If this is legal, why aren't there lots and lots of hand-held flamethrowers available for purchase?
Because I'm sure they aren't exactly a cheap thing to make. Commercially "available" flamethrowers are extremely sturdy, reliable, and usually used with a tank on the back. Manufacturing them to be cheaper and more readily available for consumer purchase was unlikely a priority for just about any manufacturer.
I mean, outside of my inner pyro screaming for this, it's basically an expensive toy (no, that's not an argument against it... I still want one dammit!). I bet many just didn't figure out how the hell they could manufacture one and actually market it to people, because outside of a rare use for some people, they are incredibly impractical.
And yes, I still want one. You could have a list of Cons a mile long, but you can't make me ignore the shining bullet point on the Pros side: it's a fucking flamethrower! :awe:
It doesn't hurt that it's made in Detroit of all places. That place needs as much new business as it can possibly get. The city needs to come back to life.
But ultimately, I think this was a product that basically required the Kickstarter era. Nobody would have thought they could invest how much they'd need to bring this thing to life, AND market it successfully to bring a profit. Kickstarter has changed that paradigm forever. Got a damn good idea but not sure if you can actually make it work? Put some legwork into it and market it to the world through Kickstarter. If it's a good idea, it's almost always bound to succeed.
The real challenge will come a few years down the road, once all those who paid attention to the Kickstarter campaign and funded it have received their toy. Will they still be able to reach enough interested buyers to keep afloat? You get some help from people showing their toys to others and they get the idea to buy one, but what happens when a majority of these people put it away and never bring it back out to play? It'll have the best shot in the word of mouth department if people actually find a way to make it practical.
And with it being now something that has been brought to market, I do fear it will become illegal to own in more states in due time. There has got to be a ton of fear in regards to forest fires. Idiots set them off all the time without requiring a device that throws fire 25 feet away.