slipstream Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 We have bought in various machines from our oriental friends over the past few years, some working better than others. I doubt anyone knows where they are made as everyone claims to be the manufacturer, despite the same kit on every website. Compressed Air Confetti Cannon Not too bad, some tubes had to be rebuilt as the steel confetti tubes were jury rigged onto assorted plastic plumbing parts. We had to fit spigots to fill them from a UK compressor, 2 of the original machines had cracks on the cast brass sections where they had been over threaded onto the steel receiver, and were replaced. Of the 12 machines we own about 6 can be filled and left overnight, and still have enough air to work the next day. Chinese confetti - cheap but not colourfast and not flameproof despite promises. Spray the Fire machines W have 8 of the Octagonal ones - 4 working currently - The cans are a pain to fit, if they don't seal first time you are covered in lemon scented oil - not a good look, pretty good in operation with few non ignitions - build quality is poor as the welds come loose and the connectors pull out with the rivets still attached. The oil cans are not rust protected so store them in a dry place - coloured oil particularly, many cans not filled to the top. CO2 Jets Mechanically they have been ok - once I binned all the hoses and tank fittings (not UK Spec) the hoses all blew apart despite being "rated" at 4X the pressure co2 puts them under. SO budget for replacing all them if you follow down this path - and the co2 tank connector is the worst to find - I had to get them made. Flight Cases Bit of a surprise- they were all OK although the ones for the compressed air are 3X the size the need to be. Not bad for $50 each. DMX Cables you get them with each machine - household 1mm2 wire solder connected but they die as you look at them - so budget on building your own. Conclusions They are OK for getting into the market, and have all paid for themselves and their broken friends many times over, but for time and mission critical jobs - best to pay (a lot) extra and get the branded machines less redundancy and much easier to use. CE marked? don't be silly, and order more than you will need, you will be stripping some for spares Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 So where do you get them from? Or is this a thinly disguised advert? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slipstream Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Mostly from Maya - and as I say everyone sells the same crud- and no not an advert - more a warning that unless you have time to muck about with these things they are probably best avoided - less than half of the units are still in a serviceable condition and we only use them occasionally. In regular use they would not last a month. The overall build quality is shocking. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozbiz44 Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Yes, have to agree. My "theory" is that there is ONE manufacturer of all this "stuff" - on visits to China, nearly every fireworks suppliers has the "flame machines, fog machines, you name it machines, firing systems" that all look the same. Since the Chinese have discovered hot melt glue you will find that all connections and any thing else that could be screwed down is now glued down....so if you hear something rattling inside - get your hotmelt glue gun ready. You certainly do become somewhat of an electonics, engineering, "what the"...., expert with any of this equimpent from China.We asked for 8 particular items to all come with 8 individiual remote controls so they could obviously be controlled individually.They sent 8 units all synched to ONE remote. We then have to get the rest of the remotes sent over, UNBOLT, remove bits and pieces and solder both the units and the extra remotes they sent so we could control them.Yes, stuff may seem cheap...but buy at LEAST TWO of everthing :D And be prepared to beat it into shape! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Jaworski Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 I have to agree too. I am a large Distributor of Confetti and Streamer products in the USA. I had high hopes for some of the equipment offered to me from China. It all looked great on paper and the prices were incredible, sadly, the quality was horrible. I told the company I bought from that they could send a call tag for the crap they sent me. It came in absolutely 'Used" conditions and got worse from there, The Confetti blower I got was at best - very unreliable, a horrible knock off of the popular USA made versions and at worst very, very dangerous to use. One tip - insist on getting a sample for free, buy the sample if you like the goods. If not they can send a tag for a shipper to come pick it up. The purchaser should not be burdoned with crappy goods. When we all start insisting ion Quality, the Quality will improve. Just like everyone else here, I stake my repuutation behind the gear I use and it has to work the first time and everytime - safely! John JaworskiX-Streamers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDA Fireworks Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hi John, thank you for reviews. I bought flame machines from MAYA . They look ok so far ( maybe the reason is am using them rarely ). What do you think about MAYA ' moving head Co2 jets ? They want 2000 usd each. Do you think it is worth buying? Or I should buy expensive The Effects company in UK ( 3000 pounds each !!! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slipstream Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 We have the non moving version - as I said in the main part - we had to replace all the hoses on day 1, they are OK but if you are developing a show and they must work every time, every day - buy the Effects company version - If the Maya ones fail and it will not spoil the show then fine give em a try but budget in the new hoses and adaptors as well as the CO2 tank connector - they supply the american fitting. You would be advised to start sourcing the CO2 lines and fittings now as they are quite hard to come by - soft drinks and welding both use the gas at low pressure - we had to get some stuff custom made by a machinist and some by a hydraulic company. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timtheenchanteruk Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 The effects company do all the high pressure CO2 hoses, with UK, european, and american ends on them, when I needed replacement I looked around but ended up there. I have no affiliation with the company, apart from being a very satisfied customer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDA Fireworks Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 To timtheenchanteruk , So u have the effects company's moving head co2 jets. How many times did you use them ? Any positive or negative feedback would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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