Commercial Flamethrower Successfully Crowdfunded

ColdWetDog writes: You've always wanted one, of course. Zombies, the occasional alien infestation. The neighbor's smelly roses. You just need to be prepared for things. You can get freeze dried food, AR15's, enough ammo to start a small police action (at least here in the U.S. -- YMMV), but it has been difficult to get a modern, portable flamethrower until now. CNET has a brief explanation on the XM42, which doubled its Indiegogo funding target in just a few days.

Comments

Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Anonymous Coward]

https://www.indiegogo.com/explore?filter_title=water+well

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[NotInHere]

Why is this modded troll?
Is expressing pacifism trolling? What can flamethrowers do anything useful besides killing and grief?

Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

Reminder that 'flame *throwers*' throw *napalm*, which, I'm pretty sure, is illegal even for governments to use since the Geneva convention.

This is a glorified torch.

Can't wait for the ensuing soccer mom backlash and redneck celebration.

Re:Legal

[ColdWetDog]

I know from Myth Busters they are not legal in California.

Is anything legal in California these days?

Mr President we have a flamethrower gap

[Crashmarik]

On a more serious note but nonetheless just as funny, the liability suits from this should be hilarious.

OMG america is stupid

[maliqua]

If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.

This is it.

I hope this fails, and i'm an NRA member who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Whorhay]

As someone else pointed out far above, there is actually a variety of legal uses for flamethrowers. I've seen them used by landowners to conduct controlled burns to keep underbrush down and help prevent wild brush fires.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[PCM2]

If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.

Well, fear and burning people to death so they're no longer a threat. Not very efficient, but effective.

And I guess the "practical applications" of your guns, if they don't involve fear, involve gunning people down, right? Don't bother with scaring them off, just kill them.

Between you and me, it seems like the practical application of creating fear is working just great on you, quick-draw.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Aighearach]

If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.

This is it.

I hope this fails, and i'm an NRA member who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"

The only time I ever used a flame thrower was to put out a forest fire. I don't doubt that the deer were frightened of me, but in my defense I was trying to protect their home.

Why are NRA members so dim-witted? Do you even understand your own propaganda, or do you just spew it like a mindless zombie? It isn't the flame-thrower that scares people, it is the asshole waving it around.

Re:Loadsa uses!

[Aighearach]

Gravel may be all you can grow, but that isn't a garden. That isn't even a rock garden.

Welcome to the USA

[Qbertino]

Sorry to the 90% U.S.ians here on /. for my upcoming rant, but bear with me please:

WTF? I mean, seriously, WTF??? Who in hell would think that what the world needs now is a small concealable commercially available *FLAMETHROWER* ?!??. This is so bizarly US american, words fail me.

When's the first one going to run amok with one of these? Who's gonna pay the medical bill of the first rampage victims with 80% burnt skin for life? The people who built this thing? ... I hope as soon as the first one falls victim to one of these, that these people get sued into next wednesday big-time USA style. Better would be they'd abandon the project alltogether.

Does anybody here know what a gastly cruel final effort weapon this is? Seriously folks. Even as a military weapon Flamethrowers are about as wicked as it can get - even hardboiled hardcore SS members would instantly surrender at the mere sight of the "Churchill Corcodile", a british tank with a flamethrower attached. Which shows they actually can, in rare cases, have a 'use' - if I may use this notably unfitting verb in this context - as a last ditch (no pun intended) effort in marginal scenarios, such as finally and once and for all bringing down a totalitarian regime bent on ruling the planet by ethnic cleansing and such. And communicating to members of such a regime that you're effing serious and now won't stop short of total surrender.

But a commercially available flamethrower for "normal" people? "normal" in double quotes(!!). Jebus H.B. Crickey, this is so sick words fail me. However, this guy pretty much puts the finger on the insanity.

My 2 cents.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[blind biker]

It's not a practical weapon, and no one sees it as a threat, hence the almost complete lack of laws in the U.S. Even in WWII, it had limited use. No one wanted to be the one carrying either, since you became a target of enemy fire with an explosive backpack on. This thing is also incredibly dangerous for the user as well; just look at the protective gear in the video. Sure, it's whacky and unnecessary for most people (some people need a portable flamethrower for clearing land on large properties, but that doesn't seem to be the marketing here). But some people might say the same about your hobbies and spending habits. Let bygones be bygones.

Nobody said that "it's a practical weapon", just that it's incredibly dangerous. It's perfectly suited to kill, mail or deface for life a busful of random people. In this case not even the "if we outlaw handguns, only outlaws will have them"-argument flies, because you don't protect yourself from a flamethrower with another flamethrower. In fact, a flamethrower is not suitable for self-protection, only for attacking large numbers of soft targets. It's the perfect mass murderer's weapon.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[physicsphairy]

While you're linking to youtube, you might checkout the homemade flamethrowers. I can't claim to have made one but plenty of my friends have (including my school physics club). The mechanics of a flame thrower is just a squirt gun + a match. I can buy propane "flame throwers" as is at the local hardware store (used for burning weeds).

Why are people making all these flame throwers? Because something that shoots jets of flame is freaking cool. As far as I could discern on a quick google search, none of them have been used to commit murder.

What I personally find horrific is the idea that anyone would be so afraid of their fellow citizens that their first assumption on hearing they have access to a projectile shooter/flame maker/etc. is "OH GOODNESS HOW ARE THEY GOING TO USE THAT MURDER ME?" I realize unhinged people are out there, and will do bad things, but there are also bears in the woods which could find their way to my house and easily maul me to death. But the statistics are low enough that I don't worry about. I suppose my luck could run out some day, but trusting my fellow citizens not to murder me has worked so far, and I wouldn't care to live any other way. I like the idea of a society and a government that assumes I have good intentions until proven otherwise and I consider it worth some risk to have it even if I am not personally a person who is interested in owning a weapon.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

Allow me to take a moment to mourn what Slashdot has become as many of the interesting people have left for other pastures.

There was a time I'd come to an article about this and learn all sorts of neat details, such as why flame throwers existed, the mechanics and challenges involved with producing something like this, why it hasn't been done before and speculation as to how this is working... along with stories of where their usage has gone wrong by those with interesting backgrounds, and yes, a healthy dose of humor at the absurdity of it existing and maybe one or two freakouts.

Now? Mostly just some freakouts. Where have all the slashdotters gone... I'm starting to feel like only the helicopter moms are left, refreshing slashdot because they like their macbook air so think they enjoy tech.

Re:Welcome, Permanently Afraid Euroweenie

[lgw]

If you want to be afraid of something, worry about ladders - those fuckers are dangerous. If you want a rational view of danger, then statistics, not imagination, is your friend.