Bon Tar Pot – 2 Gallon Cone Shaped with No Drip Valve, 28 in. Handle and Stable Legs for Roofing and Asphalt Applications

First impressions and setup

I put this tar pot to work on a couple of bread-and-butter tasks: patching modified bitumen seams on a flat roof and filling a series of narrow asphalt cracks along a loading dock. Out of the box, it’s a straightforward piece of kit—nothing flashy—just a compact, cone-shaped pot with a cleanly welded body, a simple no-drip valve, a 28-inch handle, and three stout legs. The geometry is the first thing you notice; the cone concentrates weight low and makes the pot feel surefooted before you ever heat it up.

The built-in legs are a practical touch. On parapet tops and slightly crowned deck sections, I could set the pot down without chasing a level spot, and it stayed put while I staged the burner and materials. The legs are not overly tall (a good thing—less wobble), but they give enough clearance to comfortably run heat underneath.

Design and build quality

The cone shape is more than a stylistic choice. It funnels material toward the valve and keeps the flow consistent as the volume drops. Compared to cylindrical pots that can leave you tilting and coaxing the last bit out, this design finishes pours cleanly. The welds on my unit were uniform, and the shell shrugged off a few inevitable knocks from being shuffled around the truck and jobsite. This isn’t a delicate tool, and that’s the point.

The no-drip valve is the headline feature, and it’s implemented well. The action feels tight, not gummy, and after several heat cycles it still closed firmly with no weeping. I treated it the way I treat any hot valve—short, decisive open-and-close motions—and it rewarded me with controlled starts and clean finishes. On the fine control end, I could meter out a thin, bead-like flow for hairline cracks; opened halfway, it poured a steady stream that made seam work go quickly without splashing.

The 28-inch handle gives just enough distance to keep hands away from radiant heat while maintaining control. It’s not a long-handled kettle by any means, but it hits a useful middle ground: I could steer the pot precisely along a joint without feeling like I was overreaching. The handle is rigid and secure, with no flex under load.

Heating and performance

I ran the pot over a standard roofing burner and, separately, over a compact propane torch setup for more mobile work. The legs provided a stable platform in both cases. Because of the cone, heat sits naturally around the lower section of the pot, which speeds melt and keeps hot spots manageable. I rotated the pot occasionally to encourage even heating, and I never felt like I was fighting temperature stratification.

Flow through the valve remained predictable across different viscosities. With thicker materials, I gave the lower cone a bit more heat to keep the exit zone hot; that kept the valve responsive and avoided the grabby starts that can spatter. The “no-drip” claim held up: once closed, the valve didn’t leave a tar tear hanging there to fall on your deck or shoe. That said, gravity is undefeated—if you close slowly or with cooling material at the tip, a small nub can form. A quick wipe with a scrap of fiberglass cloth after closing solved that, and it’s second nature once you’ve used it a few times.

Ergonomics and safety

Full, the 2-gallon capacity is a sweet spot for patch and repair work. It’s enough volume to stay productive, but not so heavy that control suffers. The balance is good; the cone and handle placement keep the center of mass aligned with your wrist, which matters when you’re walking a roof edge or stepping over vents and penetrations.

Heat management is respectable. The handle does warm up on longer burns—no surprise—so gloves are not optional. I’d love to see a heat shield or a small insulating grip near the handhold, but the lack of one isn’t a deal-breaker. Using standard roofing gloves, I could operate the valve and guide the pot without discomfort. The legs also do their part, keeping flame and hot metal lifted off roofing membranes enough to reduce scorch risk while you heat.

Safety notes from the field:
- Test the valve cold to understand the open/close travel before you heat up.
- Keep the valve pointed away from you when you first crack it open—if anything is trapped or over-pressurized, you won’t be in the line of fire.
- Close the valve before moving the pot, even short distances.

Workflow and capacity in real use

For roof patches and edge sealing, 2 gallons carried me through a couple of sizable tasks without recharging. On asphalt crack fill, the volume felt efficient: enough to do a long run but light enough to stay nimble as you move, step, and change posture. If you’re tackling broad, continuous work—large mop-downs or big parking lot crack programs—this tool can play a role, but you’ll spend more time reheating and refilling than you would with a larger kettle. For a two-person maintenance team, though, it slots perfectly: one heats and feeds, the other pours and finishes.

The biggest productivity gains compared with open-ladle setups came from the valve control and the reduced cleanup. Being able to start and stop instantaneously without dribbles means fewer blotchy spots to correct and less grit and debris catching in unintended tar streaks.

Durability and maintenance

So far, the construction has held up well. The shell resists denting, and the legs have stayed true—no splaying or wobble after repeated heat cycles. The valve is the one component I paid special attention to after each use. While it remained tight and drip-free, any valve benefits from basic care:
- With the pot still warm (not hot), wipe the valve nose and interior lip with a scrap cloth to remove buildup.
- Back at the shop, a light cleaning and a quick check that the valve seats fully will keep it performing like new.
- Avoid over-torquing the handle or using the pot as a lever to pry or align materials; that’s a shortcut to bending a good tool out of true.

I didn’t see any premature scaling or flaking of the interior. As with any hot bitumen tool, if you repeatedly scorch the same spot, you’ll eventually carbonize residue, so rotate heat and keep temperatures sensible.

What I’d change

• Add a small heat shield or insulating grip on the handle to reduce glove heat soak during longer sessions.
• Include subtle capacity marks inside the cone. Even two or three reference lines would help with batching consistency.
• Consider a positive detent on the valve for a “full open” position, which would make repeatable flow on long seams even easier.

None of these are must-haves, but they’re the kind of refinements that make a good tool feel dialed in.

Who it’s for

• Roofing crews doing patching, seam work, and detail repairs who want a controlled pour without the mess.
• Asphalt maintenance teams working small to medium crack runs where precision and mobility matter.
• Facility maintenance staff who need a reliable, compact hot pot that doesn’t require a dedicated kettle setup.

If your typical day involves high-volume mop-downs or long, continuous crack sealing across big lots, a larger kettle or a purpose-built melter applicator will be more efficient. This pot excels in targeted, quality-focused jobs where control and cleanliness are priorities.

Pros and cons

Pros
- Cone-shaped body delivers stable footing and smooth, consistent pours down to the last bit.
- No-drip valve works as advertised and reduces cleanup.
- 2-gallon capacity balances productivity with manageable weight.
- 28-inch handle provides control and decent heat standoff.
- Sturdy legs keep the pot level and safe over burners and uneven surfaces.
- Durable, jobsite-ready construction.

Cons
- Handle gets warm on extended heat; a heat shield would help.
- No interior volume marks.
- Not intended for high-output operations.

Recommendation

I recommend this tar pot for pros and maintenance teams who value precise, controlled application with minimal mess. The cone design, solid legs, and effective no-drip valve add up to a dependable, easy-to-live-with tool that improves workflow on patch and repair jobs. It’s not a high-volume kettle, and the handle could use a heat shield, but those caveats are small in the context of what it’s built to do. For focused roofing and asphalt tasks where clean starts, stops, and steady flow matter, this pot earns a spot on the truck.