What a bummer! If you do decide to get one in the future I can recommend R-Tech. I went down the same route as you by the looks of it and ended up spending slightly more on an R-Tech unit. The service and returns was the main thing that swayed me, didn't fancy sending a faulty machine back to china! Its been faultless for 5 years now. I also got mine as an ex display unit which brought the price close to £300.
Regarding the gas, I used Forest Gas in Lydney for pure argon if you're around that neck of the woods. I also use BOC argoshield for MIG on the volkszone offer, not sure if they are currently offering it but it was cheap at about £50/year rental and £25 fill.

Cheers
Sam