Side by Side Comparison of: Murphy's Mosquito Sticks vs Thermacell

Really have come to appreciate these little gems! We took them on a recent cabin trip to Kentucky and litna couple of these each nite around The fire pit and few if any bites at all. We've fired them uo for parties and folks noted the fewer bugs around!PlusThey're small enough you can strategically place them in pots and they'll smoke and chase the 'squitos away just fine!

Product really works. Taking them with us on a camping trip to give them a real test.

Bought these for a backpacking trip to Shawnee National Forest and have since been using them in the backyard around dinner time. They smell good and in my opinion have been effective at keeping mosquito away. I burn 3 at a time and place around the general area. It would be nice if they had these is a smaller version. I find myself saving half burnt sticks regularly.Note: The tube is big, so I would not recommend bringing on future backpacking trips.

Our family loves these mosquito sticks. We purchased them elsewhere previously, but the store no longer sells them and I was thrilled to see that amazon had a comparable price. They work very well! My husband is one of those people that mosquitoes flock too, so i light a few of these sticks about 15 minutes before he comes outside in the evening and he doesn't get any bites.We also used them while on vacation in the Adirondacks and the mosquitoes were plentiful, several well placed sticks along the deck and the whole family was happy. I like the smell, it is very similar to most incense sticks and is quite pleasant. They last a long time and can be re-lit often. We put them in a little container of rocks and sand and stub it out when done and it is ready to relight the next night.

We went to a local lake area recently and needed some good bug spray and mosquito repellents. I pretty much am looking for something that will ward off insects without exposing myself and, more importantly, my children and grand kids to unnecessary chemicals.Bingo. While looking around the Amazon site, I saw this product and decided to give it a try. I am happy to state that these Incense sticks burn easily, are trouble-free once lit, and have a pleasant odor. There is no accompanying chemical smell. Even more importantly, they seemed to work because, as far as I know, nobody had insect bite problems during our five day stay at the lake.I would recommend them to others and will be purchasing more for myself to utilize at home!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE, THESE! We moved to TN from CA and wow, talk about polar opposites. The weather is gorgeous, but the humidity is a killer and boy, do the bugs THRIVE. We're all extremely allergic to the prehistoric sized mosquitoes that bombard our home. inside and out, during the summer, early fall, seasons. These sticks help SO MUCH, it's incredible. I've invested well over 1000 bucks on different deterrents and repellents, and these sticks are definitely a go-to for me.

Hubby is a Marine and the mosquitos LOVE him. A friend and fellow Marine recommended this little gem and it's amazing for sleeping during field ops. It would be nice if the pads had a longer "lifespan" and it doesn't seem to work on all different kinds of bugs (does not work to deter horseflies) but it works amazingly well on mosquitoes. Definitely a worthwhile purchase to save him a lot of discomfort and help him catch some much needed sleep during training.

This actually works great! Bought it just to try it out. A ton of rain this year means a ton of mosquito's and I couldn't even sit on the porch without them swarming me. I got this out of the package while sitting on my porch, mosquito's swarming me in shorts and tank top. I turned this on and set it on the porch floor next to me. Within 5 minutes they were gone... literally dozens and dozens of mosquito's...gone and for over half an hour I had not one touch me or buzz next to me. I would recommend to all buyers and users, start it up 5-10 minutes before you want to occupy your porch space or have it effective and let it fill the zone with the repellent. Next will be trying it out in the field for hunting.

So far, so good! Had a campfire in the backyard and not one skeeter bite. They usually think I'm a smorgasbord! Big test will be in the middle of summer with the heat and humidity at the max. But this spring, it's doing great!

Add Thermacell to the list of handiest little inventions on Earth. These things do actually work. You will need the butane refills, and the replacement repellent mats. A mat will last about 4 hours. I usually can get about two turkey hunts out of each mat in the spring (since I only turn it on when I am sitting down). The butane cartridge will last around 12 hours.

These things are indispensable for spring turkey hunting, and deer don’t seem to notice them, so they would be good for fall archery as well. My wife discovered mine last year, and it gets a considerable bit of use on the back porch. Last year while at friend’s home in Florida, they almost were ready to cancel a backyard crawfish boil due to the severity of the mosquitos, but I broke this thing out and all was well. Although, we were huddled pretty closely till my buddy got back from a special Wal-Mart trip with a couple more Thermacells. Each unit will protect an area about the size of a small round patio table (or an average ground blind for the hunters).

Keep in mind, these need to lay flat while in operation, and they do produce a little heat. So if you are considering the holster (additional purchase), just realize you can’t operate it while it is clipped to you. I don’t use the holster myself, as the unit fits in a shirt pocket and I just lay it beside me during use. These things are great for most outdoor activities – hunting, fishing, cookouts, on the tractor, etc.; but as mentioned you can’t really place it on your person while it is on – so probably not good for active sports (e.g. tennis, running, underwater basket weaving, etc.). In summation, I highly recommend Thermacell to anyone who goes outdoors, exhales CO2, and dislikes mosquito bites.

THANKS
Thanks for reading my review.

My husband bought this for a fishing trip in the Everglades of Florida. If you know anything about Florida, especially the Everglades, you know that the bugs are thicker than the humidity. This little gadget made it a breeze. ABSOLUTELY no pesky mosquitoes within sight. We are going to order another for back yard barbecues in the summer. If you care about your health, especially in the summer when mosquitoes can cry disease, thermaCell can keep you happy & healthy. Easy to use.

Received item as promised, good quality, fast shipping. Nice burn, good smell. Seems to work. Everyone in the family uses. Would buy from these people again.

These work well to keep mosquitoes at bay. The only problem is they are a little difficult to light - they are quite thick and it often takes a few tries with the lighter to get the flame to take, and sometimes have to relight as it burns itself out before finishing the stick. Otherwise, works well to keep mosquitoes away.

I bought these before going on vacation to Jamaica. My daughter and I get eaten alive by mosquitoes wherever we go, and I was terrified of "noseeums" and mosquitoes and every other biting insect that the tropics have on offer. We'd light these sticks before eating dinner outside and were pleasantly surprised that they worked great! No real bites to speak of ... and this is from someone who always comes back from holiday looking like they have chicken pox. I love that they are all natural so my toddler wasn't breathing in anything harmful (like the coils) and I will definitely order again.

These really seem to work. Even the tiger mosquitoes that plague our yard are repelled. A few burning sticks are required to give full coverage, but even burning only one will provide protection for a small area.

The sticks definitely do the job and last for the time stated (2hr). However, if your setting these up *after* mosquito's have become a problem it's a bit too late as the sticks take several minutes before they take full effect. Set them up ahead of time and you won't have a problem. Their are persistent or desperate mosquitoes that do get by, as with most repellents. The sticks give off smell, but it's not overpowering or unpleasant - just something that you notice from time to time. Otherwise, I like the fact they are "all-natural" and the company says the give a donation with every sale.

I like the sticks, they kept us fairly mosquito free, and we have used them around the barbecue a few times. I bought them for my son who has an alergy to Deet. The reason why I only give four stars is because they kept blowing out when the tiniest bit of breeze came. I will have to look for a more sheltered place.

These work. The butane and strips are not cheap, so 1 star off, but if you want something that stops mosquito bites, these will work.

Incredibly effective, My only complaints are that I wish it had a longer life for the pads. I would like to be able to place this near my hammock at night and have it run all night while I sleep. I am sure this will come with time. For the four hour periods it is capable of between changing pads the unit is very effective, you feel like perhaps there simply aren't any bugs out that night until the pad wears out.

This device absolutely works. I only give it four stars because after two years of use of my last one, the igniter stopped working and I had to replace the unit. It's way better IMO than coating up with DEET. Of course you are inhaling some of the chemical in the pads that is aerosolized , but it's still way better than getting bitten. I use it routinely on my tree stand during warm weather hunts. If you are worried about safety, then you should probably stick with DEET -- even though it gets absorbed through your skin, there is no evidence that it hurts you even after decades of widespread use and billions of applications. But I still prefer the ThermaCELL for hunting. For hiking I still use the DEET.

First and foremost, it works. It won't keep everything away, the strips won't last a full 4 hours, and the effective radius is much smaller than advertised. But it does work. I was Dove hunting last weekend and it was 90+ degrees and bugs were out in full force. I was getting bitten and stung by all kinds of bugs and bees. Honestly, I got stung by a sweat bee within the first 5 minutes of setting up. I don't think I even had my chair set up before I got stung the first time. Once I got this thing going I didn't get bitten or stung again. Bugs would fly close, but nothing would land on me. I had it pretty close to me so I imagine the giant radius they claim is grossly exaggerated. However, it works. It's great for one or two people hunting very close such as in a blind, but probably not for a full patio of people in the backyard.

After reading many reviews, thought I'd try it. Works OK. Which is the point, no? But like other reviewers, I found that the unit burned through the included propane faster than it used up the blue repellent-impregnated "tablets". (You insert the tablet behind the dark grill, then start the propane flame, which heats up the tablet, releasing the repellent vapor). Had to order the refill kit, which comes with two propane refills and extra tablets, but it's clear the propane refills are not sized to match the usage of the repellent tablets. Aside from this, no complaints.

I bought these about two years ago and tried them out when I would plan to be in the yard. I'd put two or three up wind from us for a little bit and keep some close by us as well. I can't say if they actually helped to be honest but if you were directly in the line of smoke you would be less likely to have the most mosquito bites at the end of the evening...

These are simply large fireworks punks with a scent.You could do just as good with repelling mosquitoes by burning a citronella candle.Although I would not recommend to a friend, maybe try it and see, you might havebetter results than we did.

They work fine, but 1 stick only covers a small area. For the price, coils work much better.

These didn't quite work as I had hoped. The idea of them is great, but they didn't seem to do much in keeping the mosquitos away. I tried placing them in jars off the ground in the hopes that being closer to the humans would actually help, but I didn't notice much of a difference. I'm a little bummed, I was really hoping these would work better!

I hate to say it, but after being lit for I'm guessing 10 minutes, mosquitoes were still flying through the smoke to get to us. We needed to supplement with bug spray and bug bands. I probably brought the bug repellant mini-fan things out too, which seem to work well. Maybe we didn't give it long enough, but the mosquitoes were out in full force so I'll have to try on a better night and light these earlier to give the smoke more time to dissipate.

The incense is a really strong scent. The problem is if it's windy, it will only go in one direction. You might need to put this on the perimeter if you want a good bug-free area. It just sucks when it's blowing into your face and all you can smell is the incense.

Purchased for camping. No significant impact while seated at picnic table with Thermacell in middle of table. Also no significant impact while directly holding Thermacell. Not a replacement for insect repellent. Product arrived on time and in good condition.

In some cases it works great, others, not so much. It creates a barely visiblee smoke that keeps bugs away, just as a propane bug fogger dies, but on a much smaller scale. Works well, but not a "magic bullet".

Works well in a calm, or closed in space. Does not work well with breeze blowing. With much wind mosquitos aren't as active,
but other insects such as yellow flies are.

I expected a device that I could wear around the yard, but this device is intended to remain stationary. Had I known this limitation I would not have ordered two of them. They do work well to hold down napkins on the table while sitting on the deck.

Have tried using one on each side of a lawn chair in my backyard in a Midwestern suburb that is surrounded only by other suburban lawns and not a near any mosquito breeding areas. In any kind of even a light breeze I still ended up with many mosquito bites. On a windless day, it does seem to help reduce the bites.

These don't work as well as another incense stick I have tried. These definitely have to burn for the recommended time prior to outdoor enjoyment. The sticks don't last as long as my go to brand either. I blew through this pack quickly.

I didn't think that they worked very well. Still had lots of mosquitos landing on me and biting, and the repellent stick was burning on a table right next to me. I'm trying a different brand to see if these work better (Garden-Guardian, Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks). Will try and remember to update this after I try the other brand.

Burn time for the first stick was 2 hours and 13 minutes. The remaining sticks burned in the time of one kdrama or variety show, so about 62 minutes. Didn't repel bugs either.

I saw all the great reviews and decided to try these. They smell great but they do not work as well or last as long as OFF coils. The off coils are also less expensive. So ya, I can say I tried them but I will be going back to off coils.

I have used as many as 8 of these placed immediately around me (on the perimeter of a yoga mat) and was still troubled by mosquitos. Granted, I live in Florida, mosquito capital of the country, and it would've probably been worse without these. But they did not do the trick.

very pricey for the amount you get - I think 12 sticks - and the directions say to light 4 of them in four corners - they burn down in about 120 minutes (or less) so you can get 3 uses out of them...I'm thinking there has to be something more economical out there...

Owned it for 2 months. used 4 pads now. Overall...Doesn't work. We noticed a few less mosquitos...but very disappointing. Don't waste your money.

This really did not work very well. We decided to send back but were told "this item is NOT ABLE TO BE RETURNED"

Used it twice while camping, no wind. Didn't seem to have much effect if any. I'll just be sticking with bug spray. I've been having good results with Picaridin, for those who don't want deet.

These things work great for the first year (or less) but then quit working. I can't figure out why. They light up but don't get hot anymore. I've gone through six in about 3 years. Boo.

We've been having a lot of mosquito issues here in Texas since the wave of storms in May. The mosquito problem is awful right now, with many different species and a huge number of them. I've been trying out numerous types of control, from oils, sprays, incense, coils and Thermacell.

Out of all the different products, this is the one I was most excited about, especially after reading all of the positive reviews. Not only would I be able to use this in the yard, but I intended to take it with me backpacking and camping too.

First Test

The device itself is packaged nicely, and comes with the butane bottle and 3 pads. The first time I tried it, the wind was blowing moderately, as it does in this part of the world. We literally set the device right next to us, upwind so it would blow the vapor our way. I could visually tell that it was on, as there was a faint orange light, and the wispy vapor emanating from the device confirmed it.

However, it did nothing to repel the mosquitos who wanted to feast on us. They were still bold and coming right up to us. I gave up and sprayed myself with Insect Shield oil spray, and that kept them at bay. Perhaps the wind was reducing the effectiveness?

Second Test

So, I waited until we had a calm day, and headed out again with Thermacell. Once again, I placed it right next to me, upwind. Again, the device seemed to provide no protection at all from hungry mosquitos. They were still flying all around me, and trying to land. This time, I lit some citronella incense and they immediately flew away. So, now it's not looking so great for Thermacell.

Pad Longevity

I went ahead and left the pad burning to see how long it would last. The first time I used it for 1 hour, and this time, I let the clock run. Well, I was dismayed to see the pad turned white within the 3 hour total mark, which is less than the advertised 4 hour total. Overall, this made for a disappointing experience with this device, and as much as I wanted it to work, it just didn't for me. Not keeping, and can not recommend this item.

Did not work , mosquitoes just bit away to glory!!

They don't work like the description says.

Does absolutely nothing - totally ineffective

Not effective. Do not waste your money. They also have a horrible burning odor

I've been swarmed by mosquitos while sitting directly in the line of smoke 2 feet away from these. So I would say they don't work.

Not effective.I had so many of these lit,and mosquitos were still landing on me,so i has the planter that i had several of them lit in, sitting on a stand right beside the chair that i was sitting in, with the smoke literally breezing my direction,to the point that it was making me cough,and mosquitos were still landing on me. So, I was glad to have mosquito repellant spray handy!

Did not repel mosquitoes. We live in a bad area for standing water in neighboring empty lots and were hoping for some relief.

I was so excited to buy this product based on the ratings. Well, I have used twice within a week and....it dies not work at all. I have so many bites even though the unit was right next to me as I was sitting on my deck. So disappointed.

I'm really disappointed in the Thermacell. I took it up to Canada for a fishing trip on the Upper French River. Either those mosquitoes are tough as nails or this thing simply doesn't work, because it did not keep them at bay whatsoever when we would sit out on the porch at sundown. It likewise didn't work on our boat, but I can attribute some of that to the wind and the boat moving intermittently. For its price, it was a definitive flop, and I can't return it because of the shipping provider. All and all, this thing is expensive junk.

Doesn't work at all. Waste of money

Worked great...once. What a bummer. Changed the fuel, etc and it just won't fire. Igniter sparks but it won't catch flame.