- Thread starter HughF
- Start date
Tom Orrow L
Member
- Messages
- 2,819
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Give Nick @ Classic welding supplies in Brierly Hill a call, he's one of the best gas related welding distributors in the country. He'll sort you one at good money.
If you do give him a try, tell him Tom from TWS sent you :P
If you do give him a try, tell him Tom from TWS sent you :P
Tom Orrow L
Member
- Messages
- 2,819
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Shouldn't be that long, ITW pretty much always keep them in stock in Italy & it should take no longer than a week to get to the UK, if that.
This is the email from I got from rapid
Hello Wayne
We don’t keep the Optomator II in stock. It takes 3 weeks to source.
We can get the same model from esab in 5 days, but there is a premium of £10.00
Andy
The twin flow meter type optimater 2 is what I was after the ESAB one's are slightly more expensive
Tom Orrow L
Member
- Messages
- 2,819
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Fair enough, maybe they'd just prefer to sell the ESAB model.
Have you tried Classic Welding Supplies?
Richard.
Member
- Messages
- 18,344
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
Wasp supply's do them as do Afew others. Your not limited to rapid for it.
While GasIQ stuff is beautifully made and finished (which alone kinda justifies the 'kin spendy £££) personally i'd rather (and do) have an optimator flowmeter over an optimator II. More flexible than an all in one solution, fixes gas surge improving arc starts at low amperage and cheaper/easier/faster to fix should part of the set up get bashed...
Either way be aware that all of their stuff is available with a choice of scales for the flowmeter (0 - 20lpm or 0 - 34lpm IIRC) and nearly everyone that advertises them tends to only offer the later IIRC which have a terrible resolution due to the scale. Especially given the sensitivity of the adjustment screw. Off the top of my head the only place i've seen both options stocked is from the EWM shop who's published prices are also probably the highest?
Either way be aware that all of their stuff is available with a choice of scales for the flowmeter (0 - 20lpm or 0 - 34lpm IIRC) and nearly everyone that advertises them tends to only offer the later IIRC which have a terrible resolution due to the scale. Especially given the sensitivity of the adjustment screw. Off the top of my head the only place i've seen both options stocked is from the EWM shop who's published prices are also probably the highest?
Richard.
Member
- Messages
- 18,344
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
How do you mean more flexible? I'm not finding flexibility a limit with it.
I looked at tube for adding a 2nd stage to my out going but £140 for a flow tube is madness when you can get the whole set up for £90 more. The whole set up is much better value.
Yes the scale is one to watch.
Not a huge deal really as I set it with a peashooter so it's not looked at much. The purge line (same course scale) I'll set on the tube which is a task as its sensitive.
Dunno if an optimator flowmeter is better with regards to reducing gas surge (probably not much in it?), definately prettier/neater (less connections etc) and amost certainly more spendy? The 'full fat' optimator regulators are a combined dual stage regulator + a gas surge dodad all in one so very different, the optimator II is a dual outlet version
I'm not saying who i bought it from as it's less than their advertised price (which is still a chunk lower than £140) but FWIW i don't have an account with them, haven't spent loads of money with them and didn't need to barter, just asked if the advertised price was the best they could do
By more flexible i mean it's seperate from the regulator and fits on a valved Y splitter like any other flowmeter... if i want three outlets from one cylinder it's easy, if the reg gets damaged (or 'use by dates' are paid attention to for insurance or whatever reason) i don't have to replace the entire set up etc
Granted an optimator flowmeter + normal flowmeter + Y splitter + a dual stage reg is gonna more expensive than an Optimator II if starting from scratch
I wouldn't pay £140 for one either, mine cost £76+vat
I'm not saying who i bought it from as it's less than their advertised price (which is still a chunk lower than £140) but FWIW i don't have an account with them, haven't spent loads of money with them and didn't need to barter, just asked if the advertised price was the best they could do
By more flexible i mean it's seperate from the regulator and fits on a valved Y splitter like any other flowmeter... if i want three outlets from one cylinder it's easy, if the reg gets damaged (or 'use by dates' are paid attention to for insurance or whatever reason) i don't have to replace the entire set up etc
Granted an optimator flowmeter + normal flowmeter + Y splitter + a dual stage reg is gonna more expensive than an Optimator II if starting from scratch
Tom Orrow L
Member
- Messages
- 2,819
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Can figure out the company by the order confirmation 
. The advertised price is most likely because ITW are a bit funny concerning what distributors can advertise at so as to not devalue the product.
. The advertised price is most likely because ITW are a bit funny concerning what distributors can advertise at so as to not devalue the product. 