How much should an airfill be?

[triplecove]

Not that this matters but stopped byt the lds yesterday to see what they had for their end of the year sale......youll nevere guess they went up to a nice round $9.00 to fill a 63,72 or an 80 $11 up to 100cf and $12 for anything larger. I got the speel again how thet dont even break even on air fills, I just dont get it.

 

[9Speed]

My LDS gives free air fills if you've only got a tank or two. There's a coffee can on the counter in case you want to donate.

 

[padiscubapro]

The shop my compressor in uses alot of peak demand.. the old 30 minute meters never pushed the multiplier up that high, a few years back we were switched to a 5 minute demand meter.. there is alot of arc welding going on in another part of the building that really hits the multiplier.. the average use isn't bad its the peaks that kill us.. NYC has some of the highest rates around..

 

[oly5050user]

Not that this matters but stopped byt the lds yesterday to see what they had for their end of the year sale......youll nevere guess they went up to a nice round $9.00 to fill a 63,72 or an 80 $11 up to 100cf and $12 for anything larger. I got the speel again how thet dont even break even on air fills, I just dont get it.

The store has to be able to pay their rent ans such..If sales and instruction or repairs don't do it , guess what they had to do to keep the doors open..

 

[triplecove]

We'll I just found my new dive shop about the same distance from my house as the old shop, they offer $60 for a 10 fill card and $110 for a 20 fill card (the last place didn't even offer fill cards) Well seeing that every fill they did contributed to the old shops demise,("We dont even break even on air fills") I guess I will be helping their shop by bringing mt business elsewhere!

 

[kmurray719]

This is very true. Looking at the tax point of view, we pay 6.25% tax on every fill here in beautiful Taxachusetts add that into the equation and the costs per fill when owning your own compressor are even less. 100fills X 8.75 = $875.00 X 6.25% = $54.69 this alone pays for all the filters for 20 hours of compressor use. (which is a lot of old 72cf fills!)

If you've been paying tax on air in MA, you've been getting screwed. I've never paid tax on air in MA, at any shop I've been to. And it's been plenty of them.

I really don't understand all the pissing and moaning and questioning how much an air fill "should be". It costs what they charge and if you don't like it, don't buy it there. It's going to cost more or less based on your location and demand, just like everything else--rent, utilities, groceries, houses. Pay it or don't buy it, just like everything else. You can complain all you want about not wanting to pay that much, and how shops are trying to screw you over, but you don't get to decide how much they charge, just whether you're going to pay it or not.

 

[triplecove]

I very much agree with you kmurry, I just dont understand all the pissing and moaning the LDS does when you ask why they raise their rates. On another point this was a discusion about "how much an air fill should be" and if you read the thread we have discussed the various options available to the recreational diver for tank fills. I posted this thread to help educate myself and others from people that know more about the subject than I do.....I thought that was what a forum was for.... As for your comment I dont need you to tell me to take my bussiness elsewhere, if you read the thread that is what I have already done.

It must be nice to be so omnipitent that you can blast 15pages of a thread and call it "pissing and moaning" And yet not demonstrate that you even know what was being discussed

 

[kmurray719]

And to me good quality air can be provided at a good price with room for the LDS to make a "few bucks" but profit of $6 or more per fill is not reasonable its robbery. I have been talking to 1 of my dive buddies and he may be interested in going in 1/2 for a comppressor which will cut the costs almost in 1/2 (except the filters and electricity) Now looking at $2.50 fills kinda makes it worth a 2nd look

I very much agree with you kmurry, I just dont understand all the pissing and moaning the LDS does when you ask why they raise their rates. On another point this was a discusion about "how much an air fill should be" and if you read the thread we have discussed the various options available to the recreational diver for tank fills. I posted this thread to help educate myself and others from people that know more about the subject than I do.....I thought that was what a forum was for.... As for your comment I dont need you to tell me to take my bussiness elsewhere, if you read the thread that is what I have already done.

It must be nice to be so omnipitent that you can blast 15pages of a thread and call it "pissing and moaning" And yet not demonstrate that you even know what was being discussed

I was referring to comments like the first one quoted above as "pissing and moaning", which to me it is. Perhaps our definitions of that differ. I consider complaining that shops are trying to gouge you with air fill prices, and that they should be lower because they're making too much profit "pissing and moaning." I personally either pay what the price is for something or go elsewhere. Complaining about it isn't going to change it. You live in an area with a high cost of living, everything is going to be more expensive than most other places. I have no idea why you would perceive that comment as blasting the entire thread, blasting you personally or assume I didn't read it. It was just an opinion on one aspect of this thread, just like yours that shops are charging too much for fills.

 

[FM1520]

I'm surprised more shops don't use air fills as a lost leader. Its the one thing we all need, the barriers to diy are high and you can't get it online. The main reason my favorite LDS is my favorite is they fill all tanks for $5.00 and do a good job. Since I go there all the time to get air I tend to pick other things (gloves, snap bolts...) that I would otherwise by online but I'm there anyway. I think here in San Diego the competition between shops helps keep the price down.

 

[Searcaigh]

Over here in UAE, I pay 100 Dhs for a 12 fill air card which works out at $2.27 per fill.

Nitrox is a bit more at $5.69 per fill, standard or 300 bar

It appears to be a bargain compared to most US dive shops