I’ve tested some pretty cool gear over the years—but nothing’s ever turned heads quite like the X15 Flamethrower. My demo model arrived just in time to use on a few fields I’d been planning to manage via prescribed fire. The X15 is much more dramatic than a standard drip torch.
At heart, it’s a 3-gallon metal tank filled with fuel and connected to a hose and wand. That tank is secured to a pack frame, and to it is a valve and smaller hose attached to a 20-ounce CO2 tank (like you’d use on a paintball gun). The CO2 pressurizes the fuel tank and pushes fuel through the wand. On the end of the wand is a pilot-light igniter, which is powered by a small propane tank secured to the pack frame. The system is heavy, but there's no mistaking it for a real flamethrower.
And it throws one hellish wall of flame. I used a 50:50 mix of gasoline and diesel fuel with a little napalm fuel thickener, which was included with the flamethrower. I mixed the first batch too thick, and it clogged the gun. I used less napalm with the next batch, and I was left with a mixture that was a bit thinner than highly flammable maple syrup. It incinerated dead vegetation on contact, and left me with a good two-hour grin.
With the X15, both the fuel and CO2 go fast. It’s not a problem if conditions are good, your field is ready to burn, and you’re easy on the trigger. But if you’re trying to melt a wet stump, expect to spend some money on fuel. At the end of the day, you can burn a field just as effectively with a drip torch and save on the $1,600 that an X15 will set you back. It just won’t be nearly as much fun.
Of course, there is some risk in strapping a 3-pound pressurized tank full of gasoline to your back and then using it to burn a field, so be careful. Wear flame-resistant clothing. And be sure to check your local regulations (although, according to the X15 website, Throwflame.com, flamethrowers are legal everywhere except California and Maryland).
