Hot Devil Weed Killer

DOES NOT DO WHAT IS PROMISED – Firstly it does nothing to green weeds - I sprayed many with weed killer and later tried to burn but only a small amount was affected. Then to make matters worse the igniter button has quit. Am able to start using a gas lighter but that’s quite disappointing. Would not recommend! Show details

No spare parts available so item unusable – Just found that the plastic part on my Hot Devil Weed Killer that the gas canister fits into has come off (and cannot be found), so I contacted the supplier who advised that spare parts are not available. Great product but for the sake of a tiny plastic part the entire product now has to be junked.

What rubbish – There is no way on earth that it reaches the 1350C that is claimed. It does not cook the plant as claimed and the piezo igniter breaks down quickly. What a waste if money and resources Show details

Overpriced Rubbish – Bought the wand for 40 dollars and 2 propane cannisters for 18 dollars each later found other brand cannisters at Bunnings for 9 each, hence the overpriced part. However I did not get to use my nine dollar cannisters as the as the black plastic valve dial cracked and the wand is unusable hence the rubbish part. Show details

Works like a wonder – So I purchased one about 7-8 years ago and use it regularly through the QLD summer months. I'm just about to replace it as the heat has finally made some of the finer metal in the nozzle end brittle. I use this a lot around the home and love the fact that I don’t have to worry about glyphosate overspray when the breeze is up. Results are almost… Read more

instaneous such that you can see which ones you may have missed later that same day - can't say the same for chemical sprays. It does take longer than sprays though if you let the weeds build up. Solution ... don't be lazy and let it get that bad.

Use it AFTER you spray weeds – I find the burner works brilliant if used after you spray. You might say what's the point if you're using glyphosate first? I live in country NSW and weeds I get are huge. Even if I use Round Up Ultra glyphosate the weed dies and I'm left with dead stalks or 'stars' on ground. This torch then lights up the weed burning it down to nothing. If… Read more

you expect it to kill & burn a healthy green weed well you're going to use a lot of propane. This process of killing first with glypho - then burning the now dead weed isn't for everyone but you'll find a much longer time in having to kill weed again.

Good initially but eventually leaks – Worked well initially, reasonably easy to use & had fun burning garden weeds & lighting wood fire pizza oven. Downsides though it can quickly chew through butane cylinders weeding & the plastic collar leaked after a single season & caught fire which is bit alarming given proximity to hand grip & potentially explosive cylinder. Cheap enough ~$38ish… Read more

but not so much after only one seasons use. Also uncomfortable with how many disposable cylinders being sent to landfill.

It works. Use with caution – OK. I read the negative reviews carefully. I examined the product. And it made sense. So I tried it out. It works as described. I use it to burn out the weeds in my brick pavers. It burns them to dust and does not leave a mark on the brick. It works effectively esp with the dry weeds. Think carefully while operating this to avoid causing an accident. I accidentally burned myself when I let the barrel touch my skin. Show details

What a shocker of an organisation – Whilst the device was essentially inadequate, I persevered. However, when the igniter failed and I tried to buy a replacement the company replied, that for safety reasons they did not supply spare components - throw it away and buy another. What an environmentally responsible group they are! I am surprised they didn’t suggest returning to glyphosate.  Show details

Pretty feeble – The principle makes sense but the heat it delivers is inadequate. For anything more than dry grass you have to keep the flame on a long time to see any result. I've tried just a few seconds and waiting a few days for the weeds to die as instructions suggest but it did not work. Judging how long to burn is beyond me. Also, the strength of flame… Read more

goes down rapidly as the butane can is really too small a reservoir. Hence costly to use. I've seen an alternative propane-fueled neighbour's Red Devil in action and it looks much better

It works well for its price – I bought this specifically for burning off weeds in a predominantly native grass area. It works reasonably well for the price of the unit - to buy an industrial burning wand will cost upwards of $300.00 - but if you're imagining this is going to deal with persistent or established weeds then you're wasting your money. Fire was never going to… Read more

kill off things like dandelions and grasses such as couch or kikuyu.

It works best on annual weeds and even then, only when they're very very young. I dealt with a massive amount of chickweed in a native grassland area very well with it, but I hit it when the chickweed was at its first true leaf stage.

If you have the skill to identify weeds very soon after they have germinated then this unit will work well for you. If not, then get your hands and knees and pull the weeds out!

Useless – Great BBQ lighter and that's where it stops . Couldn't kill weeds if you tried . Good old round up does it . At sixty dollars and probably a cost of 5 dollars out of China somebody is making a lot of money for a bbq lighter . Box of matches would do better  Show details

Waste of money – Heard about this product. Wished I hadn't. Used this product once. Useless.... Don't waste your time and money. Try a Grampa weeder instead or use a weed killer. So many places you can't use it. Wished I had checked out the reviews here first. The product doesn't work. Shonky... waste of money  Show details

The right tool to kill weeds without killing your valuable plants, pets and poisoning you! – Recently retired and found weeding a real effort due to the effects of a stroke. Had been using liquid weed killer requiring careful mixing with gloves and pumping the spray unit by hand. Hot Devil has put an end to that! With an effective operating temperature of 1000C it kills weeds instantly even in wet weather. If you want an effective convenient and evironmetally friendly weed killer, look no further!

Not What You Would Expect It To Be – Had this item 3 years and used it around 10 times during that period. While it does not do too bad a job it has started leaking where the gas bottle connects and you cannot get spare parts. Low usage and now defective, I have to throw it away. Will not be buying another one.

Does not kill weeds – I purchased my Hot Devil to kill the weeds in my paving. I thought it would be a great alternative to using chemical weed killers. This product simply does not work as advertised. It takes ages to heat up the weeds and they just grow back a few days later. I found the stork of this product was too small and had to bend over to use it. The gas… Read more

leaves black burn marks on light coloured surfaces. I would not recommend this to anyone.

Stalk too small for average sized people, does not kill weeds, leaves burn marks on light coloured surfaces

There seems to be no quallity control – I got my Hot Devil weed killer home from the shop only to find part of the burner floating around inside the head. I took it back to the shop and found the replacement had the same fault. Needless to say I got a refund. I should have looked up the review before wasting my time. Not worth the money

Doesn't work – I bought the Hot Devil Weed Killer as an alternative to using vast amounts of Glypho (Roundup, Zero etc...) You attach a portable butane gas cooker cylinder to the weeding wand, turn on the gas, hit the Piezo lighter and you have a blast of flame that is very hot. The instructions state not to burn the plant, but rather heat it up and then in a… Read more

day or two it's dead. Well I must have asbestos based plants, as I heated up some flat leaved weeds that just started to curled up. I kept heat on the centre of the plant, being careful not to burn it. The next day, full of expectation of a withering weed, only to find a healthy plant staring back at me. I then tried again as the instructions state. It was a GroundHog day, as the next day and the day after no shrivelling weed, it just looked the same only a little brown. One week on and you guess it, green as ever.

The ads for this thing state that the plant is destroyed at a cellular level. My wife poured boiling water on a similar plant some distance away, and it was dead in 2 days.

Verdict: This thing is a waste of money. It's not cheap, I paid $50.00, Magnet Mart has them for $76.00. So if you want an alternative to weed killers, this isn't it. Stuff the environment, by the time you buy more cans of butane, this thing is not worth the effort. Back to Glypho. It lit easily. Expensive, doesn't work, total waste of money