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How much are you paying for Gas and cylinders


Beck

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I am curious how much everyone is paying for gas/cylinders. Helpful info would be....

 

Name of the company

Type of gas

Size of cylinder

Rent or Bought cylinder

State you live in

 

I currently have a UHP Helium cylinder, but I haven't gotten it filled because both gas suppliers here throw a hissy about the brand of the cylinder (matheson), which means I can't just swap it and have to send it off. I've been struggling the last few months and finally had something go my way, so i can fill this and buy a cylinder for argon. I just wanted some numbers to go by when I got down there, because they tend to size you up here, and rape you in the, well you know. I have also noticed that these places have high turn over and the names change every 6 months. It this normal nationally? Oh and this is to TIG.

 

 

edited: I was a tard and put the wrong brand instead of matheson

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Ace Gas in La Habra. 336 cu.in. bottle. $75.95 for Argon, $65.95 for C25, don't remember for Oxy/Acetalyn with free delivery and setup. All are rental with $8 a month per bottle.

Edited by johnc
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I guess we are the three amigos. I was wondering why the welding forum moved so slow... but now I know there are only three of us :-P

 

helium_UHP.jpg

 

Anyway, this is what I have now. It came with 31 cu ft of UHP Helium. You would cringe if you knew how many butterfly and bunny balloons were blown up with this. I'm planning on getting a 60-100ish cylinder of argon. Last quote I got was over $200, so I am getting close to throwing in the towel on helping any of these local businesses.

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I am one of "Those guys" that can size you up = ) We discount our gas fill by volume, so while a 40 cubic foot cylinder (argon, 75/25, oxygen) lists for about $48, an 80cu.ft lists for about $43. The smaller cylinders waste more gas on the typical filling station manifold, and require more man-hours for less return, so we do indeed "rape" on the smaller cylinders. Purchasing cylinders is painful as well. that 40cu.ft goes for about $150 and the 80cu.ft sells for about $220, though we generally toss the first fill in for free, as the cup that is the kindness of our heart does overflow = )

To give you an idea of how dependent a welding supply is upon that gas revenue, most sell their machines for somewhere between 4 and 12% over cost, which is close to a loss considering associated expenses that go with the job. That $40+ fill on the 80cu.ft cylinder? I pay about $4.00 plus hazard fee and tax. A #4 Acetylene runs me about $10, and a 100lb Propane sets me back $15 or so. And the company still made a couple bucks off me = )

As far as getting what you need at a better price point... here is what works when I am the seller:

 

Be civil. Someone who comes in angry about how I am going to rip them off is that much closer to paying going rate or better, because we tend to be competitive or better locally.

 

Know what the average prices are before you come in and vent on me about mine.

 

Be appreciative when I go out of my way to let you know I am giving you a break. Telling me you will spread the word to others, and will come back because you appreciate it, works wonders.

 

Don't, no matter how much they deserve it, bad-mouth my competition. I know them, their pricing, and their policies. All you accomplish by muck-raking is convince me that I will be the next target.

 

Ask for a package price when appropriate. Most salesmen feel better about losing some bottom line to a large sale than they do when someone tries to nickel and dime them on every little purchase.

 

On cylinder branding: it doesn't make much sense to the end-user, but there are legalities regarding filling certain cylinders. Some can not be exchanged anywhere but the place they were bought, and others can only be filled at the place they were bought, particularly if they are medical grade, or contain regulated gases. Cylinders larger than 150 cu.ft tend to be regarded as commercial, and are rented or leased by many suppliers. Smaller cylinders are usually assumed to be customer-owned, and will generally (but not always) exchanged or filled freely.

 

The best resource for buying cylinders is your local classified adds or Craigslist. I see 300cu.ft cylinders selling for a fraction of their new price very frequently, as well as ox/ac sets or complete torch kits. I may have to discard the entire kit due to lack of maintenance, but the cylinders at worst may need to be re-certified, and are often worth the entire asking price on their own.

 

tannji

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