Which hazers should I be looking at?

[traviss]

I know these kinds of topics are pretty common, but there are a lot of hazers on the market right now, both water and oil based and I need some pointers on what model to go with.

First off I'll give my requirements.
Our theater seats 1500 with 1000 seats on the floor and 500 in the balcony. We're running about 10 movers (spots and washes) and we need to be able to make the beams show up a lot better.

I have a Martin Magnum 2500 and honestly for what it does the price it's a good value. The problem I have with it is that it's really just a fogger. The haze is too think and instantly invokes a response from a lot of our customers (I know there is no way to eliminate this all together). I need something that will produce a much finer haze that really isn't visible unless the stage lights are on.

I've used a DF-50 and love it. It works really well for us. But the problem is our budget won't allow for anything much higher than $1,000. And I've only found used DF-50's in the $2,000 range with shipping.

So I'd really like to get some other suggestions on products that perform close to the DF-50. I'm thinking oil based is the best way for us as my Magnum's water based haze is just too thick and I assume most all water based units will produce a similar effect.

So the finer the haze the better, but I need to stay in the $1,000 range, give or take a hundred.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

[DuckJordan]

more important than house size is stage size, In our space it takes two Df-50's running at full for an hour before curtain and all through the show to get a light haze in the air. our stage is a 60x30 procenium seats 1000 in the house 600 in the mezz and 400 in the balcony. but our fly loft is close to 150'

[traviss]

Good point. Our stage size is about 40x20. The venue was built for musical acts only so we don't have a fly rig. We've got about 40 feet overhead on stage. We've had shows that used two DF-50s which was a little overkill. I guess one of the important things I didn't mention is I'm not looking to fill the entire house. I don't mind hazing the entire house with a DF-50 because it produces such fine haze that it's not an issue. But really I just need to haze the stage area.

A lot of our shows draw an older crowd and they are much more prone to notice a thicker haze in the air.

[BillESC]

UltraTec's Radiance is all you'll ever need. A few dollars over your budget.

[traviss]

That's what I'm looking at right now.

I can't find much on videos of the product in action. Is it safe to say that the haze it produces is less thick than a Martin hazer?

thanks for the reply.

[len]

The radiance is a great product and I like the fact that at high intensity and fan it kind of looks like a fogger.

The thing with hazers is you don't turn them on and expect them to haze up a room immediately. You need to run them for 20 - 30 minutes at low output to achieve a good, room filling haze without it being very visible.