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Review of: Martin Magnum 800
This machine is the same as the Technofog. Renamed after brand unification to the "Martin Magnum 800" which has now also been discontinued and itself replaced by the Magnum 850.

The Magnum 800 was a popular machine - its initial fog output at full power was very impressive for a 750 watt machine. After about 15 - 25 seconds, the electronics in the remote control then 'ramped down' the amount of fluid pumped into the heat exchanger so that the heater block doesn't fall below the lower temperature threshold. This way, the machine never stops producing fog (although it continues to produce it at a fraction of the output of the initial blast).

A variable output timer remote was supplied as standard, but woe betide anyone who broke or lost it. A replacement remote was over half the price of the full purchase price of the machine. The remote wasn't as simple as the timer remotes of the Martin Junior 700 for example (a simple 555 timer circuit). The Magnum 800 remote is virtually impossible to replace by one's self, unless advanced electronic circuits is a hobby you're good at!

In many ways, these machines may have been considered 'too good' for Martin. What I mean is, theme parks and nightclubs would buy a Magnum 800 over a larger Martin machine because it would do its job amply for an economical price. It was too good - for its own good!

The updated chassis 850 version presumably has the similar internal electronics and heating block, but the standard remote supplied is a very basic on/off button - no fog output control or timer. A timer remote is available, but again, its price is more than half that of the initial purchase price of the machine, perhaps to encourage potential buyers to buy a larger model such as the 1200 where a timer remote is included. It is now made in China, rather than the UK, and uses a pulsing pump rather than a variable voltage pump.

The heater block and pump assembly of the Magnum 800 when removed from insulation and chassis.

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