Pro-Talk: Different Kinds of Breaks Part 2

Welcome to another Pro-Talk Monday! Last week we discussed some of the more common types of breaks you see in fireworks. Today we’re going to be learning about the more unique ones! The effects we learn about today can be seen in consumer fireworks, but are much more impressive in professional fireworks (known as Class B fireworks).

Strobes:

Strobes are very common in consumer fireworks. We like to use strobes in many of our cakes, because it makes the breaks much fuller and more symmetrical. A strobe effect has small stars that flash several times like a strobe light. Strobes can be many different colors, but most commonly are seen in silver.

Fish:

The fish effect (also called “Flying Fish”) are little sparks that take off zig-zagging through the air in all directions. A fun fact about the fish effect, it’s made by packing a bunch of cut up fuses into the shell. When the fuses burn they propel through the air and look like swimming fishes!

Falling Leaves:

Falling leave are little pieces of bright colored stars that look like they’re floating down to the ground. Hence the name “falling leaves”. They come in many different colors and in professional displays often burn almost all the way to the ground. In the video below of Pyro Dream, the third through fifth rows of breaks have falling leaves that come out of the middle of the brocades.

Horse Tails:

Horse tails look just like their name-sake, a horse’s tail! The effect is also often called a “waterfall effect”, it breaks to one side and slowly trails toward the ground. Check out our show series item “Horse Tails” if you like this effect! It’s 12 straight shots of nothing but horse tails!

Crossettes:

Crossettes are hands down one of the coolest effects. A crossette looks like a comet that rises up and then breaks outward into a cross-like shape. They are much more impressive in professional displays such as in the image below, but can be done in consumer grade fireworks as well. We’ve been working on getting a good quality consumer crossette for a few years now, and finally found it! Check out our NEW FOR 2019 item Just Looking if you want to include the crossette effect in your show!

All of the effects we learned about today add great variety and character to your backyard show. By planning ahead and laying out your show (or having one of our highly trained store managers do it for you) you can utilize these effects to their fullest potential. If you’ve come out for our big June Boom show the past few years, then you’ve seen us do just that. We often like to go from something with big loud breaks like 187 to something really quiet like Flying Fish. Then back to something big and bright again like America Strong! Or we’ll light three Horse Tails at the same time as Rainin’ Gold and get a nice double layer effect of gold as the horse tails stream down into the gold mines. There’s endless possibilities when designing your backyard show. Stay tuned to our Pro-Talk blog to learn how you can maximize your show this upcoming 4th of July! Make sure you’ve subscribed, as we’ll also be sending out special deals and alerts as we get closer to the season!