saw them selling co2 at lowes yesterday

[mellowvision]

small bottles, starting at 23 bucks with a threaded neck... 19 dollar deposit on the bottle, exchangable back at lowes.

seemed like a great way to get started with co2... wondering if anyone else has seen it.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=184295-1592-PB8&lpage=none

 

[Bk718]

but its only 9oz.. thats like good for a tiny nano tank.. You can get 20oz used tanks for around that price.. But a good find indeed

 

[crazycanuck]

i paintball alot... you can buy ( so you own it,no deposit ) a 20 ounce tank for about 20 dollars and refill it for about 4 dollars

 

[mellowvision]

they had larger tanks too... for not much more. not much difference between owning and the deposit, except for local availability and convenience. not too many paintball stores around most parts cept the sticks. it ended up costing 4 bucks for a full tank with an returned deposit...

 

[j_chicago]

Plus, they need to be inspected. If you have a deposit on a tank, they will just swap it out and give you another tank. If you own it, and the inspection has expired, you"ll have to buy a new one.

 

[A. Nonymous]

It'll work, but I'd buy my own. I won't lease something I can afford to own and tanks are very cheap. Just be careful at where you take it to refill it. Some places will take your brand new tank and swap it for an old one that's full. Other places will fill yours.

 

[j_chicago]

Its not like leasing a car, or even renting something....

you have a deposit on it. you give them money, they hold onto it. you buy the gas. when you dont need the tank anymore, you return it and they give you your money back. Why buy something when you don't need to...

 

[mellowvision]

I agree j_chicago... if i were to try co2 this way, and decide it wasn't for me, I'm only out the price of the regulator, not a regulator and a tank.

 

[Bk718]

^^ true but then again you can sell the tank for exactly the same price you got it for..

Though i do like the idea of the deposit.. Only thing stopping me really is the cost of the regulator..

 

[j_chicago]

Plus, they need to be inspected. If you have a deposit on a tank, they will just swap it out and give you another tank. If you own it, and the inspection has expired, you"ll have to buy a new one.

If you own it, you still need to have the tank inspected. If you just have a deposit on one, and need to take it in for a refill, the welding shop/hardware store/liqueur store will recognize it as being one of theirs and swap it out for a filled tank.

The tank needs to be inspected every 5 years, the expiration date is stamped on the tank (also if the tank has any mechanicals, such as a knob, they also need to be inspected and stamped). If you take it for a refill after the expiration, they won't fill the tank. Some place will swap your tank out, but most will turn you away, leaving you with an empty tank and searching to find a place to have it inspected, tested and re-stamped (the cost is usually $10-20 for the inspection, not alot, but still) before you can go back to have it filled.