going rate for argon and lease rates

[dgarnier]

going to get an argon bottle for my new tig set up. Looking for some input on what the going rates are so I know if I am getting bent or not.

Looking to get a 125 or 180cf bottle

[WILD BILL]

I forget what I paid for the bottle.(I think it was $180 plus the fill) but every time I get it swapped out it only costs my around $28.

This is a 125 CF and I own it. It's the biggest one I could get without going to a leas or rent and is;s about perfect for home use.

[Nikola Tesla]

Hello,

I will tell you this much. I made the mistake of buying two 40 cubic foot tanks. Its about $30 bucks to get refilled. For the 185 cubic foot (whatever the largest size is) that I bought is a little more than $40 to refill. So not difficult math to figure out. Thats almost 5 times more gas for 1/4 more in cost. With gas, as long as you close the main valve its not going anywhere. I went through those 40 cubic footers fast. So I ended up craigslisting the two 40 cubic foot tanks and got some of my money back. Your basicly paying for the energy it takes to bottle it up. Your gonna waist a lot of money with a smaller tank. One piece of good advice? Air/gas has sales every so often on tanks. I think payed $200 for the largest tank filled. I have welded for atleast 6 hours on it so far without it getting low. Though I know its getting close because of that pressure curve. Hope this helps

[Rugar]

My 330cf argon cost me $300 filled to buy outright. Refills are $75 each for both of my 330cf bottles of straight Argon, and C25.

[jakeru]

Pricing seems to vary by region. If there is a place that refills argon cheaply but they are halfway across the country, that doesn't do you any good, can't just ship a big gas bottle out to have it filled, needs to be local. So IMO the only relevant prices to determine if you are getting "jacked" are the other welding supplies that are available to you locally.

In greater seattle area, I get mine at Central Welding, and my 150cf bottle (customer owned) costs thirty something or forty something to exchange for a full one. They are cheaper than Airgas and Praxair, which comprise all the other local welding supplies for me (at least that I'm aware of.)

I gradually upsized my bottle from a 55 to an 80, to a 150. I recall the last bottle upgrade, I figured I'd pay back after 3 or so refills. The 150cf is the biggest size that fits in the back seat of my car.

[stick]

Also ask for multi year lease optionI can lease a 330 for $45 for 1 year or I can lease it for $90 for three years. some lws don't tell you this up front. I live in maine and pay about 80 for a 330 refile its less in New Hampshire but at $4.00 pr. gal. of diesel. I would not be saving any $$.

[everlastsupport]

330 refills here are $75-80. I recommend as large a tank as you can move around. The 150s are $34-38 to fill here. I have talk to guys that get 150 done in the twenties, but that does not happen here.

[Robert s]

I refilled my 330 tank on Friday and it was $80.58 at my local Scott Gross. I buy all my tanks so I can shop price. and I go for the large tanks because you can never save to much fuel in the truck at todays price. And the time saved is great also.

[kenwhite]

I pay $17 for my 40cf bottle filled with c25

[hooda]

Just got into a mess with Toll welding here in Minnesota. Their rate is for $50.77 for a 154cf tank and $5.45/mo for demurrage. On top of that, they audited my dad's account and decided to sap him for back-rent on an argon tank that he paid $89.00/year rent for 12 years, and started sending him invoices on the darn thing after not billing him (he retired 3 years ago, and I made the mistake of renting a tank using his account, which alerted theit accounting department). Needless to say, they now will be billing him $7.47/month for a tank that by my estimates, he has already paid over $1000.00 for. I will need to do something to rectify the situation.

[ryanfull]

At my local welding shop I believe I pay around $150-160 for a five year lease on a 154 cf bottle and the fills are just shy of $50.

[dgarnier]

Armed with some rates, I found the prices were all over the board. 175$ for 5 years for a 150 and 66$ a fill to 54$ a year for a 330 and 40$ a fill. Looks like I am going with the 330 and on top of that they are right by the shop and are open on Saturdays.

Also found out the 330 was better gas...they said its vacuamed?

[A/C Guy]

Armed with some rates, I found the prices were all over the board. 175$ for 5 years for a 150 and 66$ a fill to 54$ a year for a 330 and 40$ a fill. Looks like I am going with the 330 and on top of that they are right by the shop and are open on Saturdays.

Also found out the 330 was better gas...they said its vacuamed?

All tanks are supposed to be vacuumed, but many places that lease skip that step. In Az, we buy our tanks, so we can buy the tank from the cheapest source for tank sales, then refill from the cheapest source for refills. $232 for a new 180 (I think) CF tank with c25; refills will be $40

[welderdude]

At the local welding shop in central Illinois, it cost me 150 dollars to lease an 80 cubic foot argon tank for 10 years. it only cost about 25 dollars to swap an 100% argon tank or a 75/25 tank.

[joshuab]

I pay $50 for 80 cf. For $15, I would get in the resale business.

My mistake. My cylinder is 125, not 80.

[Depdog]

Just bought a 125 CF Argon tank. 250.00 full, 38 for a refill. Lease on a 330 is 89.00 a year, 78 for a refill.

Glenn

[RichardH]

I just bought a size T (300/330 CF) Argon tank: $245 filled; $50 refill or exchange. Cert's good for another 9 months, so I'll need to be smart about timing my exchange.

At 60F degrees, my gauge reads 1750psi. I see elsewhere that a full tank ought to be closer to 2200 or 2500 psi, so my $50 fill may not compare to someone else's. (However, it'll be at least 60 degrees hotter during the summer, and I'd hope they factor that so the tank doesn't go overpressure later.)

Cheers,
Richard

[Rambozo]

Sounds like you got a light fill.
When argon is stored as a compressed gas, it doesn't have the wide temp/pressure swings of a liquid like CO2.

Did you get your power plug sorted out? I just looked and noticed they didn't include the plug diagram they had in the other manuals. You can find it in the 250EX manual. Since they can run on single phase or 3 phase, the wiring is a little different.

[RichardH]

Sounds like you got a light fill.

I suspected as much. No worries, it'll still last me a very long time. I'll be more educated the next time.