Elon Musk Sells $10 Million in Flamethrowers in Four Days (reuters.com)

An anonymous reader quotes Reuters: A handful of tweets and four days later, Silicon Valley billionaire Elon Musk has closed orders for his latest novelty product, after selling 20,000 flamethrowers at $500 a piece. "Guaranteed to liven up any party!" was Musk's tagline for a sale which raised $10 million for his high-speed tunnel venture The Boring Company... "When the zombie apocalypse happens, you'll be glad you bought a flamethrower," he tweeted last Saturday. "Works against hordes of the undead or your money back!"
The fundraising comes as Tesla "struggles" meet its production commitments, notes the article, adding that analysts are wondering if the car manufacturer will eventually need billions more in funding.

By Wednesday Musk had sold out his entire suppy of flamethrowers, though "Apparently, some customs agencies are saying they won't allow shipment of anything called a 'Flamethrower'," Musk tweeted Friday night, adding "To solve this, we are renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'."

"Or maybe 'Temperature Enhancement Device.'"

Comments

safety

[fluffernutter]

This guy obviously feels no responsibility for injuries caused by his products. He would throw a package of razor blades in a suicide ward.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, well, at least he waited until Obama was out of office... or they would have had to move the capital to Philadelphia again.

Re:safety

[PopeRatzo]

This guy obviously feels no responsibility for injuries caused by his products.

Flamethrowers don't kill. People do.

Re:safety

[JMJimmy]

He's not going to sell them anywhere he's not allowed. This is a publicity stunt to get government procurement attention around the world and make a quick buck. The actual flame throwers he's selling are actually more of a blow torch... they only go 5' at most (more like 2-3') and don't have a concentrated stream/lasting liquid that continues to burn. You can already buy $900 ones that go 25' or $1600 ones that go 50' from other companies that are far more harmful. What he's done is sell something a farmer might use to clear brush, a fire department might use for controlled buns... but mostly for people to buy to make dumb youtube videos and then put it on a shelf.

You could probably do more damage with a culinary butane torch that you can pick up at your local walmart.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you seen the "flamethrower" in action? As someone else below described it, it's more like a weed burning torch. It "throws" flame maybe 2 feet.

Re:safety

[taiwanjohn]

While I can definitely appreciate Elon's twisted sense of humor, I am concerned about liability in this latest "venture" of his. I'd assume he's had a team of lawyers cover his ass nine ways from Sunday, but all it would take is one high-visibility mishap -- say, a fatal kindergarten fire -- to spoil the fun for everybody. I'd hate to see something like that get in the way of all the other good things he's doing.

BTW, I'm bummed that I didn't order a Boring Co. hat in time. :-(

Re: safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Hurr Durr, it's a 1.5 foot flame - you can get things from home Depot that go farther and hotter than that.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

You sell something as a toy, people will play with it. People play with it, they will get injured. Yes I'm sure there are parties were people play with industrial blow torches but we don't need people candy-coating them in the name of making a buck. No amount of disclaimer can cover the idiocy of putting this in the market in the first place.

Re:safety

[Vairon]

I seriously doubt he would throw razor blades in a suicide ward.
He would charge for those blades.

It's not Elon's responsibility what you do with a flame thrower after you buy it.
It's not Gillette's responsibility what you cut with a razor blade after you buy it.
It's not Ford's responsibility what you hit with a car after you buy it.
It's not John Deer's responsibility what you run over with a riding lawn mower after you buy it.
It's not Sturm, Ruger & Company's responsibility what you shoot with a gun after you buy it.
It's not Clorox's responsibility what you do with bleach after you buy it.

Re:safety

[geekmux]

This guy obviously feels no responsibility for injuries caused by his products. He would throw a package of razor blades in a suicide ward.

Give me a fucking break. Big Tobacco makes Musks antics look like childs play by comparison, and I can buy shit at Wal-Mart that would make a bigger flame than his toy.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

This guy obviously feels no responsibility for injuries caused by his products

Do car makers for the millions killed in auto accidents each year? Do knife manufacturers for god-knows-how-many stabbings?
As long as the product is safe to use in it's designated application, eg it won't blow up in your hand, it's entirely up to the user to ensure safe use of any product on the market and entirely the users fault if somebody gets hurt due to misuse.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Your attitude is totally unamerican. Having a portable flamethrower is a constitutional right.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

People get utility from a car which outweigh the dangers. This is a toy for the sake of being a toy. World of difference.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

Try starting a cigarette company in the US today, see how far you get.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

I am concerned about liability in this latest "venture" of his. I'd assume he's had a team of lawyers cover his ass nine ways from Sunday, but all it would take is one high-visibility mishap -- say, a fatal kindergarten fire -- to spoil the fun for everybody.

Seeing that the same item, as well as MUCH more powerful ones, are sold at Amazon and Home Depot every day, and neither of those companies have had any issues with liability due to these supposed kindergarten fires, I'm going to go out on a limb and say Elon will be just fine.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

You can also buy a $10 can of compressed air and light the stream on fire with a 50 cent lighter.

It's a question of intended use, and as much as the dimwit's would probably buy it and start burning things they shouldn't, there are more practical immediate uses (such as yes, stopping forest fires with controlled burns) and like anything else, you can't ban something if there is a legal legitimate purpose, even if you know it's going to be used by dimwits.

Like take every single piracy argument ever. MPAA, RIAA, BSA, etc will all argue that recordable media encourages piracy, when in fact it's not the availability of the recordable media but the lack of any legal way to obtain the movie/music/software in a way that the customer wishes to use it. "subscription" software/media is especially egregious about this, because it insures that if the company goes under, you lose access, thus you lose your investment in that company, AND, in the case of "the cloud" you lose everything.

If it were possible to twist Adobe and Autodesk's, and everyone else with SaaS based product models that they must release a perpetual licence product annually or cease being able to claim copyright on it when someone has to break the locks on it in order keep using the specific version of the product where compatibility has been lost/feature-dropped, we might actually see the piracy argument drop. But no, companies are hamfistedly adopting SaaS or "download/unlock a feature with DLC" models because they're profitable, not because they benefit the consumer.

Which goes back around to why sell these flamethrowers in the first place. It's a memetic joke if anything, it does not benefit the consumer, you might not even be able to refill the fuel containers if it's anything like the Sodastream product model. Elon Musk does not need to make or sell them, he just wanted to, and it's no different from anything else like the Segway(tm) which may be cool initially, but everyone goes back to doing things the old fashioned way when it doesn't gain mass-market appeal.

Like the dimwit youtubers best possible use for this is to melt their own toys for likes on youtube that doesn't make back their initial toy or flamethrower cost.

There are far better wastes of money that have more long-term practical uses. All short-sighted product offerings do is create a kind of animosity towards trying new ones when the brand doesn't stick by their own products but keeps acquiring or releasing new ones only to discontinue them (you hearing me Microsoft?)

Re:safety

[JMJimmy]

They've got all sorts of warnings/etc. on appropriate use. In the end though, what he's really sold is a very expensive weed torch.

Seriously.

It's just this sort of thing (bought at any walmart/hardware store): https://images-na.ssl-images-a...

Put into this Airsoft battle rifle: https://www.evike.com/images/l...

Re:safety

[stabiesoft]

And yet Tide is getting the bejesus sued out of it for tide pods. You know a nice package to toss in your laundry with no liquids or powders spilled.
There are multiple lawsuits on riding lawn mowers, some have succeeded. Clorox somehow did something to the bleach to make it splash less. I think the gun makers have been sued. I think you underestimate the craziness of the US legal system.

I also wonder why no one has flagged this thing as nothing but a toy CO2 generator, from the guy who wants to save us from CO2.

Re:safety

[Octorian]

Except he's caused all sorts of "officials" to take "notice" and "offense" to something that no one really cared about before. I wonder if this stunt will have the side-effect of suddenly making business much more difficult for everyone who already makes and/or owns similar devices that were previously fine.

Re:safety

[JMJimmy]

In some ways that might not be a bad thing: http://my.lpg-apps.org/uploads...

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not Tide's responsibility when you eat the tide pods.

Like yes, to a certain extent the manufacturer should not be held responsible for selling things that are legal, but they should be held responsible for making and marketing things in a way that would be dangerous.

Each example:
Flame thrower - Sell the weapon, require ID for buying fuel
Razor Blades - Sell the razor, lock the blades behind cabinets (mostly due to theft) and always in packages of multiple blades that can't be disassembled easily to prevent suicide use. Someone who buys a single blade is going to cut themselves, but they can do it a whole lot faster with a brand new boxcutter.
Cars - Sell the car, insurance and drivers licences ensure that only responsibile people (yeah right) will drive them.
Riding Lawnmowers - I'd argue that the same reason for the car with the added risk of losing a hand/foot or having something you run over ricochet and put out an eye. There is safety gear you can buy, but hardly anyone uses.
Gun companies - Again, Sell the weapon, ID and license to buy ammo.
Bleach - There are warnings all over the product labels, and stores will probably not sell it to children anyway, not that you need ID, but that someone who comes in to buy just a small bottle of bleach and nothing else is probably not going to use it for the intended purpose.

And of course Tide Pods, where all they had to do was not color the damn things like candy, maybe make it the color of feces or urine, that would make people think twice. But no, it has to be the color of Tide's branding. All they had to do was put a coating of bitrex into the pods and people would probably not even chomp down on it, as soon as it touches their skin it would be like concentrated pine-sol.

Re:safety

[JMJimmy]

Exactly right - but now he's got $9 million in profits to put towards solving the Model 3 production problems or funding the research on whatever else is actually important.

Re:safety

[cayenne8]

Except he's caused all sorts of "officials" to take "notice" and "offense" to something that no one really cared about before. I wonder if this stunt will have the side-effect of suddenly making business much more difficult for everyone who already makes and/or owns similar devices that were previously fine.

Of course it will....

This will be the new "bump stock"....and I'm guessing immediately we'll have a ton of liberal's shouting for "common sense flamethrower laws".

I guess while were at it, let's ban all things that could possibly be misused and hurt people:

1. Common Sense Truck laws

2. Common Sense Pressure Cooker laws

3. Common Sense Chainsaw Laws

4. Common Sense Kitchen Knife Laws

5. Common Sense Gasoline (and other flammables) Laws

6. Common Sense Baseball Bat Laws

7. Common Sense Richard Pryor Viewing Laws (his pre-politically correct rants might seriously damage a generation of millennials).

8.Common Sense...oh well, you get the picture how ridiculous things can get.

Re:safety

[cayenne8]

People get utility from a car which outweigh the dangers. This is a toy for the sake of being a toy. World of difference.

My answer is..."So what?"

Does everything sold these days require some form of utility use in order to be legally sold and legally used?

It's a free country, and if you WANT something, and legally use it, there should not be any limitation of you being able to possess it and legally use it.

Re: safety

[Anonymous Coward]

You realize you can buy essentially the same thing at any Home Depot, yes? I have one in my garage that runs on propane and throws a 4 foot flame. It's for pre-heating metal objects before welding.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

If that's what you think a free country is, then your country is definitely NOT free.

Re:safety

[cayenne8]

If that's what you think a free country is, then your country is definitely NOT free.

I would agree....it started out that way, and has been getting progressively less free over the years.

I'd say said loss of freedoms have escalated VERY fast since about 1968....and gotten worse and worse since then.

Re:safety

[Antique Geekmeister]

> You can also buy a $10 can of compressed air and light the stream on fire with a 50 cent lighter.

An ad video of the device is at https://www.instagram.com/p/Be... . It's rifle sized, so it carrries considerably more fuel than a typical "compressed air" can, and has a much longer range and overall burning flame volume. I admit to being tempted to get one, but children sometimes visit my home. I'd want to keep it in a good gun safe with space for the device and the fuel.

I agree that it's an expensive toy with limited practical uses. That doesn't mean I don't want one.

Re:safety

[amiga3D]

It's a Darwin toy. We need more of this to remove fools from the gene pool.

Re: safety

[fluffernutter]

As I said before, presentation and marketing is what makes this unacceptable.

Re:safety

[JMJimmy]

Those were hooked up to large propane tanks. If you look the canister that sits on top of the rifle is absent in the video and they're hiding the fact that the hoses are detached. Likely just to make it easier to shoot the advertising.

The actual canister appears to be your standard 1lbs BernzOmatic propane cylinder painted black.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

You can build one yourself... https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

Yes and look at all the gains in safety of transportation, water, and food distribution because of it. Criminals really have to work hard to swindle people too.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

Which of those things are used as a toy only?

Re:safety

[CrashNBrn]

And the US company vaping products are garbage compared to the European companies like Innokin, Vaporesso, etc.

The US products seem more concerned about "looking like a cigarette", than actually working decently.

Re:safety

[ScentCone]

You are correct. And if you're trying to be snarky, it doesn't matter - because you're correct anyway.

Let me guess... instead of being worried about people who use these to clear brush in order to avoid devastating wildfires, or who use them regularly to do controlled burns on everything from sugar cane fields to zoysia turf to tent work infestations ... you're going to go for the nonsense and ignore that anyone with a match, some gas, a rag, and a bottle could cause just as damage as so many of those drive-by flamethrower attacks that are obviously a big problem in your neighborhood.

Re:safety

[cayenne8]

Yes and look at all the gains in safety of transportation, water, and food distribution because of it. Criminals really have to work hard to swindle people too.

Err...that has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation in this thread..the discussion was loss of freedom to own anything you wanted as long as you used it legally.

Re:safety

[ScentCone]

I am concerned about liability in this latest "venture" of his. I'd assume he's had a team of lawyers cover his ass nine ways from Sunday, but all it would take is one high-visibility mishap -- say, a fatal kindergarten fire -- to spoil the fun for everybody.

Do you worry about this every time someone buys a gallon of gas to use in their lawnmower? Because that, and a rag and a match and a glass bottle is every bit as dangerous to a kindergarten class as a controlled-burn tool like the ones in question. More so, really.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

If that's so-uh true, then why can't US citizens not buy Sarin and VX gas yet?

Re:safety

[cayenne8]

Which of those things are used as a toy only?

Perhaps you were answering someone else?

This comment has nothing to do with this thread of conversation, especially my post....

Re:safety

[PopeRatzo]

You are correct.

Oh goody. I like validation.

those drive-by flamethrower attacks that are obviously a big problem in your neighborhood.

The most serious crime in my neighborhood is someone throwing a cigarette butt on the ground or parking in a handicapped zone. I'm serious. There's zero crime in my neighborhood.

Re:safety

[SlaveToTheGrind]

It's not Elon's responsibility what you do with a flame thrower after you buy it.

Right, setting aside the promotional video that shows him holding one assault-rifle style and running toward the frickin cameraman with it flaming, tagged with "Don’t do this. Also, I want to be clear that a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don’t buy one. Unless you like fun." This kind of mixed message doesn't even give him clear grounds to mount the (terrible under the best of circumstances) "just kidding" legal defense down the road.

I am very comfortable that any lawyer he might have ran this by would have told him he's taking on more potential liability with this than he's getting in revenue. My guess is that he's in such a cash crunch right now he can't afford to care.

Re:safety

[geekmux]

Try starting a cigarette company in the US today, see how far you get.

Plenty of cigar companies have had no issues starting up in the US in recent years, and the fact that cigarettes are still a legal product you would probably have NO issues at all starting up, particularly if you were also selling nicotine-infused vaping products. Competing is another matter entirely, and has fuck-all to do with my original point. Musks antics can't hold a fucking flamthrowing candle to the shit Big Tobacco is responsible for when it comes to selling "safe" products.

Re:safety

[taiwanjohn]

The real hazard that concerns me is Elon himself, or rather his wealth and fame, both of which make him an attractive target for enterprising trial lawyers. As I said, I'm sure he made certain it's all legal, but this is essentially a toy weapon that actually works. That is skating closer to the edge than most products you can buy. And a lot of "safe" products generate lawsuits too.

In any case, bad accidents are bad PR, and Elon doesn't need more of that. So I hope nothing like that happens. That is all.

Re:safety

[BadDreamer]

Why on earth would anyone expect people to be so stupid they try to eat Tide pods? If you had told me people were that stupid, I wouldn't have believed you. It took seeing a video of it for me to grasp the immensity of human stupidity.

I don't see how Tide could have foreseen this.

Re: safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Giving them less means to do so would be a start

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

No, you said we should ban all things that should be misused and hurt people. But all the things you mentioned have a practical purpose, so while you could ban them you have to consider the downside of not using it for that purpose along with the upside of removing the danger. Obviously it would be awkward for many millions of people if kitchen knives were banned, so we don't ban those. Where is the downside of banning a toy flamethrower? People might have to find something else to do?

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

"not the availability of the recordable media but the lack of any legal way to obtain the movie/music/software in a way that the customer wishes to use it"
No. I am pretty sure people just don't want to pay for their media addictions. Why pay for things that are relatively easy to steal. Any other argument over how to obtain published music, books, and other types of electronic media by blatantly ignoring the terms of distribution is disingenuous at best and criminal at worst. Content creators have just as many rights as those seeking to set their own terms and arguing their rights are some how being violated because they are not allowed the freedom to steal anything they can get their little hands on. Don't like the distribution terms of the newest mind numbing video game? Nobody is forcing you to buy it. If your body goes in to shock from video game withdrawal psychosis you are perfectly capable of creating your own fix or get a job to support your regular habit.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

So you should be able to own a nuclear weapon or sarin gas as long as you use it legally? Doesn't matter what 'accidents' could happen? Society works precisely because people can't own these things.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

7. Common Sense Richard Pryor Viewing Laws (his pre-politically correct rants might seriously damage a generation of millennials).

Richard Pryor didn't say all that stupid and crazy shit because the ebil Politically Correct wasn't invented yet, he said that shit because he was high as fuck on cocaine, and probably drunk too. He had a really bad problem for a long time. He only lived to age 65 and was lucky to make it that far the way he lived. If he'd still been taking the amount of drugs that led to his earlier crazy rants, he'd have died a lot sooner.

In short, you listened to AM radio for too many years, and like Mr Prior you're left with irreversible damage.

Re:safety

[burtosis]

I don't think flame throwers are the best for this, there is too much collateral damage.

Re:safety

[Hognoxious]

You can also buy a $10 can of compressed air and light the stream on fire with a 50 cent lighter.

I've wasted all that money on fuel when it turns out that air burns?

I should have paid more attention in science classes.

Re:safety

[Hognoxious]

You left out the thing that belongs to a liberal.

Re:safety

[Opportunist]

You might want to take a look at the "flamethrower" he is selling. This is more like a Bunsen burner with a handle.

Re:safety

[cayenne8]

Wow...do you really live in that much fear of your fellow man unless they are deprived of most anything that could be used to harm someone, unless it provides a necessary utility type function?

Man...I'd had to live in that much fear daily, I really would.

I know people around me that own 30-100+ guns, and sure...something "could" go wrong, accidentally shoot through their walls while cleaning them and bullet could travel through a couple of houses.

However, I'm not realistically worried about that. And while guns have many good uses, many out there think they serve no purposeful function...and would travel down your road of thinking.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, that's fine for you. The other day, I was minding my own business, when some guy came up from behind with a flame thrower, robbed me, and before he left, he set my car on fire. I blame this on Elon. Obviously, he has inspired a flamethrower robbing epidemic! /jk

Re:safety

[msauve]

That "toy flamethrower" is basically a common propane torch, which you can buy at any Harbor Freight, packaged up all fancy. Use it to "Burn weeds, melt snow, remove paint from non-flammable surfaces and more..."

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do you presume that the person behind the flame thrower would be killed when it is more likely you who happen to be in front of the flamethrower would die?
And, of course, you could even die in agony and everybody on Slashdot would call you a fool for keeping your back to a fool and his flamethrower. Never mind, that you didn't know you were near or in the firing path of a flamethrower...

Re:safety

[bigwheel]

Anyone who has ever built a spud gun knows that AquaNet works much better.

Re: safety

[guruevi]

He's selling a blowtorch with some plastic molding. I can go get a bigger one at Home Depot and nobody would bat an eyelash.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

You can also buy a $10 can of compressed air and light the stream on fire with a 50 cent lighter.

Do *NOT* do this.
REALLY REALLY DO NOT do this.

If you want cheap flames use a can of starting fluid or spray paint. You can even buy a little plastic pistol grip for it in the paint section.

"can of compressed air"
If you read the label it'll probably list difluoroethane on the contents. When this burns it forms hydrogen fluoride and possibly cabonyl fluoride.
"This gas, like its analog phosgene... ...extremely poisonous with a threshold limit value of 2 ppm for short-term exposure."

When I read your comment I thought "huh, I didn't remember that stuff having a flammable sticker on it..." Sprayed a small burst into a lighter, immediately caught the smell of HF and then opened the windows and door in the middle of winter.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

If you think this is because I'm worried about these people then you haven't read correctly.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

So no where does it say 'have fun' which is the heart of the matter here.

Re:safety

[fluffernutter]

Why would I think a person is buying a gallon of gas to do something that does harm when there are so many valid uses for gas? On the other hand, I can't think of one valid use for a toy flamethrower.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Why on earth would anyone expect people to be so stupid they try to eat Tide pods?

Because nobody ever went broke that way.

If you had told me people were that stupid, I wouldn't have believed you. It took seeing a video of it for me to grasp the immensity of human stupidity.

Yeah, ok so you don't know how stupid people, including children are, so what, we're supposed to give you a medal for ignorance?

I don't see how Tide could have foreseen this.

I told them about it with Dishwasher gel pacs 3 years beforehand.

Re:safety

[stooo]

Better use something like this :
http://s79.photobucket.com/use...

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Nah. They make a version where lead bullets come out and kill you. This one just singes. I'm pretty sure it's fine.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

This thing is little more than a souped up soldering/brazing torch that you can buy in any home improvement/hardware store. It would be funny that so many people want to try to idiot proof the planet, if that is it wasn't so sad/dangerous. The only thing you succeed in doing is creating a better idiot when you try and at the same time you limit the rights, inspiration and imagination of the rest of the populace.

Re:safety

[fustakrakich]

I can't think of one valid use for a toy flamethrower

Unwanted hair removal?

Re:safety

[Jeremi]

This will be the new "bump stock"....and I'm guessing immediately we'll have a ton of liberal's shouting for "common sense flamethrower laws".

If and when someone uses a Boring Company Flamethrower (tm) to murder dozens or hundreds of people at a time, it's very likely your prediction will come true.

Until then, probably not.

I bet the Flamethrower would work very well for burning up straw men, though.

Re: safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Plus there is something wrong with a guy that sells electric cars supposedly because we want to save the planet from burning fossil fuels, and then his next product is a flamethrower gadget to burn fossil fuels for fun.

Re:safety

[xvan]

Copyright infringement is not theft.
There are valid reasons for Intelectual Property Laws in capitalist societies, but the current terms are neither fair, nor up to the information age.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

And who gets to determine what terms are "fair"? Should we dictate how much the creators of original content should make on their work?

Re:safety

[ScentCone]

Ask a farmer, or a landscaper if they think it's a toy. I know, you probably think tractors are toys, too.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

An expensive weed burner.

Re:safety

[mjwx]

He's not going to sell them anywhere he's not allowed. This is a publicity stunt to get government procurement attention around the world and make a quick buck. The actual flame throwers he's selling are actually more of a blow torch... they only go 5' at most (more like 2-3') and don't have a concentrated stream/lasting liquid that continues to burn. You can already buy $900 ones that go 25' or $1600 ones that go 50' from other companies that are far more harmful. What he's done is sell something a farmer might use to clear brush, a fire department might use for controlled buns... but mostly for people to buy to make dumb youtube videos and then put it on a shelf.

You could probably do more damage with a culinary butane torch that you can pick up at your local walmart.

ATF rules state that a flamethrower with a throw of less than 10 feet (3 metres) is A-OK.

I'm going to guess you just need some kind of permit after that.

However this was just generating publicity for Musk. In that regard, it's done quite well.

Re:safety

[MoralCharacter]

I'd like to question the safety issues of storing flamethrower fuel in a gun safe. They do a very poor job of preventing fire related damage from the outside to it's contents - placing volumes of flammable chemicals in an enclosed space with no thermal protection qualities seems like you're asking for a bomb with guns and ammunition for shrapnel.

I'd say just keep the fuel where you'd keep your spare propane tanks for your grill. Kids using it to start fires is about as likely as them using a propane tank for it - it's not like it's ACTUAL flamethrower fuel (napalm infused gasoline).

And lets be honest - not referring to you specifically Antique Geekmeister, but to others trying to act like this is the next 'Streetsweeper' firearm - these aren't flamethrowers like you see in action flicks or WW2 documentaries. The ACTUAL weapons have effective ranges of around 20m and can launch ignited fuel (again, napalm infused gasoline) up to 43m away.

These toys Musk is peddling shoot out an (impressive looking) propane flame up to maybe a meter, meaning it's little more than a dressed up weed burner you could buy at Harbor Freight for $20. Yeeehaw.

Re:safety

[MoralCharacter]

Last I looked baseball bats can be used as a toy. So can flammable substances, in things like chemistry kits, toy rockets, fireworks, pop caps for toy guns... I could go on.

This thing is advertised as a toy, but it can still be used as an extremely expensive propane torch for the things one would typically use a 500,000 BTU torch for. You've already been informed of several such uses for it. I'm willing to suspect these things are exactly that, a weed burner dressed up and sold for roughly 25x as much as they normally cost.

Some danger exists yes, but the potential danger of "things you can buy for $500 or less" is ten times the size of an olympic swimming pool. Elon is just pouring a shot glass of water in it.

If one wanted to commit serious arson felonies, a trip to home depot or harbor freight would be a far easier, faster, and cheaper option to get similar results. Or just drop by the gas station on your way home and buy a canister of gas and a book of matches.

Being more worried about an over priced weed burner in comparison, is just Musk's advertising campaign succeeding. Boy look at all that free press he's gotten already.

Re:safety

[MoralCharacter]

If this were the case the cheapo version of Musks toy would have been legislated out of existence. Musk has packaged a cheap off the shelf weed burner in what looks like an airsoft rifle, and called it a 'Flamethrower' to up the price by like 25x as much.

For $500 and a bit of googling, you can put together something closer to an actual, deadly style flamethrower. I'll even save you the bandwidth of using google: For the price of this book and the materials needed (quoted as costing around $450) you could have a better flamethrower than what musk has. Shoots flames over 40ft... that's extremely close to the effective range of an American M1A1 Flamethrower, the kind used in WW2. I found it when searching for 'Home made flamethrower' on the first page of results.

Re:safety

[MoralCharacter]

I'd also go googling for homemade napalm, but I'm probably already on a list for searching for homemade flamethrowers as is. I can at least justify it as being interested in Musk's toys when the FBI party van shows up at my door.

Re:safety

[Antique Geekmeister]

You''re making very good sense. I don't personally have propane tanks or space for them near my home.

Re:safety

[Anonymous Coward]

The most serious crime in my neighborhood is someone throwing a cigarette butt on the ground or parking in a handicapped zone. I'm serious. There's zero crime in my neighborhood.

Given the dry/drought conditions in California, that cigarette butt is a lot more serious than you're giving it credit.

It's just a...

[JMJimmy]

Hair Dryer - https://globalnews.ca/news/400...

responsible!

[Anonymous Coward]

What a funny joke about falsifying customs paperwork when shipping arms purchased over the internet!

Re:responsible!

[Anonymous Coward]

Because something looks like a rifle doesn't make it "arms"

I'd pay money for that customer list

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a bunch of Brooklyn - I mean Musk - bridges for sale.

Re:I'd pay money for that customer list

[Anonymous Coward]

People pay tens of thousands for stupid skins in video games. Going after those who spend 500$ on a physical, functional item seems like a lot of wasted effort.

I prefer the Harbor Freight version.

[blunttrauma]

Has a bigger tank, and only costs $30.

https://www.harborfreight.com/...

Re:I prefer the Harbor Freight version.

[Scutter]

And it doesn't look like a sweet zombie-fighting flamthrowing shotgun. Musk knows his audience and sold $10 million worth of product in four days. How's your idea working out?

Re:I prefer the Harbor Freight version.

[blind biker]

I am not a flamethrower expert, but I don't think you can make a flamethrower with propane as fuel. The range would not exceed a meter or meter and a half.

In fact, all the flamethrowers ever made used some sort of liquid fuel, usually gasoline. They need a second container for the propellant gas. Flamethrowers have ranges of several tens of meters.

Re:I prefer the Harbor Freight version.

[blind biker]

And now I get to reply to myself, with humble pie on my face: it turns out, Elon's flamethrower is indeed just a propane torch.

I didn't know that. Please forgive my ignorance.

Weed-burning torch

[DanielRavenNest]

This "flamethrower" is just a weed-burning torch with a modified case to hold the tank. That's what he should call it.

https://images-na.ssl-images-a...

Re:Weed-burning torch

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, man, like, do you still those weed throwers, man?! My bong is really gonna rip!

FlameThrowers In California

[Anonymous Coward]

What could possibly go wrong with that?

i have only word for you

[Anonymous Coward]

only one word: idiots

Looking forward to his TED talk

[Anonymous Coward]

*snicker*

How's the Model 3 production going?

[Anonymous Coward]

He has plenty of free time for stunts like this, but not enough to make good on promises to people who have already given him money, I guess. Glad I'm not one of them.

to each his own.

[nimbius]

billionaires: we've just cornered the market on rare minerals used to design technology like cellphones and tablets in order to further our wealth and power

Elon: I made ten million dollars on novelty flame throwers branded with the name of my tunnel digging company i came up with on twitter

billionaires:...Is everything OK at home, Elon?

Re:to each his own.

[mjwx]

billionaires: we've just cornered the market on rare minerals used to design technology like cellphones and tablets in order to further our wealth and power

Elon: I made ten million dollars on novelty flame throwers branded with the name of my tunnel digging company i came up with on twitter

billionaires:...Is everything OK at home, Elon?

I'm certainly not Musk's biggest fan... but I can honestly say that I don't think he has any problems at home. He's probably having as much fun as Richard Branson.

So how much are they?

[Anonymous Coward]

And are they available via Amazon? Gotta start thinking about next Christmas.

Re: So how much are they?

[Anonymous Coward]

Whoops. Sorry didn't even read the article ... just wanted to make a funny since while stuck doing OT on a Saturday.

really not a flamethrower

[Anonymous Coward]

his not a flamethrower isn't a flamethrower. it's a torch dressed to look like a rifle.

you can buy the nozzle tip and the fuel bottles in a hardware store for a fraction of the cost.

Re: really not a flamethrower

[Anonymous Coward]

Space heater

Mr. Musk indeed knows his audience

[Latent Heat]

He knows how to charge people $400 for a weed-removal product used in landscape maintenance that you can get for $30 at Harbor Freight. Brilliant!

Re:Mr. Musk indeed knows his audience

[Powercntrl]

He knows how to charge people $400 for a weed-removal product used in landscape maintenance that you can get for $30 at Harbor Freight. Brilliant!

No. He's already wealthy and famous enough that he is able to easily promote his extremely overpriced weed incinerator.

It's not difficult to come up with some overpriced and/or pseudoscience-based product for suckers/moronic investors. However, unless you're already rich or well-known enough to get people to listen to your snake oil sales pitch, forget it.

People have been making toy guns into flamethrowers ever since someone tried filling a "super soaker" with kerosene. Some of them got burned, none of them made 10 million dollars. What was missing? Elon Musk's money and fame, duh.

Re:Mr. Musk indeed knows his audience

[supremebob]

I have to hand it to him... Elon has the guts to exploit his new "Internet God" status in ways never thought of before.

It was joked that back during Steve Jobs height of power (2006-2010), he could have shit in a box and his fans would have lined up in droves to spend big bucks on said box because they would have thought that it had magical restorative powers.

Steve never actually tried DOING it, though, although some Apple haters would say that The Apple Cube G4 was the closest thing to "overpriced shit in a box" that Apple ever produced.

Elon's just taking it to the next level!

Re:Mr. Musk indeed knows his audience

[rtb61]

Sometimes of course it could be about having fun. When you are rich enough you can play all sorts of silly games with the mug punters. Same goes for when you are smart enough, all sorts of silly fun. To fill conspiracy sites, youtube videos and a flame thrower that launched a million comments. You apparently don't get to play and find it all so very annoying.

Re:Mr. Musk indeed knows his audience

[rahvin112]

Do you have any idea how much these Musk branded torches will be worth in 20 years? People buying these things are making an investment.

There's a limited number, they are branded with a Musk company Brand. Musk follows through on his claim to die on the surface of mars and these things will be worth a fortune.

Re:Mr. Musk indeed knows his audience

[Anonymous Coward]

>The Apple Cube G4 was the closest thing to "overpriced shit in a box" that Apple ever produced

Thankfully they didnt see the iMac 'pro'

Re:Mr. Musk indeed knows his audience

[Anonymous Coward]

Nope, and nor do the people buying them.

But there are 20,000 of them out there, and if most of the buyers are "making an investment" and look after them, then in 20 years time there'll still be lots of them and they'd probably be lucky to get half their money back.

Spaceballs The Flamethrower!

[Templer421]

May the Schwartz Be With You!

Re: Spaceballs The Flamethrower!

[Anonymous Coward]

Mel Brooks has done a lot more for civilization than has Elon Musk.

Musk does produce laughs, but for a whole different reason.

Won't work: renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'

[perpenso]

"To solve this, we are renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'."

Won't work. The presence of the word "flamethrower" will cause problems regardless of context. A friend had the word "laser" in his company name and boxes would occasionally get held up in customs waiting for the "export paperwork". He was not selling lasers. A customs official pulled the packages due to the company name.

"Or maybe 'Temperature Enhancement Device.'"

Better.

Re:Won't work: renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'

[Anonymous Coward]

"Space heater"

Re:Won't work: renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'

[Kernel Kurtz]

It is not a flamethrower. Real flamethrowers spray burning oil on everything. Not nearly as much fun.

Re:Won't work: renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'

[Anonymous Coward]

Thermal discouragement beam.

Re:Won't work: renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'

[DontBeAMoran]

Sounds like something made by Aperture Science.

As a German, I could only think ...

[Anonymous Coward]

The Nazis stopped using flame throwers, because they were too crazy and dangerous, and killed more of their own people than enemies.

The Nazis thought it was too crazy. ... and killed too many of their own people. ...

Let that sink in for a minute.

P.S.: CAPTCHA = madness. (I’m not kidding. That's literally the CAPTCHA right now!)

Re:As a German, I could only think ...

[Anonymous Coward]

And what Elon Musk was selling isn't a flamethrower.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Re:As a German, I could only think ...

[ScentCone]

The Nazis stopped using flame throwers, because they were too crazy and dangerous, and killed more of their own people than enemies.

So what you're saying is that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Does that physically hurt?

Re:As a German, I could only think ...

[geekmux]

The Nazis stopped using flame throwers, because they were too crazy and dangerous, and killed more of their own people than enemies.

The Nazis thought it was too crazy. ... and killed too many of their own people. ...

Let that sink in for a minute.

P.S.: CAPTCHA = madness. (I’m not kidding. That's literally the CAPTCHA right now!)

The only crazy part here is assuming what Musk is selling should be compared to a Nazi killing machine. You'll be lucky to "kill" weeds in your front yard with this toy.

How the fuck is your idiocy his failure?

[Anonymous Coward]

I know this is popular in America, but how the fuck is it his fault, if YOU can't handle it, yet do it anyway?
This is precisely what natural selection is for. You hurt yourself; you stop. If you don't stop, you die. Case closed.

But we "protect" each other so much, that we don't allow ourselves to learn and grow up anymore. Like there is no middle ground between being Bubble Boy and death. Even though that middle ground is precisely where the learning happens.
I'm not saying people should get hurt or die. I'm saying we should let people learn to handle these things. And not treat them like retards, until they are. Because that is precisely what has happened, and why Americans have become such massive pussies.
What I don't yet get, is why and when acting stupid has become a thing of pride. Instead of acting wise.

Re:How the fuck is your idiocy his failure?

[fluffernutter]

The human race does not stop evolving because we protect society from dangerous toys.

Re:How the fuck is your idiocy his failure?

[HornyBastard]

The human race does not stop evolving because we protect society from dangerous toys.

The human race will evolve a lot faster if we make it easier for stupid people to kill themselves.

20,000 people got Musked out of $

[Anonymous Coward]

So given the choice of better options, who would voluntarily choose to buy from Musk and finance his ongoing business failures? How many of these people are Millennials with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans and credit card debt?

Re:20,000 people got Musked out of $

[JMJimmy]

Business failures?

- He sold his first investment to Compaq for $22mil
  - his second company merged with what is now known as PayPal which he made $165mil from
  - SpaceX sits just above profitability on over $1 billion in revenues
  - SolarCity used a capital heavy model to lease panels so they will provide ongoing tax/cash benefits to Tesla long into the future (and are now switching to a non-lease model to increase short term profitability/decrease capital outlay)

Telsa is about the only struggle going on and entirely related to the Gigafactory's inability to mass produce batteries. There's part of the process that they're having to do manually while they fix the automation problems and that's dragging things down/costing the company a lot of money.

The Boring Company/OpenAI/Neurolinks/Hyperloop are pet projects that may lead to something in the future but they're research on a small scale compared to the rest the companies he's involved with.

Seems pretty successful to me.

Re: 20,000 people got Musked out of $

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you know what a taxpayer subsidy is? Everything Musk has done since the PayPal days is only able to survive because of government cronyism.

Re: 20,000 people got Musked out of $

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Everyone knows what it is, especially Ford's, GM's and ULA's management. :-)

Re: 20,000 people got Musked out of $

[OldMugwump]

Ya, if the government hadn't subsidized sales of that $10M worth of flamethrowers (well, torches) he'd be out of business. Do you collect your tax refund? Unemployment when you're out of a job? Even if you don't support those things, you'd be stupid not to pick up a check when it's put in front of you. Musk has taken advantage of subsidies that already were on offer before he came along - just as anybody with a brain would. You don't have to be in favor of those subsidies to make use of them. Just as you have to pay taxes whether you support them or not, you also get the benefit of government programs, including subsidies, whether or not you think it's wise that they exist. That's all Musk has done. He doesn't deserve hate for being bright enough to take advantage of the system that was already there.

Re: 20,000 people got Musked out of $

[JMJimmy]

SpaceX was started that way, it's profitability now comes from the average $72 million dollar fee for launching a rocket (17 last year).

SolarCity started that way, it's technically losing money right now due to leasing but that is ending and going to a direct sales model so it will become profitable quickly. It also generates large amounts of cash from the leasing while providing depreciation on the panels they've leased - after about 10-12 years those leases become pure profit for them. The long term outlook is very good and free of subsidies.

You call it cronyism, I call it governments investing in the future. He's reduced the costs dramatically - on rocket launches alone he's saved the US Air Force over $325 million PER LAUNCH. That's massive. If he can do the same for boring tunnels - you're looking at cheaper subways, hyperloops, easier deployment of broadband, etc. He's done more for the public good than 99% of the cronies that look to exploit the government.

Re:20,000 people got Musked out of $

[Anonymous Coward]

That's because you're a Trump dicksmoker who only cares about profits. Musk is in this for his own gains. He hasn't revolutionized anything for the poor, it's just toys for the rich.

Re: 20,000 people got Musked out of $

[Anonymous Coward]

How much do you crave his dick?

Elon is okay

[kencurry]

I was pretty critical of this guy for a while. But this shows me he really is having fun with the tech entrepreneur life, and doesn't worry too much about all the "what if?s". I'm starting to think he is okay.

Re:Elon is okay

[Anonymous Coward]

When I had thoughts that ran along similar lines, I'd grab a dead-tree magazine that had him on the cover, and an interview inside. It was him being all candid and natural, not reading replies off anything -- just off-the-cuff stuff -- to find out how or what he thought at the time (of SpaceX and the splashlanding, before this flamethrower idea)

I was thinking, Hell, having grown up with Star Trek, if I had that kind of cash, the sky is *NOT* the limit; i'd 'boldly go where no tech billionaire has gone before e.g. go Boring

This is not an asset so we don't have read rights

[Joe_Dragon]

This is not an asset so we don't have to read you your rights but can ask you questions.

customs agencies are saying they won't allow shipment of anything called a 'Flamethrower'," Musk tweeted Friday night, adding "To solve this, we are renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'."

try that with drugs hell in some places you can sit in jail for 1-2 years before trail

Enhancement

[Anonymous Coward]

Temperature Enhancement Device *

*Device not supported on Venus

What's the fellow's line?

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Never worries 'bout his line.
Or a doggone thing, He's just a bang beat, bell ringing
Big haul, great go, neck-or-nothing, rip roarin'
Every time a bull's eye salesman
That's Professor Elon Musk, Elon Musk
I don't know how he does it but he lives like a king
And he dallies and he gathers and he plucks and he shines
And when the man dances certainly, boys, what else?
The piper pays him!

Apologies to Meredith Wilson.

George Carlin

[Subm]

George Carlin: Think for a moment about the concept of a flamethrower

Truth in advertising? Musk's biggest problem.

[Anonymous Coward]

Musk originally intended to defraud the consumer by selling garden torches as flamethrowers.
I would be interested to see how long it takes for Boring to *deliver* all of the orders. Hopefully, Boring will perform better than Tesla.

They look like candy

[Anonymous Coward]

They look like candy with bright colors.
And it normally doesn't permanently hurt you to put a bar of soap in your mouth.

Re:This is not an asset so we don't have read righ

[WalksOnDirt]

So, if I sell aspirin and put a big label on the box, saying "this is not heroin", I could be in jail for one to two years? If that's true then the justice system is really messed up.

Re:This is not an asset so we don't have read righ

[Joe_Dragon]

out side of the usa yes.

That's hot!

[MerlTurkin]

Ba dum TIS!

Aliens

[neoRUR]

I, for one, am glad he is helping out with our Alien Problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Flam...

 

Re:This is not an asset so we don't have read righ

[Anonymous Coward]

A flamethrower may need a weapons import license in some countries. This device is more like a weed burner, so supplying paperwork describing the item is likely good enough...

Elon Musk The Flamethrower!

[Anonymous Coward]

Merchandising!! Merchandising!! Merchandising!!

TED Talks

[RockDoctor]

we are renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower'." "Or maybe 'Temperature Enhancement Device.'"

Oh, so that's what TED talks are about. Toasty warm lectures. But you''ll still be shamed for falling asleep because it's too warm.