Our test was simple: Place each product in a con- ûtainer filled with water, oil, and a bit of antifreeze. ûAgitate occasionally for a couple of months, and ûsee what happens.

There are people–and we've met some in real life–who blithely fool around with their engines while unprotected by oil-absorbers. This is not what we would call "safe mechanics," and sooner or later everyone regrets their folly.

The second you drop a loaded oil filter into your bilge, you realize that the most important piece of gear on your boat is the bilge absorber. If you're prepared, you already have one strategically placed under the filter, or at least somewhere under the engine. Even then, any errant oil will very quickly turn all the surfaces of the bilge a slick gray-black. It will foul the bilge pump, it will slosh up against…