• Advice to newbies
• A brief history of foggers for sale
  • Nice Radio Shack fogger
  • Cheap MCM fogger
  • 2001 - Year of the cheap fogger
  • 2002 - Competition forces diversification
  • 2003 - Year of the bare-bones fogger
• Special Fog Machines
  • Master Blaster 1500
  • Tiny Fogger
  • Viper
  • Tunnel Fogger

• Related Pages

Cat.#: 42-3058

700 Watt Fogger (2500 cu./ft. per minute), with timer/remote

Regular price $99.99

This is one of the best low-end foggers on the market. When I first wrote this section, I don't have one of these particular foggers, but numerous people on the Halloween e-mail list have bought them, and they all like them. In late 2001, I bought one on sale and agree with the other folks. It's a really nice package.

The thing that makes it such a good deal is that it comes with a quart of fog fluid and the remote with timer. The remote/timer allows you to set periodic small bursts of fog to keep an area covered. Sooner or later, you will want a timer; pressing the "fog" button every minute or two gets tiring. For most foggers, the timer as an accessory that costs another $40.

It might help that this fogger is carried in-stock by Radio Shack stores across the country.

This package is usually on sale for ~$90 in September.

WARNING - The instructions packed with the fogger recommend cleaning with vinegar solution after use. Several contributors to Halloween-L report that they have damaged the pumps in their foggers by following these instructions. This is one case where I recommend ignoring the manufacturer's instructions - don't use the vinegar flush as a part of routine maintenance.

Radio Shack also sells:

1,000 Watt Fogger (5,000 cu.ft. fog/min), with remote
Regular price $199.99
Cat.#: 970-1267 

In spring of 2001, the price went up to $70, but it might come on sale again.

The fogger that crashed through the price barrier is:

company:	MCM Electronics
part number:	555-3210
description:	$49.00 Party Fogger 700W 2500 Cubic Ft/min, manual (push-button) remote control, fluid not included

Internally, this fogger appears to be exactly the same as this better-known unit:

company:	Antari Lighting Ltd.
model number:	F-80

The Antari FC 4 timer remote should work with this fogger. Rumor has it that this remote is available for $29.99 from http://www.coolstuffcheap.com/coolstuff/adjshadfogma.html

This unit is a very basic 700 Watt fogger, with dumb remote. The thing that makes it exciting is the low cost. All of a sudden, haunters who were kludging up foggers out of clothes irons, Mr. Coffee machines, and soldering irons had a cost-compatible alternative, of commercial quality.

There is no guarantee that, at the time you read this, MCM will still be offering this deal. But it does prove that glycol foggers can be made and sold at a very attractive price-performance point. And if you look hard enough, you will find them.

Note - When the $50 fogger went up to $70 in spring of 2001, purchaser Robert Benfield reported that he was shipped a model other than the Antari. He reported getting the MBT Brute II Fogger (MSRP $172). So, you better see what you get before buying accessories for it!

• Gemmy introduced the first fogger designed and built for Halloween. It features a plastic skull screwed onto the front. It has LEDs in the eye sockets, and the fog shoots out the mouth. ($40 at Wal-Mart)
• DJ companies decided to intentionally market some of their products to Halloween lovers. (The Lite/FX fogger $40 at Target, as well as laser displays, and light balls.)

Is a $40 fogger good enough to be worth buying? Foggers are extremely variable in price. I have three of them. I paid $500 for the nicest one, about one third the MSRP. It is equipped with DMX control, a timer, and 1500W heater. It is the size of a duffel-bag, and heavy. It pumps out fog like there is no tomorrow. You are not coming near that for $40. The question is, "do you need to?" I think that many of the low-end foggers will be "good enough".

There's a down-side to this, though...

A glycol fogger isn't the same as a plastic skeleton. With simple props, even a novice knows what to expect - "hang skeleton in window". But foggers are more complex. People won't read enough of the instructions, and the instructions probably won't cover all their questions.

• "How much fog juice will I need?"
• "Why does it puff smoke when I'm not pressing the button?"
• "Why does it stop after 20 seconds when I'm pressing the button?"
• "Why doesn't the fog lie low on the ground?"

I predict a large number of disappointed newbies. Sad, really.

K-Mart carries a nice package from Lighting F/X that includes both manual remote, and a timer remote.

I tried one of the 200W units in a store and it actually did make fog. But the reheat time is long.

I would avoid all low-wattage units unless you have a special need that requires one.

This is a 2003 Gemmy product, sold through Costco (~$25). It is a departure from the 2003 trend, trying to capture what's left of the market with a very specific product.

It is a 50W thermal glycol fogger, built into a plastic cauldron. It has a built-in non-settable timer that squirts a little fog into the cauldron every few seconds. A pair of green lamps illuminate the fog. A switch selects no sound, bubbling sounds, or assorted spooky noises.

This is actually nice gadget. Although the fogger output is small, it is well-matched to the cauldron and timer.

Don't use it indoors - the hot fog rises and may trigger some fire alarms. Outdoors, keep it shielded from wind.

See the Gemmy fogging cauldron in action (2+ meg).

By the year 2002, the glycol fogger market was reduced to $20 comodity units during Halloween. Some manufactures turned to units carefuly designed to service specialized needs. Others continued to manufacture high-end professional machines that offer performance levels that were never approached by mass-market fog machines. These guys intend to be in it for the long haul.

This is the ADJ Master Blaster 1500. It is currently being manufactured under the Elation brand with a blue paint job.

This unit has lots of high-end features, including:

• It has a 1500W heater that puts out huge volumes of fog!
• A timer with LCD display that allows you to specify regular bursts of fog for a duration and interval that you set.
• The ability to reduce the fog level.
• Can be controlled remotely using the DMX protocol.

This machine is quite heavy and strongly built. The heater core is designed to be easily removable for cleaning.

In DMX mode, this unit listens to channel number, which simply specifies the amount of fog to put out. The timer is not available in DMX mode.

Yes, it's sitting on a pen to give you an idea how small it really is.

If I had had one of these, I could have mounted it inside the gargoyle's head to make a gargoyle breathe smoke without fancy interior ducting.

Normally, power is provided by an internal rechargeable 2 amp-hour lead-acid battery, which can produce up to 10 minutes of continuous fog output. The unit is microprocessor-controlled, with programmable fog burst duration. The Tiny Fogger fogger will operate in any position, at any angle. It comes with several accessories.

Optional accessories include:

• Wireless Remote (FG92)
• DMX Interface (FG93)
• Digital Timer Interface (FG94)
• AC power supply (FG95) - for permanent installations
• Hose Adapter for ducting the fog output to a remote location (FG96).

Notes:

• Use only special "Tiny Fluid"
• The heat exchanger is designed to be consumable. It will eventually wear out and have to be replaced. This is easily performed by the user and requires no special tools. Each new heater will last for several months, or several years if you don't use your Tiny Fogger on a regular basis.

For more information, please see www.tinyfogger.com

This fog machine is microprocessor controlled, and adjustable to produce anything from a wisp of smoke to London fog.

It comes with a wired analog remote; wireless remote is optional. I would prefer to use the included DMX interface and control it from the lighting console.

The Viper will never go into reheat when the output is set to 40% or less. At 100% output, the maximum continuous burst is 40 seconds - which is a lot of fog!

Basic specifications:

• Size: 19" x 9.25" x 9.75"
• Weight: 19 lbs. (empty of fluid)
• Power: 1300 watts
• Voltage: 120 VAC (230 VAC optional)
• Warm-up: Approximately 7 minutes
• Fog Duration: Continuous at 40%, 40 seconds maximum burst at 100%
• Consumption: 3.5 fluid ounces per minute at maximum output
  1 fluid ounce per minute at continuous output
• Control: DMX 512 and Analog 0-10V and Stand-alone
• Protection: Heater Block - Thermostat
  Pump - Thermal Switch

Options:

• ATA-style carrying case is available (FG31T)
• wireless remote
• 230-volt power

For more information, please see www.viperfogger.com

Here's what their web site says:

Z2-E118 - $55

Wow! A fogger with a tunnel effect light built right in! 450 watt heater core; wired remote for fogger only; mounting bracket; separate on/off switches on rear of unit for tunnel and fogger; 3 way switch for tunnel: sound active, continuous, and static. Comes with 1 BRL 12v 50w bulb and a sample of Fantasia fog fluid. Size- 9.5 x 8 x 5. Weight- 7 lbs. Current draw- 5 amps.

• Introduction to water-based (glycol) fogger
• Buying a glycol fogger. [this page]
• ...which might require a chiller.
• A lot of people are curious about making your own fog juice for glycol foggers.
• We added X-10 to a fogger for remote control.

• General fog info.

Thank you for visiting. Your comments are welcome.
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