What is the general consensus on what supplier to buy oxygen tanks?  I'd like to get an aluminum or stainless tank.  What size is best?  What company offers the best prices?  What sizes are recommended for home use vs. portability?  It seems the larger sized tanks are not as easily available.
Sorry if I've overlooked an obvious posting but I'm not finding that information.
Thanks!

Not sure there is a consensus on the "best" company, seems to depend on your local supplier. I use APRIA for all of my oxygen stuff. The local company in San Diego can't do enough for me, there response time is almost immediate. Others complain the APRIA in their area is not so responsive. Just tickled it's working so well for you.

Joe

Thanks Joe.  I'm tickled pink that everyone on this site is so helpful to us newbies.

Glassman,

LifeGas will sell you an M60 or M-size Luxfer aluminum oxygen cylinder or you can go to American Airworks at the following link:

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The M60 will run $156 and the M $220.

CPR Savers have similar prices at the following link:

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I bought an M60 from LifeGas and they delivered it through one of their outlets fully charged with oxygen.

I also refill it with a CGA-540 to CGA-540 transfiller from the larger cast iron oxgen cylinders as most oxygen fill facilities will not refill a privately owned oxygen cylinder. 

The transfiller runs $220 from Mountain High Equipment and Supply at the following link:

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Hope this helps.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

is there a reason for wanting a certain material tank?seems like alot of money to me,,i got a k-tank for 75$ lease per year and only 15$ to refil,,thats from national welders,,its a tank thats 5.5ft tall and 9ins wide

Thanks Batch!  That's a help.

THB,
A friend of mine who's a welder suggested I buy my own tank and get a stainless one on the outside chance there's internal rust.  He also thought that there'd be less chance of contamination by keeping my own tank rather than returning and switching out a rental.  At the Praxair I go to to get my wife's O2 (she's a lamp worker/bead maker) they just want to switch out the tanks.
Could you describe to me how you do your O2?  Do you keep the same tank or do you switch it out with another?
Thanks.

Glassman wrote on Feb 13^th, 2011 at 12:00pm:

THB, A friend of mine who's a welder suggested I buy my own tank and get a stainless one on the outside chance there's internal rust.  He also thought that there'd be less chance of contamination by keeping my own tank rather than returning and switching out a rental.  At the Praxair I go to to get my wife's O2 (she's a lamp worker/bead maker) they just want to switch out the tanks. Could you describe to me how you do your O2?  Do you keep the same tank or do you switch it out with another? Thanks.

  LEASE the tank.  If it needs anything it's on their dime.  Mine was a one time 200 bucks from Valley Welders.

       Potter

Yo!
Has anyone in the UK got got this sort of info?
WE need to pool resources or we end up with no info and a load of peeps
separately looking for the same thing?

Ie Recommended...
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Bottoms up!

Gary

i exchange it for a full tank,,what kind of contamination are you speaking of? ,ive had medical and welder o2 and i cant tell the difference,,i pay 75 a year for the tank lease therefore any issues with the tank cert wise etc is there deal,i then pay 15 bucks to exchange,,i was paying 45 for a m-tank from medical supply and it wasnt even half of what my new tank holds

THB,

You're quite correct.  Renting or leasing the larger oxygen cylinders is a smart move with a good bang for the buck ratio.  That's exactly what I do... or did.  My requirement for the M60 was for a 23 lb oxygen cylinder no taller than an E-size oxygen cylinder I could carry to and from the car as a "roadie" for local travel and work. 

I get (or got) 10 to 12 aborts from the M60 it vs. the 3 to 4 for an E-size oxygen cylinder that rents for three times what it cost me to fill the M60 from a larger M-size cylinder.  That also simplified the regulator requirements as both the M60 and larger M have the same CGA-540 fill fittings. 

Besides that, even though I'm feeling younger every day on the anti-inflammatory regimen of Omega 3 Fsh Oil and vitamin D3 I think is responsible for my remission for CH, at my age packing around a 73 lb cast iron M-size cylinder for local travel was a bit much and the K-size, out of the question.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

Marc,
Good points that address what I've been concerned about.  I never thought about a filter, I like that idea.  But if everyone else has gone the route of leasing welder's tanks and they've had no ill effects, I think I'll give it a go!
Thanks!

Top of the line oxygen regulators have Inlet Filters. The Flotec InGage™ regulator has a 10 Micron Sintered Bronze Filter on the inlet and a 30 Micron Sintered Copper-Nickel filter in the flow orifice assembly.

In the "for what it's worth" category, the average human hair is 70 Microns so these filters sound great at first blush. 

Having said that, the average bacteria is 3 Microns, lead dust or mercury aerosol from a broken CFL light are 2 Microns, and 90% of all oil aerosols associated with high pressure gas are 0.5 - 2 Microns.

Putting all this in perspective, the odds are you'll inhale far more pathogens and particulate contaminants walking down most city streets or riding in public transportation in one hour than you would inhale from a hundred welder's O2 cylinders.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

Great information everyone, thanks!  This is the sort of info I was wanting to hear.  I feel much better about welder's O2 and will proceed with leasing a tank but getting my own regulator & etc....
-Gary

I have rented for $200 a liquid oxygen tank.  It's on wheels and is the size of a medium trash can.  it lasts a LONG time.