I've had a Coleman lantern sitting on a shelf for a few years. When I first got it, I tried using Coleman fuel in it; didn't work out for me. Even though I had the door open a bit and a window half open, and followed the makers instructions to the letter, I ended up with a thumping head-ache which took hours to clear. So I used it outdoors on a couple of occasions, but never indoors again. But recently I've read a number of good reviews of Aspen 4 fuel, found there was a stockist only a few miles away, so I thought I'd give it a try - especially considering the price. For starters, in Britain CF is only available in 1 litre bottles, and the cheapest I've seen it is £6.53, collected (there are no stockists in my area). In contrast, my local Aspen supplier sells a litre for £6.50, and 5 litres for £19.50 (£3.90/litre). being cautious, I decided to go for a litre of Aspen to start. I emptied out the last of the Coleman fuel, left the lantern with the filler cap off on a sunny outside window sill to dry out the last of it, and then filled up with Aspen. It worked very well indoors, with the double glazed window just open to the first notch; lit up easily, burned very clean, and I didn't notice any smell at all, which was even better than my Tilley lamp running on top-grade lamp oil - and NO nasty fumes or headaches! So I'm totally sold on Aspen 4, and I'll pop down to the garden shop again to get a 5 litre size next time. Definitely for the makers of Aspen! Gunner
Oh, yes! Alkylate petrol is an excellent fuel for our appliances. I run all my petrol fueled apparatus on it. It's the cheapest and best, I think. Aspen is OK, but often more expensive than any other brand of alkylate petrol. They do however sell Aspen on pump at a V.A.G workshop near me, so I generally end up filling a 25l can with Aspen4. I use it for my lawn mower and chainsaws too (mixing in the oil myself rather than keeping both Aspen2 and 4 at home), so it's very versatile. In emergency, I have used it in a car too.
I've just done an internet search, and the only brand of alkylate fuel which comes up for sale in Britain is Aspen - and I didn't see any mention of it being available at the pump. Doing a bit more digging, it turns out that - like Coleman fuel - Aspen is fine if you want to leave it in an appliance for a long period of time without using it, such as people who don't use their chainsaws or garden machinery for months at a stretch. The reason, apparently, is because Aspen doesn't contain any ethanol - and it's that which causes the problems with modern unleaded, all of which contains at least 5% ethanol (E5), and that seems likely to be replaced by E10 (10% ethanol). Some countries have already largely changed over to E10, and intend to do so completely in the near future. The daft part is that the reason governments are telling us that petrol must contain a certain percentage of ethanol is because ethanol can be produced from arable crops, and reduces our consumption of the Evil Fossil Fuels - so is a jolly good thing, yes? Actually, no. For starters, ethanol (like other alcohols) contains less specific energy than petrol or paraffin, so in order to produce a given amount of power, a petrol engine must burn more unleaded than it would if it was run on ethanol-free fuel - and, of course, that increases its emissions of CO2. Secondly, farmers in third world countries have found that they can make more money out of growing crops to make ethanol than they can growing crops to sell as food - so poor people in those countries are finding it harder and harder to buy enough food to feed their families. A classic case of "the road to Hell being paved with good intentions" . . . Apart from the fact that ethanol is hygroscopic (readily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere), it can have a harmful effect on things like 'O'-rings and gaskets, making them soften and swell over time. These two points have been the cause of a lot of problems for owners of classic motorbikes in Britain since unleaded was first introduced. So, if I should buy a used Coleman stove in the future, I'll make sure to replace any rubber or synthetic gaskets and 'O'-rings before using it, just in case it has been used on unleaded in the past. It also occurs to me that, with my Coleman lamp having a tank made of steel rather than brass, I'm damned if I want to put anything in it which will suck moisture out of the air, rust it from the inside where I can't see it, and start dripping fuel about the place . . .
Yes, that's why many people here put alkylate petrol atleast as the last tank for the season in their garden machines, so that they don't have regular petrol standing in it over the winter. It makes the machines pretty problem free when starting up half a year later. Personally I prefer alkylate petrol in the chainsaws all the time. It's worth the extra money if you are working a full day in the same part of the forest. It gives a much better environment around you. I actually think it smells good
@Gunner When it comes to chainsaws and the like a cheaper alternative to Aspen is so-called 'Super Unleaded', usually 97 or 99 octane. This tends not to contain the quantity of ethanol found in ordinary unleaded, so it does store much better and is kinder on carb gaskets etc. But it still has all the other nasties that would make it totally unsuitable for stove use and is no better for the working environment.
@igh371 Yes, I came across that tip on the YouTube channel of a fisherman - but he only ever uses his Coleman stove outdoors; I certainly wouldn't fancy using it myself indoors. As you say, even the super-unleaded still has a lot of nasties in it.
