I love this very fun little blaster! I don't recommend using standard alkaline aa's, as it barely functions with them. I purchased the 14500's as well, and this thing really kicks now! This is one of my family's favorite blasters to pick and unload at unsuspecting targets. It's not some ultra high performance wall of darts kind of blaster, but it's a super fun little flywheeler, and it's very functional for what it is. I don't recommend the magazine adapter, as it doesn't hold the magazines very well, but I will be picking up more of the standard rotating ones for quicker reloads. I highly recommend this little blaster for anyone that wants a high performance tiny blaster for fun around the house, but I don't see this as a practical blaster for actual events.