To mix things up a bit, here’s an accessory I picked up. I’ve seen a lot of buzz about Icetool accessories, but held off until I was sure I was going to like using snus.
Behold: The Can.
I opted for the Titan finish, the color of which photographs a little unusually. It isn’t quite as shiny as my photos make it out to be, and it isn’t quite as dark as the images on Icetool’s site. I guess you could say it’s kind of like the color of Robocop’s helmet.
I bought it direct from Icetool, so depending on a number of factors, you could save yourself a bundle over getting this shipped from the snus retailers who carry Icetool accessories. At the time I bought it, it was selling for €31.66 which was (at the time) about $34 USD. You might be thinking to yourself “but I could get a whole roll of snus for that kind of money.” And you’d be right. But if you’ve ever tossed un-enjoyed snus away because it lost its flavor, this could save you some money in the long run.
Shipping from Icetool is free, so that’s $34 all-in. One thing to keep in mind though: they ship from Estonia. At the time of this writing, we’re in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on global logistics. I don’t know how long it usually takes packages to get from Estonia to the United States, but Icetool shipped my order out in under 24 hours, and it still took just over three weeks to arrive. (Also of note: the tracking number they give you doesn’t work once the package leaves Estonia)
The quality of The Can is outstanding. With the lid and catch lid on, there’s no rattle, jiggle, or tactile indication that would lead you to believe that this wasn’t a precision-made item.
The small amount of air you hear when you slide on the lid tells you that nothing’s getting in or out to rob the freshness of your snus portions, and the satisfying click of the catch lid tells you that you’re not going to be walking around smelling like used wintergreen.
The rubber O-rings are deceptively thin, but do a great job of sealing your contents. Icetool says that they’re removable and replaceable, but doesn’t seem to sell replacements or offer specs on what and where to get them. For the time being, that’s enough to keep me from taking them off. But really, I don’t think you’d need to remove them. You can tell from the design that they don’t come in to contact with fresh or used snus.
As for size and weight, The Can is just a little wider than a regular snus can, and just a little shorter.
When The Can is empty, it feels about the same weight as a full can of snus, so unless you’re really packing it full (Icetool says it holds more than a full can) you probably won’t notice much difference in weight.
You may have noticed that I took the comparison pictures with the newest addition to the Skruf Nyans series. I absolutely adore the entire series, but I have noticed that after about 2 – 3 days, they start to lose some flavor. Not so, when you use The Can. And since the construction is all aluminum, you can wash any lingering flavor out with a drop of dish soap and some water.
I didn’t really expect this to be as cool or as useful as it is, but thought I’d like having something more durable to carry around, without having to go with something bigger or noticeably heavier than a regular can of snus. Icetool has absolutely nailed it here.
Normally, I’d have a star rating, but I don’t expect enough accessories to create a new data set, so we’re going with five asterisks here. Totally worth it.
Rating: *****