GardenKit

If you want to take this further let me know. I will have a word with Axel about getting one of your unopened cans collected and replaced with a new one. Yours can then be sent for testing. If anything is found in the fuel Aspen will be very concerned. I have used hundreds of cans, in thousands of machines and never seen any evidence of such contamination.

As said, we already have the first class Fillpartner for Aspen cans. Its extremely effective, good quality and long lasting. Aspen FillPartner

devon Twig, I think you need to actually use some Aspen to appreciate that the claims made are factual. If you pop over to our shop and introduce yourself I will show you examples of stale petrol, damage caused by such, and I will give you a complementary can of Aspen to use, on condition that you submit a fair and honest appraisal on this thread after you have used it.

I don't know what you are finding in your funnel, but I can guarantee that it has not come from the Aspen, its perfectly clean. Of course, what happens after the can is opened..........? But if you feel strongly that the fuel has been contaminated in the factory then send a can back to Anglo American via your dealer. They will send it to Aspen Sweden for testing and comparison against the original. They have kept a sample from every batch ever produced and will be very keen to check this allegation out.

Me? Cheap? What was i thinking???

This was the thinking Mr Sawchip! "Aspen's founder Roland Elmäng was a thoughtful and innovative engineer. And a man of action. One day in the late 1980s, he read an article about the harmful conditions that forestry workers had to work in, surrounded by chainsaw fumes. Roland thought it should be possible to do something that would improve the situation. With many years of experience in the petroleum industry and as fuel expert at Volvo, he was the right man for the task. He had a sudden brainwave about producing a fuel that was adapted for the environment and health. He realised that there were fuel components that would work much better – both for people and machines. Roland recollected that during the second World War, high-octane fuel had been produced from gases created in the oil refining process. This fuel was used by the air force. The technique was called alkylation and provided an improved product which, in contrast to regular petrol, did not contain benzene, lead, sulphur or other hazardous substances. No sooner said than done – and with alkylate as the main component – Roland developed a specialist fuel for chainsaws. It proved to be a stroke of genius. He had created an improved fuel that was not just better for the health of forestry workers, but for the chainsaws too. The cleaner, more efficient fuel led to better performance and reliability for the engines and, on top of that, fewer repairs were required. It also produced much lower emissions and was therefore better for the environment. It was almost too good to be true. Searching for strategic partners to enable further product development, Roland approached Husqvarna. In contrast to the major oil companies, they immediately saw the benefits of Aspen's cleaner fuel. Aspen alkylate petrol was launched at the forestry industry trade fair, “Skogs Elmia” in 1989 and success was secured. In principle, all forestry workers changed over to alkylate petrol overnight. This was the start of an enduring and comprehensive partnership. Aspen handled product development and Husqvarna, with its nationwide network of distributors, became the perfect channel to reach customers. At specialist servicing centres, mechanics were transformed in to entrepreneurs who did more than fix chainsaws.They now stocked petrol and a range of accessories."

Can't argue with a man of principles. Is this a satisfactory re-use of containers?

To be honest its normally the opposite. Petrol fumes are well known for causing headaches but Aspen is not. But I suppose headache sufferers can have different 'triggers'. It might be a little unfair though to blame one headache on Aspen, after all we all suffer headaches at some time for various reasons. Give it another go and let us know.

I can see the sense in your comments re availability Paul, and I daresay it would increase Aspen sales. If it ever goes that way we will have to deal with it, but I tend to think that the more that is sold will only serve to make Aspen the 'go to' fuel for all garden machinery which will benefit our sales too with increased awareness. I cant see B&Q getting too interested at present though as the market is still too small for the likes of them.

The health benefits of Aspen are real, and directly effect the health of the user on a real time basis, as well as being much better for the environment. The plastic can has no ill effects on the operators health, and as long as its recycled properly has little negative impact on the environment. So most certainly not short sighted IMO.

Yes, to be honest, even though we sell an incredible amount of Aspen I would guess that 80% goes to domestic users and 'one man band' pro users. They love the convenience of the 5 litre cans, and the domestic users far prefer picking up prepacked fuel to trying to fill a can at the pump. Even if we were able to install an aspen pump most buyers would still buy in cans, unless we filled their cans for them which would simply not be cost effective for us. Your local dealers comments are true up to a point. The profit margin is low compared to most other items we sell. This coupled to the time it takes to explain the benefits to new customers make it almost not worth selling. But once converted, a customer just keeps coming back for more Aspen, which of course gets him in our shop much more often and he seldom leaves without buying something else, or at least having a desire for a shiny new machine. Along with the fact that existing machines start and run so much better on Aspen the customer is now much happier with his kit and our service and so becomes much more loyal than before. Aspen is also a talking point for many customers 'over the fence' and many more word of mouth referrals take place now than in pre Aspen days. Even though our profit per can is low, the amount we sell generates just about enough profit to pay the rent on the unit, so we can't grumble. Selling Aspen has totally changed our business fro the better

A few interesting comments in the last few posts. Yes, it would be good to see Aspen in pumps, just as are found in several european countries, but I don't think it will happen in the UK for a good few years. Despite the continual growth in sales over the last few years the overall sales in the UK are still quite low. We are in the top 10 best selling UK Aspen dealers yet our sales still fall far short of justifying a bulk tank, and, if I am honest, a good 80% of our customers would prefer buying in the 5 litre cans and be dismayed if we only sold by pump. They love the cans for the convenience and cleanliness of buying, transporting and storing the fuel. The 5litre cans do seem a bit wasteful, but they are completely recyclable as they are made from exactly the same plastic as the humble milk bottle which we are more than happy to dispose of in the recycle bin. Nobody seem to be calling for Tesco to have a milk churn from which we can fill our own containers, and also many people prefer to buy expensive water in throw away bottles rather than take it from the bulk supply we all have in our kitchens, so the Aspen can is no more controversial. Simply remove the lid and the 'wrap' and put you empties in the recycle bin where they will go on to bigger and better things. For those who use higher volumes of Aspen there is always the option, as has been said, of buying in 200 litre steel drums. Several of the pro users we supply have gone over to these. And, in answer to Mik the Miller's statement, I do not agree that Aspen is overpriced. True, it is expensive, but it is after all an expensive product to produce, bottle, and transport to the UK. Then it has to be stored in a bonded warehouse, pallets have to be broken down and repacked for onward distribution to dealers and bulk users. This all costs money and, believe me, nobody in the supply chain is "aggressively marking up", if anything, the margins are a little too low for a sensible business plan.

I started to contemplate the real cost of pump petrol. Just suppose you have three guys on their way to the job in the van. They dont need diesel but are low on petrol so they divert to the garage and fill the cans. It takes about 10 minutes to fill and pay, but the guys should really be on the job at £20 per hour each, so the three of them are losing £1 per minute, so £10 lost earnings. But you are also paying them £10 per hour each, so have paid them collectively £5 to get fuel. So its cost £15 to get the petrol, assuming that the garage was beside the road they were travelling, but if it was 10 minutes off their route, (and 10 minutes back) then there is another £30 on top (plus diesel) And of course, most guys go into the shop for pies and coffee, and maybe a paper. so there is often a bit more time spent in the layby up the road drinking the coffee and eating, but we wont cost that, after all its a perk, isn't it. So a 20 litre can of fuel at £25 may now have cost £70, which is £8 more than 20 litres of Aspen at the bulk rate. The Aspen could have been grabbed from the store in the yard, alleviating the need for a garage break. Just a light hearted take on this, but maybe there are some extra costs involved with petrol which we care to ignore.

Haha, me trying to be discreet for the sake of other dealers! I know a lot about the product, but should have known the Aspen website better! So there you go guys, get your orders into your local dealers tomorrow and you will have your fuel on Friday.

Almost correct Mik, but the discount I offer for 3 or more cans is 5%, not 3%. But this only applies up to 54 cans. 54 cans or more make up a small pallet and as such are subject to 'bulk user' discounts. Although each deal is down to the local dealer, you should be able to buy 54 cans for a shade under £13 plus vat each, with free delivery. Admittedly its still nearly 3 times the price of pump fuel, but its not pump fuel. Aspen should not be compared to pump fuel on price alone, there are many benefits that are difficult to put a price on.

Sorry Bill, you will need to speak to your local dealer for a price. Hopefully he will fall in line with the rest of the network. Once ordered you will receive your 54 can pallet (or more if you wish) within 48 hours. Delivery will be free.

Just to clarify, the current RRP for a 5l can of Aspen2 is £18.98, and Aspen4 is a little less at £18.49 (prices include vat) You will find some dealers offer it a little cheaper, whilst some others see the need to markup the price. However, most dealers will sell at the RRP. Some may offer a small discount for multiple units. We offer 5% discount for 3 cans or more, up to 54cans. At 54 cans, the bulk user rate kicks in. As the rate only applies if bought from a local dealer you will need to check with them for that price. As I said earlier, despite the price, the product just carries on increasing in popularity, and more customers than ever before are taking advantage of the bulk user discounts. Ask your dealer for a price unless you are close to me, then ask me!

The Aspen UK sales figures for october have just been released and show another incredible month for UK sales, with sales of Aspen fuel being 29% up on the same period last year. October has also been a record month for bulk 'trade sales' throughout the UK, these are bulk orders delivered straight to end users like yourselves and at a higher discount than over the counter prices. More and more professional users are coming on board now. If you have an interest in buying your Aspen in bulk, at trade discounts, then give your local Aspen Service centre a ring, they will happily take your order and the fuel will arrive at your doorstep in 48hours.

Stubby, it goes to show how good the chipper is, and why its no longer needed.

Aspen is chemically pure and does not go stale, although there is a stated shelf life of between 3 and 5 years due to the manufacturers of the cans not choosing to guarantee the plastic beyond that time. However, what can happen, depending on storage conditions of 2 stroke equipment, is that dormant Aspen2T lying in fuel lines and carburettors can evaporate, leaving an oil rich mixture behind. This thicker substance can certainly inhibit starting. This does not happen with 4 stroke Aspen as there is no oil content. The same happens with pump petrol, but quicker due to the higher vapour pressure of pump fuel, and if we add in the fact that the remaining petrol has also gone stale, the starting problems can be much worse and more difficult to rectify. The worse we find if we pull down a carb from a machine stored on Aspen 2 for a few years is a little thick oil, but the diaphragms will be perfect and the oil soon washes through. If we pull down a carb that has been stored on pump fuel for a few years we usually find damaged and misshapen diaphragms, fuel solids, and often rust from the absorbed moisture.

Glad you like the idea. I don't think the price will drop, but there are good discounts available for bulk users. With around 350 outlets availability should not be an issue, as every dealer has the option to have it sent directly to their customers. Ask them for details and costs.

This thread seems to have gone a little stale lately, unlike Aspen which does not go stale! In the early days of this thread there were very few Aspen users and many doubters, but over time things have changed and many more users appreciate the benefits of this incredible fuel. Our own sales of fuel continue to rise and my customers simply love using Aspen. So I thought I would bump this thread and would love to hear your current thoughts, both good and bad, or even confused, on the subject of Aspen fuel. Bring it on!

The best buy may be the one that is best supported. If you have a great choice of local dealers then find the one that sells what you fancy. But if you have a favourite dealer who you trust, then buy what he suggests.

I have used this method with success many times over many years. If charging for this repair though, make sure that the customer approves of this option and accepts the risk. Same with all work that is classified as repair rather than replacement, as once done, you can then "own" the problem unless you have made them accept the responsibility should the "bodge" fail.

I had always believed that seizure would occur within only a few minutes of running on straight petrol until I did a little test I ran a small strimmer on neat Aspen 4 under full load ( long cord, guard removed). It ran for nearly an hour before it stopped, but it had used a full tank. It restarted after a refuel and ran for a further 10 minutes or so before seizing. A quite amazing test. I might just try this again with an HS 45 hedgetrimmer that I have in the skip.