Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is Thermacell MR150 Portable Mosquito Repeller.  This write up will be rather short because the video below covers pretty much everything.  Let me just say I LOVE this thing, yea it really works and I highly recommend it.  My friend David gave me one of these as a gift, it has changed our lives here on the farm. The mosquitoes this year are worse then I have ever seen them.  If I go out especially in the morning or evening without this I am literally torn up in a matter of minutes.  With this at my side I get no bites.

This item works in a very simple way.  A very small butane flame heats as treated pad.  The pad is treated with a repellent, allethrin, which is a synthetic copy of a natural repellent found in chrysanthemum plants.  Each pad lasts about 4 hours and each butane cartridge lasts 12.  The same pads and butane cartridges work for all the different models of Thermocell including the “pretty ones” for patios.  So you only need to buy one type of inserts for the entire Thermocell Line which is pretty extensive.

Refills come in many different quantities and you can even get “earth scented ones for hunting”.  One thing to be aware of, the fuel and pads can’t be returned to Amazon due to them being flammable.  That is the only thing to really be aware of here.  Trust me though you are not going to want to return it.

I got a true lesson in how well these things work a few days before I wrote this review.  I was out tending to my stuff and all the sudden I was getting bit heavily especially on the legs and ankles.  I was like what the heck, checked my Thermocell and sure enough the butane cartridge has gone empty.  I will be testing these on sand fleas in Florida during my vacation, and the manufacturer says they also work on biting flies.  I have only tested them on mosquitoes.

Here are a few more things you need to know.

1. You don’t have to watch the clock on the pads wearing out, when all the blue turns white replace them.
2. If you are going to be traveling on a plane, the pads and device can go in baggage but the butane can’t.  I simply ordered some for my coming trip delivered to my hotel with attention hold for guest on the address.
3. When you shut off the flame the pad stops being used, so one pad can be used for 4 hours continuous or for numerous short term needs.
4. The area of protection is about 15 feet, big spaces may need two or three interlocking devices for full protection.
5. The MR150 and MR300 are functionally the same, the only real difference is the shape of the 300 which is marketed as being “more ergonomic”.
6. Building on #5 if you don’t care about color or looks, the MR300 in Olive is the cheapest option at $19.27 at the time of this review being written anyway.
7. Again one big thing, this item can’t be returned to Amazon due to the butane, I don’t think you will want to return it but I feel obligated to point this out.

In the end if you are tired of getting bitten these things work, so check out the entire Thermocell line.  I personally find the 150 model to be the most flexible, it is small and portable and works as good as the “pretty” ones but again since they all use the same inserts you have total freedom to chose. I can tell you this, I will never not have one of these things in my life, being torn up by mosquitoes is miserable and it is even worse with kids involved.  Check the video below to learn more and tune into today’s show (Episode 2456) to hear more about why you really need these things in your life, if you live or play where mosquitoes lurk.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

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