Die damn you, die!!!! (Parasene Weed Wand 550)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Parasene Weed Wand 550
Date:	17/09/08 (347 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Immediately effective weed destruction ; less environmentally damaging

Disadvantages: Not so effective in damp conditions ; more expensive than chemicals

We have a block paved driveway. It replaced a mixed tarmac and crazy paving surface some six years ago. Block paving is "Good For The Planet" because the bricks maintain a gap between them, through which rainwater can drain into the sub-soil and, as we now all know, this is a "Good Thing"! It's the type of driveway surface that is impermeable, such as concrete or tarmac, and so causes water to run off into the drains that is one of the prime causes of the floods that so affect our landscape these days.

Of course, the drawback of block paving is that weeds and grass just love to try to take a hold in the gaps, where their roots reach down into the soil that inevitably squeezes up between the blocks. This can make the whole driveway look unsightly so, how do you get rid of them?

In the past I have used the usual chemical cocktail, such as Pathclear. True it is effective but I have become less and less satisfied by it and its competitors. No matter what the claims they all always seem to take a substantial length of time to take effect. The first signs do appear within days but it seems that it can take weeks for the weeds to entirely disappear. Until they do, it's a moot point whether dying weeds look any better than thriving ones!

In any case, using these chemicals close to plants that you don't want to lose, such as along a path border, can be a challenge. How do you ensure that the spray only covers the weeds? What about chemical spread through the soil as well? In any case, should we be spraying the World with noxious chemicals. OK, the manufacturers claim that they are bio-degradable but wouldn't it be better not to use them in the first place? After all, I'm sure that they thought that DDT was safe when they originally started using it.

I saw an advert for the Parasene Weed Wand and immediately thought that this would be the perfect solution to the problem. The Weed Wand burns weeds and so is pretty well guaranteed to produce immediate results. OK, so it uses gas to burn off the weeds and so there is the CO2 effect but all things considered I would rather that than the alternative. I'm sure it doesn't amount to that much anyway, probably no more than your average barbecue.

The Weed Wand is a very simple device. It looks just like a metal walking stick, with the handle covered in a green plastic grip and with a gas canister screwed to the end of the handle so that it hangs down below your hand. Immediately above the canister is the gas control, a simple screw valve that regulates the flow of the gas. Parasene supply their own brand of gas but the canister fitting is standard and so just about any equivalent could probably be used.

Halfway down the underside of the stem is the lighter button. Opening the gas valve and pressing the lighter button once lights the flame at the end of the stem, where the flame emerges from a cowl slightly bigger in diameter than the rest of the stem. The flame lights immediately and produces a strong flame that extends maybe 15 centimetres from the end. The instructions state that it burns at 1,000C!

Using it is simplicity itself. However, unlike my first trial, it's probably best not to try to use it immediately after a period of sustained rainfall. At these time the weeds are lush and juicy and so getting rid of them can take substantially longer. Better to wait until we've experienced a dry spell when the weeds are naturally running out of water. I have proved that myself; the weeds under where my daughter usually parks her car were much easier to destroy than those on the rest of the driveway. The dry weeds took only seconds, the rest could take as much as a minute to reduce to ash.

Not that you actually need to reduce them to ash. You actually only need to "cook" the centre of the weed, above the root. The weed will dry out and should soon disappear. I, however, am not that patient and wanted to see immediate results so I blasted them. The results were very effective though time-consuming. In future I'll try to pick my time, British Summers permitting!

Of course, using flames is always a potentially risky affair. Great care does need to be taken to ensure that the burning doesn't get out of control, especially during particularly dry periods. I would suggest a bucket of water nearby whenever you are using the Weed Wand, just in case. It is intended only to be used on driveways and pathways. I suppose it could be used in borders but I wouldn't recommend it. That's what your fork is for!

I have been impressed with the results produced by the Weed Wand and I will be keen to see how much quicker I can dispose of weeds in more suitable conditions. Most of all it is very cost effective. The cheapest I have found the Weed Wand for sale was at £19.99, including a canister of gas. That was at Argos. The closest I found to this was at the same price at our local Longacres, but that was without a canister of gas. 275grm propane/butane gas canisters cost around £4, or less bought in bulk. I haven't yet determined how long a canister lasts.

There is also a 552 model. The only difference appears to be that the stem has a bend in it about 20cms from the end, which points it more downwards. This version does seem to be a bit more expensive but I really can't see that it gives any significant benefit, certainly not enough to justify the additional expense.

I would definitely recommend the Weed Wand, even after the relatively brief trial I have given it so far. For my part I have found it the best solution for unsightly weeds. It's probably also pretty good for lighting barbecues!

Oh, and it also works well on ants!

Summary: An effective way to blast away weeds