CPS 1-3-5 potential?

[soakinader]

I have been wondering about the underappreciated CPS 1-3-5 that no one seems to like. Yep, that's what I have been wondering.
I don't have one myself to modify, but I like the concept and I see potential.

Has anyone tried drilling the nozzles, possibly doing a K-mod if more power is necessary, and try making a 2-6-10, or maybe a 3-9-15? If the spread is too much, it should be easy to decrease the angle between nozzles or even make them parallel.
I mean, it is basically a CPS 1500, with a different trigger/nozzle system. And I am sure there are many people out there who like their CPS 1500's and the oh-so shiny blue CPS 1700.
My guess is, the part of the nozzle before it branches might be too narrow to allow more than 5X out at a time.

Why say might? Anyone test output on a 1-3-5 with the branch setup removed? Not the whole thing (I know that will give you >10X) (XD, it has a 1500 PC after all), but just as if you had cut it right before it branches (Or removed the branches, and the orange nozzle off of the centre nozzle, and sealed the branch holes).

Now I really want to know. I mean, if one were to straighten the nozzles out so that they more or less converged, and drilled all five nozzles out to 2X, you would have one 2X stream with some oomph to it, then three 2X streams (basically a 6X, and we know the CPS 1500 does 6X very well), and then max out at five 2X streams for a potent 10x blast, all with only one hand on the trigger. All of that with almost a litre in the PC and a 3L reservoir, and we have a contender.

For those who haven't seen the internals/branch nozzles and are TLTG:
http://www.isoaker.com/Tech/Internals/i ... ps135.html

[Andrew]

As the branches are at 90° to the 'main' pipe, the other nozzles rely on the main nozzle to be small to work (so the water can't exit fast enough). The sharp change in direction also results in pressure drop and general poor flow. This explains why the increase in output is not directly proportional to number of 1x nozzles online (you'd expect 5 1x rated nozzles firing at once to equal 5x rated output). If you drilled out the main nozzle this would only get worse, as the water would be inclined to exit through the path of least resistance (least turns). You'll probably end up with 2x, 5x and 7x.

The other issue is that 5 smaller 2x streams will generally have less range than a single 10x stream, as they will be more susceptible to breaking up as they force their way through the air (NERF SS Scatter Blast springs to mind).

You 'should' be able to get ~10x output by filling in or removing the branches and drilling out the central nozzle. This has been done before and does work.

That said, your idea isn't exactly a bad one, and would make a 1-3-5 more useful.

[DX]

The main problem with the 1-3-5 is the problem you can't see from the outside - weak HPL. The stock bladder is also quite weak. You have to disable the PRV to get any power, and because of the bladder, it will not be as powerful as another CPS with the same amount of balloons in a K-mod. With a lot of work, you could PC swap, disable the PRV, single it, and reinforce to make a strong primary. However, something like a 1500 is still going to outperform it with less effort. The 1-3-5 also has horrible balance, both vertically and horizontally.

[marauder]

The reason why everyone disliked the 1-3-5 when it first came out was that we were all used to 1500s, 1700s, etc. You could just go to the store and buy one. There wasn't as much of an incentive to open the 1-3-5 up and start modding. The best trade I ever made was my 1-3-5 for someone's 1500. That same 1500 got me/comrades through several Vermin Wars, Downpour 2011, and most recently Hydropocalypse.

Flash forward to 2012 and there's nothing out there remotely as powerful as a 1700. We do what we can with what we have. This is why you see so many Hydrocannon mods now. If the Hydrocannon came out in 2001 everyone would have been very upset with it. In a sense, these hard times have been good for the community because we have been forced to be more resource/more ingenious with our mods. However, I still think this will only end up being a good thing IF Super Soaker/Water Warriors ends up releasing stock blasters on the same power level as the 1700.

I believe DX has the most experience with trying to mod a 1-3-5. I would assume you could plug the side nozzles and get a 5x stream out of the center nozzle. This would not be such a bad thing, and I'm guessing it'd be about as powerful as a 1000/1200/2100 judging by DX's comment about the inferior PC bladder (inferior to the 1700). The main problem I see with this is still the same problem the 1-3-5 had when it came out. For the price you could just get a 1700/1500. 1-3-5s aren't exactly cheap on ebay, and after you spend money and time on modding them, you'd end up spending about the same amount as you would on a 1500/1700 which in the end is superior. If you get a 1-3-5 for cheap then it'd be worth it, but if not, you should just buy a 1500/1700.

And while we're on the subject, I'll just say that myself and Red Scorpion have always preferred the 1500/1700 to the 2500 due to its greater shot time and lighter weight.

One is being sold for $15 here http://nh.craigslist.org/tag/3145866049.html