Debt and Capital Lease Obligations

The composition of debt and capital lease obligations was as follows:



	June 30, 2012			December 31, 2011
Senior Secured Notes due December 15, 2017, 9% interest payable semi-annually on June 15 and December 15	$	360,000		$	260,000
Senior Secured Notes discount	(4,986		)	—
Capital leases	4,501			5,322
Long-term obligations	359,515			265,322
Current maturities	(1,662		)	(1,715		)
Long-term obligations, less current maturities	$	357,853		$	263,607

Senior Secured Notes due 2017

On December 3, 2010, Merger Sub issued $260,000 in aggregate principal of 9% Senior Secured Notes due 2017 (the “Senior Secured Notes”). The net proceeds from this issuance, together with funds received from the equity investments made by affiliates of IPC, its co-investors and certain members of Victor Technologies' management, were used to finance the acquisition of Victor Technologies, to redeem the Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014, and to pay the transaction-related expenses.

The Senior Secured Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by each of Victor Technologies’ existing and future domestic subsidiaries and by its Australian subsidiaries, Thermadyne Australia Pty Ltd. and Cigweld Pty Ltd. The Senior Secured Notes and guarantees are secured, subject to permitted liens and except for certain excluded assets, on a first priority basis by substantially all of Victor Technologies’ and the guarantors’ current and future property and assets (other than accounts receivable, inventory and certain other related assets that secure, on a first priority basis, Victor Technologies’ and the guarantors’ obligations under Victor Technologies’ Working Capital Facility (as defined below)), including the capital stock of each subsidiary of Victor Technologies (other than immaterial subsidiaries), which, in the case of non-guarantor foreign subsidiaries, is limited to 65% of the voting stock and 100% of the non-voting stock of each first-tier foreign subsidiary, and on a second priority basis by substantially all the collateral that secures the Working Capital Facility on a first priority basis.

The Senior Secured Notes contain customary covenants and events of default, including covenants that, among other things, limit the Company’s and its restricted subsidiaries’ ability to incur additional indebtedness, pay dividends on, repurchase or make distributions in respect of its capital stock or make other restricted payments, make certain investments, loans or advances, sell, transfer or otherwise convey certain assets, and create liens. The Company was in compliance with the covenants as of June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

Upon a change of control, as defined in the Indenture, each holder of the Senior Secured Notes has the right to require the Company to purchase the Senior Secured Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal, plus accrued and unpaid interest.

On March 6, 2012, the Company issued $100,000 in aggregate principal amount of 9% Senior Secured Notes due 2017 (the “Additional Notes”) at par plus accrued but unpaid interest since December 15, 2011. The Additional Notes mature on December 15, 2017 and were issued as “additional notes” pursuant to the Indenture. Prior to the issuance of the Additional Notes, $260,000 aggregate principal amount of 9% Senior Secured Notes due 2017 were outstanding (the “Original Notes” and together with the Additional Notes, the “Notes”). The Indenture provides that the Additional Notes are general senior secured obligations of the Company and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior secured basis by each of our existing and future domestic subsidiaries (other than immaterial subsidiaries) and certain of the Company's Australian subsidiaries. The Original Notes and the Additional Notes are treated as a single series under the Indenture and are therefore subject to the same terms, conditions and rights under the Indenture.

On February 27, 2012, the Company, the guarantors party to the Indenture and the Trustee entered into the First Supplemental Indenture to amend the terms of the Indenture to modify the restricted payments covenant to increase the restricted payments basket to $100,000 in order to permit the Company to use the proceeds of the Additional Notes to pay a cash dividend of $93,500 to the Company’s parent company to allow it to redeem a portion of its outstanding Series A preferred stock and to pay fees and expenses related to the offering of the Additional Notes and the related consent solicitation required to amend the Indenture in connection with the offering. The First Supplemental Indenture became operative on March 6, 2012 upon the issuance of the Additional Notes, at which time the Company made a cash payment of $20 per $1,000 in principal amount of Original Notes, or a total aggregate payment of $5,200, to Holders of such notes in connection with the solicitation of consents to amend the Indenture. This consent fee is accounted for as a debt discount, which is a reduction of the Senior Secured Notes, and is amortized against interest expense over the life of the Senior Secured Notes.

Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014

On December 3, 2010, Victor Technologies called for redemption of the $172,327 aggregate outstanding 9¼% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 on February 1, 2011 at a price of 101.542% plus accrued and unpaid interest. Victor Technologies irrevocably deposited with the trustee funds sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of the Senior Subordinated Notes. Victor Technologies remained the primary obligor of the Senior Subordinated Notes through February 1, 2011. The trustee acknowledged the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture as of December 3, 2010 and has informed the Company the Senior Subordinated Notes were paid on February 1, 2011.

The indenture provided for the payment of an additional special interest adjustment based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio. During the period from January 1, 2011 until the debt’s redemption on February 1, 2011, the quarterly special interest adjustment resulted in additional interest expense of $36. Interest on the Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014, excluding the special interest adjustment, totaled $1,328 for the period from January 1, 2011 until the debt’s redemption on February 1, 2011. During the period from January 1, 2011 until the debt’s redemption on February 1, 2011, $1,110 of the fair value premium recorded for the Senior Subordinated Notes was amortized as a reduction of interest expense.

Working Capital Facility

At both June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, $1,416 of letters of credit and no borrowings were outstanding under the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “GE Agreement”). Unused availability, net of these letters of credit, was $58,584 under the Working Capital Facility at June 30, 2012.

All obligations under the Working Capital Facility are unconditionally guaranteed by Holdings and substantially all of the Company’s existing and future, direct and indirect, wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and its Australian subsidiaries Thermadyne Australia Pty Ltd. and Cigweld Pty Ltd. The Working Capital Facility is secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of the guarantors and Holdings, including a first priority security interest in substantially all accounts receivable and other rights to payment, inventory, deposit accounts, cash and cash equivalents and a second priority security interest in all assets other than the Working Capital Facility collateral.

The Working Capital Facility has a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio test of 1:1 if the unused availability under the Facility is less than $9,000 (which minimum amount will be increased or decreased proportionally with any increase or decrease in the commitments thereunder). In addition, the Working Capital Facility includes negative covenants that limit the Company’s ability and the ability of Holdings and certain subsidiaries to, among other things: incur, assume or permit to exist additional indebtedness or guarantees; grant liens; consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; transfer or sell assets and enter into sale and leaseback transactions; make certain loans and investments; pay dividends, make other distributions or repurchase or redeem the Company’s or Holdings’ capital stock; and prepay or redeem certain indebtedness. The Company was in compliance with the covenants as of June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

In connection with the Additional Notes offering, GE Capital Corporation agreed to amend the credit agreement to allow the Company, among other things, to issue the Additional Notes and use the net proceeds as described above. The amendment became effective concurrently with the consummation of the offering of Additional Notes on March 6, 2012.