Best fog machine?

**erba** · 08-25-2010,04:07 AM

Hey all, I am loving this site and amazed at the amount of creativity that I see here. I new to the whole Halloween scene and have always done Christmas before. I want to change that this year and have decided to do the yard with a cemetery scene.

I have a pretty small front yard (about 10' x 5'), but I still want to do something with it and would like to ask for your advice on a fog machine. I thought the fog would look good around scene. There seem to be a ton of different machines out there and I have no clue what kind I should get. Also, how do I calculate how much fog juice I should buy? I plan on having the display on for 4 hours every night.

Also, would it be too cheesy to add a strobe light to the display? I was thinking of picking up a couple of these http://www.target.com/Strobe-LED-Lig...mmunityReviews I can turn off the sound, but thought the price was decent for my budget.

Does anybody have any thoughts or recommendations?

**znelson710** · 08-25-2010,05:20 AM

i actually got mine from walgreens. i got my fog mahine from there as well... it is a mr foggy and i hate it. it taks forever to heat up and it doesnt continuously fog but probably one minute for ever 5 minutes. i think it is a 400 watt machine

**FracturedDS** · 08-25-2010,05:49 AM

It all depends on your budget and how many nights you will run it. I have seen people who have had great luck with a few cheap fog machines and if these are for outside use the fog temperature should not be an issue. "If a machine is calibrated at too low a temperature for a given fluid, the result can be "wet" fog that can leave a residue. If the temperature is too high, the fluid can "burn" or decompose the fluid, thus changing its chemical composition. This "burning" can create harmful byproducts. -Froggysfog"

I have both a cheap one $40 "Target" and a mid-low priced $300 "VEI 950" and both have worked well. The bigger model puts our more fog at a faster rate and less if a cycle time, but outside it may not be an issue esp with wet cool grass that will help the fog stay around longer. I would put a barrier around your 10'x5' area to also aid in keeping the fog in place, but the slightest wind and its gone anyway.

My personal favorite fog company is http://www.froggysfog.com/ great group of people.

More info http://www.halloween-online.com/sfx/...-machines.html

**Dark lord** · 08-25-2010,05:50 AM

As for cheesy, it just depends on if you are going light, med or scare-the-crap out of you theme,...... strobe can be fun to use with your displays, just forewarned that strobes do affect some people in bad ways,
so make sure it is not pointed into were the ToTers will get it directly.....like behind a tombstone.....

As for foggers,........ the cheap store like walgreens or spirit sells foggers that are more annoying than good, the better ones cost lil bit more, so depends on what is your $$$ to spend on a better fogger.

YES Froggies Fog the best out there as are the people there !!

**erba** · 08-25-2010,09:46 AM

Thanks for the information guys and for the links. I really appreciate it.

**walkingcorpse** · 08-25-2010,11:39 AM

I have a 400w classic "The Fog Machine" which is fine for throwing fog through my largest Jack o Lantern, but have decided to go big this year and get a 1000watt for my cemetary. I found this one from Buycostumes through Amazon for $49 [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Buyseasons-185115-0-1000-Watt-Fogger/dp/B002DMTIYW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282762604&sr=8-2"]Amazon.com: 1000 Watt Fogger: Home & Garden[/ame] Its a Jinyu (China) and is the same one Walmart has for $70. I'm on a budget this year and can't afford a Chauvet.

**mommyto3** · 08-25-2010,12:15 PM

erba - I'm interested in getting a fog machine this year too, so this thread is helpful to me as well. I wanted to mention that I just bought the exact same strobe light yesterday at Big Lots for $6 - only slightly cheaper.

**headlesshorseman** · 08-25-2010,05:21 PM

As someone posted earlier in the thread here, fog machines that aren't used properly can cause issues. The biggest thing to remember is to use the fluid that the manufacturer says to use for the machine. Different machines burn off the fluid at different temperatures, mixing this around can cause a toxic content to your fog. The machines that are sold for $25 at Wal-mart and those sorts of stores aren't of the best quality and this fluid issue can happen quite easily.