Pure Argon Price Comparison
Having purchased a cheap TIG welder on ebay, I was rather amazed to find that the pure argon welding gas was going to cost more than the welder! I think the general theory is that small disposable canisters are very expensive per litre, and so I have looked at a range of other stockists which are listed below. All of the below are rent free options. Some companies like BOC charge a monthly rental (!) on bottles which although cheaper for high volume users works out poorly for hobbyists etc. Prices are based on quotes from local suppliers in the Southwest UK.
Pure Argon - ALbee Weld
ALbee's 11 litre cylinder pressurised to 200 bar will give you approximately 2200 litres of uncompressed gas for an initial price of £168. This works out at a price of 7 pence a litre for the first bottle and with refills costing around £48 around 2 pence a litre for refills.
The ALbee cylinders also have an inbuilt regulator which will save you £25.
Pure Argon - HobbyWeld
Your first bottle of pure argon from hobby weld will cost you £72 bottle deposit and £48 for the gas. The 9 litre cylinder pressurised to 137 bar will hold 1340 litres of gas. This equates to 8 pence per litre for the first bottle and 4 pence per litre for refills.
Pure Argon - Disposable Cylinders
Each small disposable cylinder will hold around 60 litres of gas. With typical flow rates of around 6 litres/minute this will last for ten minutes. A single cylinder costs £14 on ebay. This works out at a price of 23 pence a litre.
Pure Argon - Southwest Gas
Available through various stockists. I was quoted £55 for a 10 litre bottle plus a £80 deposit. I do not know the fill pressure and so can not add this to the comparison.
Pure Argon - Adams Gas
Your first bottle of pure argon from adams gas it will cost you £55 bottle deposit and £120 for the gas. The 9 litre cylinder pressurised to 137 bar will hold 1340 litres of gas. This works out at a price of 13 pence per litre for the first bottle and 8 pence per litre for refills.
Results
At 7 pence a litre for the first bottle and 2 pence a litre there after, ALbee weld pure argon would appear to be best value, you also get the free inbuilt regulator!
Hobby weld represents a slightly lower initial outlay assuming if you already have a regulator, but for a new start up like myself it would appear ALbee represent the best value.
Environmental Permit Applications
Desktop Study
Sustainability Consultants
Thanks for this, my 9L Argon from Adams Gas has just ran out after only 1 or 2 hours of TIG welding with a flow rate of 6lpm. Doesn't seem right as I use CO2 "pub" gas on my MIG welder and it's over 10 years old, has given about 8+ hours of welding time and is still showing full. What is the life expectancy of a 9L Argon bottle at 6lpm??
ReplyDeleteThe life span would be the capcity dived over the time which itis used. So for example a 1370 litres bottle for adams should last around 228 minutes or 3.8 hours. So it sounds like your flow metres is up the spout, or the bottle was underfilled.
ReplyDeleteMy Albee argon bottle appears to be emptying at an alarming rate! This leads me to wonder how accurate the flow meters are?