Workshop extinguisher, 20 lb

Twenty pounds rated 10-A:120-B:C is a different class of tool from a household extinguisher: roughly 25 seconds of discharge and enough agent to matter on a vehicle fire or a spilled fuel fire in a shop.

It is too heavy to hold at arm’s length for long, which is why it comes on a wheeled base rather than a wall bracket. Rechargeable, metal valve, hose and horn rather than a short nozzle. If you weld, cut, or store more than a couple of gallons of fuel, this is the size that is actually rated for what you have.

Fitting and care. Twenty pounds is not a wall unit; keep it on its base and keep the base somewhere it can be wheeled from without moving anything. Check the gauge monthly and log it. Invert and shake twice a year, which at this size is a two-person job. Have it professionally serviced at the tag interval — at this size servicing is much cheaper than replacement and the tag is what an insurer asks for. Check the hose for cracking annually; the hose fails before the cylinder does.