Elon Musk Throws Party for Flamethrower Buyers – By Rob Quinn (newser.com) / June 11 2018
First 1K could pick them up in person
(Newser) – The first 1,000 customers who bought flamethrowers from Elon Musk at $500 a pop could pick them up on Saturday, though they’re now labeled “Not a Flamethrower” to get around pesky regulations about transporting flamethrowers between states. Musk—who sold 20,000 of the devices to raise $10 million for his Boring Company tunneling project—threw a party at SpaceX headquarters in Los Angeles for the buyers, complete with a food truck and a mariachi band, reports the Verge. Customers weren’t allowed to open the boxes at the “pick up party,” though they could wait in line to try out a sample flamethrower for tasks including roasting a marshmallow. The other 19,000 flamethrowers will be shipped.
The devices are more like propane blowtorches than military-style flamethrowers, though that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of buyers. “I love fire. I play with torches and gasoline all the time so this is the ultimate toy that I’ll play with for all my life,” one buyer tells the Guardian. “I’ve bought a bunch of wood. I’m ready.” Musk tweeted photos of people trying out the flamethrowers, along with some Dr. Seuss-inspired advice on how to avoid “unintentionally burning things down.” CNN reports that within hours of the party, some of the flamethrowers turned up for sale on eBay, with prices ranging from $3,000 to $20,000.
http://www.newser.com/story/260451/elon-musk-throws-party-for-flamethrower-buyers.html
