I'll play devil's advocate just because I'm in the mood.

First, let's not automatically dismiss new products just because they're new. I'm pretty sure old-timers scoffed and howled at products like Seafoam and Sta-Bil when they were initially introduced. Seafoam claims to be the "trusted choice of mechanics since 1942"....well before the advent of ethanol laced fuel. From the Seafoam website:
The Sea Foam story began in the 1930s, when Fred Fandrei, a salesman in the petroleum industry, wanted to spend more time fishing than fixing his outboard motor because of fuel-related problems. With the goal of finding the perfect petroleum blend, Fred created a formula that would stop fuel from going bad and help his motor run better.

Secondly, let's not dismiss products that may help the "average Joe". Members participating in this group have learned how to care for lawn and garden equipment....from treating fuel to rebuilding carburetors to replacing bearings and so much more. We're a very small minority. The vast majority of adults who own a small gasoline powered engine do little more than change the oil. Either they don't have the mechanical aptitude, interest and/or time as they're too busy with jobs and families. I'm all for any product that helps the "average Joe" spend more time with their family.

Third, I like the basic concept. It's really not much different than the pump saver lubricant-antifreeze all of use use before storing a pressure washer over the winter.

I have no idea if this product works but I think it's a worthy concept attempting to solve a common problem. It may need to evolve into a better product or a different method to dispense it but nothing is perfect when it's first introduced. I'm willing to be open minded about its future.

 

Secondly, let's not dismiss products that may help the "average Joe". Members participating in this group have learned how to care for lawn and garden equipment....from treating fuel to rebuilding carburetors to replacing bearings and so much more. We're a very small minority. The vast majority of adults who own a small gasoline powered engine do little more than change the oil. Either they don't have the mechanical aptitude, interest and/or time as they're too busy with jobs and families. I'm all for any product that helps the "average Joe" spend more time with their family.

Totally agree that ways to help people less-familiar with this stuff is a Good Thing. There are loads of things competing for everyone's time & attention. And we all have things we've dug into, and learned about (often things we're interested in), then things we're less familiar with.

For each topic I've sat down to learn about (taking small engines as an example), there are 100 other ones that I'm very unfamiliar with, and have to treat differently. Heck, sharpening knives is a simple example. Previously using a $5 sharpening doodad, and getting crappy results. Then getting my WorkSharp, learning how to use it properly, and being able to quickly put a nice edge on my knives.

Many people don't give a second thought to their small engines, and that's totally understandable.

But where this requires taking something off the carb (already one of the mysterious parts of an engine), and ensuring that you can thread this onto the carb properly, it feels like it's not going to be that effective at being adopted by Joe (or Joanne) Homeowner. Once wrenches are involved, for better or worse, you probably limit your target audience.

Miracle In A Can products are much more likely to be used. Unfortunately, despite multiple uses on multiple engines, I've never had a carb improve by running Seafoam through them. What helped me was disassembling and ultrasonic cleaning. Startron and Techron haven't done anything yet for my tractor, either, which needs partial choke to run smoothly. I'm not disputing anyone's successes with them, merely offering that in my experience so far, I have yet to see an improvement.

I think the principle of this is interesting, though. I wonder if you could get some of the benefit by simply removing the bowl nut, and blasting some carb cleaner up through the main jet area. Or maybe just a blast of compressed air, to avoid risking issues from solvents.