I have the opportunity to buy a stool snow animator( version 1)
questions
how high does the snow go?
noise comparison ?
Can I get a newer b****r put in to increase the performance
If so how much does this cost to do?
what are(besides appearance) the difference between this the the other versions?

thanks everyone!

It is very loud and requires a lot of music to cover the noise. If you want to replace the blower, I would build another seat rather than trying to retrofit the existing one. I did this and used a piece of equipment from Grainger.

Hello. My name is Laurent Beretta. I've been using Kevin James' snow animator 1 for 13 years. Bought it in 1998. It has always worked. I've travelled to more than 48 countries with it, Done major TV specials in Europe and won the Grand Prize in the Monte Carlo Magic Stars in 2004 with the snow animator 1. You can check my videos on youtube, the channel is laurentberetta. It's THE best investment I have ever made, and one that gave the real finish to my manipulation act. It's still the best as far as design, ease of operation and and practicality are concerned. You don't need to replace the blower. It's foolproof. The snow shoots at about 15 feet. It's a bit noisy but if you're on a standard stage with speakers facing the audience they won't hear a thing. Chose an appropriate orchestral or "decibel ridden!" soundtrack: it's a finale! In situations where the audience is closer, as a rule of thumb I always have a speaker set on stage, 6 feet from the stool and it makes it noiseless. You could also have the volume turned up a notch just for the snow sequence. I have never had a spectator notice anything. Go for it, you won't regret it.

On stage in a large room, covering up the noise won't be a big deal, but in a more intimate, parlor-type setting, it is more difficult, especially if the music varies in volume.

My thoughts on this, though - the audience knows something is blowing the snow, so some sound should probably not be that objectionable.

I use to own one before I bought version 3. It really depends on the venues you work but it would not work well for close up kids parties;)