Back the late 1980s after Union Carbide was forced to spin off its industrial gases division (later to become Praxair) following the Bhopal disaster, I recall being introduced to MIG. Up to then I'd only had experience with O/A and stick, but remember even then companies were adverse to filling bottles belonging to individuals. It wasn't as bad as now, but still an issue. Then, somewhere, I think in the USA, there was another disaster where a customer-owned bottle sitting in a yard ignited and the whole yard blew. After that, all companies got real twitchy.
I grew tired of "having to know someone" to get a good deal and avoid charges associated with refills (now buried in the refill cost). So now I just suck it up and lease. Around the same time I switched to much larger bottles that only needed refilling every few years or so. But as I got older I downsized to "K's" which are 244 cubic feet I think. Their weight is about the biggest I can handle unassisted. Places like Praxair now refuse to help you load or unload anymore; they'd rather incur the risk of you injuring yourself using their own lift gate than hurting their backs, so it is what it is.
Don't mean to re-start the soapbox on this issue; I know we've all got our opinions on this topic. These were my lessons.
