Haze or Smoke or Fog?

[saMfish]

Hey guys,

Now, let me start of by saying that I'm sorry in advance if this is in the wrong section.

I recently purchased a jayrob DIY Green kit and am loving it, have got a 50mW o-like module inside it and it goes great. Now, I've been doing a few effects (tunnel/liquid sky) with this (controlled by USB). They look cool and all, I have been using a pump action water bottle to make the beam show up etc.

Now, the problem lies that I am willing to spend a little cash to get a good haze/smoke/fog setup. The thing is, I have no idea where to start! I've heard from a few sources that haze is the best way to go, and I'm willing to spend probably $400AU ($360 USD). I'm only working indoors in a pretty small space, though wouldn't mind expanding to a larger area in the future (not outdoors though). I've heard that smoke/fog machines often make very dense 'clouds', if you will, of smoke which can block lasers.

Any guidance would be highly appreciated!

 

[Meatball]

A haze machine would definitely be better for shows. They are not ideal for long term indoor use, since it's not so good to breathe the stuff so long. For your setup, I think that a regular 400w fog machine would be fine. If you just let the machine spit out the fog, it can take awhile to haze up a room. If you have something like a fan right in front of the machine however, you can get a decent haze in only a few minutes. It can depend on the room size though. It won't take much to get that green beam to show, just keep in mind.

I hope this helps you out a bit.

Fog machines can be had for $40 or less. Haze machines are something you can expect to pay about $400 for.

 

[Things]

Haze machines are the best way to go, HOWEVER, only if you are going to be doing large shows where you require a constant haze and it can't be intrusive. If it's just for simple home use, a fog machine is fine.

Smoke and fog are interchangeable terms, they mean the same thing (usually)

 

[saMfish]

Thanks heaps for the help guys, appreciate it! I guess I'll get a cheaper smoke machine and upgrade to a haze machine at a later date, when I have some more powerful modules and a better setup Thanks again!

 

[carmangary]

I have a cheap fog machine and whenever I turn it on it buzzes pretty loudly. During a show, that is very annoying. I would like to have a quieter fog machine or a hazer for that purpose. Other than the loudness, the cheap fog machine does a good job, though.

 

[carmangary]

Follow up: I just cleaned my fog machine today with vinegar/distilled water and not it works a lot better and is pretty quiet now. So, I take back what I said about the cheap ones being noisy. I just needed to clean mine.

 

[Things]

Usually you can buy new piston pumps for them pretty cheaply, I have a fog machine thats over 8 years old and it still works great, I've only had to replace the pump once.

 

[saMfish]

Ah awesome, just what I wanted to hear. So I wouldn't have any issues with hugely dense smoke actually blocking the laser if I had a fan to disperse it?

 

[hakzaw1]

Cheapie ones- sometimes on Ebay- by only new tho--Spencer's has them.

 

[Jacob32123]

Fog creates a thick cloud, which makes a beam look good, but you can not see it over a distance. If you are at a party with fog, the people dancing stirs up the fog and you have haze

Haze will fill a room quite nicely and make your lasers look cool, but hazers can be expensive.

I have a LOT of fog machines, and which range in price, the cheapest being one of these, which I find creates a nice haze when put behind a regular household fan.

 

[hakzaw1]

Best effect for liquid sky or tunnel efx(at home-small party etc) is with all fans/ac etc OFF. less air movement the better.

For beams - disperse all you want- I run my fog machine thru a modified ice chest with ice or- even better dry ice( and less mess)_. and the fog lays low- knee high or lower - nice level thats eye safe(r) too.--Hak