Rhona gauges

[Farside]

Anyone ever heard of them?
I just bought this

off ebay for norralorra money - £11, and I think that was because nobody has ever heard of them. Looking it up, I found it was made in Romania, so decided to take a chance on it, as it might be a bit better than some totally unknown Chinese one, which is what all the cheaper other ones seem to be. Perhaps naively, I assume that some piece of high-pressure gas kit made in the EU is probably made to some safety standards and not just slung together out of recycled drinks cans.
When it arrived, I had a good look at it, and it seems quite well made, but time will tell, I suppose. The normal retail price on a Romanian site is about 60 Euros, so probably not crap.
http://www.shopmania.ro/echipamente-industriale/p-reductor-presiune-ar-co2-rhona-6948515
Anybody here used this make and have any good or bad words about them?

 

[Jim Davey]

It's a GCE product, German I believe so should be pretty good.

 

[Farside]

It's a GCE product, German I believe so should be pretty good.

I'm hoping so; I came across the GCE website, which seems to be industry-oriented, and mainly continental Europe at that, so is probably why these aren't seen much here. This is the first one I've come across anyway, but as I said, it seems to be well-made. I'll have to get some gas, now.
The recent acquisition of a TIG-capable set has got my curiosity going, but there seems no easy solution to the buy / rent argon bottle expense.
I really only bought this to allow me the use of CO2 for MIG - which is dirt cheap and easily got (and can extinguish workshop fires, of course).

 

[mike os]

I thought some European valves were different fitting to ours?

 

[Jim Davey]

Some are, he will need an adaptir if he wants to use that reg on argon of course.

 

[Farside]

I'm fairly sure this will fit a CO2 pub bottle or fire extinguisher - I've seen the adaptor necessary for normal argon bottles.
This one is available in two intake types - pub bottle and argon bottle, same as the other makes. From GCE's listings it seems the threads are British, like a lot of Continental plumbing.
I'll pick up a pub to argon adapter later.