ARES Precision Oiler Pen Applicator

I left the applicator laying on its side, sitting on a pad of sticky notes (thankfully!). Came back a few hours later to find that the push-button had leaked. Oh well, at least I know the oil is doing its job… Do NOT trust this thing to retain oil if it’s left laying on its side, particularly if your oil’s viscosity is very low. I ended up putting it into a pen holder. Even if stored upright, time will tell if the seal around the reservoir itself remains intact, or if the oil will slowly leak through it into the cap. Fortunately, I didn’t fill it all the way up (I’d actually advise not doing that) so the worst that will probably happen is that I’ll get half a cap full of oil after a while and have to pour it back into the applicator’s reservoir before its next use. I will update the text of this review accordingly if that happens (SEE BELOW FOR UPDATE). Honestly, I would probably have rated this little applicator a bit higher if only the cap had had a flat base so that it could stand upright. I would have given it a full five stars without hesitation if only the minimum supported viscosity before leaks become possible when stored laterally or upside-down had been noted on the packaging, but I suppose that’s asking a bit much for an item that cost all of one Alexander Hamilton. I guess I can’t complain, it does what it purports to do: apply oil. It just doesn’t store low viscosities very well, but I suppose that’s the nature of the game. It is what it is. Pros: - Works well enough for its intended purpose - Worlds better than the applicator that came with the bottle of the oil I’m using… Cons: - Leaks if not stored upright - Can’t be stored upright out-of-the-box - Will probably leak into the cap over time as well. If filled to capacity, the cap will probably overflow (its volume is less than the reservoir) so don’t over-fill it! UPDATE: The answer is yes, the oil will slowly leak into the cap on the bottom when stored upright. Granted, I am using it with a very low viscosity oil — somewhere between 40–100 cSt, depending upon the ambient temperature (20°C/68°F–40°C/104°F) — and unless such oils are stored in a container designed to fight both gravity and things like capillary action, there’s not much to be done for them; they can admittedly be difficult to contain, so I don’t quite fault the device itself for this. The reason I originally took off 2 stars was the lack of specificity as to what viscosity (preferably in a scientific unit like cSt as opposed to manufacturer-specific units like “weight”) the applicator actually supports without leakage, and for the lack of a flat cap, so that it can be stood on its end between uses, and avoid leakage through the push-button, as pictured. Aside from those two things, I am more-or-less content with what it does, which is to help me get very small amounts of very unwieldy oil right where I need it. I will probably keep an eye out for an even more precise/air-tight applicator, however. For now, this one is fine.