Many operators have purchased the wrong fog machine and had to swap it out later. This article will help you understand which type of fog effect is best suited to your laser tag arena so you can get it right the first time.
Smoke or Haze?
The term "fog effect" is a generic term used across the industry. Laser beams reflect off moisture droplets suspended in the air, making the beams visible to players. Without some form of fog in the arena, players will only see the endpoint of the laser where it lands on an object - they won't see the beam itself travelling through the air.
What's the Difference?
Smoke Effect: Produces thick white smoke that is hard to see through. This is the type of effect you may be familiar with from plays and musicals, where dense clouds of smoke roll across a stage.
Haze Effect: Produces a virtually see-through mist that mainly serves to illuminate light and laser beams. The particles are much finer, creating a subtle atmosphere rather than a dense cloud.
The Smoke Effect
Smoke machines use a fluid typically made of propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and distilled water. While the effect can look dramatic, there are several disadvantages to using smoke as your primary fog effect.
1. Residue
Smoke fluid leaves an oily residue on props, walls, and other surfaces. Over time this residue builds up and can make carpeted areas slippery, creating a potential safety concern.
2. Heavier Than Air
Smoke is heavier than air and tends to settle to the bottom of the arena. This means you will need fans to keep it circulated, adding complexity and ongoing maintenance to your setup.
3. Poor Visibility
Dense smoke impairs players' ability to see other guests and obstructions within the arena. This can lead to collisions and potential injury, particularly with younger or less experienced players.
4. Cost
Because smoke dissipates quickly, you need to run the machine frequently to maintain the effect. This makes it more expensive to operate over time compared to haze.
Smoke is best used for short-term theatrical effects that are triggered by specific game events, rather than as the primary fog source for your arena.
The Haze Effect
Haze machines use different fluids and mechanical methods to produce a much smaller droplet size than smoke machines. This results in several key advantages.
1. Visibility
The transparent droplets produced by haze machines do not impair players' sight. Guests can still clearly see walls, obstacles, and other players while enjoying the visual effect of visible laser and light beams.
2. Cost
Haze has a similar density to air, which means it circulates more easily throughout the arena and stays suspended for longer. This makes haze significantly more cost-effective to maintain during operations.
3. Guest Experience
Most guests prefer haze over thick smoke. Haze provides the visual excitement of visible laser beams without the discomfort of reduced visibility or the unpleasant feeling of breathing in dense smoke.
The general recommendation is to use smoke for short theatrical effects and haze for overall laser and light beam visibility. If you can only choose one, choose haze.
Open Air Arenas
An emerging trend in laser tag is the open air arena design, which uses waist-height walls (typically 42 to 48 inches) instead of floor-to-ceiling partitions. This allows guests in the lobby to see the game in action, which draws more players and creates excitement.
However, open air arenas present a unique challenge for fog effects. Haze spillover from the arena into the lobby and surrounding areas can set off fire alarms, creating a serious operational issue. In some cases, operators may need to remove haze entirely from open air setups.
There are techniques to help manage this. Limiting smoke to short bursts rather than continuous output can reduce spillover. Placing machines at the back of the arena, away from the open edges, also helps contain the effect within the playing area.