The Boring Company is really pushing the definition of “Flamethrower”

You've got to hand it to Elon Musk. He has built up such a reputation and fan base over the years, that with a mere video and a few tweets, he can sell millions of dollars' worth of novelty toy flamethrowers in a few days. The Boring Company has managed now to sell more than 15,000 flamethrowers with shockingly little detail about what they are or how they work. Boring Company's website gives you a picture and a two-line description and then asks for $500.

With only the barest of descriptions to go by, people's imaginations are running wild. One California politician wants to block the sale of the flamethrower, saying, "We don't allow people to walk in off the street and purchase military grade tanks or armor-piercing ammunition... I cannot even begin to imagine the problems a flamethrower would cause firefighters and police officers alike."

Judging by the small amount of information and videos released, The Boring Company flamethrower probably won't lead to the downfall of modern society.

Just a fancy-looking torch?

First of all, this is not the first commercially available flamethrower—two such devices launched in 2015. Furthermore, when you separate Boring Company's product from the hyped-up descriptor of "flamethrower," it doesn't even seem like it's an exceptional fire-producing device. There's no official information on how the device works or what the propellant is, but it looks to be nothing more than a propane torch with fancy styling.

Propane torches are regularly available at your local home improvement store. Something like a 500,000 BTU torch is capable of matching the flame shown in Boring Company's videos, and they can be had for around $50. These tools are great for burning weeds, quickly lighting charcoal grills, and for bonding modified bitumen panels to the top of a roof.

Military flamethrowers often use a liquid fuel, like diesel or gasoline, or use a two-tank system that mixes a flammable fuel with a propellant. Both methods result in a much more dramatic stream of fire than the Boring Company flamethrower has shown it is capable of. You can buy real flamethrowers like this, too. The Ion MX42 is a $1,000 flamethrower than can burn gasoline, a gas/diesel mix, or ethanol, resulting in a 30-foot stream of fire. Throwflame's Xmatter Flamethrower pairs a small propane tank with a 20oz CO2 backpack, and the manufacturer claims the device can shoot 100 feet. If you really want to kick things up a notch, the $3,000 version offers napalm compatibility!

These other flamethrowers are, of course, going to be way more dangerous than the fancy propane torch Musk seems to be selling. Boring Company plays that angle up in its minimal description, saying it's the "World's safest flamethrower!" Assuming it is used responsibly, it's probably every bit as dangerous as a barbecue grill.

The commercial flamethrower market has not existed for long, so flamethrowers are largely unregulated in the United States. California is one of the few states with a law on the books, limiting any “flamethrowing device” to a 10-foot flame, which Musk has said his company complies with. If California wants to add even more restrictions, it would have to be careful of inadvertently banning useful fire tools like propane torches.

So sure, Boring Company's flamethrower is probably just a propane torch, but it at least has a cool, futuristic design, right? It actually doesn't seem like Boring Company did much original design work, either. Airsoft fans on the Internet were quick to point out that the body of Musk's flamethrower looks a lot like an existing Airsoft gun, a "CSI XR-5 Advanced Main Battle Rifle." When looking at the two side by side, it's hard to imagine Boring Company isn't using some of the same body molds, either from this Airsoft company or from someone further up the supply chain.

For a company that is supposed to be engineering a car-tunnel network, it doesn't make sense for Boring Company to invest a ton of time in designing silly novelty flamethrowers. It seems like it put in the appropriate amount of effort here, slapping together a few off-the-shelf parts in a way that struck a chord with people. The flamethrowers are probably meant to work the same way as the Boring Company hats, a way to generate some revenue and raise brand awareness. The Boring Company has certainly succeeded on that front.

Listing image by Boring Company