Grenades don't match the sniping playstyle super well, but back when I started playing airsoft in high school I thought having grenades would be the coolest thing. I even ended up making some out of easter eggs and fireworks I never felt comfortable using....but that's beside the point.
Fast forward all these years and I find out not only are there decent hand grenade options, but also grenade launchers! So last year I dropped a good chunk of change on a Matrix pistol launcher, Matrix VX-1 shells, and a SportPro spring hand grenade. More recently I picked up a Storm Apocalypse gas grenade for good measure.
Due to my sniping playstyle - and a bunch of misfires with my VX-1 caps - I haven't really had much success or ROI on my grenades. However, the last two game days changed that and I ended up winning two games for my team using the SportPro and VX-1. Thought I might share the videos for those interested, as well as give my thoughts on each grenade.
SportPro Spring Grenade - $20
I recommend everyone pick up this grenade, as it is cheap and has a good spread of BBs. It doesn't make a lot of noise, and (like all grenades I've found) doesn't cover in one direction, but the performance is honestly as good as gas grenades IMO without the price tag. It reloads quickly if you don't mind rattling, but can be a tedious 2 minute job if you like silence. Here's a video of it in action:
I have a few videos of range testing posted on my airsoft playlist, if you find yourself interested. This gives you the flexibility of having a grenade on hand without much cost or worry of losing it.
Storm Apocalypse Gas Grenade - $70
I got this because sound - more than bbs - makes a grenade effective, and I figured that although the spread isn't any better than the SportPro the noise would confirm kills. The size redesign and flip switch is nice. I find that the grenade does not seem to empty itself fully ever - it sprays around half the bbs and that's it. Anyway, here's a video of it in action:
I did get on the receiving end of the predecessor to this grenade, if you are curious to what that looks like:
youtube.com
This grenade pretty much matched my expectations. I think it is slightly overpriced for what it is and what it does. I do think it will always cause enemies to call their hits, but unless you plan to grenade a lot it is hard to say this is better value than the SportPro IMO.
Matrix VX-1 Grenade Launcher Shell - $45 + $30
The only grenade launcher round of the three, I don't understand why nobody is talking about these things. They are really cool - think TAGIN's little brother and you get the idea. You can load the breakable caps with whatever you want, although I've found using BBs results in the cap immediately breaking when fired - something that has rendered the round mostly useless in a year's playtime. The system isn't perfect and certainly has its flaws, but the idea proves to be very fun and practice (especially when they work) proves this out. Loading with powder and snap dragons results in a pretty reliable firing round that also gets your target's attention. Last game day I got 4 kills with 2 grenades using this loading:
youtube.com
It the VX-1 worth the investment - both in cost and weight on my belt? Probably not for most use cases, but it is too much fun for me to not recommend it. So I suppose it is worth it, in that regard.
Summary
All in all I would say airsoft grenades are fun first and effective second, so I would only strongly recommend the spring grenade for most players. If the grenadier playstyle sounds fun to you, the other two options make sense and are worth the investment. There are definitely situations where grenades make a big difference in what you can do, assuming you understand the limitations of each grenade.
Fast forward all these years and I find out not only are there decent hand grenade options, but also grenade launchers! So last year I dropped a good chunk of change on a Matrix pistol launcher, Matrix VX-1 shells, and a SportPro spring hand grenade. More recently I picked up a Storm Apocalypse gas grenade for good measure.
Due to my sniping playstyle - and a bunch of misfires with my VX-1 caps - I haven't really had much success or ROI on my grenades. However, the last two game days changed that and I ended up winning two games for my team using the SportPro and VX-1. Thought I might share the videos for those interested, as well as give my thoughts on each grenade.
SportPro Spring Grenade - $20
I recommend everyone pick up this grenade, as it is cheap and has a good spread of BBs. It doesn't make a lot of noise, and (like all grenades I've found) doesn't cover in one direction, but the performance is honestly as good as gas grenades IMO without the price tag. It reloads quickly if you don't mind rattling, but can be a tedious 2 minute job if you like silence. Here's a video of it in action:
I have a few videos of range testing posted on my airsoft playlist, if you find yourself interested. This gives you the flexibility of having a grenade on hand without much cost or worry of losing it.
Storm Apocalypse Gas Grenade - $70
I got this because sound - more than bbs - makes a grenade effective, and I figured that although the spread isn't any better than the SportPro the noise would confirm kills. The size redesign and flip switch is nice. I find that the grenade does not seem to empty itself fully ever - it sprays around half the bbs and that's it. Anyway, here's a video of it in action:
I did get on the receiving end of the predecessor to this grenade, if you are curious to what that looks like:
✂️ Receiving end of storm grenade
9 seconds · Clipped by T4nkcommander · Original video "Panzergrenadier | SSG10, SSP18, and Grenade Gameplay | Airsoft Texas 10 (October 15 2022)" by T4nkcomm...
youtube.com
This grenade pretty much matched my expectations. I think it is slightly overpriced for what it is and what it does. I do think it will always cause enemies to call their hits, but unless you plan to grenade a lot it is hard to say this is better value than the SportPro IMO.
Matrix VX-1 Grenade Launcher Shell - $45 + $30
The only grenade launcher round of the three, I don't understand why nobody is talking about these things. They are really cool - think TAGIN's little brother and you get the idea. You can load the breakable caps with whatever you want, although I've found using BBs results in the cap immediately breaking when fired - something that has rendered the round mostly useless in a year's playtime. The system isn't perfect and certainly has its flaws, but the idea proves to be very fun and practice (especially when they work) proves this out. Loading with powder and snap dragons results in a pretty reliable firing round that also gets your target's attention. Last game day I got 4 kills with 2 grenades using this loading:
✂️ Matrix VX-1 Double Kill
15 seconds · Clipped by T4nkcommander · Original video "Panzergrenadier | SSG10, SSP18, and Grenade Gameplay | Airsoft Texas 10 (October 15 2022)" by T4nkcom...
youtube.com
It the VX-1 worth the investment - both in cost and weight on my belt? Probably not for most use cases, but it is too much fun for me to not recommend it. So I suppose it is worth it, in that regard.
Summary
All in all I would say airsoft grenades are fun first and effective second, so I would only strongly recommend the spring grenade for most players. If the grenadier playstyle sounds fun to you, the other two options make sense and are worth the investment. There are definitely situations where grenades make a big difference in what you can do, assuming you understand the limitations of each grenade.
