One reason I use Aspen

[GardenKit]

Thanks for that well reasoned opinion Andy.

[bobh]

My honest thoughts on Aspen.

Hmmm. Price is an issue, sorry, I can't see beyond that, £17 for 5litres!!!!! The plus side now is I don't grumble about filling the cans at the filling stations any more. It seems cheap now.

Mixing fuel has never been an issue, so I don't buy into that argument.

Fumes? It's only on one or two occasions that I can honestly say fumes have been an issue for me, not enough to spend the extra.

Disposal of cans? I did as suggested and removed labels and lid, flushed it out and put it in recycle bin, it was removed and I got a label on correct recycling. Burning, hardly environmentlly correct, seeing as its supposed to be the green alternative.

Beautiful smelling aroma? Maybe it's only plus. Hardly worth buying cos it "smells nice".

Did I mention it's £17 for 5litres?

Tools ran fine on it, no issues there, but they also ran fine on far cheaper fuels, so hardly worth spending twice as much for the same effect.

 

Will I buy it again? Actually, having said what I've said above, I will buy some more. It will be for the little used equipment, that needs fuel to be left for long periods, such as 2 stroke genny, big big saws that aren't out every single day, and maybe my "best" hedgetrimmer for dense hedging. So yes, you could say I am sort of converted to it. Sort the pricing, sort the dealerships so it's more accessible, surely the higher volumes sold, then the price should fall?

 

 

Exactly why I've just bought some

[GardenKit]

Exactly why I've just bought some

Nice one Bob, how far do you have to travel from Mull to get yours?

[bobh]

Nice one Bob, how far do you have to travel from Mull to get yours?

 

Wish I hadn't looked that mileage up now :scared1:

 

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Pennyghael&daddr=Newton+Poppleford&hl=en&sll=53.579461,-3.999023&sspn=6.995908,15.688477&geocode=FTgLXAMdoySk_yl3N46mRL-LSDEJfQl14UX8yQ%3BFW6kBQMd36HN_ykzt8sxoZ5tSDFeyQLiCXBRJA&oq=+Newton+Poppleford&t=h&mra=ls&z=6

 

How much a litre is that?

[GardenKit]

Thats around £48 per litre on a round trip to buy 5 litres, wow, thats dedication.

 

See you next week Bob:thumbup:

[bobh]

£48 is on ly for the fuel, you haven't added in the ferry tickets have you

[hedgesparrow]

Though I'm cynical about the worth of the Apsen at the moment, cost wise, I have no doubts as to the health benefits. I fail to see that it is worse for your health than pump fuel mixed with two stroke oil. I also fail to believe it could give you more cases of headaches and dizziness. I do believe that some will look for any excuse to avoid buying it (I've thought of most of them!!). I think a large company will look to save money wherever it can, and several gangs going out and using a couple of cans a day is expensive. FTR I never had headaches from using pump fuel, and I don't expect that to change with Aspen.

have to say using aspen in my echo and husky. my echo on normal petrol is a bitch to get going use aspen and it starts better, runs faster well it looks faster. husky the same. as for fumes never had any when using aspen do with normal 2 stroke. and have a dr walk behind strimmer changed to aspen no fumes at all .

did stop using it due to cost but think i will go back to using it. as echo is playing up again.

[adowning7]

fascinating thread GardenKit. Its not often you read through all 14 pages of posts!

 

I must admit I have never even heard of Aspen and to think I am only 40-50 miles south west of you!

 

I must admit the Stihl 2 mix engines i've got seem to run with so little fumes that the extra cost would probably not be worth it but I can see the benefits of those things you dust off to use once or twice a year. I have mentioned to a customer of mine who has a Stihl leaf blower he uses once every 12 months as it would suit him down to the ground although sourcing it may not be all that easy.

[GardenKit]

To be brutally honest, it does not matter if its 2-mix, 4-mix, 4 stroke or two stoke, there is no NEED for Aspen. As I said in another thread all machines will run well enough on FRESH pump petrol.

 

But there is no doubt that petrol contains many nasties, such as Benzene (carcinogenic), Sulpher Toulene and other aromatic hydrocarbons which make up around 35% of pump petrol.

 

It does not matter how well the engine burns this, some of it will escape through the exhaust (unless its a catalytic converter) and these substances are hazardous to health.

 

Sure, the modern engines burn cleaner than the old ones, but the exhaust from the Aspen will always be much cleaner than from pump petrol. Should anyone doubt this then try running a machine in an enclosed space with petrol, then with Aspen, you will soon find the difference. ( probably best not to though, for safety reasons).

The carbon monoxide output alone is 25% more from petrol than from Aspen.

 

And, of course, because Aspen only contains around 10 chemicals, and is chemically pure (stable) it does not change its make up over time as petrol does, remaining fresh for 3-5 years.

 

So although there is no NEED for Aspen, there are many BENEFITS from its use.

 

Many of my customers do also report that machines tend to run smoother and faster, and many believe they run more economically, although these are claims i would not make in my sales pitch.

[zeroluke]

I might get some aspen from rotherham! It'll sit in the tank for a month or two on petrol fired stuff I don't use often, and be fine. I agree with the view most people share. There needs to be better marketing and awareness of the fuel to make it more wide spread. Shops like boutique garden centres or homebase, or even b and q (who charge 7 quid for a rotting, mildew covered bag of logs, and people buy it) should be able to sell enough of it to those who earn a good wage to lose a few quid off the price. As for recycling, why not take them back to the shop and have them refilled? Or mix them in with milk bottles and take them to a household waste center? Most people there are happy for it to go in if its got the appropriate recycling sign on it, and they do.