Designed specifically for home gatherings, kids parties and seasonal events such as Halloween and New Year's Eve, smoke and fog machines work to perform a major function for any performance event - working to block natural light and create a physical floating screen for your lighting effects to display onto and through. This works to perfect the atmosphere of which you're creating, whether in a club, bar, themed event or party.
At ElectroMarket, we're pleased to offer such a wide variety of this effect, with one of our favourite options being the BeamZ RAGE range. We remind buyers that smaller units can run rather hot and will sometimes need a short 'cool down' period post use. The larger units are always a worthwhile purchase but are more designed for performances as opposed to a party enhancement tool.
Professionals all around the UK use our special effect options in their work, especially when it comes to smoke, fog and haze. It’s literally as easy as plugging in, filling up with fluid and pressing a button, putting these units among the simplest machines to use on the current market. As has been noted, our larger systems are for stage performances and other larger shows, so don’t mistake these with industrial units as they are predominantly built for movie sets and big events.
Most of our smoke units have helpful videos attached to their respective product pages to help you to visualise the overall output of the machine you are interested in. If the item you have your eye on doesn’t have a handy video link, by all means you are welcome to place an order and test it at home. If you need anything else just give us a call and we will be happy to upgrade your purchase to something more suitable.
What is a smoke machine?
Interestingly (for some of you anyway!) the name smoke machine is not strictly correct for consumer effects units, as the official definition of theatrical effect smoke is solid particles released from a combustible, so is only true of pyrotechnics and other solid flammable substances. The machines we know and love are actually all variants of the fog machine, which came along during the mid-1980s as a safer alternative to using dry ice and nitrogen-based units on film sets which were fairly hazardous both in use and storage, and would present health problems with continued exposure. A smoke machine nowadays is a device that uses a safe liquid that is vaporized by heat, creating a perfect smoke effect that is able to linger around the room.
What is a smoke machine used for?
This type of machine is a special effect system that greatly improves lighting effects and adds a lot of atmosphere to parties. Nowadays these systems are very affordable and people buy them for a whole array of different applications other than just parties. Great for use at Halloween events as the celebrations involved call for many UV lights and other house party lighting.
Our small smoke machines are designed for house parties and other gatherings such as kids parties or small to medium-sized music venues. With that said, our larger smoke units are designed toward professionals catering to larger, seasonal events such as New Year's Eve or St Patricks Day. Smoke and fog machines work efficiently for most indoor events, this works to perfect the atmosphere you're creating whether in a club, bar or similar.
The brand we stock most is BeamZ smoke machines and we’re really happy with the vast selection we have available to our customers. Whether for the occasional home usage or for the working DJ, there’s a wide variety of systems that are great for both portable and installation purposes. We cover all of the related atmospheric effects machine types from bubble machines, snow machines and hazers.
Who can use a smoke machine?
Due to our wide selection of smoke systems, each design will suit the individual differently however they are roughly the exact same operationally. You’ll notice that the core instruction remains the same across the entire selection, this makes the machines usable by most people. You might find more options such as a separate bubble fluid area, built-in light shows, DMX capability and maybe all three of the above.
These extra additives are for those that like to keep their tools easy to access and in one specific place. If you are looking to keep things simple then you can’t go wrong with one of the small units from as little as £28. Affordable, portable and compact and can easily fit in with the remainder of your existing equipment.
How does a BeamZ smoke machine work?
The system works by pouring liquid made from a mixture of water coupled with mineral oil and glycol, into the machine reservoir. This is then fed from the reservoir tank via a small pump and directly into a rapidly working electric coil heat exchanger. The liquid is then vaporised by the heat under pressure and sent out of the nozzle in a burst controlled by the included remote.
Smoke effects are a variant of the fog effect which arrived during the 80s as a safer alternative to dry ice and nitrogen-based units on film sets. Both of these outdated smoke effects both turned out to be hazardous in use and storage, presenting health problems via continued exposure. A modern machine is a safe device that uses a safe liquid that turns into a thick yet harmless vapour.
Speaking of smoke fluid, we have a huge amount of different fluid choices for you in the smoke fluid category. Depending on how often you plan to use your machine there are options for everybody's needs including various different scents for your smoke. From eco-friendly green smoke fluid and high-density pink, though the actual smoke won’t change colour this is just a way to tell them apart at a glance.
What is the difference between a smoke machine and a fog machine?
Whether it's a low fog machine or a dry ice machine, smoke machine or another, they can be seen almost as the same: simply one has onboard ice storage and fans to produce a more 'low level' effect. Fog and ice machines are a generally higher power than its smoke counterpart, as the nature of their unit demands its output to be high volume capable.
Benefits of small smoke machines?
Smaller units use fluid quite sparingly, be that as it may, it is a good idea to remember about our excellent value for money fluid bundles. For example, a five litre bottle will cost less than five separate one litre bottles so be sure to save yourself some money at this stage. Not only this, but this method lasts just as long, cuts down on plastic waste and grants you space in your equipment bag.
We have a few protective equipment bags in stock on our website, these can protect either your lighting or effects machines while you’re on the move. This goes for any of your equipment, but it’s advised you implement a protective bag of some kind where possible to avoid accidental damage and disappointment.
The smaller the machine the less expensive it will be, though it will still create the expected smoke effect that lingers in the air. That is to say, the smoke will highlight disco lights in the room during the partial absence of natural light the smoke creates. Small smoke machines are now frequently used by photographers and videographers for a dynamic and customisable textural addition to their shots.
Best smoke machine?
We're proud to offer a wide variety of high-quality smoke machines, all that provide a powerful output of smoke into the surrounding area. You can find some of our favourites in the BeamZ RAGE smoke machine range.
With our wide variety, you'll find that variations in heating element power and pump performance are the main reason for differences in price and physical size, ensuring that not only the output of smoke will increase as you go up the levels but also that the larger units can cope better during an extended period of time, functioning consistently for an entire event. Smaller units can sometimes be prone to 'cool down' periods, so the bigger units are always a worthwhile purchase.