The definitive guide to SMOKE, Cold burning that is... Options

[24HourGames]

REVISED (yet again): The list has been extensively shortened.

Here's the end-all list of folks that sell what appears TO ME to be COLD smoke. I went down a list of about 100 smoke vendors and tried to pull out the ones that said that they didn't have to be ignited, or that said it was safe to hold in your hand, or that said it the canister didn't get above 160 degrees. Again, take the time to go over this list yourself, call the people, ask them the question before you buy. Most of this stuff is EXPENSIVE, and I don't want people going out and spending money on this stuff if its not safe or not allowed. PLEASE check before you buy.

As a general rule... As long as it doesn't pose a threat of fire, we'll allow it. If it has a fuse, no go. If you have to have a lighter, no go. If it has a picture of a flame coming out of it, no go. #1 and #2 below are sure-fire cold-burning smokes, and who I'd suggest you buying them through, if you need them.

Please note that - in the event of an extreme drought or prolonged time without rain, even "cold burning" smoke might not be allowed due to the amount of pinestraw out on the field.

Happy hunting. Let me know what you find out, and PLEASE let me know if you find any more links other than posted below.

1.) Email Ray Zabala (rzabala2 AT cox.net) no longer ships smoke due to federal hazmat restrictions and shipping plus hazmat license costs.
He's basically out of the business, aside from local pickup only (central Louisiana area).

2) http://www.smokegrenade.net/Product/orangesmokegrenade.htm
Available only in bulk quantities starting at $80 for five (plus shipping and hazmat).

3) http://www.boatingstore.com/us/orange-floa...gnal-c5249.html
Unexpired orange marine smoke cannisters, 4 for $52 (plus shipping and hazmat).

Thanks,

Hoop & Fallout

[fallout11]

These are what you want in terms of cold-burning smoke-


About the size and weight of an automobile oil filter, they are German-made and non-expired and worked flawlessly, putting out large quantities of thick orange smoke for 4-5 minutes or so. Just as advertised. The grenades did not get hot enough that they could not be handled with thin gloves (although for safety sake I do not recommend this), and would not ignite even piles of dead leaves (tested!).

You do NOT want anything that requires a lighter or match to ignite (hot burning), nor do you want military/LE pull-ring smokes (also get VERY hot).

Thanks to new restrictions on shipping combustible and ignitable material, it very difficult now to find ANYONE willing to ship smoke grenades anymore, though.

[24HourGames]

Email Address change for smoke guy:

MDeen31195@aol.com is gone, its now: MDeen31195@netzero.com

Smokes are $8/canister. Hazmat and shipping you're looking at about $9/unit per 15 smokes, FYI.

[24HourGames]

Change of price and address for cold-burning smoke provider, post Katrina.


$7 (down from $8!) for the "good" kind of smoke

 Smoke.jpg ( 76.4k ) Number of downloads: 53



Contact Ray Zabala (rzabala2 AT cox.net) with any orders.


-Hoop

[fallout11]

As you may already know, due to MASSIVE increases in cost and hazmat shipping you can now expect to pay upwards of $45 a piece for a single orange marine-style cold burning smoke cannister. Assuming you can find anyone who still sells them at all, as all but one of the old listed sellers no longer exists (out of business or no longer carry them).

[24HourGames]

Fallout, have you tried Ray Zabala? Just curious if he's the same, or if he's still in the game. For what its worth, hell, I'll drive to the pickup location, versus $45/canister. There's supposedly two drop-off points that the Navy uses to dump expired smoke - Zabala lived close to one, so that was his source. I'm assuming that anybod can do as he's done, if he's not still in the game.

[fallout11]

Not recently, sorry to say.
I hope he's still around.

There is a fellow out of Kenner, Louisiana who occasionally sells these via Gunbroker, might be the same guy.

[24HourGames]

Not recently, sorry to say.
I hope he's still around.

There is a fellow out of Kenner, Louisiana who occasionally sells these via Gunbroker, might be the same guy.

Same guy. Same city anyway. That's probably his ebay handle or something. He sells a lot of different things on ebay, including smoke, so that'd make sense.

How are things?

[fallout11]

Very well I am pleased to say, thank you.

[fallout11]

Update- Ray Zabala is out of the cold smoke shipping business. I had a lengthy discussion with him back in late February. Local pickup only now (Kenner, LA).

[24HourGames]

Update- Ray Zabala is out of the cold smoke shipping business. I had a lengthy discussion with him back in late February. Local pickup only now (Kenner, LA).

That's probably to be expected... He honestly wasn't supposed to be shipping them anyway, due to HAZMAT/DOT regulations, but he did it anyway. The HAZMAT add-on was supposedly in the $35+- PER CANISTER range, so... that's out of my price range.

[fallout11]

Yep, same story across the board, which is why you hardly ever see anyone with/using the old orange smoke cannisters anymore, anywhere.
Most airsofters have gone to the firework store varieties, but they emit a flame and are not cold burning, largely restricting their use to the few places that allow such.

[Dazed]

I'm not sure how good this guy's smoke is, but the price isn't terrible, comparatively. Smoke output in the specs looks the same on all three, So I would imagine the price difference is all in the options.

http://www.sportsmoke.com/

[24HourGames]

I'm not sure how good this guy's smoke is, but the price isn't terrible, comparatively. Smoke output in the specs looks the same on all three, So I would imagine the price difference is all in the options.

http://www.sportsmoke.com/

Pull pin = Flame

It is labeled as "cool burning", but that probably only applies to the casing, and not the big honkin flame that it puts out.

Alas, the coverage is only 10K CF. The orange ones were a dollar or two more per unit, but did 90K CF.

We can definitely do supervised smoke, in sand-lined pits and using whatever cheap-o flame-emitting version we want [and we plan on it] but it looks like smoke for the player is pretty much out of the question nowadays (unfortunately...).

[Tinker]

The following article was going to be submitted to APG for publishing, but since they have changed editors they no longer take unsolicited articles. So I am posting it here so that you can get the information. I hope it helps.
----
In the past, smoke on the paintball field was produced by the marine smoke markers or by “hot” smoke grenades that were either lit by a match or produce flame and heat when the pin was pulled. The majority of paintball fields started to ban the ‘hot’ smoke because of the potential of catching the forest undergrowth on fire. And as far as the marine smoke – even the cost of expired smoke was too high. Now finally a smoke grenade for those players on a budget and that field owners will like. Enter the Tactical Smoke Grenade (TSG) from Sport Smoke LLC.

After seeing the TSG on line and viewing the manufacturer’s video, my team (Ghost Squad) decided to apply for sponsorship from the company and give the grenades a try.

The Shipment

Upon arrival of the order, I opened the box and was first shocked by the size of the grenade itself. The TSG is only 2.75” x 1.5”. My first thought that it would not produce the amount of smoke that the manufacturer stated, but I will get into that later in this article. The size of the TSG makes it easy to carry in your tactical vest or in your cargo pockets on your pants. At one of the games we tested the TSG at, I was able to carry 5 grenades in my vest. Another thing that makes this grenade ideal for woodsball and scenario games is that it is biodegradable. The only draw back to this is that you may want to carry them in a zip lock bag especially if there is a chance of rain. Granted it would take a lot of rain to prevent it from working, but the more the grenade is exposed to moisture, the more it absorbs. The manufacturer also recommends that they are kept in a cool dry place when they are not being used.

The TSG also comes with a top over the pull ring to prevent any accidental pulling on the ring and having it go off in your pants pocket or vest. Just one thing on the cap, when you have had the TSG in your pocket for awhile, the cap can become loose and even come off of the grenade. I found placing a piece of tape on the cap to hold it in place.

Battle Tested

In order to see what these grenades could do, we decided to actually put them real world conditions and take them to a few games. We took them Smak Zone in Patterson, Mo, Bear Claw in Fayetteville, TN, and to N2 Paintball Supply in Mt. Juliet, TN.

Our first experience in using the grenades was at Smak Zone, and we learned right away that smoke grenades work best when there is a slight breeze to keep the smoke close to the ground. If there is no wind, the smoke goes straight up. We figured this out after the first one we tossed. Pulling the pin was made quite easy by the pull ring. It is big enough to allow you to use it while wearing gloves. The size of the TSG made it easier to throw it farther that the heavier marine smoke. When we threw the next two, we were in a situation that required us to ‘bug out’ fast. While the smoke was providing a good cover, we moved out while the opposing team kept shooting at the smoke. Also during this game other players had some of the “hot” smoke grenades, this lead to small fire that had to be put out. At the same time, we tossed one into some tall grass, and the TSG did its job without catching one blade of grass on fire.

At N2, the skies opened and it rained most of the morning. As a precaution, we placed the grenades in a plastic bag that held the paintballs. Even in the rain, the TSG provided good covering smoke. One even rolled into a puddle of water and still provided excellent smoke.

The last game we went to was at Bear Claw and we were part of the reffing staff and decided to provide some of the smoke for the game. During the final battle on Sunday, we threw two TSGs and in that one area it gave enough cover to allow one team to move as the other charged. I even lost sight of a tank until the smoke finally dissipated.

Other characteristics of the TSG

This small package puts out 10,000 cubic feet of smoke for 75 seconds. It is not one little stream of smoke, but a big cloud. The TSG only weights 0.2 pounds. This and it size allows it to be carried easily and to carry more of them. They can also fit into a pod as well.

The cost is another great factor for these grenades. They are only $6.75 a piece for the first 144. The only draw back is the hazardous shipping fee ($22.50) per box imposed by the carrier. The good thing is that you can get a lot into one box. I recommend that as a team to order them in bulk to save on shipping and limit the hazardous shipping fee.

Where to find the TSG

The TSG can be found at Welcome to Sport Smoke!. Sport Smoke LLC is located in Spotswood, NJ, and can be contacted:

Phone – 732-251-0800
Fax – 732-251-9442
Email – info@sportsmoke.com

Thoughts

After using the TSG, I found that with a little practice with deciding on how and when to use them, anyone can use these. When you need to escape or evade, the TSG can come to the rescue. Because of the ease of use and the ability to carry more than one, I give the TSG 4.5 out of 5 ghosts. The reason for the .5 is just because of the hazardous shipping charge, especially if you are only ordering just a few. I suggest getting together with either your teammates or a few other players and order in bulk to make the most of the shipping.
So go out there and give one a try.

I will pst some photos tonight after I get home from work.

[Tinker]

 bell1_1_.jpg ( 81.78k ) Number of downloads: 3


Right after the ring is pulled. N2 in the rain



When there is a breeze, the smoke covers a very large area at N2

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The TSG with pull ring

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What 2 TSgs can do at Bear Claw. Right after this photo was taken, a demo person came through the smoke and took out the players in the photo

[fallout11]

Thanks for the info and update Tinker. Always good to have more options. I've seen similar (even identical, save for the "brand") used in the past during my paintball/airsofting years, and these kind of fall in between the old cold burning marine models and the hot burning light-the-fuse pyrotechnic models. They CAN start a fire, but it was very rare, and they are pretty effective for their size. They were often sold by the same places that sold the orange coast guard models, only ever came in grey/white, and I can remember when they were $3 a piece. Times sure change.