Argon Prices?

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Airgas just gave me a price of $145 for 300 cf of argon. I almost dropped my teeth. Has it gone up that much? Am I being robbed?
Reply:Is that to BUY the tank or for a refill ?
Reply:If that's for the cylinder ownership, I'll take two!! 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:Yes, typical Airgas gouging. $65 to $75 is fair for a walk-in without an account. I have an account and pay less than $50.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:That's an outrageous price.MaineOxy in Hudson, NH is 63.00Airgas in Nashua is 75.00 (which is steep!)Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:A 300 cu.ft. tank, 5 year lease is 150.00 at LWS. 300.00 to purchase outright, don't know if that included an initial fill.
Reply:when they bought smith welding down here it went from $65 for a 300cf to $130.
Reply:I'd gladly pay any of the prices quoted so far.  It's $200+ for a 125cf bottle in Hawaii.
Reply:I agree 808 state. I get my 125 bottle for $193.
Reply:Originally Posted by 808stateI'd gladly pay any of the prices quoted so far.  It's $200+ for a 125cf bottle in Hawaii.
Reply:That definitely deserves the "you suck" emoticon.  My LWS is open on Saturday, I'm surprised my LWS doesn't have a weekend fee right next to that stupid haz-mat fee.
Reply:I get 244cf for about $35.GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:I talked to the local around the corner from me (not airgas/praxair) and they quoted me roughly 150 for the first bottle for lease fees etc, and 35$ per exchange... and they said they'd waive delivery since I live around the corner
Reply:Golfingweldor what island are you on and is that GasPro price?
Reply:I pay 65$ bucks for argon for a 336 size bottle.  Sounds like there's better deals out there tho
Reply:Be lucky you are not on cape cod, the dbags at airgas want 300 for a T cylinder. I told them to shove it and want a little south to New Bedford Welding Supply and they wanted 67 for a T cylinder. go figureMiller Big 40GMiller HF-251 D High FreqVictor OA Lincoln 135 MigMK 3A CobramaticBridgeport J HeadCronatron OxylanceRadnor ACAG TorchWeldcraft TIG Torches1 blown knee and two 5 Gallon pails away from being a hero.
Reply:That's because you need to be on a account to get a good price. What's a t cylinder?
Reply:I'm trying to get into welding with argon c02 (c25 mix). In Hawaii I went to airgas but they quoted me $440 to get a C25 mix 80cf. Thats tank plus first fill. And $140 to refill the tank after that. I can't believe how expensive airgas is, and from what I believe they are the only supplier in Hawaii.
Reply:808 State, I'm on Oahu and yes that is the Airgas price.  A couple of years ago I stopped in at AirLiquide and their prices were even higher.
Reply:Damn that's where I bought my tank from AirLiquide.  Only because Airgas was out and Airliquide quoted me cheaper over the phone. But somehow the price rose when it was time to actually make the purchase. Think air gas will refill my tank even if I didn't buy it from them?  I'm on the Maui BTW.
Reply:I guess in California it is bend you over time! I got quoted by my local Airgas to refill a 125 cf 75/25 for $129 + tax. I about sh*t my pants. They told me there was a big price increase on Argon. This sucks!!
Reply:Originally Posted by 808stateDamn that's where I bought my tank from AirLiquide.  Only because Airgas was out and Airliquide quoted me cheaper over the phone. But somehow the price rose when it was time to actually make the purchase. Think air gas will refill my tank even if I didn't buy it from them?  I'm on the Maui BTW.
Reply:That's unfortunate.  I bought it from airliquide.  Just bought a new Tig and was hot to get on the trigger. Couldn't wait for the shipment from Airgas to come in which was still a week out.
Reply:Hey Steve B., same here in Hawaii.  November price for 125cf bottle was $166. December the price jumped 30 bucks.The only good news is gasoline is now $3.39 a gallon, so it is cheaper for me to drive and pick up my more expensive argon.
Reply:Ha!  Funny how that worked out. $2.75 for gas at Costco. Place looks like a border crossing on the weekends.What machine did you get?  Try and build a relationship with AirLiquide , open an account so they can keep track of all your purchases and maybe they will throw you some discounts and if you buy a lot of stuff from them they can get you better prices.Last edited by golfingweldor; 01-03-2015 at 04:15 AM.Reason: spelling corrections
Reply:Thanks for the advice.  I'll look into getting an account there. They are smaller than AirLiquide so it may be easier to build a relationship with them compared to AirGas. As for the tig I got the 220v only HTP 221. Originally was looking at the Diversion 180 but couldn't find anything negative about the HTP and seemed like between the two it was the machine I could grow into as far as feature set and capability.
Reply:I try and stay away from Costco and Sam's club's gas stations.  The time it takes to actually fill your tank is just crazy.
Reply:Yeah I hear you on that. I usually fill in the morning on the way to work when the lines are only a couple cars deep.
Reply:I've heard only good things on the HTP 221. Did you get that from USA weld?  I've only heard good things about them as well. How is that machine?
Reply:Yes USAWeld. I believe they are the only distributors in the US for HTP. Great company and staff. Took the time to pick up my calls and answer all my questions. Threw in a bunch of free stuff to get me started too. Ordered 12/23, went out 12/24 and delivered 12/27. Went back for a stinger and a stubby gas lens kit and that shipped free the same day.
Reply:Sounds like a great company. Did you even fire that thing up yet?
Reply:I'm still in the teething stages with the tig. I haven't run and dipped a puddle since high school shop using OA. The machine itself seems really solid with features found on the higher end blue and red boxes. Of course I'm keeping it basic for now. Only used it once so far, was hoping to get more practice in tomorrow but it looks like this weather may be with us all weekend. Starting to gather material to build a cart for it
Reply:808state I just sent you a pm.
Reply:sorry for the hijack guys.
Reply:Originally Posted by motolife313That's because you need to be on a account to get a good price. What's a t cylinder?
Reply:Originally Posted by golfingweldorThat definitely deserves the "you suck" emoticon.  My LWS is open on Saturday, I'm surprised my LWS doesn't have a weekend fee right next to that stupid haz-mat fee.
Reply:Originally Posted by dcoffmanjrI lied, sorry. $13.69
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerDefinitely not an Airgas receipt..........
Reply:Originally Posted by KelvinAirgas just gave me a price of $145 for 300 cf of argon...
Reply:Originally Posted by AverageHobbyistSo they quoted you about 49.3 cents a foot.I think I just got reamed by Airgas too, yesterday.  I bought a 56 cu.ft. bottle for $150, then they sold me the argon for $40, which was supposedly half off, since I'd just bought the bottle.  So they charged me 71.4 cents a foot.  So, can we translate this thread into an apples-to-apples comparison?For example:I paid $0.71/foot yesterday (would've been $1.43 without that half-off BS)The OP was quoted $0.49/foot by Airgas (sounds like a deal to me!)The guys in Hawaii are paying about $1.60/foot (I guess one could rationalize that, being offshore and all)My point is, prices are all over the board based on per the cubic foot.  Is it realistic to use dollars per foot so that we can compare actual prices, rather than this cylinder cost this, that cylinder cost that?...that's way confusing.I can think of three reasons why not:1) Geographical: some local economies have much higher prices due to local incomes.2) Bulk Rates: They prolly screw me on a 60 cu.ft. bottle, whereas the guy with the biggie cylinder gets a volume discount.3) Good buddy, or, contractor discounts: Well, that's self-explanatory. Whatever the case, I'm sure I got screwed on the 60 foot cylinder price
Reply:I'm also om Maui. I asked both Airgas and Airliquid about co2 and Airliquid seemed as though they didn't want my business. I picked up a couple of 25# tanks from craigslist, Airgas said they would swap one for $99. The hydo's are way out so they would not fill them, they have go back to Oahu to be tested. I have wondered about getting co2 from a soft drink supplier??? Would that work??I have a Cutmaster 42 coming in at Airgas, I think that would be a good time to take both tanks in to swap, one co2 and one argon mix for the mig.  Eric
Reply:BD1, thanks for the comparison...it makes me feel a little better anyway.  I probably should've shopped around, but I was anxious and it was the day after New Years Day, so most of the smaller shops in my area were closed (I'm in the SF Bay Area).
Reply:My Airgas, Prices might be cheaper since I have an account with them but I do own all my cylinders. $40 C25, Mixes, Argon -330cf$20 Oxygen or CO2 -330cf $200 Helium -200cf ( Wife steals my helium for balloons) $90 Acetylene 300+ I own large tanks so I don't have to screw around with small cylinders, I save money in the long run.
Reply:Well, Airgas got their bottle back and a "F*** you very much" from me.They could never keep their stories straight. I'd get a bill for annual bottle lease, and THE VERY NEXT DAY in the mail, I'd get an invoice saying my account was delinquent, and they were charging me $$ extra for a penalty.The annual lease went up the first year, then again the next year, and I called and said WTF? and the guy said, "If you pay it, I'll cut you a break on your next bottle."I guess this was the "break."
Reply:I just purchased a 336 bottle (today),  $300.00 plus the fill, $76.00 for pure argon.  LWS claimed there was an argon shortage and his supplier was dumping the nitrogen and oxygen (back into atmosphere ) as fast as they could produce the argon. He also claimed they are actually filing AirGas tanks , because AirGas has a supply problem, and have been too short to fill bottles (I don't know if they are just filling customer bottles, or on behalf of AirGas ).  Thus being the reason he wouldn't give me the fill with the bottle.  IDK?
Reply:A couple of months back I talked to AirGas (Stratford CT) about a 300 fill in a tank I had that wasn't marked from anybody they would reject filling and they told me @$65.Three Weeks Later I rolled it in, they looked at it, and rolled me out a full one. Into the Office we went and the pimply-faced kid says "That'll be $176.85 with the tax!"I tell him "That's just ridiculous, you guys (not him) just quoted me $65 less than a month ago. Give me back my empty, I'll go elsewhere...."Long song-and-dance;"Prices have gone thru the roof""Everybody's complaining""We're Doubling ALL our contracts" "Blah,Blah,Blah...."THEN ~ "Lemme look in the computer, see if I can bill it under somebody's existing (lower) contract..... How 'bout $63.50?"WHAT A CROCK
Reply:Around here, airgas is a lot more expensive than the other guys around the corner from them. I don't remember exactly, but I want to say that for a 92cf fill Airgas was $97 and the other place was $60.
Reply:Just got my 80CF 75/25 owner tank exchanged at my LWS for $75 ($62+tax+hazmat fee) out the door. Airgas wanted $105. Another supplier wanted $85, so I guess I got a deal. I think the prices are ridiculous, but if you need gas, they've got you by the b*lls.
Reply:At Laurel Bottle Gas (Laurel, Maryland)80 of argon $32.   I think C25 is $36 or $38 (less than 40 for sure).  Prices are exchange and assuming bottles are in date.  BTW, bottles have and AirGas sticker on them.Just for grins.  Roberts Oxygen got me a 330 of Helium (balloon grade) for $175.  Laurel Bottle and Gas (On a Saturday at 3:00pm) got $225 - one supposedly fills 500 balloons.  We haven't counted the receipts yet.  Tax + rental + balloon filling regulator rental on top.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX