Used CO2 canister advice

Tomorrow I am going to look at some used CO2 canisters. Is there anything that I should know/watch out for. what is a good price?

Thanks

I don't know about a good price, but watch the pressure test date stamped on the bottle. You don't want to buy one that's going to have to be retested anytime soon. (If memory serves, it's every five years.)

Call around and see what prices are for exchanges/fills.

Most places just seem to exchange now, so I wouldn't worry about anything other than the hydrotest date. As long as that is within the last 5 years you should have zero problem exchanging it somewhere. A hydrotest on a tank that is past its 5 year mark is usually around $20 (once again, call around). The hydro is usually in a mm*yy format. Don't fret over an aluminum tank over a steel one if you plan to swap it out.

Take a look at new prices to see what you're willing to pay. MicroMatic.com, Kegerator, Draft Keg Beer Equipment, Taps is a decent place to see new prices.

I bought a 20lb tank for $40 and swapped it out for a full aluminum one for another $22. I consider that a really good deal, though others have definitely found better ones. I definitely suggest calling around first. Airgas and Praxair are two of the "big boys" to try calling when it comes to CO2.

Good luck!

I found at my local shop they didn't care about the hydrotest date, they exchanged the tank even though it was way past date (80's...).

Also at one point they exchanged my steel tank for aluminum (5 lb) and now when I exchange I ask to get an aluminum tank for the 5 lb aluminum and they always make sure to give me one of those, which are usually nicer.