Do Thermacell repellers actually work?

Across the reviewers and specialist communities we read, the consensus is yes, with caveats. Camping and Costco subreddit threads repeatedly report a noticeable mosquito-free bubble of roughly 15 feet in calm conditions, and mainstream press coverage echoes that. The consistent caveat is that effectiveness drops sharply in wind, and you need to start the device about 15 minutes before you want protection.