One reason I use Aspen

[Hodge]

How many of the people who are against buying aspen based on price, also buy the best/most expensive tools, clothes, ppe, climbing equipment etc etc?

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

Yeah but you can see them wink,smile,wink.

 

 

Sent from Hodge's eye phone using the new fancy Arbtalk Mobile App:)

[Andy Collins]

I think this is one of those topics that will go around in circles for all eternity, with no real satisfactory outcome. At the end of the day, it's down to the individual how he runs his business and which products he buys in. To me, availability is always going to be my deciding factor, blow the rest of the issues. If I want a product, but it has hassles involved in sourcing, using and disposing, it is no longer worth the hassle, regardless of the benefits of using it. Liken it to having a top of the range brand new battery chainsaw, but batteries were only available in Outer Mongolia on Sunday afternoons once a month, you would soon give up and use a regular saw again. Operating a business, keeping your costs down helps make a little profit, that little profit at the end of the year could be the difference between success and failure. Margins in forestry, firewood and serious contracts are too tight too fritter extra money away on a commodity that has minimal gains, I can think of one contractor with many staff who used to stock Aspen in their shop, yet the staff used regular pump fuel, that company is worth a few bob.

Personally, I have tried Aspen, I do like it. I am not "anti". It is useful for trimming tight hedges, and is why I will keep some in stock here, but for every day saw use, burning around 8litres a day per man, pump fuel all the way.

[Eddy_t]

I think this is one of those topics that will go around in circles for all eternity, with no real satisfactory outcome. At the end of the day, it's down to the individual how he runs his business and which products he buys in. To me, availability is always going to be my deciding factor, blow the rest of the issues. If I want a product, but it has hassles involved in sourcing, using and disposing, it is no longer worth the hassle, regardless of the benefits of using it. Liken it to having a top of the range brand new battery chainsaw, but batteries were only available in Outer Mongolia on Sunday afternoons once a month, you would soon give up and use a regular saw again. Operating a business, keeping your costs down helps make a little profit, that little profit at the end of the year could be the difference between success and failure. Margins in forestry, firewood and serious contracts are too tight too fritter extra money away on a commodity that has minimal gains, I can think of one contractor with many staff who used to stock Aspen in their shop, yet the staff used regular pump fuel, that company is worth a few bob.

Personally, I have tried Aspen, I do like it. I am not "anti". It is useful for trimming tight hedges, and is why I will keep some in stock here, but for every day saw use, burning around 8litres a day per man, pump fuel all the way.

 

So what you're saying is you use it! It's just not economically viable for your main work, but tbf at £4 a litre, it never would be, unless your consumption was lower, it is a pity the price is what it is, I think more people would buy the product and more dealers supply it if it could be reduced to £1-1.50 a litre more than pump fuel, even with the additional cost of 2stroke oil, aspen fuel is still £2 more than pump fuel, and at that price, even though I use it personally, I couldn't convert my employers to aspen, could aspen not try to refine in uk to lower costs?

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[Andy Collins]

I do use it....very sparingly, and for specific jobs. Back when the discussion first started, I had never used it, I was dead against it, it was not a viable alternative fuel in my mind. I have now tried it and made a decision based on my own needs and requirements. If it was the same price as pump fuel (inc 2t mix oil) I wouldn't hesitate to use it all the time. If I had a supplier on my regular routes, I would use it more often than now. Today I used about 9 litre of 2t mixed fuel, that would be nearly two full cans, £17ish a can = c.£34!!! Yes, I can see its viable to be used as a couple of tankful s a day in a topping saw, a can will last quite some time. But on serious felling work, on timber, using 70+cc saws, it is not cost effective.

[Eddie@aspen]

So what you're saying is you use it! It's just not economically viable for your main work, but tbf at £4 a litre, it never would be, unless your consumption was lower, it is a pity the price is what it is, I think more people would buy the product and more dealers supply it if it could be reduced to £1-1.50 a litre more than pump fuel, even with the additional cost of 2stroke oil, aspen fuel is still £2 more than pump fuel, and at that price, even though I use it personally, I couldn't convert my employers to aspen, could aspen not try to refine in uk to lower costs?

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Hi Eddy_t,

 

When I visited Aspen in Sweden the set up is amazing, Massive storage tanks, blending plants and laboratories. Then we have the packaging plant and warehousing.

They only make Aspen in sweden and distribute it all over europe.

The investment is mind blowing!

In the future if the UK market becomes large enough in may get shipped in tankers and bottled over here and so the price would come down, but this again is a massive investment.

 

Again the catch 22 of we all want it cheaper but the UK market is not large enough to make it cheaper.

 

You all want it cheaper to keep your costs down.

 

I want it cheaper so Angol American Oil sells more.

[Andy Collins]

One question Eddie (Aspen). How well is this product aimed at the huge domestic market? With the long shelf life it is surely best suited to them?

[Steve Bullman]

One question Eddie (Aspen). How well is this product aimed at the huge domestic market? With the long shelf life it is surely best suited to them?

 

This is a good question. Have aspen ever approached the likes of b&q?

[Andy Collins]

The uk market potentially is huge, men love power tools, builders have their Paddys motorbikes, we have saws, generators run on fuels (diesel and petrol) lawnmowers and hedgetrimmers. Outlets such as B&Q, Homebase, and so on are where the real money should be coming from, big turnovers, big orders, and once a product is seen it becomes accepted as the new normal, in your case the fuel for your power tool.

[GardenKit]

This is a good question. Have aspen ever approached the likes of b&q?

A good question indeed, and Eddie may be able to answer that.

 

As I have said before on here, I have one of the highest turnovers of Aspen in the country, and possibly the highest turnover of the 4 stroke variety.

 

80% of my sales are to domestic users, without them I would not be selling the product.

 

The domestic users love the stuff and never grumble about the price.

 

But in all probability if B&Q were to sell it the price would increase, as the profit margins would not be great enough for them (have you ever seen anything cheap in B&Q?)

 

I know that the domestic market is the one to target for growth, but I still want the product easily available to the pro guys who want to use it, but the low margins are one of the biggest reasons why many dealers won't stock it.

[likeitorlumpit]

aspen in uk are failing

we as arbs would love it but

too pricey and not generally available

In a climbing saw I think it's wasted. The climber is up a tree where the wind blows.

On the ground is where it's needed but thats 5-10 L per day and it costs. How can we believe in this product. Get the price down aspen and you will make a market