"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...
Strange. My experience here in the SF Bay Area is quite different. When
I
decided to invest in a pair of tanks, I purchased a 99 year lease.
Whenever
one of these tanks needs refilling, I take it in and exchange it for a
full
one. They don't even look at the expiration date. If a tank comes up for
retest, the cost is covered in the original lease price. If the tank were
to fail retest, I would not know it--that is also covered in the original
lease price. I was told at the time I leased them that the 99 years is
equivalent to "forever."

If I were to buy some tanks outright, from a store or a private party, I
would probably have to wait to have them sent out for refill, and I would
pay for retest every five years. If a tank failed retest, I would be out
the entire value of the tank.

I have a small variety of owner bottles, and being as I work all over the
country, I swap bottles in a lot of states and have commercial accounts at
some places and not at others.
I have never had one lick of problem swapping an owner bottle, no one has
ever looked at the stamp, no one has ever said I would have to wait while
they had my cyl. refilled, and I have never paid for a retest ( I know, the
price is integrated into the price of gas). I simply give them the empties,
they give me full ones, and ask what else I'll be needing. Granted, I
haven't worked much east of the Missippi for a long time but many of my
friends have and do, with the same results as mine. A lease is a money loser
for my little company. And in my opinion, it's a good way to tie you down to
99 years of refills at their store, no wonder they tell hobby types that
they can't buy that bottle.
Unscrupulous welding supplies blow a lot of smoke up the hobby welders
skirt.

JTMcC.



IMO, leasing is the only way to go.