From compact party foggers to venue workhorses and vertical jets, the smoke section spans Chauvet DJ, Equinox, ADJ, Elumen8 and Chauvet Professional: the Hurricane 1000 and 1200, Equinox HP 3000, and upward-firing units like the Elumen8 Salvo 3500 and Jet Wave, Equinox Verti Blast, and the ADJ Fog Fury Jett and Jett PRO, which add LED colour to the plume for a CO2-jet look without the gas.

Heater power is the honest spec, since it sets both output volume and how quickly a machine reheats between bursts, which is what separates a fogger that runs a busy dancefloor all night from one that fades after two cues. Vertical foggers give the punchy upward hit for drops and reveals, and are worth pairing with a timer remote such as the ADJ FF23TR or DMX control so bursts land on the beat rather than roughly near it. Stick to water-based fluid the manufacturer approves, and talk to the venue before the first test, because a smoke machine and a fire alarm that has not been isolated will stop a show faster than any technical fault.

Fluids, scents and cleaning fluid sit in the Smoke & Haze Fluid category, and trade accounts are available for hire and production companies.