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Gas or electric weed burner

Updated: October 2026

The fork is a butane wand in one hand and a mains hot-air stick in the other, both called a weed burner. One has an open flame and a canister. The other has a cable, a lower listed temperature, and no gas to store. A gas or electric weed burner choice follows the socket. If the joints are beside an outdoor plug and you will not handle cans, take electric. If the drive has no socket and you accept a flame, take a butane wand. A propane hose is a third machine. The models are in the [weed burner comparison](/hub/weed-control/weed-burner). What arrives in the box is the [weed burner buying guide](/hub/weed-control/weed-burner/sub/weed-burner-buying-guide). Prices are amazon.co.uk figures from 15 October 2026. We did not measure flame temperature. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The fork is a butane wand in one hand and a mains hot-air stick in the other, both called a weed burner. One has an open flame and a canister. The other has a cable, a lower listed temperature, and no gas to store.

Our top picks

Gloria Gloria Thermoflamm hose set

Best overall

Gloria Gloria Thermoflamm hose set
8.8/10about £33.80
View offer
Onkruidbrander Onkruidbrander weed burner, 4 cans

Preis-Tipp

Onkruidbrander Onkruidbrander weed burner, 4 cans
8.2/10about £14.95
View offer
My Garden Outdoor Living My Garden electric weed burner

Alternative

My Garden Outdoor Living My Garden electric weed burner
6.8/10about £28.34
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What actually differs
  2. 2.The temperature numbers
  3. 3.Safety is not electric means safe
  4. 4.A hose torch is a third machine

What actually differs

A butane wand here is a tube around 78 to 80 cm on a screw-on can. The Marksman at £10.99 leaves the cans out. The Onkruidbrander at £14.95 puts four cans in. Three Green Haven listings sit at £14.99, £19.99, and £26.99. Two of those titles say electric. The bullets say butane, no cable, and no mains outlet. If that word is why you clicked, you are still looking at gas. Listed maxima, where printed, are often 1,300°C. UK reviews cluster on a piezo that dies and on wind that puts the flame out. An electric stick plugs in.

The temperature numbers

Listed temperatures are not one test. Electric pages that state a figure sit around 600–650°C. Several butane wands print 1,300°C. Gloria’s hose lists 1,000°C. HoldOneLight claims 2,100°C. Nothing says those probes were used the same way. A higher number does not prove the weed dies faster, or that the slab is safe. In our listings the gas complaint is not “too cool”. It is a clicker that fails, after which people use a lighter. The electric complaint is reach: Greenfields reviews mention an extension and smelly smoke. Gardeners' World talks about short bursts with a mains thermal weeder. None of that crowns 1,300°C for a two-metre patio.
Gloria Gloria Thermoflamm hose set

Testsieger

Gloria Gloria Thermoflamm hose set
8.8/10about £33.80
View offer

Safety is not electric means safe

No flame is not no fire. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, on 29 August 2025, named gas and electric weed burners together and advised against both when growth is dry. A mains head still gets hot. A My Garden review says so after use. Hot air on a dry fence or a shed is still a way to start a fire. A pet-friendly bullet means the listing is not a herbicide. It does not mean a child can touch the nozzle, and it does not clear decking. The pass itself is how to use a weed burner.

A hose torch is a third machine

Gloria at £33.80 and HoldOneLight at £47.24 are hose sets, not a bigger wand. The tank is not in the box. Gloria gives you 5 m of hose and does not name the thread. HoldOneLight gives you 3 m and one UK review. Dapetz at £19.79 is titled for roofers as well as weeds, and reviews argue about a regulator. Liquid Gas UK’s figures, often 28–30 mbar for butane and 37 mbar for propane, describe classes of regulator. They do not say these hoses accept the barbecue fitting in your garage. Use a hose torch only when you already own a cylinder and can confirm the inlet before you pay.

Common questions

Which is safer?
Neither is safe in dry growth. Royal Berkshire names both types in one warning. Electric removes the visible flame and the canister, which matters beside a fence, and the head still burns. Gas shows you the flame and adds wind and a clicker that may fail. Safer means fewer hazards for the job in front of you.
Which is faster?
A lit butane wand is ready when the flame is stable, which is why guides aimed at large areas tend to favour gas. An electric stick needs the element hot and, here, a lead of 1.8 m or 2 m unless you add one. On a small patio the lead is the delay. On a long drive the wand covers ground the cable does not, until wind or a dead piezo stops it.
Which is cheaper to run?
Keep it as cans against electricity. A 2,000 W stick uses about 2 kWh per hour if it runs the whole time. Your tariff sets the pence. One reviewer mentioned about 65p an hour, which is one review. Butane costs whatever the next canister costs after cans in the box are gone.
Can I use electric with no outdoor socket?
Only with an extension that can carry the load, fully unwound, and not daisy-chained. My Garden reviews say the 1.8 m cable needs a lead for about 2 kW. A coiled indoor reel is a poor answer. If you cannot do that safely, a butane wand is the fork that does not need the socket.
Does no flame mean no fire risk?
No. Berkshire’s dry-weather advice covers electric burners as well as gas. A hot nozzle and dry stems are enough. Greenfields and My Garden claim no open flame. A pet-friendly bullet means no herbicide, not a cool head.
Why do gas reviews talk about lighters?
Because the piezo fails. Onkruidbrander reviews include a melted ignition wire. Green Haven reviews say the clicker dies after early use, so people use a fire lighter. That is a second flame beside the can. A higher temperature on the label does not fix it.
When is a hose torch a third option?
When you already have a cylinder and can match a regulator the listing does not name. Gloria’s 5 m hose at £33.80 and HoldOneLight’s 3 m hose at £47.24 both leave the tank out. They are not the portable answer, and they are not the no-flame answer. With neither a socket nor a cylinder, stay with a cartridge wand that states the cans.

Related pages

Weed burner for patio

Weed burner

Best weed burner for a patio, a wand or a cylinder

Weed burner buying guide for fuel, fitting and reach

How to use a weed burner so the joint does not scorch

Sources

Public UK sources, last checked on 15 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures for these listings. Listed temperatures are manufacturer claims, not a test run for this page.

  1. RHS: Weeds on hard surfaces (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service: weed burners, 29 August 2025 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service: shed fire, 25 August 2023 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service: barbecue and garden safety (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Gardeners' World: patio weeders (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Camping and Caravanning Club: gas for tent campers (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. BEAMA: extension lead safety checklist (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings, captured 15 October 2026 (retrieved 15 October 2026)