Vent: That cheap aquarium pump build I read about is actually legit

I was sure the whole 'use an aquarium pump and a soldering iron' thing was gonna blow up in my face. Spent $12 at PetSmart on a pump after my $50 hazer died, and it's been pumping out fog for 4 straight parties now without issue. Anyone else find a cheap hack that actually outlasted the expensive gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

david_henderson61mo ago

Who actually thought the expensive stuff was worth it before trying the cheap route?

paul11724d ago

Right, because nothing screams "professional fog machine" like a soldering iron and a fish pump. I did the EXACT same thing, my $30 Amazon special has been running for six months straight at this point, and I'm convinced the expensive ones are just engineered with a built-in self destruct timer. Meanwhile my buddy's $400 machine died after the warranty was up by exactly one day, so I'll take my sketchy little pump that looks like it belongs in a high school science fair any day.

fiona3321mo ago

Ha, my first attempt at a DIY fog machine ended up looking like a meth lab explosion in my garage. Spent like $8 on a tiny pump from Amazon that was meant for a betta fish tank and somehow it's still going strong a year later. Meanwhile that $80 "pro" hazer I bought from Guitar Center died after two gigs and now sits in my closet as a very expensive paperweight. The soldering iron trick felt so sketchy but it worked way better than I expected. Guess I just like setting money on fire for the fancy brand names when the cheap stuff works just as good.