<<Back to review list

Review of: Colt 4
The Colt 4 is a portable smoke gun capable of high output. The Colt smoke generators are used throughout the world by armed forces, fire brigades, health authorities and industry - and for good reason. In my opinion they are the best built machines offering the longest hang time of any water based smoke system with the smallest particle size. Small particle size means dry fog and no residue left behind.

Primarily designed for the rigorous military and industrial fields, Colts are also used by professionals in the entertainment field, including television companies, theatres, nightclubs and film studios. The machine is quite light, making it very portable. It's also compact, which makes it ideal for hand-held operation. The Colt is very well made by hand in Britain and has exceptionally rugged construction. It has variable smoke output and is very simple to use. It is rated at 1100 watts with a 5 minute warm up time.

The Colt is available in two types:

The Colt 3 produces a smoke that disperses quickly (a couple of minutes), making it ideal for applications where the smoke is not required to be very dense, where there is no method of extraction, or in situations where tests need to be repeated frequently. Typical applications include: evacuation training in hospitals, schools, etc. where quickly dispersing smoke is needed, all types of airflow visualisation, leak testing of small containers, visual effects.

The Colt 4 produces a smoke that is very persistent, lingering for a considerable time (60 minutes +) and is capable of withstanding temperatures in excess of 65C. Dense smoke and hence low visibility can be achieved quickly and maintained for long periods, making it ideal for fire training, leak testing and airflow visualisation. Typical applications include: breathing apparatus training, evacuation training, leak testing of buildings, containers, pipework, etc., wind tunnel testing, visual effects.

The Colt 3 or 4 is available in two formats - basic (which has a push button on the handle) and remote, which can be operated from the unit itself or from the supplied 5 metre remote control. The remote unit cannot be used with the remote control off power as it uses an electronic solenoid to activate fluid flow from the aerosol (whereas the basic version is purely mechanical).

The output of the Colt is variable from zero to maximum output, and while the unit is plugged into the mains, it can generate continuous smoke output even at maximum output.

The Colt 3 and Colt 4 are available in basic and remote formats from SmokeMachines.net [more]
Also available is the Colt 4 Turbo, with almost twice the output of the standard Colt 4 [more]

We reserve the right to publish reviews.
The opinions expressed on this page are not those of the site's owner. Reviews are presented without prejudice.

Click here to submit a smoke machine review