20# co2 tanks on CL--which would you get

Found a good deal on a 20# tank on CL ($40 seems pretty decent overall). The holdup is I can either get a 20# tank that's out of date but have the protective ring (which i guess makes it easier to move around--not sure what other use it has, if any) or there is one in-date (good until only June 2010) but no protective collar.

Is it a no-brainer to go with the in-date one and hope I find a place to take it to that swaps out tanks?

I have never used co2 tanks before so this is all new to me. Just wondering which will be the cheapest and best option for me in the long run. thanks.

buy the out of date one. Take it to a trade place. A place where you trade an empty for a full tank. They won't even glance at the date on your tank.

there is no guarantee that when you swap out the tanks the one you get will have a collar on it. So it really doesn't matter

I have been lucky the guys at tech air know what I use the tanks for and if they have them will always give me an aluminum tank when I exchange I started out with to old 20 lb steel tanks that would rust up in the kegerator .

If you are filling them get the one with the collar and get it tested and filled they are much easier to move around with the handle built in

Find where you'll be getting your gas from and ask if they do exchanges or fills while you wait. That obviously is a big factor. I pay $12 for the 5-year hydro cert.