It’s a simple design and it works so I guess has stood the test of time.
The X300 might be the light one - there’s an X500 (of which the X300 is a component) which is on a wheeled trolley.
Nocturnal micturition might be an option, but you have to go in the same place to concentrate the liquid. I have a big gas one, as described. They are effective but you have to keep repeating. Eventually the weeds will give up, before they sprout somewhere else.
Is that like pest repellent (can’t remember what pest it was supposed to repel 
) in that it only works for males?
Probably works for females as well, but would be harder to concentrate the liquid in a single place!
Not with a shewee 
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I’d suggest for second homeowners before leaving to go back to Blighty or anywhere else. Is to spend an hour covering pathways/courtyards etc with a geotech covering and taking it up when back, no weeding when back here.
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Now why didn’t we think of that all the years we were second home owners!! Great tip! Buy the man a beer.
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It’s something I’ve thought about, but having to deploy a couple of hundred square metres of the stuff might be difficult.
Don’t recognise the bloke in the big picture but the other one could be me., though I don’t remember being trusted with a wheelie one. 
Great once the weeds are dead.
How do you mean?
Welcome to the forum, anyway. I hope you like its name.
Afternoon all, thanks for the advice and comments. I’ve gone for Hoselock’s “girly” option.
It’s great advantage is that it’s lightweight. It’s also quite short - just right for my height - 5ft 4in - so it means my arms are relaxed and the flame is close to the ground. Would be a challenge for someone tall - they’d have to bend over.
I’m fortunate in that it has only one job to do and for that it’s perfect. As @JaneJones says, the weeds need to be small - in fact where I will be using it they are quite tiny. And it will only be used for the centre of the chemin down to our property as the weeds begin to break through the new surface that the mairie had laid this summer. The chemin is 230m and I did the entire length in an hour, but that’s because there are still sections where no weeds have broken through yet. If I do it frequently, while they are still small it will be an easy task. I think I used nearly a canister of butane but as it’s a hoselock I’m assuming they will be easy to replace.
Thanks everyone for your help.
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That should be ideal for the role you described. The gas cylinders should be the same size/fitment as those for a plumber’s blowlamp so have a look in the plumbing department if all else fails.
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I rather like that girly option…like my lightweight stick hoover for upstairs I could have it as the quick flame option when a few minutes to spare and not feeling like getting the 6kg version out.
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I have one of these and it is more effective if I can discipline myself to keep the flame a few inches from the weeds rather than actually trying to incinerate them. But I find it’s true value is in encouraging a reluctant barbecue.
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That’s useful advice.
I found it interesting how the baby grass tufts literally turned to a crisp whereas the baby dandelions (no more than two tiny leaves) were more resilient.