Blitz Ventless Gas Can- I Hate This

With new laws about what kinds of gas containers you can buy this was my only choice, but I really cant think of much good to say about it.

Michigan has passed laws that you have to use ventless gas cans, so when the spout split on my old metal can and couldnt be replaced I had to get one of these.I am not happy.

This is a 2 gallon 8 oz can, a small size to keep filled for the mower and the snowblower.I dont remember what I paid for it exactly, but they are $8.83 on Amazon right now.I think I paid closer to $6.00.

Things I like:

The size is good.

OK, it was inexpensive.

Things I dont like:

Its ventless... now the law, but that means that it pours with a glug, glug instead of smoothly. I cant imagine that its better for the environment to spill some every time I pour rather than have a little vent off during storage.There is supposedly a vent, to release air while you pour, built into the spout.But Im here to tell you that it does NOT work well.

I dont like that its more upright rather than the squat round shape of the old metal one.It can be (and has been) tipped over, spilling more gas.

It has no indented finger grip on the bottom.This doesnt matter so much in summer, but in the winter with mittens on its hard to tip the can to pour with much control (re comment about spilled gas).

We have lost the cap thats supposed to go on the end of the spout. So now we keep a piece of tinfoil over the end.(I do see that I could replace the entire spout for another $2.10).

The spout has a racheting type lock so you cant unscrew it accidentally (??- or so kids cant, but they could still pour it... I really dont know why this is needed).All this means is that its hard to unscrew.You have to hold the little tab in tight to the screw ring for the first couple of turns.And the fact that everything is plastic, and two different kinds of plastic, means that it unscrews with difficulty anyway.

Conclusion:

The next time I have to replace a gas can, you can bet Ill be looking for something different.Maybe I can rig a replacement spout for the old metal can.

Update On Dec 07, 2010: I now have yet another reason to hate this can. I had to empty it yesterday, because the snowblower requires a higher octane fuel than the lawn tractor. So, I tried to put the gas that was left into my car. The spout was too large to push the little flap open that allows gas to be put in the car easily, so I had to just pour about 1/4 cup at a time into the end of the filler pipe and wait for it to gurgle into the car. Not only was this time consuming (standing in the blowing snow), but I ended up spilling a lot of gas because it's hard to control how much comes out, since it "glubs" when it needs to breathe. I am sure I've spilled way more gas with this can than ever would have evaporated through a vent.