smoke machines

[mr Tree]

ok... can someone please explain to me the difference between smoke machines that use dry ice and the one that use fog juice.

which is better?
which does what?
the best one for me?

[Fromourankles]

i think it all depends on price and how you want your area to smell hha

[jugglingfreak]

Well, The dry ice is cold so the fog sticks closer to the ground and looks better. The "fog juice" type drop the glycerine mix on to a heating element to make the fog so it is hot and heat rises... and so does the fog. You can buy/make a "fog chiller" for the juice type that cools the fog and makes it stick closer to the ground, but it's never as thick as the dry ice.

The dry ice machines tend to cost more. (anywhere from $150 to $5000 depending on the models and specs.)

[Crosius]

Of course, as the dry ice fog warms up it becomes invisible carbon dioxide gas, so you have to make sure you ventilate where you are shooting because you can't monitor how it is displacing the oxygen in the room.