Lensgo Smoke S mini smoke machine.
Lensgo Smoke S mini smoke machine.
The downside is that it didn't come with a charging plug, so you will need to obtain a USB A charging plug, or as I have had to do, obtain an USB A to USB C adaptor to fit one of my USB C charging plugs. You will need to ensure the plug is rated to charged at 5 volts 2 amps, anything higher could cause the battery to overheat when charging and potentially damage the battery. The instruction manual does stipulate that the use of non-LENSGO original accessories will invalidate the warranty.
The carry case does not allow the machine to be store upright when not in use, check the silicone stopper for leakage after storage and wipe with a cloth/paper towel before use.
Hence I have docked it a star.
Apart from this annoying issue, this is an absolutely fantastic little smoke machine with plenty of power, very portable which provides a wide range of creativity when photographing macro/close up whether indoors or outdoors. I would seriously recommend it for any photographer who wants to get creative with their work. It has a good delivery output of smoke with different effects - a sponge to create a dry ice effect, a jet nozzle to mimic incense burning, and the tubes give a good smoke cloud.
It is a shame that you cannot control the intensity or density of the output of smoke, especially for use with the jet nozzle. This would be worth considering adding this feature to future developments of the device.
Nonetheless at £128.99 this is a great buy, and beats many similar products on the market. It feels and looks very well built, so as long as the guidance in the instruction manual is followed this should have a good shelf life time. The six bottles of oil that it comes with should last me a while, at the moment I can't say how long each bottle would last.
Though the manual states it is odour free, there is a very slight odour, but not unpleasant or pungent.
On YouTube the device is shown as having a chargeable haze fan unit which comes with model 'Smoke B'. I have purchased model 'Smoke S' which does not include the haze fan. To avoid disappointment I would advise you check which model you are purchasing and check the contents listed on the website before purchase.
I do recommend unscrewing the oil tank to fill it up, and then give it a wipe with a cloth/paper towel to remove any accidental spillage before re-attaching the tank to the machine, this avoids any unwanted mess and oily fingers touching photographic equipment. Also avoid using near a smoke alarm, common sense I know, but I left the door open to the hallway and triggered my alarm, oops!