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  1. Blaming Aspen for the running problems whilst replacing the machine as faulty seems strange to me. Aspens performance characteristics really aren't so different to normal fuel in regards to how the fuel performs inside the machine (especially if its never been used on normal pump fuel). Would be great to hear how the new saw runs if you get a chance to try it on Aspen.
  2. Apart from the storage issues most people are already aware off, the biggest difference in regards to performance will be that non auto adjusting (fuel mixture) machinery will run lean on E10 unless they are adjusted to suit E10 fuel which has a higher oxygen level than E5. Running lean will decrease machinery life especially on 2-stroke equipment. With the above in mind, once E10 is introduced at the forecourts I would recommend using super unleaded if you cant justify switching to Alkylate fuel for your business.
  3. Both regular petrol and Aspen will slowly evaporate in most sealed plastic containers (so your not going mad!) if you left a full can of Aspen in your shed for 5 years, you could lose 1 litre of fuel to evaporation (if not kept cool) but the fuel left would still work fine (wont go stale like regular petrol) fuel will also evaporate faster inside machinery as the tanks and carburetor vent to the atmosphere. I would be very surprised however if you think you are losing more fuel to evaporation than you are to burning it in your machines but maybe you are using your chainsaw extremely little. Putting your fuel in a sealed steel container would slow down the rate of evaporation and keeping it in a cooler place will also help reduce evaporation. In reality however, the 5L Aspen can is more than suitable and so would a stihl combican (although dont expect it to reduce evaporation) Whilst its a bummer to lose fuel to evaporation, it would suck a lot more to have to throw away stale fuel or to pay for carburetor repairs caused by stale fuel
  4. Hi Miker, if the machine was brand new out of the box, having never seen any regular petrol before running aspen, there is a chance that there could have been waxy residue inside the carburettor which was causing running issues. Aspen or (or any other alkylate fuel) wont be able to clear this due to the lack of aromatic hydrocarbons. pump petrol will work like a solvent to remove this wax very quickly. if this was the issue, now that you have run it on petrol, it should work on Aspen. look forward to hearing your findings, as i have already mentioned, please feel free to give me a call if you are still having issues (i have sent you my direct number by pm) to people who havent yet made the switch to alkylate fuels, it may seem like making the switch can cause a lot of machinery problems but it is in fact quite rare that this happens and once the machines are up and running on aspen (which usually doesn't even require a retune) you will quickly find your machines running better than before. It is also worth noting that the main reason that alkylate fuels behave slightly differently to regular petrol (in regards to machinery issues when switching from one to the other) is that alkylate fuels do not contain the harmful components which cause cancer, nausea, nerve damage as well as irritating your eyes and throat damage when breathed in by the operator during operation.
  5. Hi Miker, this would be extremely unlikely but if you give us a call we can help you get to the bottom of it (you will get straight through to someone who can help). 01929 551557 (ext 2) We have test equipment to analyse the fuel alongside machines which it can be tested in. In over 10 years of working with Aspen and over 7million litres sold in the UK, I can hand on heart say we have never had a "dodgy" can.
  6. Whats with the hate adw? i have noticed lots of negativity from yourself on lots of posts in regards to Aspen. It is a well known fact that pump fuels contain different components in various quantities. they are blended to be as cheap as possible whilst simply meeting a certain set of standards to allow them to be sold at forecourts. Because of this, there is going to be a variance in the effects that these fuels have on carburetor parts. This is what I meant when I used the word "potent". Hope, that clears things up 🙂
  7. Hi Mike, Unless you have some extremely potent pump fuel in your area it is very unlikely that 2 hours use on petrol would have been enough to cause damage to the diaphragm inside the carburetor to cause running problems on Aspen when making the switch. As others have already suggested, it sounds like it might be a good option to ask your local dealer who you purchased the machine from to take a look at it. another thought however, you say its only seen 2 hours work but how long has the machine been left with pump fuel in the tank? Feel free to give us a call if you have any technical questions regarding to Aspen fuel 01929 551557 (option 2) Axel
  8. Even if that was true, they would still be breaking even on their investment with the added benefit of dramatically improving the working atmosphere for their staff. Win win 😍
  9. FYI These were the clients words not ours, maybe 95% isn't precise to the dot but the point is that they have dramatically reduced the number of machinery breakdowns since switching to Aspen. This is something which we hear from almost all companies which make the switch. Perhaps give it a try for a year and see the benefits for yourself?
  10. Hi Paddy, The stihl 4-mix engines as used in the blowers in the tests above are really fussy when it comes to choosing the right oil. the majority of FD will coke the valves up very quickly which is one of the biggest reasons for failure in this engine. this is why stihl recommend that the ultra oil should be used in 4-mix machines and Aspen changed its oil formula when this engine was released and carried out 1000s of hours of field testing to make sure it was the best possible for all machines. i will try to get hold of the piston tests from these as they would be a direct comparison to your chart above, you will find however that they look just like the picture of the piston ran on stihl ultra oil. in the meantime, here is a picture from a stihl chainsaw with over 300 hours run time. If you run Aspen in your machines in the future. take a look inside when you eventually need to replace it and you will see the same
  11. the addition of ethanol in petrol is more damaging to the machinery than to your health. compared to the other chemicals in petrol, Ethanol is very kind in comparison. Vodka is essentially ethanol cut with water to put it into context (this also gives you a great understanding of how well water mixes with ethanol) Benzene (carcinogenic) exposure is the biggest problem with using regular petrol compared to Aspen fuel when looking at the health benefits. a chainsaw will emit roughly 108 times less benzene when running on Aspen. Aspen is also free from aromatic hydrocarbons (solvents) which is why many people notice headaches reduce when making the switch. off course, each person experiences these effects differently and most people aren't working around fires who use our products (i dont know how the exposure of carcinogenic substances compares between chainsaw emissions and burning wood but it would be interesting to find out!) There is very little difference between the different grades of pump fuel when it comes to harmful components, after all - they are all trying to meet the same standards whilst trying to do it as cheaply as possible. you certainly wouldn't notice any difference to your health choosing one over the other. if you cant store large quantities of fuel, perhaps speak to your local dealer about the 25L sizes
  12. Hi Paddy, The oil in Aspen 2 is a close kept secret as it is one of the reasons why the product is so good and why we can claim it to be "better for machines". Aspen has carried out 1000s of hours of lab testing to ensure that Aspen 2 users can be assured they are giving their machines the best possible fuel/oil mix. Great oil + alkylate mix (mixed at the correct ratio) = happy machinery. The stihl ultra oil is the closest comparable oil on the market and is also a fantastic oil for commercially used 2-stroke equipment.
  13. I believe most of the questions have already been answered for the OP's question and there is some great feedback from Aspen users too! One thing that sticks out to me however from reading some of the comments (from people who aren't using Aspen) is that it seems common to think that Aspen is much more expensive to use commercially than it really is. pump fuel mixed with good quality 2 stroke oil (based on cheapest 5L price found online) = £1.25+VAT (requires collection + mixing) Aspen 2 pallet price (270 litres) = £2.56 + vat (including delivery to your workplace, ready mixed) Yes its twice the cost of mixing your own fuel but its not 3 or 4 times the cost as suggested by some one in the above comments and this is a big difference. For anyone looking at using Aspen commercially, I recommend you take a look at our buying in bulk section of our website where you can view pricing in the different sized containers. Garden Machinery Fuel | Aspen Fuel Storage | Aspen Fuel | Buying in Bulk ASPENFUEL.CO.UK Aspen Fuel is a leading UK distributor of Aspen Products, we offer free delivery within two working days for bulk orders and fuel storage.
  14. FYI, depending on the type of 2-stroke oil you purchase Aspen is no more than twice the cost of standard pump mix when buying in bulk for your business.
  15. Hi Wolfie, sorry to hear about your issues The stihl Ultra oil is superior to the super Super HP so its unlikely this is the cause. if the fuel/oil mix is to blame, its far more likely to be caused by the mix ratio or the petrol part itself. Where these the same machines that ran on the old fuel/oil mix without issues? if so it could also be that they have simply worn out and they would have done the same had you continued using your previous oil. It does seem a coincidence but it doesn't have to be. Other members have mentioned that increased ethanol content in your fuel could play a role, this could be true especially if the machines have not been regularly tuned. When you increase the ethanol content in the fuel, you need to compensate by richening the carburettor settings or machines will run lean (ethanol contains around 30% oxygen). running lean for a long time will lead to premature engine failure. Unfortunately there is no way of telling the ethanol content in the fuel you buy at the pumps, all you are told is that it wont be higher than 5% until next year when the maximum level is set to increase to 10% The above issues are eliminated when using a ready mixed Alkylate fuel such as Aspen 2 as not only do you get a guaranteed mix ratio which eliminates user error (this happens to the most experienced chainsaw users not just newbies) but you also get a consistent fuel which also plays an important part in the life of a 2-stroke engine. People often complain about the cost of Aspen when in reality for most arborists the cost increase is actually very small, especially in comparison to the cost of fixing machinery which break due to fuel/oil issues as this is usually over £200 per machine these days, never mind the inconvenient it causes.


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