Are disposable c02 bottles the way to go

[Bourtesy Cus]

Just wondering if disposable bottles work out cheaper than buying a bottle and refilling it
There's a 2.2 kg one on eBay for 65 i think 15 postage?
Thoughts fellow brewers

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

EDIT: Re-read that OP was referring to 2.2 Litre disposable welding Co2 bottles. That price is not good value.

Assuming you'll have the gas bottle for years and years via swap n go (but own a bottle), if you take the costs of cylinders versus a refill you will find the bigger refillable bottles will come in heaps cheaper, with less dicking about.

 

[jyo]

I have wasted about $1200 over the years in rental to BOC.

Finally bought my own bottle and wish I had done so years ago.

 

[Hoppers]

Pay the extra for the standard bottle, This may be a large sum to spend, but will pay for itself over time

Just look at it as a long term investment, it will pay divedends, especially if 2.2kg disposable bottles dissapear from Evilbay

 

[roller997]

It is simply a matter of how much gas you will be using and what your nearest retailer charges for filling up a CO2 bottle.
I don't use my kegging setup all that much, however I have re-filled a 6KG once and I am part way through it now.
For me it would have been cheaper to buy a refillable bottle rather than disposable bottles (which I didn't see at the time I bought mine).

The other consideration is if you want / need to sell the CO2 bottle in the future. It is more likely you will get more than 50% of your money back for a refillable bottle, while you are likely to get very little for a partially used disposable bottle. Another bonus is that by going for a refillable bottle, you won't be creating more landfill.

If you look at the Keg King site, 2.6KG of a refill is $25 and the bottle with 2.6KG of gas is $199.
There is a full 2.6KG bottle on Ebay for $149+18 delivery.
Using the Ebay bottle as a starting price the costs are as follows:
2.6KG $177
5.2KG $192
7.8KG $217
10.4KG $242

If you don't mind a bigger bottle, then a 6KG bottle would be another good option, especially if you carbonate and dispense a lot of your beer.
6KG $217
12KG $267

For a disposable bottle
2.2KG $80
4.4KG $160
6.6KG $240
8.8KG $320

Even ignoring the fact that you could sell the bottle at a later date, using the above pricing, after using more than 4.4KG of gas, you would be better off with a refillable bottle.
I would go for a refillable bottle if you can afford it.

 

[superstock]

The 6.8 kg bottle makes even more sense if you own a MIG welder and are sick of paying rental on a BOC bottle.

 

[Bourtesy Cus]

Thanks guys for doing my dirty work (research) defiantly pointed me in the direction of a refillable