A small room, fog by hand
Chauvet DJ Hurricane 1000
A small, light fog machine with wired and wireless remotes; timed bursts need the FC-T, and reviews are few.
Photos: Chauvet DJ
Only 1 professional review so far, 1 recommending it1 owner review read
Choose it for a small room where you press the button yourself. Chauvet DJ lists a 1 L tank, 10,000 cfm and a 2-minute heat-up; it weighs 2.7 kg, comes with a wired and a wireless remote, and has no DMX input. The one video review recommends it for how much fog it puts out and how long it runs before it stops to reheat, and notes that timed bursts need the FC-T timer remote, sold separately. The one Guitar Center owner read had a unit that would not switch on, so the evidence is thin. For fog on a cue, choose the Hurricane 1600.
- Best for
- House parties and small rooms where you trigger the fog yourself.
- Skip it if
- You want fog on a DMX cue, or a timer in the box.
Video reviews
- Jackula's CastleOct 2021Recommends
Fog on a DMX cue or timer
Chauvet DJ Hurricane 1600
A 25,000 cfm fogger with one DMX channel and a timer remote; one video review recommends it, little else to go on.
Photos: Chauvet DJ
Only 1 professional review so far, 1 recommending it
Choose it over the Hurricane 1000 when you want fog to come in on a cue from the same controller or software as your lights. It takes one DMX channel for output from 0 to 100%, holds 2.4 L, heats up in 4 minutes, weighs 6 kg, and comes with the FC-T timer remote and a hanging bracket. The one video review, from an owner after two months of use, recommends it; no owner reviews long enough to read were found, so the evidence says little about reliability. The manual limits continuous fog to 15 minutes, followed by an equal rest.
- Best for
- Mobile DJs who want fog on a DMX cue or a timer.
- Skip it if
- The venue cannot isolate its smoke detectors, or you want fog that stays low.
Video reviews
- reece sugdenMay 2020Recommends
Bursts on the drop
ADJ Fog Fury Jett
A vertical fog jet with coloured LEDs for CO2-style bursts; loud, with a 9-minute warm-up.
Photos: ADJ
2 of 3 reviews recommend it32 owner reviews read
Choose it for a burst of fog on the drop rather than a room full of it. ADJ rates the jet at more than 7 m (25 ft), lit by 12 RGBA LEDs that light only while fog runs; it points up or down, takes DMX or the included wireless remote, and weighs 7.1 kg. Two of three video reviews recommend it, and most of the 32 Thomann owners read praise its strong, high jet. The reservations are noise, a 9-minute warm-up and waits between bursts, and one review calls it an effect rather than a room fogger. For steady fog, choose a Hurricane.
- Best for
- DJs and bands who want coloured, CO2-style fog bursts without CO2 tanks.
- Skip it if
- You want steady room fog, haze for beams, or a quiet machine.
What people praise
- A strong, high jet that gives a CO2-style burst
- Runs from the included wireless remote or DMX, several machines from one remote
What to know first
- Loud when it fires, and the fan is noisy
- Long warm-up, and waits between bursts
Video reviews
- Gear It FirstJul 2015Recommends
- Dreist EventsMar 2021Mixed
Bursts that move
Chauvet DJ Geyser Move
A moving, two-colour fog jet for short bursts on cue; it fires 20 to 30 seconds, then reheats.
Photos: Chauvet DJ
Only 2 professional reviews so far, 2 recommending it
Choose it over the Fog Fury Jett when you want the burst to move: a motorised nozzle sweeps the plume up to 45° either way, lit by two zones of RGBA+UV LEDs for two-tone bursts. It runs on 16 DMX channels or the included wireless remote, whose four buttons each store a colour and a nozzle position. Both reviews found recommend it, Bonedo at 4 out of 5, and both note that it fires for 20 to 30 seconds, then reheats. No owner reviews were found. It takes only Chauvet DJ's QDF quick-dissipating fluid and weighs 11.1 kg.
- Best for
- Short coloured fog bursts on a drop or entrance, from a remote or DMX.
- Skip it if
- You want steady fog to fill a room, or a quiet machine.
What people praise
- The motorised nozzle gives moving bursts no other fog machine offers
- Bright LEDs in two zones colour the plume, including two-tone bursts
What to know first
- Fires for about 20 to 30 seconds, then has to reheat
Video reviews
- DJ AllianzNov 2024Recommends
Also considered
- Chauvet DJ Cumulus HP. Low fog that stays on the floor for a first dance, without dry ice: an ultrasonic atomiser turns distilled water into mist alongside Chauvet DJ's LLG fluid. One owner's video recommends it and no owner reviews were found. It isn't a pick because on 7 November 2026 no shop tracked here had it new in the UK or Germany.
- Chauvet DJ Hurricane 1800 Flex. A Hurricane with a 3.8 L tank, an output angle you can turn through 180° and one DMX channel; Chauvet DJ lists it for the US, Canada and Mexico only.
- ADJ Fog Fury Jett Pro. The bigger Jett reaches 12 m (40 ft) with 28 LEDs including UV, adds ADJ's WiFLY EXR wireless DMX and weighs 9.5 kg. It has no product page yet.
- A hazer. For beams and lasers you want haze, not fog: a thin mist that hangs in the air. The lighting guide picks the Chauvet DJ Hurricane Haze 4D, which runs on Chauvet DJ's HFG haze fluid. Its one professional review, from Bonedo, recommends it as a quiet, practical compact hazer with an adjustable scoop, suited to stand-alone events rather than a fixed install, and names a long run-on after it stops as the one complaint; no owner reviews were found.
- Chauvet DJ Nimbus. A dry-ice machine that Chauvet DJ says makes thick white fog that hugs the floor and dissipates without rising, with 6 minutes of run time from 10 lb (4.5 kg) of dry ice. It weighs 34 kg full. The HSE warns that carbon dioxide from dry ice can pool in low areas where people are, and that touching dry ice causes freeze burns, so the Cumulus HP is the simpler choice for a DJ.
How to choose a fog machine
Fog, haze or low fog
A fogger makes a dense cloud for bursts and atmosphere. A hazer makes a thin mist that lets light beams show without hiding the room. A low-fog machine keeps the cloud at floor level. Decide which effect you want before comparing outputs, because each machine is built for one of them and takes its own fluid.
Output, tank and heat-up
Makers rate output in cubic feet per minute: 10,000 for the Hurricane 1000, 25,000 for the Hurricane 1600. The tank decides how long you run between refills, and Chauvet DJ's Hurricane 1800 Flex manual warns that continuous mode uses fluid significantly faster. Heat-up runs from 2 minutes on the Hurricane 1000 to 9 on the Fog Fury Jett, so switch on before doors open.
Control
A push-button remote is enough when you fire fog by hand. A timer remote like the FC-T fires short bursts at set intervals while you mix. DMX lets your lighting controller or software fire the fog on cue with the lights; the lighting guide explains the options, and what a mobile DJ is covers the rest of the kit.
Fluid
Use the fluid the maker lists for that machine. Chauvet DJ's manual says to use Chauvet fluids, and its fog fluid page warns that other products can cause irreparable damage; ADJ's spec sheet says to use only high-quality water-based fog fluid. The fluid also shapes the effect: Chauvet DJ's FJU is its general fog fluid, HDF gives extra-long hang time, QDF clears in seconds for burst machines, LLG is for low fog and HFG is for hazers. Chauvet DJ describes its fluids as non-toxic, non-flammable and unscented. Never add perfume, alcohol, petrol or any other chemical to fog fluid, the manual says.
Venue and safety rules
Smoke detectors
Chauvet DJ's manual is direct: all fog and haze machines may set off smoke detectors. Whether you can run fog at all is the venue's decision, so ask in writing before the gig. Venues that allow it set conditions. Malmesbury Town Council's haze machine conditions allow detectors to be isolated only by prior agreement and only by a competent member of its staff, require a fire watch guard with no other duties in every affected room, stop the effect if it obscures escape routes, and make the hirer pay any fire service call-out fee for a false alarm even when the procedure was followed. The Moscone Center in San Francisco requires its fire marshal to approve fog and haze in advance, from a written scope of the effect and its schedule, and allows only water-based machines. Never cover or switch off a detector yourself.
The audience
The UK's HSE guidance on smoke and vapour effects lists skin irritation from glycols and mineral oils, and slips, trips and falls when visibility drops, among the hazards. It says effects should not obscure fire escapes or their signs, and that where fog may reach the audience, the operator should use the least needed, spread it evenly with no thick patches, and warn people with notices that say who may be particularly at risk. For a DJ, that means a sign at the door, short bursts rather than a solid wall of fog, and nothing pointed at an exit.
Heat, floors and clean-up
The same manual warns that the output nozzle can stay hot for several hours after use, and says to keep 50 cm (20 in) of space around the machine, keep it level, never leave it running unattended and never use it outdoors. Chauvet DJ's fluid pages say its fluids won't stain or leave residue, but the manual still tells you to clean around the machine during and after use because surfaces may become slippery. Drain the tank before you transport the machine, never leave fluid in it for more than 10 days without use, and run Chauvet DJ's cleaning fluid (FCQ in the US, CF250 in Europe) through it every 30 to 90 days, followed by distilled water.
How these picks are made
Each pick is the machine with the strongest evidence for its situation. The evidence is what professional reviews conclude and what owners report at Thomann and Guitar Center, compiled for each machine, with every source linked on its product page. Fog machines are rarely reviewed, so three of the four picks rest on one or two reviews and only the Fog Fury Jett has owner reviews in any number, which their cards say. Machine figures come from the makers' pages and manuals; the safety and venue rules come from the HSE, Malmesbury Town Council and the Moscone Center, linked where they are used. We haven't tested these machines. Prices come from daily tracking across the retailers we link to. The methodology explains the whole process.
