster On The Market—The Gel Blaster Surge

When it comes to gel guns, you won't find a higher-powered and better quality gel blaster than the Gel Blaster Surge.

The Gel Blaster Surge is the best gel gun you'll find on the market. It has an adjustable FPS velocity barrel so you can adjust your gameplay to match the level of your opponents. 

If you're playing with newbies you can tone it down to 90 FPS, but if you're someone who likes to play hard you can easily adjust the Gel Blaster Surge to shoot at 170 FPS. With a gel blaster this strong you can shoot over 100 feet away! 

One of our favorite things about the Gel Blaster Surge is that it comes with two blaster modes—single and full-auto. If you're the type of player who focuses on accuracy and precision then the single blaster mode is definitely for you. But if you're the type of player who likes to go intense on their opponents, use the full auto blaster mode. 

The Gel Blaster Surge also has one of the longest battery life. It comes with a built-in lithium battery that can last up to 5 hours of non-stop use—and it's rechargeable. It only takes an hour for you to fully restore your Gel Blaster Surge to full power so you can keep blasting away all day! 

When you buy a Gel Blaster Surge, it already comes with one pack of our patented gel blaster pellets or Gellets as we like to call them. Each pack of Gellets contains 10,000 super-absorbent polymers. That's more than enough Gellets for an entire game of gel blasting fun. We also made sure to add in a pair of eye protection and a USB C charging cable. 

Did we forget to mention, the Gel Blaster Surge is completely customizable too! The Gel Blaster Surge fins and tips come in all colors that can be mixed and matched. The Gellets come in a variety of different colors too!