Hot Max 500G Big Max 500,000 BTU Propane Torch

The BEST spider slayer...ever...can you say Apocalypse Now? I looked at buying one of these a while back for weeding near my fence. I normally use 3-4 gallons of weed killer in a sprayer and - a week or so later, everything I can't mow is dying or dead. I never brought myself to buy the torch because the weed killer worked. I have a screened in porch/pool area with pavers, a dog who has to be let out and 4 year old twins who like to get into everything. A short while ago, I was taking my dog out at night and saw a few blue flashes of light reflected back at me along from the pavers on my porch. I thought I knew what it was because I had seen it before. To my horror, my dog ran up to it before I could stop him and the tiny blue lights started spreading out over the pavers...quickly moving out to an area 10 feet by 15 feet, there must have been a hundred. I got closer with my flashlight and realized I was right...it was a mommy WOLF SPIDER and her children. For those who don't know...a mother wolf spider carries her babies on her back. If she is startled, she must give off a scent or something, because she will jump and/or run and the babies will spread out like the tide... I had seen this before, OUTSIDE...but was NOT HAPPY to have what looked like a hundred or so baby spiders inside the pool area. I grabbed a broom and killed the mother and as many of the little SOBs as I could...but many of them ran into the small space between my pavers. If you have wolf spiders in your area, if you hold a BRIGHT light up to your forehead, pointed out to the ground, the light will hit the wolf spiders eyes and bounce right back to your eyes...almost like a tiny blue LED...similar to the light reflecting from a dog, cat, alligator or most wild animal's eyes... I grabbed a small hand held propane torch and hit a few of the suckers, but the more I walked around trying to get them, the more they would spread out and hide in the space between the pavers. I remembered this BIG torch and ordered it next day air. The next night, I grabbed my light, started this torch and went to work. I estimated about 60 sets of little blue eyes along the pavers...and to my surprise, they hadn't spread out much further than they were the night before. I walked the pavers forward and backward one time with the squeeze handle at about half, blasting the pavers with the torch flame, not keeping the heat on any area too long...using a sweeping motion. When I got back to my original position (30 seconds later) I used the light trick again and there were 2 baby spiders left. I quickly used the torch on them and was done...and was very happy not to have 60 baby spiders inside my screened porch. I would (and DID) gladly pay the cost of the torch JUST for that one spider job. That weekend I used the torch for my weeds near my fence and was amazed at how fast it wilted them. The next day, the weeds were brown and dead (the grass killer spray used to take 4-6 days before the weeds were brown). The torch worked right out of the box...no assembly except hooking it up to the propane tank. My only MINOR complaint is that The FLINT fire starter in my kit has a burr at the beginning of the steel striker that makes the flint stick immediately...this means using it with one hand impossible. I have used these before...so I know how to work it. It is simply a cheap defective flint starter. That said, the torch works so darned good, I will deduct no points and give it 5 stars. Excellent product.

At first I was a wary of having such a big output in terms of fuel usage, but I was pleasantly surprised to have about half a tank left (filled to 4.5 gallons when I started) after over an hour of straight usage. Considering the cost of spray concentrates compared to propane, this is acceptable to me. In today's market, I estimate cost of use is in the range of $5 per hour. The adjustment valve is for idle flame only. When you pull the trigger you have no choice but to get the full 500kbtu/hr output, but it turns out that's not a bad thing as the work goes faster. I did an experiment where some areas I burned the (green) weeds completely off, and in another area I just scorched them. The next day, the scorched weeds looked almost completely dead. I will report back when I know more about how well the roots kill with that approach. My plan is to save time by just scorching them, and then burn them away once they've dried out. The added bonus to using heat is it kills weed seed on the surface. I'm optimistic that once I go over an area, the weeds won't sprout as quickly after that. The 10ft hose is handy, such that if you're fine with moving the tank along by hand, you don't need a cart. You can cover a decent area before having to move the tank again. The noise is noticeable. I'm in a country area, but have neighbors within 50 yards. I immediately thought they would wonder what the noise is. If you're in a more densely populated area, you might consider that it will draw attention. If you've ever heard a hot air balloon burner, this is approximately equivalent. It's not so loud that you'd ever consider ear protection, but like I said, it's noticeable from a distance. I read another review complaining about the connection to the tank needing an adapter, but this is not true. It threads INSIDE a standard BBQ tank connection (assuming you have the up-to-date OPD style), and it's REVERSE threaded. All you need is a wrench or pliers in a pinch (hehe). It will not connect to, and is not intended for, a camp style tank. My favorite part is the fast results. I don't mind a little hard work, so I would often just pull weeds by hand. This is a better alternative. It kills the weeds and seeds, and is much faster--especially in areas with lots of small weeds. I am happy with the purchase. EDIT: The weeds I scorched will die on the surface, but deeper rooted weeds will start growing back. The good thing is that a scorched weed will burn off quicker on the second round since it dries out a bit. I plan to scorch them first, then go through more thoroughly after a couple days to finish the job and hopefully kill more of the roots. Overall, I'm still happy with the results, and I'm still optimistic that once the weeds are under control, the two-step process won't be necessary. EDIT 2: After a full summer of owning the torch, I'm most happy with its ability to kill weed seeds. I've nuked a couple of different areas on my one acre property, and they remain either gravel or bare dirt with minimal additional maintenance. I'd definitely by this torch again.

Works really well, quickly got rid of weeds that I've been pulling at for a long time. Less than 1/2 have sprouted again after about a month. This is a very loud torch and it is very very hot. Make sure nothing combustible is around you when you use it. I keep it adjusted to the very close to lowest setting, any higher and the torch is deafening. For my purposes, the smaller 50k BTU model might have been a better choice.

Très efficace bon prix

Great little torch, very handy, easy to use

Love it. So much better value than the Red Dragon. Best features are the handle (makes holding the torch easy and safe) and the integrated gas release valve / lever... you pay an extra $74 for this with the Red Dragon and have to build it yourself. Lugging around a standard 20lbs bbq tank isn't that bad... I considered buying a smaller 11lbs tank but this is fine... the tool is not something you want to go rushing around with... so the bigger tank work fine. I didn't find a lot of detail in the write-ups or reviews so here is my take... read the instruction. The tap on the handle is to set the pilot flame... only needs to be open a crack. Using the flint lighter takes a bit of practice... use your stronger hand. The lever on the handle opens up the power... works beautifully and a powerful roar and super hot flame come out... VERY powerful... just waving it past weeds shriveled them convincingly... 20 minutes later they turned very dark and will surely die. Dry / dead leaves or twigs... they catch fire instantly.. so go slowly and carefully.

Muy buen producto. Funciona perfectamente, la flama tiene mucha potencia y no gasta tanto gas.