Jem Magnum Pro 2000 fog machine

[whatsupadrian]

Hey guys,
I am looking to buy a decent fogger for this spring. I am going to be doing some outdoor shows so I need something with a little power. I found what appears to be a good deal for a second hand Jem Magnum Pro 2000 fog machine. I am getting it for $350 which seems like a good deal for this fogger. My question is, is there anything I should look for or inspect before i buy it. What parts usually break or fail on these units? I hear martin/jem are very good build quality and reliable. Also, i am assuming this unit is capable of constant low level output, am I correct?
Thanks.

[WookieBoy]

Hey there.

The JEM/Martin stuff is pretty good in it's price range. I prefer Le Maitre due to the fact they know their machines inside out and if you have a problem you can phone them and they'll usually be able to give you a temporary fix to get you through a show till you can get it to a shop for a proper repair. Also a G300, once hot, will run at almost full chat all day and all night (or until you run out of fluid) without having to re-heat! )

The 2000's have a tendency to burn out the heater element and from my experience, they sometimes leak a little internally as the feed hose from the pump to the heater can perish a little with age (or work loose if you've got a newer version with the metal feed tube) but it's all easy (if a little messy) to sort out as long as the heater is ok.

Basically as long as is smokes and doesn't smell bad when it does, it'll probably be fine. There's not much internally in a smoke machine other than a heater, a pump and some heat sensors to tell it it's too hot or too cold...

Hope that helps

[whatsupadrian]

Thanks for the reply.

So as long as it smokes and it doesnt smell funny and doesnt leak I should be golden. Im checking it out on Weds after work. I would imagine that these machines are serviceable should I need to replace a heater or pump? I am upgrading from a cheap $25 ebay smoke machine that died on me after 3 months on NYE. I opened the cheapo up, which always leaked to find most of the parts glued in place. I just tossed it, i had already knew it was a temporary machine but didnt think it would be so soon. Probably used it 5 times total. I am not sure if this is an older model or newer, I am assuming older since it says Jem and not Martin.


I checked out the Le Maitre G300 and wow it looks like an all in one solution to most situations. I was loving it till I looked at how much I could get one for and nearly fell off my chair. It cost about as much as my projector took to build so im pretty set on this Jem.

[WookieBoy]

Yeah, the G300's are expensive, but unless you're really rough with them, you'll never need to replace 'em!

I've got 3 in my hire stock and the first one was bought just after they came out, which must be nearly 10 years ago and it's never given me a problem... (touch wood)

If you'd like a G300, try asking Bandit Lites of Nashville if they've go any for sale second hand as they just closed their UK office and shipped the one from here back to the states. They're not a standard item for Bandit AFAIK as they tend to stick to the Jem ZR's and DF50's, so might be willing to part with it if they've still got it

Otherwise, the Magnum is pretty self explanatory once you open it up and dig through the insulation to find the components. You should be fine with it and it should give you a good few years of happy use.

If it smells a bit 'funky' try cleaning it with a solution of 2litres of de-ionised water (basically battery water) with a few spoons of white vinegar mixed in. Run the lot through (outside or your place will stink!) then run another couple of litres of de-ionised water through to rinse out the vinegar before trying it again with smoke fluid. That should remove any burnt on cr@p from the gubbinz and be good to go. If it still smells funky after that, it could be overheating a bit, in which case you might have to check the thermal sensors to make sure they're working. You should also be able to find the manual from the Martin web site...

Happy smoking!

[whatsupadrian]

I just picked up the Jem, the last owner said he got it in 2005 and it sat for a few years and he used it only a couple times. Smoke doesnt smell any different then other smoke machines so I am assuming everything is fine. No leaks that I can notice. Tested it out at home and filled my house with smoke to the point where i couldnt see my hand infront of my face in less than a minute. One thing I am concerned about is, it came with about a gallon of fluid still in the tank. The fluid seems VERY old and looking inside there is some debris in the tank. I am thinking this thing needs a good cleaning and some new fluid. Martin website says only use their fluid, im sure all manufacturers say that so I am assuming froggys swamp juice is OK, its what I have on hand. Overall I am very happy, things a monster. Thanks Wookie, you have been a great help.

[WookieBoy]

No worries 'Adrian. That's what we're here for )

Cleaning it as I mentioned above with some battery/de-ionised water won't hurt to get it ready for you. As for the debris, if I remember rightly, there should be a small filter on the inlet pipe inside the fluid tank. Will look like a small round lump of foam stuck to the end of the pipe. This should keep the worst of the cack from getting sucked into the innards of your nice new smoker. If it's missing, a new one from Martin/Jem will cost you all of around $25 i'd have thought. Most smoke fluid seems to gain some mysterious debris with age, even if the bottles are still sealed. I try to filter it a bit if I'm using a bottle from the deeper reaches of my warehouse, but the machines don't seem to mind the cack really, so don't panic about it too much...
I doubt Froggys will be much different from the Jem/Martin Global fluid to be honest, but the Jem stuff was pretty cheap last I checked and you can buy various 'hang time' fluids for different venues... not that they really make that much difference if the AC is running... But in a smaller venue, sometimes it's nicer to use a shorter hang time fog so you can keep a good flow of smoke onto the stage without causing a white-out in the rest of the venue...

Hope that's all helpful and enjoy your new smoker! May it give you years of trouble free use!

[Rizard]

I think you bought a nice fogger. I bought it also. I used it on my first show. Outside on the water.... This is how it looked like:
This was my first show and outside so a made a couple mistakes. I let my little brother blow the smoke out of a boat with the wind but i had to blow it against the wind so the smoke would spread more. Also the camera was not preforming well. (mostly because my dad was filming ) But it was a good learning and I may come back this year
Don't know if you have a proper fan because that's a must have!

Overall I think you made a good choice

Cheers

[White-Light]

Unless they've changed at all, Jem / Martin (same company) are quality machines. You can get the base model the Martin Rush 650 for around £60 complete with wireless remote control and hanging bracket!:

http://www.stage-electrics.co.uk/sho...?code=331-9578

That hardly breaks the bank! I had the previous model to this which was a little more expensive, the Magnum 650, and never regretted owning it at all (beyond wanting a hazer instead of a fogger). Assuming the cheaper machine hasn't changed in quality, they're a good buy.

You really can't compare Jem to many of those machines you buy for £25 from well known big retailers / DJ stores. The build quality is a world apart.

Treat Jem's well and they will last you years of hard work on the road. Many of the cheap "unbranded / cheap branded" Chinese machines only last a few months from reports of users on here, even if used occasionally at home. They're just not the same quality as the cheap machines are designed for home use and to be cheap, whilst the Jem / Martin machines are designed for club / professional use.