• Sludgeyy@lemmy.world
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    5 hours ago

    A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device.

    What do you consider a flamethrower?

    How far is ranged?

    Construction uses what I would call torches, not flamethrowers

    There is very few cases where you want to “throw” flames. It’s inefficient. Keeping the flame and the material close is preferred.

    Giant pile of tar you want to set on fire as fast as possible? I guess a flamethrower is effective. Burning brush, anything where you’re catching something on fire so it spreads.

    They use “flamethrowers” on bitumen roofs. But the idea behind the tool is to not throw the flames as far as possible.

    I’d define flamethrower as “An incendiary device that disperses uncontrollable flames at a distance”

    • Alexstarfire@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Flamethrowers don’t use gas. It uses liquid or solid. That’s why real flamethrowers can be used at ranges of 50+ ft. Often times even higher than that.

    • Jesus_666@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      For me the required characteristics would be that it dispenses a burning liquid at a distance in a controlled, directed manner.

      • If it dispenses burning gas it’s not very useful as a weapon and is really just a big gas burner. Roofing torches, blowtorches, and weed burners fall into this category.
      • If it doesn’t cover a meaningful distance it’s also not very useful as a weapon and is essentially just a leaky container. Driptorches fall into this category.
      • If it dispenses the burning material in an uncontrolled or undirected manner it’s either an incendiary bomb/grenade of some sort or an accident. It might be a weapon but not one I’d call a flamethrower.