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Best smoke machine or hazer on a budget?

Domenic Barbero

Domenic Barbero

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Starting a feature monday. Dont want to rent a hazer. would rather buy for my arsenal. Anyone have any good suggestions and places to buy? Should i stick to hazer or something like smoke that pumps out a lot more a lot faster?

Thanks guys

Dom
 
That's kind of a tough question to answer. May I ask why you don't want to rent one? Hazers are machines that need to be used and cleaned often or else they tend to not work when you need them the most. I have been through many hazers in my days, some I have hated, others are great. No matter what, they all are messy machines and I have to clean them after every rental. Since hazers are pretty common in production houses like PRG, 4wall, Upstaging and the like, I bet you could rent one for next to nothing. But if you still want to buy here are a couple of ideas.

Part of the issues with running a hazer is the residue it creates. You will want to stay away from oil based machines no matter how clean they claim to be. The DF50 is the best machine out there and used all the time on rock and roll but it is oil based and such a mess.

I've used a good selection of hazers and the one the seems to stand out as being the most even and cleanest is the MDG ATMOSPHERE hazer. That one is used on most theater tours because the haze is even and the "actors" like it. The caveat with that one is that it uses CO2 as the propellant and it isn't exactly cheap.

The one that I use the most often is the Radiance Hazer from Ultratec. That hazer can really pump out the haze but you really need another fan to help break the haze down and even it out. Since we are Ultratec dealers I will also tell you that the fluid is quite pricey, around $100 a gallon, but it lasts a good long time.

Another one that I hear good things about is the Unique 2 from Look Solutions. I have used that one once and it pumped out the haze nicely but I didn't get much of a chance to really put it through its paces.

All of these hazers are touring grade, serious haze machines and they have a price tag to match. I have used cheap machines before and I have replaced them 2 or three times verses one time I have purchased the better machine. No matter what direction that you decide to go just make sure you get a nice box fan or the like to help distribute the haze or you can end up with very uneven coverage.
 
I bought this one earlier this year after a ton of research and have been super happy with it: http://www.planetdj.com/i--HZ-300

It's an Oil based hazer, but oil fluid is 10x better than it used to be for residue. Plus, oil sticks in the air better for haze. This is like the DF50 (which is industry standard for haze) and is a compression hazer. It actually produces real haze as soon as you turn it on-not like a smoke machine or other cheaper "haze" machines that are actually smoke machines that have a fan built in. I haven't used it a ton, but it hazes quickly and evenly and has a self cleaning feature. On a downside, it is rather large since it has a compressor in it and is kinda loud (can't use it while recording sound for sure!) I got mine on Ebay for $469 shipped free.
 
Just keep in mind if your using SAG talent or union crew their are regulations on hazers and fog machines and there is a list of approved models. The one I posted above is approved.
 
Technically, John, you did not buy a hazer.

my favorite one is this one..
https://www.stagespot.com/product/LEM-HZ-NEUTRONXS/Le Maitre Neutron XS Hazer
it does cost nearly $1000.. but you get about 30 hours of use per gallon of water/glycol based hazing...

now... if you want visible fog, the one you bought should be ok... not as durable as the Rosco 1600 its a copy of, but it should last a few months of regular use at least...

If what you wanted was airborne diffusion, the Neutron and Df-50 are the industry work horses.. though Look Solutions also has a good machine

http://www.looksolutionsusa.com/unique2-haze-machine-debuts/

or, in the cheaper, and probably less durable range...
http://www.zzounds.com/item--CHVHURHAZE2D

My standards are high as I worked in a pro film fx shop with all manner of atmospheric devices for a few years..
 
Christopher Mills said:
Technically, John, you did not buy a hazer.

my favorite one is this one..
https://www.stagespot.com/product/LEM-HZ-NEUTRONXS/Le Maitre Neutron XS Hazer
it does cost nearly $1000.. but you get about 30 hours of use per gallon of water/glycol based hazing...

now... if you want visible fog, the one you bought should be ok... not as durable as the Rosco 1600 its a copy of, but it should last a few months of regular use at least...

If what you wanted was airborne diffusion, the Neutron and Df-50 are the industry work horses.. though Look Solutions also has a good machine

http://www.looksolutionsusa.com/unique2-haze-machine-debuts/

or, in the cheaper, and probably less durable range...
http://www.zzounds.com/item--CHVHURHAZE2D

My standards are high as I worked in a pro film fx shop with all manner of atmospheric devices for a few years..
Click to expand...


I know I didn't buy a hazer.. the op said "Best smoke machine or hazer on a budget?" I was just saying for $200 bucks you can't go wrong with that smoke machine.
 
Probably lean towards hazer. But thanks guys. these are great links.
 
We have this one:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ampaign=none&gclid=CKXp6M30_rECFac7MgodERoATA

Here is a refurbished one on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMERICAN-DJ...041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b2425389

We bought ours refurbished, and have had exactly zero troubles with it at all. It is NOT a heat-based unit.

It works incredibly well, is quite quiet, and can quite literally haze-up a huge barn in an hour. We know. We've done it. It uses oil-based haze fluid.

It's a great machine at any price, but especially for the money.

Stephen
 
this is actually the one i just bought. Hope it works. otherwise ill be needing to upgrade.
 
Domenic Barbero said:
this is actually the one i just bought. Hope it works. otherwise ill be needing to upgrade.
Click to expand...

Hey Dom. This is an old thread, but I find myself looking at hazers as you were a few years ago. How did that unit work out?

Thanks!
 
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