Ivation 500,00 BTU Propane Torch, Heavy Duty Weed Burner, Extra Long 10’ Hose, Adjustable Flame Control & Flint Ignitor, Outdoor Weed Killer for Weeds, Snow Melting, Roofing, Roads & More

TORCH: This torch works great. I wasn’t sure I’d like the boost trigger style but, to my surprise, it is actually preferable to my old torch (I’ve had it for 20 years) with only a knob-style valve on the handle to control the flame. My old torch would burn at a constant rate based on how far open I turned the knob-style valve, and if I needed to walk to another area (admittedly not that far of a distance in my yard) the torch would burn full on unless I turned the knob down … which I rarely took the time to do. The Ivation 500,00 BTU Propane Torch with the boost trigger allows me to move to other areas in the yard without using fuel at the max level and when I reach my target, just squeeze the boost trigger and a roaring jet of hot flame does its job. This saves a lot of propane, especially when you are spot treating an area. Yes, there is some hand/arm fatigue when you are treating a large, dense area that requires a constant boost. But, my old torch caused hand/arm fatigue, too. So, guess what? If you are a weekend warrior who uses this tool infrequently, you will experience hand/arm fatigue … no matter what brand of torch you purchase. My advice: switch hands frequently.Great price, too … and I didn’t have to drive to the store with free shipping (for Amazon Prime members).The exact same item (brand, model, etc.) sells at Lowe’s for $78. That’s roughly a 35% savings! I’ll say “Yes” to that every day. Thank you Amazon.FLINT STRIKER: Poor reliability but not a show stopper. Other reviewers indicated the flint striker was not reliable. When I read that, I said, “Yeah, right … must be a rookie”. However, when I got my new torch and tried to use the flint striker, it would not spark every time. It does generate spark … just not with every attempt. Often (as in most of the time), it would not spark for any of 5 or 10 repeated, consecutive actuations! I tried bending the handles to perfectly align the flint to the striker and so the flint would scrape against the striker with more pressure but that did not help. The flint striker truly is junk. My old torch of 20 years came with the exact same style of flint striker (also 20 years old, of course) and it still sparks with every actuation … even to this day. BUT … don’t let the substandard striker stop you from purchasing the Ivation 500,00 BTU Propane Torch. You can get a reliable striker at the hardware store for a few dollars … e.g. $2.79 at Harbor Freight. [...]