Stargas ?

[ronan]

I was in a bearing/ engineers suppliers in dublin yesterday, they had a welding gas bottle in the shop with a flyer taped to it for a company called stargas, the main advantage is you buy a cylinder and its then rent free while with boc or air products you pony up the dough year on year for the rental. The refill charge with stargas is dearer €96 + vat for a fullsized bottle vs about €80 + vat with air products.
Anyone use them ?

 

[Depaugie]

I am picking up a pure Argon on monday.
works out at €298+vat for a 47ltr bottle. Any ideas what a BOC 'w' size bottle holds?
So less than 2 yrs payback, then free of rent.
Anyway as I only go through a bottle every 1 to 2 years, it'll make sense for me.
BOC rental is now 120+vat.

 

[hotrodder]

I can't remember what the 'water' volume of BOC cylinders are but a W is about equivlant to 47/50 litres. Fill pressure is one to watch as it effects how much gas you actually get, BOC are max of 230bar @ 15C and a W holds around 11000 litres (exact number varies with flavour of gas obviously). Rent free is generally a max of 200 bar and can be as low as 137 bar from some...

Dunno if the MIGwelding/Volkszone forum offers apply in Ireland but it actually makes a size Y (20 / ~ 5000 litres) better value than a W unless you get through lots of Ws in a year. Typically cheaper than rent free too provided you actually use the stuff i.e. get through more than a 1 or 2 small cylinders a year

If you buy the cylinder who's responsible/pays for testing it or is it a 10 year 'right to use' type thing?

 

[Depaugie]

looks like the bottle I got today is an ex Air Products unit (restamped).
It says max 2500psi, when connected the gauge confirms this.
BOC are 3000psi.

If you buy the cylinder who's responsible/pays for testing it or is it a 10 year 'right to use' type thing?

I would imagine that you don't get to keep that bottle, it would be exchanged just like BOC.
apparently BOC are are going to chip their bottles, so no more having a spare or using someone else's account to get them filled.

 

[hotrodder]

Yeah i'd expect that too, poor choice of words on my part. What i was getting at is the purchase price a one off lifetime thing or a 10 year 'right to use' deal which is fairly common? BOC have been scanning cylinders in & out for a while now (barcode on the ID collar), depots that i normally use at least.

230 bar is a tad over 3300psi so (very roughly) about 3/4 the volume of gas at 2500psi if the cylinders are the same size

 

[Depaugie]

The Stargas cylinder appears slightly taller, similar diameter I'll check tomorrow.
I'll have to ask the supplier, but I assumed it was a lifetime purchase.