Hi

I rent 3 gas cylinders from BOC for $500.15 total. Thats $144.96 for D size oxygen, $164.76 for E size Argosheild & $144.96 for Acetylene + GST.

I could drop the Argoshield size down to a D size to save some money but I'm thinking of trying these guys http://www.speedgas.com.au  to buy my own cylinder outright.

Still leaves me with the Oxy & Acetylene rental, I only use this a few times a year but its very handy to have when you need it.

So has anybody used another company other than BOC with better prices?

Steve

And no, all the cool kids are not using gasless Migs

My welding is bad enough without going gasless

supa gas isnt bad or linde arnt bad either smaller gas bottles are more expensive for some unknown reason. not many ways around these rental agreements. will look into buying my own bottles as i spend a couple of grand a year on them.

Try these guys

Airliquide

We use them at work and are cheaper than BOC. Never had any trouble with them either.

Hi Steve, yep they got you by the balls. We're a BOC agent and although I haven't checked for a while BOC, Airliquide and Linde prices are all around par. (Linde owns BOC by the way).

we have had a few of our bigger customers go to Supgas as they went in with really aggressive prices and have a delivery setup rather than you having to go to BOC or one of their agents like us. However for small uses there isn't much of a cost benefit and I have seen some of my customers return to BOC as Supagas raised their prices once they had them locked in. Also we are open Sat mornings and you can get gas when ever you run out unlike Supagas who delivers once a week or so. Might be different in Sydney as I think that is their main base but certainly in Brisbane they seem to have peaked as we haven't lost a customer to them in over 12 mths and as I said have a few of the smaller ones coming back.

a couple of things to watch out for if you have BOC bottles that you might not be aware of;
1. BOC bottles are barcoded and scanned out when you pick them up. If you swap your cylinder with someone else and return a cylinder that is not yours then you will automatically be charged for this "new" cylinder and unless you eventually return your originally scanned cylinder then you'll be paying rent forever! ie: you'll pay rent on 2 cylinders.
2. you can choose mthly, qtrly or annual rental. if you choose annual and return your cylinder inside that 12 mth period and don't take out another one then you will still pay for the 12 months. So if you only use your gas once in a while or say for a bust of work on a project then you might be best to go small and rent mthly and return the cylinder when you have finished the job. you might not use all the gas but you will save on rental.

to the best of my knowledge no one "fills" cylinders any more. it is generally a swap and go style operation, or at least it is in Brisbane and I'd suspect the same in NSW.

IF you're keen you can swap the oxy/act to oxy/lpg or go for a plasma cutter. there a pro and cons for each and it will depend on what you use it for.

anyway hope this helps, happy to answer any questions if needed.

Hi

Thanks for the responses.

I spoke to my local Airliquide outlet, I would only save a few dollars going with them.

I will call speed gas on Monday to check the price of their Argon cylinders, shame they dont have Oxy & Acetylene.

Steve

Steve I was in the same situation, when I sold the workshop I purchased a small bottle for the mig and refill it as needed. I noticed at the tool place that i deal with that they now have oxy/acetylene bottles also,I am not sure what the cost is as I didn't store it as I was on a mission. I can check next week if you like or you can call Rocket Tools on 65512266.If these guys do them they should also be available in Sydney. Cheers Les

Hi Les

I cant remember how long since I filled Oxy or Acetylene, but I don't really want to be without it.

I used to go through a E bottle of Argosheild about once every few months, I have a long overdue box trailer refurb coming up but after that my use will go down a lot.

If you could find out the name of the cylinder supplier to Rocket Tools that would be great.

Steve

I changed to Supagas when BOC shafted me a few years ago.
Their prices are definitely better overall.
Where they killed BOC was on customer service.
By taking the time to work with me to assess my needs I was heaps better off.

Supagas has free delivery, even to my home address, including 9kg BBQ gas bottles. Ring before 12 noon, and next day delivery.

Hi

Speedgas gas want $418 outright for a filled E size bottle and 133 for refill, BOC want 94.11 fo a refill, so with my reducd usage now this seems like better way to go.

Steve

elgas

What about a browns gas unit?

You only need oxy then. you can cut and weld with it.

Not a cheap unit but your cutting down on rent and gas etc.
Might be worth looking into.

I borrow my co2 bottle from my beer fridge,i own the bottle and costs $44 to fill.

Steve I went with the speedgas deal even though I had to drive to Bargo and they assured me that they werent concerned about Date stamp when you return the bottle and It made my day telling BOC to jam it up their ass !
Zoran

yes matt to weld with.It works ok in a mig but is not as good as argon sheild,when i was a apprentice we only had argon or co2 (long time ago).
It gives a different shape to the weld and you use a lot less gas.

Hi Steve,I went back to check on the mini bottles and they aren't feasible.....$699 each and they throw in the pissy little trolley the refills on a swap basis just like the BBQ gas bottles.When I purchased the bottle for the mig it was around $200 with af full bottle. No wonder I didn't store the price. Cheers Les

Hi Les

Thanks for that. I just have to wait almost another year to go with Speedgas for Argoshield, BOC don't credit unused rental.

I've been paying rental for 26 years on the Oxy or Acetylene 699 but is a little steep.

The guy from Speedgas said that they might do oxygen in the future but most likely not Acetylene.

Steve

Hi

I drove past a Gasweld shop the other day and they are offering Argo shield E size bottles for $459 and $145 per refill

I'm paying $173.04 + GST in rental.

Apparently they will be doing oxy & acetylene soon

Steve

anyone know of a cmpany who I can buy a bottle off in Victoria, checked out speedgas but they are NSW only and QLD, not in vic yet.

Just pulled out my TIG that I haven't used yet since I bought in in 2010, got the chance to use it as I borrowed a mig but it sucked so much I used my tig instead and it was way easier to use but I realized I have some problem with the gas I was using as its not pure Ar but a mix for MIG and the arc start struggled to light the arc and the arc is a bit funny otherwise ok to use.

Now I got the taste for it, I would like to get myself setup with the TIG and need a bottle of my own.

Anyone know where I can get?

maybe these guys.
http://www.airliquide.com.au 
dont know their prices but i know some of the homebrewers use their co2

Speedgas all the way. happy with mine

Yeah BOC is definitly the most expensive. I was paying $168 for the argo shield bottle through BOC direct and am now paying $99 through Supa Gas, no locked in contracts. I have even been quoted $224 for Argo shield from my local BOC agent.

there is a supagas in Melbourne. might try them.