The airsoft grenade market segment is one segment that is not yet saturated by manufacturers and products. Within this segment are different types: Pyro Grenades, Blank Firing Grenades (BFG), Sound Grenades, and Impact Grenades. Of the four, two are reusable: the BFGs and the Impact Grenades. Of the two, the Impact Grenades are considered to be the safer option if you want to avoid some temporary ear damage. Furthermore, some countries restrict the BFGs for use only by LEOs and military organizations.

Airsoft Impact Grenades are convenient to use, you can fill them up with BBs (whether used BBs or not), fill `em up with gas and then they’re ready to be thrown. Since they are reusable, the total cost of ownership goes down over time. They are also safer to use as airsoft players will only need eye protection, which of course is mandatory when handling airsoft guns and devices.

So far only two companies are known for their Impact Grenades: Zoxna of Spain that makes the GM1 Grenade and the more famous Airsoft Innovations known for their Tornado and Cyclone Impact Grenades.

Now, another group will be releasing an Airsoft Impact Grenade to compete against the offerings of Zoxna and Airsoft Innovations. Avatar Grenade is a French-made airsoft impact grenade and has one thing that both Zoxna and Airsoft Innovations don’t have --- the ability to customize the Avatar Grenade with what the makers call “Skinz”. Whether this is a unique selling point (USP) that will make the Avatar Grenade something that airsoft players will queue up to buy or would stick to the known brands remains to be seen.

Remy Nguyen of Avatar Grenade got in touch with us to tell what the Avatar Grenade is all about. He explains that the Avatar Grenade is comprised of two components: the “Core” and the “Skinz”. Now, the Core is made of steel and it is the main component of the Avatar Grenade. This is where the gas to propel the BBs out upon impact is contained. To arm the Avatar Grenade, the airsoft player needs to turn the Core’s switch counter-clockwise and it’s ready to be thrown; to disarm, turn it clockwise.

The Core has been tested to work with different gases, including Green Gas and works perfectly. They do not recommend the use of CO2 and they have designed the Core to be easily maintained with the steel parts being precision-machined.

The Skinz is what makes the Avatar Grenade different from other airsoft impact grenades. This is an external housing that is made of aluminium, ABS, and PC (Polycarbonate). This is where the BBs are also stored and ready to be expelled from the grenade upon impact. This is the intended design to safely put BBs into the Skinz separate from the Core and thus, avoiding any accidental discharge when the grenade is dropped to the ground during the process of loading BBs and there is gas in the grenade. A regular Skinz has a capacity of 60 BBs though the plan is to release different Skinz designs that may have more capacity.

I’m pretty much sure that your understanding of Skinz is correct. You can easily change the Skinz of the Avatar-Grenade according to your liking. Nguyen stated that players can have different designs for their Skinz such as those seen in video games (The Division, COD, Battlefield, etc.) and movies (Elysium, Marvel movies, etc.) as they see fit. This way, the airsoft players can personalize their own Avatar Grenades though he did not mention if customers can submit their own designs that can be printed on the Skinz.

He also mentioned that they will be releasing a version with Spoon and Pin kit for milsim players, making the operation of the Avatar Grenade closer to how a real grenade is thrown. Also, an Avatar Grenade with a timer is also on the drawing table.

Avatar Grenade is planned to be released in the second half of 2016 and pricing has not yet been determined as they still need to decide which Skinz designs they will initially release. They have already tested various prototypes and satisfied that they can soon go into production.

Interested parties can contact them here.