Does anyone have experience with Gaspony?

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I am what most would call a hobbyist welder. I build chassis for lightweight electric vehicles endurance competitions.One of my biggest annoyances has been purchasing welding gas. I have two local welding suppliers. Both of whom are VERY expensive for small buyers without commercial accounts. The big guys love them because of their steep discounts. The largest cylinders I can buy from them are 40 cf for $220 with ~$40 refills. Rental of 125 cf cylinders is between $75 and $100 per year with $60 refills. A local agricultural supplier start carrying a brand called GasPony which appears much less than the local LWSers. Purchase of 125 cf cylinders are ~ $275 with ~$35 refills.It look like I can recoup my investment in 3 years by purchasing 125 cf through the local ag supplier.Has anyone had experience with Gaspony?thanksDavid
Reply:Tractor supply?  I haven't used them but as long as its the gas you can use and cheaper than the competitor you're good.
Reply:It is actually a store call Farm and Fleet.. Similar to tractor supply but regional.David
Reply:I believe it is Thoroughbred Industrial Cylinder exchange- anyhoo same gas Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Thoroughbred /Gas Pony is a division of Scott-Gross Company, a 50 year old welding supply distributor based in Winchester, KY.  Around me, both Northern Tool and Tractor Supply have the cylinders.http://www.gaspony.com/index.phtmlhttp://scottgross.com/Retail stores are located in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma. Gases are distributed throughout much of the eastern, central, and southern United States from regional distribution hubs in Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.Last edited by Oldendum; 09-14-2015 at 06:27 PM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Thanks.It is good to see a little competition in this area. It might bring the price down to something reasonable.Dave
Reply:I get my MIG gas at Tractor Supply (Thoroughbred/gas pony) because they are open on Sundays. Unfortunately they don't carry straight Argon. They aren't the cheapest but I really like being able to get supplies when I unexpectedly run out in the middle of a project. The Hobart welding rod they carry isn't too bad either. Its not excalibur 7018 quality but it is half the price and 90% as good.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:A quick update after getting some more facts and placing a special order for argon.Since this is a new product line for this store, gaspony is planning on scheduling store deliveries once a month. Their goal is to keep enough #4,3,2,1 cylinders of O2, CO2, and CO2/Argon in stock so that customer can do a direct exchange. Anything else is special order. Special orders should arrive, but not guaranteed, within a week.The other issues, at least in my area is tank exchange, neither of the two LWS will exchange tanks which are not owned by them. Although they will refill them for an additional $20 dollar fee.Gaspony, and my local retailer, use http://www.gaspony.com/training.phtml as their guideline for tank exchanges. I talked to a gaspony representative He admitted that they were having inconsistencies about the knowledge level of their discount retailers.It appears the much like LWS, the biggest issue is the attitude and knowledge of the local staff and managers.David
Reply:Originally Posted by dfarning...snip...It appears the much like LWS, the biggest issue is the attitude and knowledge of the local staff and managers.David
Reply:I wish i had a shop like yours within driving distance.I stopped in to get some tungstens last week. I asked for a 10 pack of 3/32th 2% Lanthanated. After rummaging around the back for about 5 minutes, the guy came back and told me that it was no longer legal to buy 2% Lanthanated tungsten because of the radiation hazard. He said Lanthanated was being replaced by Thorium.I guess that is why I am so frustrated....