Wagner Spraytech Electro-Torch Electric Hot Air Fire Starter & Lighter

I grill (charcoal) and cook pizza a lot in a wood fired oven. My wife bought me one of these almost 5 years ago to start my grill and pizza oven. I have used it several times a week during that time and it has never let me down. This thing is amazing. My fires are ready to go in a matter of minutes. No more newspapers in a chimney starter or paraffin cubes that you have to purchase regularly. This is a one and done and oh so easy to use. Just put it up against the charcoal or wood with the switch in the lighting position. Within a minute you will have a fire. Instead of blowing on it, just toggle the switch in the other direction and it blows the embers for you! Pretty awesome. It is one of the best gifts I have ever received. I have bought them to give to others as gifts as well. If you grill a lot or even use a fire pit or pizza oven, then you need one of these. If you have the same experience I have had, then you will have this for a LONG TIME! Great quality at a great price.

Yep, it's kinda pricey. Spread that initial outlay over the 6-8 year life of this unit and the becomes very affordable. I use lump charcoal and fruit wood exclusively. This is my second unit in 8 years. My original would still be working if I had brought in in from the rain now and again. I have used every non-liquid lighting option to fire my grill including propane, acetylene and mapp gas. My first torch has lighted hundreds (thousands?) of Mighty Weber 22's and dozens of heat box smoker fires. Yes, the aluminum guard has deformed and, no, it does not appear to affect the performance. This unit is the easiest and most theatrical way to light a grill. Every time I use it someone is bound to pipe up "Gonna use the air to light your grill? Har har. Can I get ya a hair dryer? No more wobble pops for you!" And then I do and then they buy one for themselves. The heat and air is calibrated perfectly for hot, quick embers. Lights the coals in less than 2 minutes. The air-only button is essential for an even and thorough combustion after the embers start to glow. This option is not available on many other brands. Get the flame going with heated air and then stoke it with the turbo fan. I can get steak-ready coals in less than 5 minutes by using the turbo-fan feature if I'm in a hurry. I am stoked on this electric stoker. Get one! It's worth the money.

Picked this up to simplify lighting charcoal and fire pits without lighter fluid, and it works exactly as expected. It heats up quickly and gets coals going in just a few minutes with very little effort. Build quality feels solid and the handle stays comfortable while using it. Great option if you grill often or use a smoker and want a cleaner, more consistent way to start a fire. Pros: • lights charcoal quickly • no lighter fluid needed • easy to use and consistent • solid build and comfortable grip Cons: • requires an outlet nearby • gets very hot, so careful storage is important • cord length could be longer Best for: Grilling, smokers, fire pits, and anyone who wants a reliable way to start coals without chemicals. Overall: Simple tool that does its job well. If you grill regularly, this saves time and hassle every time you start a fire.

Update: This worked very well, until it didn’t. Got 15 months of decently heavy use (3-4x per week May-Oct, weekly the rest of the year). Took the rating down as a result. I bought this for use primarily with my Big Green Egg. For years I've been using starter pellets, with very unpredictable results. A friend told me he was using an electric starter that used an electric element that you bury in the coals that was reliable. I wasn't crazy about that approach because the element stays really hot for a bit and you need to put it somewhere safe. But in looking at that, I found the Electro-torch, which seemed a better approach because of the heat shield, so I went with it. I couldn't be happier. It takes about a minute to get the grill started, and I can be up to 700 in about 15 minutes - predictably every time. At the same time, the temperature of the outside of the torch was not worrisome (but do not store until fully cooled) ! My only slight nitpick was that it the "How to use" was not obvious to me as I flipped through the owners guide.

My Kamado has a slot in the front for an electric coil lighter to slide in below the charcoal. I've been lighting it that way for years and while kind of slow, it worked just fine. My original $15 coil lighter finally died. Enter the Electro Torch at roughly three times the price. So now after loading charcoal, I simply light from the top in one or two spots depending how quickly I need to get going and whether high temp grilling or lower temp slow cooking. Bottom line, this thing is fast! Holding it in one spot just touching the charcoal, maybe 30-45 seconds on switch position #1 (low air speed but extremely hot) and there's a good base of orange burning charcoal. Then, flip the switch to position #2 for another 30 seconds and you've got higher air flow turning that little pile of orange into a flaming blast furnace. Pretty simple and quite fast. As others have mentioned, the switch is a momentary rocker, meaning that you must hold it in either #1 or #2 position to make it work. Release it and the torch shuts off. That's not really a big deal and I totally get why they do it. Sure as heck someone would set this thing down on a wood deck and presto, a really big backyard grilling experience begins. So far I've only used it three times lighting my Kamado. I have also used it once to light a Solo Stove firepit with no kindling. Granted my fuel was dry pine firewood, but the Electro Torch lit the log in seconds and had a nice roaring fire in about a minute or so. I'm giving it 5 stars simply because it works, and works very well. For the speed and ease of use, it's worth the price. It's built nice and solidly with a decent gauge protective metal shroud around the heating element. Will it last? TBD. I'll keep it out of the weather, take care not to bang it around, and then I'll follow up here if there is any reason to downgrade my rating. So far, nothing not to like!

I bought this electric torch specifically to use with my Weber Charcoal Grill and my desire to get away from the laborious chimney starter I'd used for years to get my coals ready. To be honest, my expectations for this torch were pretty low. I didn't want to drop a bundle on one so I chose this moderately priced option thinking maybe I'd like it. Well, it's far exceeded my expectations. This thing gets going fast and will get your coals white-hot in about 3-5 minutes. Here are a few tips from my experience: >> Be sure to stack your coals but leave a little room for air to circulate. I typically stack my coals on one corner of my grill, leaving room for hot and cool air to pass through and help get things going. >> You'll need a nearby electric outlet (duh) or a 3-prong extension cord. >> The toggle switch has two settings indicated by a single and double line. The single line applies heat and gets really, really hot. The double line setting is a blower. Use the blower to help kindle and feed the fire as things get hot. >> The toggle switches must be constantly held down to function. This is an intentional design to prevent fires. >> Sticking the head of the unit directly into the fuel is a bad idea and will almost certainly damage the device. Keep it a few inches away and back off as things get hotter. That's it! This simple little torch has saved me a ton of work and clean up and completely replaced my BBQ chimney. I'm super happy with this purchase and definitely recommend it!

Used only a few times but already one of the modes does not heat. This went bad faster than I would expect. However, when it did work, this was great ----- My rating system: 5 Stars – The product went above and beyond what was expected. This includes thoughtful extras in the package or small touches that weren’t used as selling points. It surprised me in a good way. Rarely given. 4 Stars – The product met all advertised features and included a bit extra—something that made it stand out. A nice “above and beyond” effort without being excessive. 3 Stars – I got exactly what I paid for. The item works as described, nothing more, nothing less. It arrived on time and in the condition expected. This is a passing grade, not a bad review. 2 Stars – Item had minor issues: scuffs or missing non-essential parts (not from shipping box damage). The product technically works but needed something extra to be fully functional—something the seller didn’t promise but would’ve made a difference. Also applies to repacks that weren’t disclosed. 1 Star – Product was missing key parts, was damaged inside the packaging (not from shipping), didn’t work as advertised, or didn’t fit even though it claimed to be compatible. Serious issues only. Note: Items sent for free will NOT automatically receive 5 stars. This is a heads-up for sellers fishing for inflated reviews. If you earn five stars, you earn it.

I just love this blow torch. Lights charcoals FAST, talking 60 seconds or less! Functional and durable for basic use like backyard fires and grills or smokers. Heating trigger does not hold on its own for safety, the extra blower setting is very useful for quickly heating up areas after coals or wood has started to catch. The cool factor is a hit at gatherings

Excelente producto

I used this for the first time today. Coals were glowing in about 20 seconds, then turned on the blower for another 45 seconds or so and fully lit. The blower makes all the difference. I highly recommend this. It looks durable as well.

Lo mejor de lo mejor para prender carbón. Estoy fascinado con este producto. Al principio dudaba por su precio ya que es algo costoso, pero ha sido la mejor compra. Enciende en minutos tu asador y sin necesidad de sopladores.

This is THE BEST igniter for a ceramic charcoal-cooker. I've recommended it to every Big Green Egg owner i know!

This electric fire starter is easy to use. It’s starts a fire pretty fast. If the fire is not going, you just use the other switch to blow hot air to it. It does take about 30 seconds to warm up.