Hazers

[Systematic]

Hi guys, I am looking into getting a new Hazer and have been looking at the smoke factory tour hazer 2. I will be going to plasa on October 7th to have a look at some units. Can anyone advise on some good hazers that can produce a very fine and light haze for weddings etc and also be used in larde venues and stages to produce large volumes.

[Jem]

Pea Soup 'Phantom'or MDG Atmosphere, say no more, job done

[White-Light]

Pea Soup Phantom seems to be pretty much the defacto industry standard these days:

http://www.smokemachines.net/buy-pro-hazer.shtml

But it works out a lot more expensive at around £1.6-1.8K + VAT depending on options.

In your current price bracket the Smoke Factory or Unique 2.

I might even have a Unique 2 for sale in the not so distant future with flight case - so far it has less than 2 hours home use on it from new! Probably won't be up for sale for a month or so, if it goes up for sale.

EDIT: Cross posted with Jem.

[norty303]

Smoke Factory are a better choice (imo) than the Unique if touring as they are built in the case. smoke Factry uk are very helpful too. All good options under £1k though. Fluid is about £35 5L but will go 120 hrs at 50% output.

[JD3]

is the peasoup really worth that price tag? I have never seen a hazer that cost more than 400$ in action haha. hard for me to compaire

[Jem]

Short answer... YES!

We ran one of these at last weekend's UKLEM. One short burst hung in the air for over four hours before it needed replenishing (ask Wookieboy). The haze is just beautiful and so so fine, beams look superb in it, yet it's barely visible to the naked eye. Also, if you're working with performers it won't dry their throats like water based hazers allegedly can

[Systematic]

Cheers for all the replys guys I have been doing some research on the machines you all mentioned. The pea soup looks a nice machine I might have to arrange a demo of it somewhere or even hire it for a weekend

[JD3]

Any issues with fire detection systems with it being "oil based"?

[Jem]

Any issues with fire detection systems with it being "oil based"?

That would depend on the type of sensor... Particulate or heat rise

No hazer will set off a heat rise sensor (unless you've started a fire to make the haze). However, all hazers are capable of setting off particulate sensors. Some sensors appear to be more sensitive than others though. I would suggest a test run before your event, don't forget to inform the emergency services if there's a direct alarm link (think schools, hospitals public buildings etc).

It is usually possible to deactivate a 'zone' to allow haze at your event. How easy this is to get done is another matter, whatever you do don't teven think about covering the sensors! You may need to provide an on-site fire marshall who is resposible for raising the fire alarm should a real fire break out during the event. This should all be well documented prior to your event in your health and safety policy / risk assessment/ method statement etc.

[WookieBoy]

Hey Systematic.

I have tour hazers and pea soup/concept Phantoms.
The tour hazers are pretty good and I was more than happy with them untill I got the Phantom.
It produces a FAR superior haze IMO.
The initial outlay is a fair bit more but it uses so much less fluid that it should work out cheaper in the long run. (A three day festival, 2 one off events, the LEM plus playing with it in my warehouse and still used less than 1/2 a litre!)
The only bummer with it is the gass. It uses bottled CO2 as well as the fluid so you have to transport and connect the cylnder before use. Not a major job, but it is one more thing to do before you get haze...

As to smoke detectors, the Phantom "shouldn't" trigger them as the particle size too small. However, notice the use of the word "shouldn't"! There's no gurantee it won't, especially if you're heavy on the go button.
Saying that, the tour hazer fires off the alarm at my unit 70% of he times we test it.
So far, the Phantom hasn't set it off yet...

I'd still get the area isolated if possible and inform the local fire dept if you're using it on event with smoke detectors though...