Issue 139: July/Aug 2021
Scepter 2-gallon can in use. No spills, not a drip will come out until you push the lever.
Since 2009, when the EPA banned the sale of traditionally vented gas cans, we’ve all endured a generation of gas cans compliant with California Air Resources Board (CARB) specifications that are a plague of spills and durability issues. Thankfully, a new generation of CARB-compliant tanks are now on the market. Last year, I profiled Edson’s SureCan (“Filling Fuel Tanks Neatly,” May/June 2020) and found a lot to like. Now, I’m taking a look at Scepter’s SmartControl can.
Like all new-generation cans, it uses low-permeation plastics, meaning it doesn’t stink up the car on the way to the boat. The dispensing nozzle is spill-free and allows accurate cut-off when filling smaller tanks.
Flame mitigation device. The screen does not restrict filling or discharge.
Pouring from the SmartControl can is a two-step process. First, I open the vent by using my palm to depress the dark-green spring-loaded lever in the middle of the large light-green pad. (I do this while the can is still vertical, or a little gas may spurt out.) Then, I tip the spout into the fill opening, wrap my fingers over the grip, and squeeze to push the pad with the heel of my hand. I can control the flow rate by how much I push the pad. A hook molded into the spout prevents me from sticking the nozzle too far into the tank, thus losing sight of the fill process and blocking the air returning from the tank (like all CARB cans, the flow in the nozzle is through two separate channels, resulting in some glugging when the can is full).
These two cans are different approaches to improving what was. So, which do I prefer? The SureCan is handier, particularly in larger sizes. I can sit down while it drains, rather than holding a 5-gallon can. But, the SureCan is twice the price of Scepter’s SmartControl can, and I found the Scepter can accomplishes the same goal very well.
I checked out the 2-gallon version of Scepter’s SmartControl cans, but they also make 5-gallon and 1-gallon cans.
For more information: scepter.com
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