Smoker: Yay or Nay

[Jimster]

My Heng Long Tiger has a smoke unit that is obnoxiously loud and the smoke is not realistic in appearance. The last couple of times I operated my tank outdoors I didn’t even remember to activate it. I was just wondering how many folks actually use their smokers and how many remove the unit completely. Sorry if this has been covered but I couldn’t find any polls regarding this topic.

[PainlessWolf]

Good afternoon,
Yay for me. I like keeping the tank as stock so if it came with one, I make it work. I have even been known to add a smoker. The Mega Steam additive I use really makes them stoke. Once up and running, it fulfills my immature, inner self that enjoys this Hobby so and puts a silly grin on my mug.
regards,
Painless

[Marco Peter]

Smokers? Not for me...

[c.rainford73]

If space permits I always add a smoker. Not a fan of the stock pieces so I use the Tarr smokers. I like the bit of realism they add.

Just my preference

[RenoirLV]

Hi, I like smokers. Have them on both of my tanks.
I have an opinion about both types mentioned here.
The stock one is excellent if you add a proportional board to it. I like the idea of giving out smoke in puffs rather than streams. I find it much more realistic.
Adding a proportional board solves the noise problem. It was a surprise to me, yes.
I'll explain. At engine idle it hardly moves (which is when the noise was the worst), and when you drive the engine sound will overtake any noise that it makes at high revs. A perfect solution. Not to mention the proportional operation.

As concerns those that you call here Tarr smokers, I got disappointed with these units.
First of all, mine does not give out much smoke at all. I even have the Mega Steam oil with no scent. It is very good. The best I ever tried. And I have configured everything to the spec. Still the smoke performance isn't great. The smoker is proportional (the controller being Elmod I had to pay pretty penny to get it all working) but the proportional effect isnt notable. In short, it's not much better than the stock one with the proportional board. But pricewise the difference is manifold. So it hardly seems worth it.

[43rdRecceReg]

Hi, I like smokers. Have them on both of my tanks.
I have an opinion about both types mentioned here.
The stock one is excellent if you add a proportional board to it. I like the idea of giving out smoke in puffs rather than streams. I find it much more realistic.
Adding a proportional board solves the noise problem. It was a surprise to me, yes.
I'll explain. At engine idle it hardly moves (which is when the noise was the worst), and when you drive the engine sound will overtake any noise that it makes at high revs. A perfect solution. Not to mention the proportional operation.

As concerns those that you call here Tarr smokers, I got disappointed with these units.
First of all, mine does not give out much smoke at all. I even have the Mega Steam oil with no scent. It is very good. The best I ever tried. And I have configured everything to the spec. Still the smoke performance isn't great. The smoker is proportional (the controller being Elmod I had to pay pretty penny to get it all working) but the proportional effect isnt notable. In short, it's not much better than the stock one with the proportional board. But pricewise the difference is manifold. So it hardly seems worth it.

Yes, but the mild whirring sound of the fan on a Tarr unit is far less intrusive than that hideous (and inauthentic) clonking sound HL/Taigen versions make. Adding a favourite scent (oil of Cannabis Tincture, for example, to delight the onlookers ) can also make any smoke produced pleasantly mood-altering.

[RenoirLV]

Well I did mention that the clonking is gone when you a proportional board to the stock smoker. The result is amazing.
You are giving me ideas about the smoke unit. Cannabis Tincture sounds the right oil for indoor use.

[43rdRecceReg]

Well I did mention that the clonking is gone when you a proportional board to the stock smoker. The result is amazing.
You are giving me ideas about the smoke unit. Cannabis Tincture sounds the right oil for indoor use.

Interesting, but I take it that the stock unit still uses a piston and crank arrangement (the source of the noise)? At all times, whether with a proportional setup, or otherwise, I still think that the fan system on the Tarr unit is always quieter. However, I can see why the prefer the 'puffing' action (as with a steam train) to the constant (but intensifying) stream of gas a fan-based system (Tarr) offers.

[tom_tom_go]

I have started experimenting with smokers and my observations of the Heng Long unit (recent 2018 version are):

• If you run the motor in reverse it is less noisy
  
  It produces more smoke if the heating element is using a higher voltage than the motor (you can then run the motor at a lower voltage resulting in less noise)
  
  The noise is from the plastic drive train not the motor itself
  
  If you saturate the fluid reservoir it makes no smoke at all

I do like the pulse effect the piston gives but it doesn't produce anywhere near the amount of smoke the TARR unit I have does.

Here is my Heng Long unit running a low voltage on the motor but higher voltage on the heating element:

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TARR unit on full chat:

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[Jimster]

All great replies. I guess I’ll leave the stock Heng Long unit in place. I don’t really use it but it’s there if I want to see and hear it operate. I had to acquire some plastic tubing (O2 tubing from a nasal cannula) to make longer smoke tubes. This was necessary because the Taigen metal hull I used places the smoke unit a little further away from the exhaust outlets. Thanks again for the opinions.