Customer Reviews

American Dj Mini Fog Fog Machine

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Some of the reviews are a little harsh.

First of all, you cannot fault the machine for producing a fog that does not cling to the ground. That is a chemical property related to the temperature of the vapor, so if you want low clinging fog, you need to build a cheap chiller extension unit (google or you-tube "fog machine chiller" for more info) and cool the vapor so that it is colder than the surrounding air. This can be done with a foam cooler and ice for under $10. Second, I have a feeling some people did not realize that you have to depress the button on the machine to produce fog. It will not automatically put out fog every couple minutes. Many cheap machines are like this, but at least this one has a remote.

I used the fog machine on my walkway for halloween. Keep in mind weather plays a big role--it was a warm california night with very little wind so the fog clung to the air and was slow to dissipate. This thing puts out so much fog, that at one point a car driving down the street had to stop and crawl through 40 feet of dense fog that was billowing from my house. I would depress the button on the remote for ~20 seconds, then wait a couple minutes for the machine to recover and repeat. The fog billowed out from my walkway in thick clouds and even though it didn't stay on the ground, it made the entire street smoky and still produced an eerie effect. The trick or treaters loved it, and even though I had the machine pumping out fog for 2 hours straight, I still have half a container of fog juice left.

The instructions specifically say not to use another brand of fog juice. This annoys me, because this brand of fog had a chemical odor to it and there is no way you could use this on a dance floor or where people had to breathe it in. A few trick or treaters coughed and complained about walking through the smoke, so I did not depress the button if people were walking up the walkway. Next year I am going to attach a DIY chiller to the front of the machine which will help the fog stay low to the ground. But I will say that wetting the walkway and grass midway through the night made a big difference in the fog's clinging power.

Would I buy this machine again? Its a pretty decent machine for the money. For $40 I wasn't expecting much, but if this machine did break I would probably spend a little more money and get a better one that automatically dispersed the fog at set intervals, and one with a better reputation for reliability.

Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Seems well built (no internal rattling)
- Manual is in clear English, which is nice coming from a company with American in its name
- Includes compatible sample fog juice
- Two fog buttons, one on the included wired remote and the other on the top of the fog machine
- 400w heater means lower power consumption so you can use other audio lighting equipment without tripping the circuit

Cons:
- 400w heater also means lower fog output
- No mounting bracket
- Permanently fixed AC cord (as with most products)
- Remote must be connected and disconnected only when fog machine is off (per product manual)
- Should not be left on for more than 6 hours (per product manual)
- Fog bursts are limited to approximately 20-30 seconds as with most fog machines in this price range (fog button is deactivated when heater is no longer hot enough to produce fog.) So i'm not exactly sure how the 1,500 cubic feet per minute is calculated since you only get 20-30 seconds worth or fog burst between warm up cycles.

Conclusion:
You get what you pay for. This is an entry level fog machine from a well known professional audio and lighting manufacturer. Unlike other reviewers, I did not find the fog odor offensive or strange. It does have a slight odor, but it's not bad, just different. It's chemically engineered fog, what do you expect? I've owned other high-end fog machinces which put out 20,000 cubic feet per minute and while this only puts out 1,500 cubic feet per minute it's a great choice for someone looking to use it occasionally and in a small venue. I got this in a lightning deal for cheap and it's worth every penny. Do some fog machine maintenance and storage research online and you can make this thing last for years.

Bought this for Halloween and it worked well. Nice to have the remote so that you can turn it off and on as needed. I would turn if on for a few seconds for each trick or treater. Came with a small bottle of fog juice and I barely used any of it. Worth the $ for the enjoyment that it provides.

I could sense a strong chemical smell right when the fog came out. On the side of the fog maker container, it said that clear without smell or chemicals, but no it was not true at all. I used it once and i was done with it. The smell was too strong and the fog tended to go everywhere instead of sticking to the ground. The amount of fog released was good for a small room and that was the only good thing I could find from this fog machine.

Only used this at 3 parties and it just stopped producing fog all together. Pretty disappointing for the cost of the machine. Even when it did work, it worked sporadically at best and the fog smelled pretty bad.

This product was loud and would only produce fog at random. Not what I was looking for at all. Don't buy this if you want to produce a lot of quiet fog when you need it.

I have used this for my weekend parties and I and friends have been impressed with it. It was inexpensive and puts out plenty of fog especially with the wired remote. I haven't had to keep filling it. I still have the fog juice it came with which is a very small bottle to get you started. It has lasted along time. I definitely recommend this one!

The machine worked fairly well. Fast heat up time and powerful for such a small machine.

I would not recommend. Took a while for it to heat up. The sample fog juice did last for the night.

leaked right out of the box. and the heater doesnt work very well.
buy this item cheaper at your local Party City...and when it doesnt work, take it back easily.
some things are better to buy local.