Introduction:

Like a few other A5OG members, I had recently received an OPSGEAR newsletter in my email account advertising a new flashbang simulator on the market. Previously my experience with flashbang simulators existed solely with the TG6 "Thumper". While being very durable, well built, and reliable, it was expensive and heavy. It also suffered from having to use a lot of proprietary parts, and harder-to-find 8 gram CO2 cartridges to keep it running.

Enter the Hakkotsu Flashbang Simulator! Contrary to some speculation, these are not manufactured in Germany by StormTec, nor are they a OPSGEAR brand. RAP4 also appears to sell the same unit with the exception that it carries a higher pricetag and they refuse to sell to civilians - that means Military/LEO sales only. Interestingly enough, Hakkotsu's website claims it passes certification to be imported and declared a "toy". For the rest of us common-folk, we can conveniently purchase this item hassle free from OPSGEAR for $29.99. This includes:

1x firing mechanism.
2x cotter pins.
2x pineapple shells.
1x flashbang shell.

Two complete assembled units, pineapple on left, flashbang on right. They both operate in the same fashion. The different shells are merely cosmetic.


The basic functions:

The unit itself is pretty basic in its form and function. It consists of a cylindrical canister to hold a common 12gram cartridge. This screws onto a device holding plunger. The plunger is what punctures the CO2 cartridge. The instructions shipped with the unit are obviously translated from Chinese, but are understandable and it does the job of getting the message across. They include illustrations and notes for assembly. Some of my favorite quotes :

1) Do not use Thunder B after drink.
2) Do not eat or swallow Thunder B.
3) Do not treat Thunder B as a water bottle, it's not for water storage.
4) Do not use Thunder B in public place, avoid giving rise to public panic.

Here you can see the hammer and the spring. The hammer is held down by the spoon, which is held in place with the cotter pin. The hammer is what hits the plunger (the round silver object) to puncture the CO2 cartridge. This flashbang is primed and ready for use!



Detail of the puncturing device. It will not puncture the 12gram until it is depressed by the hammer:



Construction:

Construction of the Hakkotsu flashbang simulator is good. The grey part is actually plastic, while the rest of the components are made of metal. The plastic has the appearance of grey metal, and seems to be decently constructed. I would have preferred it be made of metal, so this gets it an 8 for the finish/bling catagory. There is only one O-ring evidenced in this unit. It appears to be of a common variety. There is also a scalloped rubber grommet that sits inside the CO2 cylinder for seating purposes. This appears to simply be there to align the 12 gram properly and prevent any rattling noises. The pins are simply black key-rings mounted on cotter pins. It would be easy to go to the hardware store for replacements, and you could probably get them cheaper that way too. It is quite easy to assemble the basic components and ready the unit for use. Appearance wise, it would be very easy to mistake this unit for an actual flashbang. The weight of the unit is very light, and about a 1/4 to 1/2 the weight of the TG6 "Thumper". I'd estimate it at roughly 11 ounces.

In use:

Hakkotsu's website claims these come in at 130 decibles, while OPSGEAR claims 110 decibles. Without proper equipment to find out for sure, I would have to say it is probably within 10 decibles + or - of these figures. The shell units rupture at the seams when the 12 gram is punctured. I have not witnessed any fragmentation effects whatsoever, and I would have to say this possibility is negligable due to the construction of the plastic; it's not brittle enough to fragment. Hakkotsu claims it has a 2 - 4 second fuse delay, but I would estimate it closer to 6 to 8 seconds in actuality. The unit will not fire until the spoon is released.

A size comparison of the Hakkotsu flashbang simulator to the TG6 "Thumper" and a Duracell 9 Volt battery:



Cautionary notes:

I would strongly suggest arming the hammer assembly with the CO2 cylinder removed. The spring holding the hammer is quite strong, and it's a small piece and quite easy to have slip from your fingers and puncture the 12 gram. The potential for the unit to go off in your hands is probably quite high because of this. I don't believe there is much chance of personal injury, seeing as the shell doesn't fragment, merely 'splits' at the seam. However, that's not to say it wouldn't give you a nice fright!

A note on pouches:

The standard cylindrical flashbang unit will fit nicely within a Blackhawk flashbang pouch, with the exception that the spoon will hang outside the pouch. This could be a potential snagging hazard. It fits better in a Tactical Tailor flashbang/smoke pouch which completely encloses the unit, yet can still be readily retrieved for use. The Pineapple shell will not fit in the Blackhawk pouch, but will fit in the Tactical Tailor pouch. I have not tried any other pouch assemblies for fit. I would not recommend hanging the spoon through your vest/MOLLE webbing. We've all seen the movies of the guy who gets his grenade pin caught in the brush and the whole thing flies apart and blows up on him. This is a possibility with this grenade too. Treat it like it's loaded at all times, and house it in an appropriate pouch accordingly. I would even suggest taping the the pins down until needed, just in case.

Hakkotsu's Website:
HAKKOTSU Home    

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Dude, awesome. Just what i wanted to hear. Now just gotta hear what theyre like in actual use. I might just have to pick up a couple of these.

Wow, only $30? Thats really good. I think I might have to pick one of these up. Would you ever use one during a paintball game? to be honest I wouldnt be too happy if someone set off a 130 db grenade next to me in a building. Still, a fun little toy to have.

I would totally use one! I've used the TG6 before. It's common in airsoft games to use them too.

Good review.

I...I...thanks for the info....but.....what's up with the Save Phace masks on their website? hahahaha I'll buy a few of these for sure.

I think they make the masks too ?

A few minor revisions to my article after having more opportunity to play with these in actual games:

1) I have revised the estimates on the fuse delay. Hakkotsu claims 2-4 seconds, but in all actuality, I've averaged it out to being somewhere between 6 to 8 seconds. Averaging was done over the course of 12 flashbangs equipped with the two different shell styles. Shell style did not seem to make a significant difference in ignition. In most cases, they seemed to go off at around the 6 second mark, with about 1/4 of them going off at the 7 or 8 second mark. That being said, I've retracted my statement "do not attempt to cook these off". For safety and cautionary reasons, you can still take that statement into consideration. However, if you are comfortable enough with it, you can in all likelihood cook one of these off. I've found that counting to 3 is about right, thereafter immediatly throwing it into the room about to be breached. The only reason to cook it would be to minimize the chance of it being tossed back out at you. Otherwise, treat it accordingly.

2) I've had two instances of the grenades not firing. The CO2 cartridges were punctured, and the CO2 was ventilated into the shell - however, the shell did not rupture as intended. Instead, it merely expanded to a larger size. I don't know whether to attribute this to faulty shell construction (too thick?) or underpowered 12 gram cartridges (possible). In any case, I was only out the 12 gram, and was able to reuse the shell as it seemed to deform back to it's original size. Both times this happened I was at a game and the flashbangs had been armed for more than 24 hours. Interestingly enough, the players that I tossed the flashbang at honored it as an actual grenade and called themselves out

3) I had one instance where the shell (pineapple type) preemptively split at the neck where it screws into the trigger housing. It vented some CO2 out, but still ruptured fully as should be expected. Noise volume was decreased somewhat because of this leak.

4) I will be experimenting with the shells to determine if I can get them to rupture faster. I plan to make a crease in the shell, probably using a knife, to create a 'weak' spot. Ideally this weak area would allow the shell to rupture faster. Because of these minor issues, I'll have to say that the ignition reliability of the Hakkotsu is somewhat questionable. I'd rate it a 7 out of a 10.

5) Side-by-side comparison of this to the TG6 would lead me to believe that the Hakkotsu grenade is indeed louder than the TG6. Notwithstanding, it is still the more economical alternative, even though it doesn't quite approach the ignition reliability of the TG6 (which I would rate a 10 out of 10 in my book).

Great Review man. Did you ever find the one that was missing from the Red dawn game?

No, it hasn't turned up yet. I'm pretty sure it was someone from the red team who took it since it was just me and another fellow team-mate who were breaching the north tower - the rest of the guys inside were all red players. We had a bunch of yellow flipping the flag up there, but nobody else was really on the tower, so I doubt it was anyone from the yellow side. I tossed two of them into the bottom story, and a pair of guys called out and it must have been one of them who took it. Did not get an ID on anyone though since we were in our breaching mode of mind, lol, and proceeded to clear the rest of the room. I grabbed the one unit that was still laying on the floor (didn't re-arm it, though, and didn't notice the other was missing) and tossed it up through the hatch to the second story. About three guys called out; that unit did get returned back to me, however.