Reports of Scepter 'civilian' 5gal gas cans at Costco for $15

[DaveNay]

These cans above clearly have a seam down the middle.

Seam down the middle = blow molded.
No seam = roto molded.

 

[Crom]

I buy these, throw the spout in the trash and buy replacement caps on Amazon that are completely air tight with gasket. No leaks period.

Use a super siphon for fuel transport. No mess, painless, cheap, works.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Here in London, Ont. 2 for $23 @ Costco. I don't need them, I've got 6 5 gal cans already. I've been using these for 25 yrs, fantastic cans. Someone said the
spout leaks? I l don't know, never had it happen to me. I've got about 4 of the smaller carb cans now, I've hauled them on my ATV for days. Never had leaks
or anything wrong with them, dropped them, abused them, never had a problem ever. Scepter is the best.

 

[Woodsman]

A portal link to more info on the military version for comparison

http://expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Scepter_Can/scepter_can.php

 

[Chandlerdoom]

Just a heads up for anyone who has a jerry can holder made for the traditional military style, chances are it will not fit as this can tapers at the bottom making them a little too fat. Good deal and seem to be made well but too big for my holder

 

[rayra]

Seam down the middle = blow molded.
No seam = roto molded.

No, there's still the appearance of a seam line with roto molded. The mold is still in multiple parts.

 

[JMacs]

I learned the hard way you have to be careful with any "name brands" you buy at Costco. A couple of years ago, I bought a picnic table screen tent that was labeled "Mountain by Kelty" (or something like that) for what we thought was a good price. It even had a very Kelty looking logo. When I had a problem with part of it ripping, I found out that "Mountain by Kelty" was the name of the company, not the Mountain shade tent by Kelty. and that they had gone a couple rounds in court for using the name Kelty and a very similar looking logo. Needless to say, the warrantee was pretty much non-existent. And I have a screen tent with some bad seems.

Long and short of it, be very careful of a "name brand" you are buying from Costco. So, does anyone want too buy a slightly used Rulex watch?

 

[DaveNay]

I learned the hard way you have to be careful with any "name brands" you buy at Costco. A couple of years ago, I bought a picnic table screen tent that was labeled "Mountain by Kelty" (or something like that) for what we thought was a good price. It even had a very Kelty looking logo. When I had a problem with part of it ripping, I found out that "Mountain by Kelty" was the name of the company, not the Mountain shade tent by Kelty. and that they had gone a couple rounds in court for using the name Kelty and a very similar looking logo. Needless to say, the warrantee was pretty much non-existent. And I have a screen tent with some bad seems.

Long and short of it, be very careful of a "name brand" you are buying from Costco. So, does anyone want too buy a slightly used Rulex watch?

Why wouldn't you just return it to Costco? They have a "no questions asked" return policy.

Costco Return Policy
On Membership: We will refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissatisfied.

On Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price, with the following exceptions:
Electronics: Costco will accept returns within 90 days from the date of purchase for Televisions and Projectors, Computers, Touchscreen Tablets, Cameras, Camcorders, MP3 players and Cellular Phones.
Diamonds: 1.00ct or larger: Members returning a diamond over 1.00ct must also present all original paperwork (IGI and/or GIA certificates) at which time they will receive a Jewelry Credit Memo. Within 48 hours, our Costco Graduate Gemologist will inspect for authenticity.
Cigarettes and alcohol: Costco does not accept returns on cigarettes or alcohol where prohibited by law.
Products with a limited useful life expectancy, such as tires and batteries, may be sold with a product-specific limited warranty.
Special Order Kiosk and Custom Installed Programs: Custom product(s) manufactured to our member’s personal and unique specifications cannot be returned or refunded, except for warranty repair/replacement due to failure to meet specifications.

https://customerservice.costco.com/.../article/200500000040287/Costco-Return-Policy

I have never had any issues returning an item for any reason whatsoever to Costco. In fact I would say they approach as close to possible a "perfect" return policy.

 

[JMacs]

Since we got one of the last ones, we decided to keep a slightly damaged tent then not have one at all. They couldn't get us a replacement. Just money back. Bt he factory was pretty much worthless.

Point is, just be careful what you get for the great low price.

 

[texascrane]

Point is, just be careful what you get for the great low price.

Yeah because if you don't like it they'll give you your money back, even months or years later?

 

[JMacs]

Yeah because if you don't like it they'll give you your money back, even months or years later?

You are correct. I could have the money in my pocket and stand out in the sun making lunch and dinner. Or I could stand in the shade of my Costco knock-off brand tent and live with the small defect that doesn't affect the performance.

I am not saying the Scepter Costco is selling is a knock-off. Or that the container may or may not have a small defect that you will find when you are out on the trail. I am just recommending that you research it a little before you believe that Costco is selling a well-known brand for much cheaper than anything you have seen before.

 

[texascrane]

I am just recommending that you research it a little before you believe that Costco is selling a well-known brand for much cheaper than anything you have seen before.

IMO, what you experienced is an exception to the rule at Costco. Generally, they only sell name brand merchandise or stuff they've put their own brand on. If it says Yeti, it's Yeti. Same with Nike, Adidas, etc. My wife buys baby clothes at Costco for $8 a set and they're literally the same ones we see for $15+ at other stores.

I did a little research, and apparently the "Ridgeway by Kelty" manufacturer, Ridgeway, licenses the name from Kelty. It's a brand that still exists today (http://www.amazon.com/Ridgeway-Kelty-Hydration-Back-Pack/dp/B00BSV4YRU). Honestly, that's not really something you can blame on Costco. That's really on Kelty.

Part of the reason stuff is so cheap at Costco is that they don't actually make any money off their retail sales. They don't mark anything up more than 14% which is unheard of in retail. If you look at their annual reports, their profit is basically their membership fees.

 

[texascrane]

From Kelty: https://www.kelty.com/t-warranty.aspx

Let’s avoid the confusion in case you’re experiencing any. Kelty is not affiliated with “Ridgeway by Kelty”, which is a separate company that licenses our name, but makes gear separately. That’s why we can’t help with parts or repair. If you need help with those items, call Wenzel at 800-325-8368, (and press #1 for customer service), or visit www.wenzelco.com/Contact.aspx

 

[MOguy]

Yeah because if you don't like it they'll give you your money back, even months or years later?

What good does that do you when you are deep in somewhere far from a gas station, you are running on fumes and you just discovered you spare fuel can developed a leak. Is saving a few bucks on a gas can that you need to depend on just isn't worth it? Around the home it may be a great option but I have to be confident it can take a beating before I can rely on it on the trail. I don't mind going cheap on certain things but not a gas can I have to depend on.

 

[texascrane]

What good does that do you when you are deep in somewhere far from a gas station, you are running on fumes and you just discovered you spare fuel can developed a leak. Is saving a few bucks on a gas can that you need to depend on just isn't worth it? Around the home it may be a great option but I have to be confident it can take a beating before I can rely on it on the trail. I don't mind going cheap on certain things but not a gas can I have to depend on.

You're missing the context. A) Of course, if you have "mission critical" equipment, it makes sense to pay a bit more for quality/reliability/dependability. B) Jmacs was implying that the merchandise sold at Costco is generally cheaply made or "knock-off" type goods, and that's why their prices are low. That's just simply not the case. Costco's prices are low because they limit their mark-up and don't actually make money off of their retail sales. Whether or not somebody should buy this particular product for expedition/overland use is a separate issue from that (I personally wouldn't - although that said, I've never had a gas can, including cheap ones, leak anywhere other than the nozzle while pouring from it before).