Perhaps “need” is slightly exaggerated here, because I’ve survived without one so far. But it would be really helpful and convenient to have one right now. I recently got quite a bit of snow and sleet that accumulated, and I don’t have a snow shovel. I have a regular shovel, but that’s slow and tiring for snow removal. Plus once the snow mixture started to thaw and then refroze, it became ice that made my driveway treacherous to traverse, and a shovel just didn’t cut it. Obviously the best way to melt snow and ice off my driveway would be with a flamethrower. Plus it would be fun! So it’s a win-win!