I'm starting to appreciate the depth of the mess. It appears that a cylinder
with no engraving on the collar and no hint of a gas distributor name anywhere
in the metal is considered "customer owned". There seems to be some controversy
regarding size. Little cylinders aren't a problem but anything bigger than about
100 cf appears to be questionable.

I'll have to do a little more research before I take the plunge and buy anything,
new or used. In the mid '70s I paid $250 for a Purox set with no tanks. Now I'm
seeing Victor sets with tanks for similar prices. Given inflation, that's a huge
discount. One explanation is that the existing tanks are worthless and new tanks
and gas will be much more expensive in the future. A discouraging trend, indeed!

Thanks to everyody for your guidance!

bob prohaska