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Gas, a piezo, and a flame that wilts rather than burns

Weed burners, compared

A weed burner is a gas torch on a long handle, and what it actually does is not burning: passing a flame over a young weed for a second or two bursts the cell walls, and the plant collapses over the next day or two. Anything that chars is anything that took too long. That is why the useful figures on this shelf are modest rather than dramatic. The power source divides the corpus in two. Cartridge burners screw onto a 227 g disposable gas canister, are light, cost nothing to start with and are expensive per hour. Hose burners run from a refillable propane bottle on a trolley through a 5 m hose with a regulator, are heavier to set up and are what anyone treating a whole drive will end up with. The output in kilowatts — 2,5 kW on the cartridge tools here, considerably more on the bottle ones — sets how wide a path the flame covers, and the temperature published on some listings is the flame, not the weed. The ignition is a piezo trigger on everything modern, and it is the part that fails: a burner whose piezo dies needs a lighter held into a gas stream, which is unpleasant. The length of the lance decides whether the tool is used standing up, and the consumption in grams per hour is what converts a cartridge price into an hourly one. This family is on a lawn site for one reason: it is the treatment used on paving and gravel around a lawn, where nothing may run off into the grass. We compare power source, output, temperature, length, ignition and consumption.

Every part here, laid out figure by figure

  1. Propane weed burning torch with cartridge fitting

    Sondiko GF-8016

    A cartridge torch with a leak-limiting mechanism and a 36-month warranty — and no temperature published.

    Power source
    Gas cartridge with an EN 417 standard fitting — cartridge NOT included · standards: EN 417 for the cartridge fitting; a leak test before shipping is stated
    Output
    Not published
    Temperature
    Not published
    Length
    Not published — no length and no weight given
    Ignition
    Not published
    Consumption
    Not published
    Amazon reference
    B0FY2Z8RWX (one reference across 4 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0788505375846
    • Names the EN 417 cartridge standard, so the fuel fitting is knowable
    • States an internal mechanism restricting 99 per cent of gas flow in the event of a leak
    • No flame temperature, no output, no length, no weight

    Best for: Weeds in paving joints and on a drive — never on a lawn

    Check price on Amazon
  2. GLORIA Thermoflamm weed burner with piezo ignition

    Gloria Thermoflamm Comfort

    The only burner here that publishes both a length and a weight — and ten years of spare parts.

    Power source
    Screw-valve gas cartridge — NOT included; matching cartridges sold separately in threes · standards: None; 10 years of spare parts availability is stated
    Output
    Not published
    Temperature
    Up to 1000 °C flame temperature
    Length
    97 cm long, 1.6 kg — the only length-and-weight pair on this shelf
    Ignition
    Automatic piezo ignition in the handle
    Consumption
    Not published
    Amazon reference
    B07RFMQT28 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4046436036134
    • The only burner here publishing both a length and a weight — 97 cm at 1.6 kg
    • Piezo ignition in the handle, so no lighter and no matches
    • Its description of the mechanism reaches further than the process does

    Best for: Working a drive or a terrace standing up, with a light tool and a one-press start

    Check price on Amazon
  3. Weed burner with piezo ignition and butane cartridges

    STAHLMANN SC 2010

    The only burner here with a burn time, four cartridges in the box, three EN standards and a full warning.

    Power source
    Butane cartridges — four of 227 g included, to EN 417 · standards: EN ISO 9012:2011, EN 1326:1996, EN 521:2006; cartridges to EN 417
    Output
    Not published
    Temperature
    1100 °C working temperature, peaks to 1300 °C
    Length
    80 cm overall; weight not published
    Ignition
    Integrated piezo electric igniter; flame steplessly adjustable
    Consumption
    1 to 3 hours per 227 g cartridge; four supplied, so up to 12 hours
    Amazon reference
    B0FGJJSKSX (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4262363715342
    • The only burn time on this shelf — 1 to 3 hours per cartridge, four cartridges supplied
    • Three appliance standards cited by number, plus EN 417 for the fuel
    • 80 cm is the shortest published length here, against 97 cm on a competitor

    Best for: Getting started without a separate fuel purchase, on paving joints and drives

    Check price on Amazon
  4. Professional gas burner with hose and pressure regulator

    Fepro P14830 / P14831

    The only output figure on this shelf — up to 58 kW — with a 60 mm burner head and a 4 bar regulator; the cylinder is not included.

    Power source
    Pressurised gas cylinder via hose — cylinder not included; 4 bar regulator supplied · standards: None
    Output
    Up to 58 kW — the only output figure on this shelf
    Temperature
    Up to 58 kW — the only output figure on this shelf; no temperature published
    Length
    About 85 cm handle; Ø 60 mm burner head; hose given as 5 m in the title and 4.5 m in a feature line
    Ignition
    Not published
    Consumption
    Not published
    Amazon reference
    B0C7KTPWPB (one reference across 2 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4062833047412
    • The only published output on this shelf, and the only published burner diameter — 60 mm
    • A complete cylinder kit: hose, 4 bar regulator, adapter and two spanners
    • The hose length is given as 5 m in the title and 4.5 m in a feature line

    Best for: Long runs of drive and joint, and roofing felt work, from a refillable cylinder

    Check price on Amazon
  5. CFH GV 900 gas burner with regulator and hose

    CFH GV 900

    The hottest flame here and the only TÜV SÜD GS mark — with a certified regulator and hose in the box.

    Power source
    Pressurised gas cylinder via hose — cylinder not included; DR 114 regulator supplied · standards: TÜV SÜD GS for the appliance; DVGW certification for the regulator and hose; Made in Europe
    Output
    Not published
    Temperature
    Up to 1800 °C flame temperature — the highest on this shelf; no output figure
    Length
    5 m gas hose; tool length not published
    Ignition
    Not published
    Consumption
    Not published
    Amazon reference
    B008TD2LI4 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4001845520841
    • The only TÜV SÜD GS mark on this shelf, with a separately certified regulator and hose
    • A constant 2.5 bar output pressure, stated, rather than a nominal figure
    • No tool length, no weight, no burner diameter and no ignition method

    Best for: Drives, joints and bitumen work from a cylinder, with certified fuel components

    Check price on Amazon
  6. Weed burner with piezo ignition, pressure regulator and gas hose

    HANSEWERK HW-A-01

    A complete cylinder kit with piezo ignition — and the only listing here that warns about Austrian and Swiss bottles.

    Power source
    Pressurised gas cylinder via hose — cylinder not included; regulator supplied · standards: None; the listing does warn that Austrian and Swiss cylinders need a Euro gas adapter No. 4
    Output
    Not published
    Temperature
    Not published
    Length
    5 m gas hose; tool length not published
    Ignition
    Piezo ignition
    Consumption
    Not published
    Amazon reference
    B0GHSLBPGC (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4262415570363
    • The only listing here that names a cross-border cylinder-fitting problem and its solution
    • Piezo ignition plus a regulator and a 5 m hose — a complete set
    • No temperature, no output, no length, no weight, no burner diameter

    Best for: A drive or a terrace worked from a cylinder, with everything but the bottle in the box

    Check price on Amazon