OP
Yeah, one of the big differences is that I'm an engineer with four months of diving experience and she's a competitive swimmer with six years of diving experience 
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Doubles with a single first stage
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East West
Contributor
You can purchase two new HP 100 steel tanks and use them right now for sport diving . In the future you will have the perfect set of doubles , don't buy junk .
Troutmaster
Contributor
I am 6-2, 240, 50 inch chest, PFT in the 95 percentile of men my size. When I dive with my best friend who is 5-7 and 170 we don't gas match well on similar sized tanks even though I am in better shape and dive ALOT more. If we add his wife into the mix at 120 pounds, she sips air.
My point is only that it is not all about conditioning, some folks just use more air.
binobanana
Contributor
DaleC
Contributor
What piece of equipment being discussed do you consider to be junk?
halocline
Contributor
Modern isolation manifolds can tolerate some variance in tank spacing.
Before you pass, maybe you should post exactly what's for sale and for how much? Two 72s with a good center outlet manifold and vintage-style bands are worth something, and very enjoyable to dive with.
Most of learning to dive with doubles is getting used to the trim, buoyancy, and maneuvering vs that with a single tank. So, even though you would be using two 1st stages, you'd still be improving your diving skills.
In the old days, diving with a center outlet double tank rig was extremely common.
elan
Contributor
It depends, I dive my double LP72s more often then my double HP100, and I enjoy them more
And the price will be... oh so much different to the point that you can probably buy 4 sets of double LP72s if not more for a set of HP100 not including the bands an manifold.
BTW few months ago I got termo manifold for around US160 from divegear express and Pirahnia 6.9 bands for around US80 if you get the tanks around 50 bucks each you can have a set of nice doubles for around US350 with brand new manifold and bands. Mine ran me for 450 with all the vis and a hydro on 1 tank, this is roughly the price of one HP100 tank here.
That would give you a nice setup that you can use on a rec dive with nitrox to NDL and you will have good redundancy.
Paladin
Contributor
A good set of 72s is far from being "junk."
elan
Contributor
I understood this well looking for a one. No one wants to part with a set of galvanized LP72s
OP
I have a pair of 72s that looks fairly different (different heights, shoulder shape, etc). What was on sale was an old backpack with 8.25" bands and a single center outlet manifold. Seller wanted $120 for all, or $75 for either the bands/pack or the manifold. They're still available on Craigslist in Sacramento, CA, if anyone on the board was interested. If it was cheaper and the bands had been 8.5" I probably would have gone for it.
I'm sort of in the "buying junk" field. My income doesn't allow me to participate in the hobbies that I enjoy to the extent that the average participant's would. I've got about $500 in SCUBA gear right now, which includes an AL80, ScubaPro Mk10 w/ 109s, a SeaQuest BC, a 7mm wetsuit and an Oceanic Versa. While I'd rather not show up at the Breakwater looking like a harlequin, at the end of the day I'm able to dive locally having spent less in total than many people spend on any one of the "big purchases" of SCUBA. Please don't think that I this makes me clever or anything, it's just the way it sort of has to be for me. I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for refusing to dive with me because they didn't trust my gear.
I understand that I would get better mileage out of a pair of HP100s, but if I'd saved for that twinset all I would have is two HP100s to look at in my living room. I know that some people will tell me that I shouldn't be thinking about twins unless I have a bankroll, but others indicate that it's possible, and I'd like to pick up the skills while I have time and opportunity. Later in life I may have the money for nicer gear but perhaps no time for training or practice. Who knows?
I'm sort of in the "buying junk" field. My income doesn't allow me to participate in the hobbies that I enjoy to the extent that the average participant's would. I've got about $500 in SCUBA gear right now, which includes an AL80, ScubaPro Mk10 w/ 109s, a SeaQuest BC, a 7mm wetsuit and an Oceanic Versa. While I'd rather not show up at the Breakwater looking like a harlequin, at the end of the day I'm able to dive locally having spent less in total than many people spend on any one of the "big purchases" of SCUBA. Please don't think that I this makes me clever or anything, it's just the way it sort of has to be for me. I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for refusing to dive with me because they didn't trust my gear.
I understand that I would get better mileage out of a pair of HP100s, but if I'd saved for that twinset all I would have is two HP100s to look at in my living room. I know that some people will tell me that I shouldn't be thinking about twins unless I have a bankroll, but others indicate that it's possible, and I'd like to pick up the skills while I have time and opportunity. Later in life I may have the money for nicer gear but perhaps no time for training or practice. Who knows?
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