# The Gas Nozzle Widget **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996 "2013-09-04T14:51:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/41 "2013-09-04T17:56:11Z")
Two things everybody’s missing. > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > [The Gas Widget](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwYJX9XbOYQ)! Amaze your friends! Fits on your key chain! But wait! There’s more! First, the pump in that promotional video seems to have a metal stay-on catch on the lever. The Gas Nozzle Widget is unnecessary for that pump. Second, I think the OP is a little worried about a scenario like [this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnZ2XdqGZWU&t=1m50s). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/42 "2013-09-04T17:56:22Z")
> [@Mr\_Gasman](#): > > Full serve gas bars Wait, what? You get a cold beer with your unleaded? ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/43 "2013-09-04T18:15:04Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > Amateur Barbarian I agree with what you are saying. My point is what is preventing spills in all cases is the auto shutoff not the vigilance of the person manning the pump. If the auto shutoff fails you have two potential outcomes - the person squeezing the trigger sees the gas pouring out and lets go, or the person who went to get a soda while filling the tank comes back to a spewing nozzle and 30 gallons of gas on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/44 "2013-09-04T18:34:40Z")
I agree with yoyodyne. I used a faulty pump last winter. If I had used the latch instead my hand, a lot more than my shoes would have been soaked in gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/45 "2013-09-04T18:44:32Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > [The Gas Widget](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwYJX9XbOYQ)! Amaze your friends! Fits on your key chain! But wait! There’s more! > [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > T it’s because people (mainly women) would set the latch, leave it pumping, get back into their car, and then get back out when it finished. And what can happen, depending on the type of upholstery your vehicle has, getting in & out of your seat can sometimes charge you with a fair amount of static electricity. And when you touch the metal pump handle it can make a good size spark that would ignite the vapors. If you watch the link, the Gas Widget people have that covered as it tells you at least 2 or 3 times not to get back in your car while pumping gas. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/46 "2013-09-04T18:44:38Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > If the auto shutoff fails you have two potential outcomes - the person squeezing the trigger sees the gas pouring out and lets go, or the person who went to get a soda while filling the tank comes back to a spewing nozzle and 30 gallons of gas on the ground. Been filling cars & airplanes for 54 years & a failed auto shut down has happened once. I have spilled 10 times as much because of improper & misuse of the dispenser. All my fault because I am a better dummy type. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/47 "2013-09-04T18:55:17Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > If the auto shutoff fails you have two potential outcomes - the person squeezing the trigger sees the gas pouring out and lets go, or the person who went to get a soda while filling the tank comes back to a spewing nozzle and 30 gallons of gas on the ground. Sure. It’s happened to me too (although I was cleaning my windshield at the time, and stopped it after only a couple of quarts had spilled). The point being made by myself and others is that the widget functions no differently than the propping lever that’s already built into most gasoline dispensers in the US. Either of those devices leaves you equally reliant on the auto-shutoff system; users of either device would be well-advised to stay nearby (as depicted in **Earl Snake-Hips Tucker** ’s video) until fueling is complete. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/48 "2013-09-04T22:11:48Z")
This thread has me surprised. The only time I’ve ever used a gas pump that didn’t have a hold latch was because it was broke! I’m stunned at the idea of them actually being illegal some places. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/49 "2013-09-04T22:51:36Z")
Given that there are legal questions involved, moved from GQ to IMHO. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/50 "2013-09-05T01:37:45Z")
Just wanted to add that 20 years ago or so, in Houston, you couldn’t find a pump that didn’t have the latch removed. That got many people to just put a bic lighter in there instead :eek: That became rather popular, and they started having the keeper latch, again. I know there are several Houston Dopers on the board, anyone else remember this? It would have been 1986 or so. Now, I don’t know if there was a cause and effect thing going on, but the use of a bic lighter was rather common. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/51 "2013-09-05T03:10:59Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > If you watch the link, the Gas Widget people have that covered as it tells you at least 2 or 3 times not to get back in your car while pumping gas. > > 😃 Well, then what’s the point?! The only time I wedge the gas cap is if it’s beastly hot or freezing cold and I don’t feel like waiting outside (which means yes, I will also leave my vehicle running while filling, another thing that isn’t dangerous!) ---
**Author:** ![Khendrask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@Khendrask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khendrask)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/52 "2013-09-05T10:03:59Z")
> [@Mr\_Gasman](#): > > Take note next time you fill up…What happens to the lever when the auto shut off kicks in? It releases ! No, it doesn’t. Not on any pump I have ever been at. For the record, I usually hold the handle myself, and guess what? When the valve kicks off, I’m still holding the handle, and I guarantee you it didn’t release through my fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/53 "2013-09-05T10:15:09Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Well, then what’s the point?! The only time I wedge the gas cap is if it’s beastly hot or freezing cold and I don’t feel like waiting outside (which means yes, I will also leave my vehicle running while filling, another thing that isn’t dangerous!) For some reason, some people hate having to hold down the lever. I have personally, literally, never used the latch to auto-dispense gas just because I don’t care enough to do it. I suspect it’d be handy to allow you to stuff freezing-cold hands into pockets during winter, or to take a moment to clean your windshield while the gas is pumping. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/54 "2013-09-05T11:30:36Z")
> [@Mr\_Gasman](#): > > When you start altering their operation with other devices, thats when they become unsafe, especially in the hands of the untrained user. So this gas thing to you is like pitbulls are to **cougar58**? ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/55 "2013-09-05T14:36:21Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > If you watch the link, the Gas Widget people have that covered as it tells you at least 2 or 3 times not to get back in your car while pumping gas. With a SPARKLY! If I buy a Gas Widget, does it also equip my fueling points with a SPARKLY! Because that would make filling up much more pleasant. Everything is better with a SPARKLY. I must admit that I find it charming just how concerned **Mr Gasman** is with protecting us all from the danger of unregulated hold-open latches. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/56 "2013-09-05T16:05:13Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > For some reason, some people hate having to hold down the lever. I have personally, literally, never used the latch to auto-dispense gas just because I don’t care enough to do it. I suspect it’d be handy to allow you to stuff freezing-cold hands into pockets during winter, or to take a moment to clean your windshield while the gas is pumping. It’s tedious, especially with slow pumps and big tanks, and I usually use the time to clean my rear window or something else useful. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996/57 "2013-09-05T18:16:21Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > For some reason, some people hate having to hold down the lever. I have personally, literally, never used the latch to auto-dispense gas just because I don’t care enough to do it. I suspect it’d be handy to allow you to stuff freezing-cold hands into pockets during winter, or to take a moment to clean your windshield while the gas is pumping. I use that time to wash the windshield and kick the tires. I never go back in the car, even when it’s cold. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gas-nozzle-widget/667996.md?page=2)