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Thread: Antari Hazer Experience?

  1. #1
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    Default Antari Hazer Experience?

    Hi,

    I realize a lot of you guys are using more professional grade hazers, but has anybody had experience with the Antari Z-350? It runs for $400 and the little feedback online there is about it seems fairly positive.

    Can anybody comment on Antari's overall reputation? Seems like it might be a better choice than Chauvet (I have a Hurricane 2D which has actually held up fairly well for about 3 years now, but is pretty low quality and can be finicky at times).

    Thanks for the feedback,

    T

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    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
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    I can't comment specifically on the quality of the Z-350 but I have a Z-400. Overall reputation of Antari is good. They've been imitated in their designs by other manufacturers which is the sincerest form of flattery. Now... that being said, the z-350 is not a true hazer. Much like their extremely popular z-300 fazer, it's really just a fog machine with a fan in front to thin the fog out like haze. It's water based and requires a warm up time. It looks to me that it's just a different upright form factor. The Z-400 is a true hazer with no warm up and is oil based.
    .
    General feeling by people I've talked to is stay away from Chauvet products that make atmosphere. I don't listen very well and have 2 fog machines and two geyser fog units from Chauvet. If you use their brand of fluid, you'll be a little more successful and I know people that have been happy with some of their fog/haze products. It's a little hit or miss. The 2D isn't a bad little unit as you've already seen.
    .
    Recommending a fogger or hazer to someone I have found to be a very difficult proposition. Everyone's need and usage is different and I have pissed away thousands of dollars trying one persons suggestion of great and then another persons suggestion of great and then another persons suggestion of great. And then not been happy with the results in my venue.
    .
    But, my advice is... spend a little more to get a quality unit and buy something a little bigger than what you think you need. They key question is whether this is just for home use or, if you're using it for paid events. If it's for paid events, bite the bullet and go with something of higher quality. If this is for home or small gigs then the z-350 ought to be a great choice.
    PM Sent...

  3. #3
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    I have a Chauvet Hurricane, it's been great and more than adequate for my warehouse shows. I can maintain a haze at well below full duty cycle and output volume.
    This space for rent.

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    Is that the Hurricane 2D?

    If so, I've got pile of broken units, from different brands (Chauvet, QTX, KAM) that are all basically that machine inside (give or take a few watts on the heater) and they are all junk as I'm not able to get any spares for them (apart from pumps, none of the pumps are broken...). Boards and heater blocks are the issues.

    I used to sing their praises until almost all of my 5 failed within a year.

    Now I use Smoke Factory or HazeBase products exclusively which are simply fantastic in every regard, and have great spares support when required.
    Technically still 'fazers' but about the best option for water based haze without spending the big money and hassle of CO2 for MDG and the like
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  5. #5
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    Yes 2D. Now you have me worried. But, I paid much less than retail, new. I think it's paid for itself already. If and when it fails at a gig will be a delema.... Thinking 2 hazers/faders is the answer. Redundancy.
    This space for rent.

  6. #6
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    Hey Bradfo69,

    Great response, much appreciated!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bradfo69 View Post
    Much like their extremely popular z-300 fazer, it's really just a fog machine with a fan in front to thin the fog out like haze. It's water based and requires a warm up time. It looks to me that it's just a different upright form factor. The Z-400 is a true hazer with no warm up and is oil based.
    Ahhh, OK, I was wondering what that meant. Does this result in a different atmosphere than haze? Or is dispersing it with a fan sufficient to get the same properties as haze?

    The 2D isn't a bad little unit as you've already seen.
    Is this also a fog/haze hybrid?

    But, my advice is... spend a little more to get a quality unit and buy something a little bigger than what you think you need. They key question is whether this is just for home use or, if you're using it for paid events. If it's for paid events, bite the bullet and go with something of higher quality. If this is for home or small gigs then the z-350 ought to be a great choice.
    In general, I'm somewhere between "small shows" and "paid events". More like "small-to-medium, not that great paying events" haha. As such, it would likely be hard for me to spend more than $600 and I'd also prefer to stay water-based and smaller to avoid build-up and ease load in.

    Excuse my ignorance, but are all true hazers oil based? And is oil build-up a real issue I should be concerned about?

    Thanks again,

    Todd

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    Quote Originally Posted by dnar View Post
    Yes 2D. Now you have me worried. But, I paid much less than retail, new. I think it's paid for itself already. If and when it fails at a gig will be a delema.... Thinking 2 hazers/faders is the answer. Redundancy.
    Yeah, this is what I was originally thinking: get a second Hurricane 2D (or maybe this Antari Z-350) and then have a spare in the case of a breakdown, rather than spending a lot extra on a bigger unit.

    Like I mentioned in my original post, my current unit has been finicky: sometimes the status indicator will flash shortly after turning it on and stop functioning. I've found that power-cycling using the power switch doesn't remedy the situation, but generally fully unplugging it does. Seems fairly sketchy, so despite always getting it to work, I'm worried its gonna putz out on me.

    Todd

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by norty303 View Post
    Is that the Hurricane 2D?

    If so, I've got pile of broken units, from different brands (Chauvet, QTX, KAM) that are all basically that machine inside (give or take a few watts on the heater) and they are all junk as I'm not able to get any spares for them (apart from pumps, none of the pumps are broken...). Boards and heater blocks are the issues.
    Yeah, this was my concern... especially after opening up the remote when it failed: the knobs were glued on, making it impossible to take apart for debug. I even tried to open the unit itself a while back and couldn't figure it out for the life of me. Have you ever done this?

    Now I use Smoke Factory or HazeBase products exclusively which are simply fantastic in every regard, and have great spares support when required.
    Technically still 'fazers' but about the best option for water based haze without spending the big money and hassle of CO2 for MDG and the like
    From what I could tell, it looks like we're still talking near $1000 for these types of units, is that correct? Unfortunately, I just don't know that I can justify that based on the revenue I get back. If lasers were cheap then maybe I could splurge on a good unit, but..... yeah :P

    Thanks so much for the advice and input,

    Todd

  9. #9
    Bradfo69's Avatar
    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
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    True hazers can be either water based or oil based. The main difference is water based is going to require a heater warm up time in order to use whereas oil can be instantaneous when you turn it on. There is also probably a big difference in hang time and fluid usage. With a water based hazer, you are likely going to run through a lot more fluid that you will with an oil based unit and part of that has to do with hang time. In my experience, oil based haze tends to be finer in terms of particle size and therefore "hangs" in the air longer so you need less of it. My primary units are two Reel Effects DF-50's and I have been on the same $24 gallon bottle of fluid for about 3 years and I use them several times per month. I don't know how often you've had to buy fluid for the 2D but I'm willing to guess more than a gallon.
    .
    Just like comparing printers and the cost of ink, I often look at the "consumables" when making a purchase as well. A $300 machine that costs $25 a month for fluid isn't necessarily a good deal versus a $700 machine that costs $25 a year.

    Regarding oil coating.... no. I have absolutely no buildup. How would you even see any when you're using less than a teaspoon of fluid per gig in a 98,000 cubic foot room? If it were in a fixed location like a club, being run every night for hours at a time sure... you're going to experience buildup of crud whether oil based or water based I think.
    PM Sent...

  10. #10
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    I bought my Tour Hazer and my Base Hazer Pro on ebay, paid £450 for each, and the Base Hazer was basically as new, not even any fluff on the fan blade leading edges which is a good indication its been run in a gig environment.

    Keep your eyes out for bargains. the Look Solution Unique 2 is the same unit essentially too, just not built into a flight case. I find my hazers get used for all sorts of things, steps, props for other things - the flightcases are well worth it.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

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