My first tank purchase?

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I have a total of 12 tanks and two of them, my 19 pony and 40 stage, are aluminum. The rest, 2 lp 95's, 2 hp 80's, 4 lp 72's and both argon bottles are steel. Having the weight off of my belt is worth the extra cost even though I got great deals on my tanks. Can you say double lp 95's with bands and manifold for 300 bucks. never wet just needed hydro'd and vis'd.
 
Get yourself some LP85's there not much more than the compact 80
 
I like Faber FX or Worthington's...LP tanks weigh a lot and one does not have to fill a 3440 tank to that pressure. Just compare the weight and spec's on 120, for example.

The down side is the cost...

And the special exemption is rather public information, the faber one runs out in 2010, and if it would not to be renewed, one should get the testing done before it expires - so without any real work, they should be good to 2015.
 
As I understand it, once the exemption runs out you can't fill or VIP those tanks at a LDS and they'd only be useful if you owned a compressor yourself
 
Technically speaking, a diveshop could at its option fill privately owned tanks with expired exemptions, since filling of privately owned tanks does not come under DOT jurisdiction. They could also visual them, since there is no law governing visuals so everyone is free to visual anything they want in any manner they please. The tanks could not be hydrotested or used in commercial service once the exemption expired since these both come under DOT jurisdiction.

In real life, though, it is hard to predict how many shops would be willing to fill them. However, a procedure exists by which, if a manufacturer doesn't renew an exemption, anyone else could, and any other owners of that tank can become party to the exemption. So I wouldn't be too nervous about buying an exemption tank.

Also, I think tank manufacturers are going to start taking renewing exemptions a lot more seriously in the future. If for no other reason than that the dive community is so sensitized to the issue now that any time an SP comes up for renewal the manufacturer who doesn't do it in a timely fashion is going to be flooded with reminders from tank owners, and any company that lets a SP expire will have a hard time ever selling another scuba tank.

cummings66:
As I understand it, once the exemption runs out you can't fill or VIP those tanks at a LDS and they'd only be useful if you owned a compressor yourself
 
All aluminum tank prices are increasing within the next week... if you are looking at getting an aluminum tank you might want to go ahead and make the purchase...
 
Buy a steel hp100 and fill it to 3000 psi and have a negatively buoyant tank with 86 cubic feet of air. More than an al 80 and the x7-s are smaller as well. Take the weight off the belt, your back will love you.
 
I have a pair of Worthington X7-100 HP (3447 psi) tanks and really like them. Not only can you take the weight off your belt, I have found they really help your trim in the water.

Of course the downside - they are a little more expensive to start with.
 
My 2 cents,

I have an AL80 neutral and would not buy another one. I'd rather have a regular AL 80.

My AL80N seems to get hotter than a regular AL80 on fills. But that's based on my perception from touch, not empirical data.

Even though rated for 3300, most places will fill to 3000 unless you hang over them and remind them otherwise.

I will get steel tanks when I set up for doubles and get into tech and coldwater drysuit diving. But one problem is that at dive charters and resorts it can be a hassle to get steel, if even possible. Since it's usually not feasible to bring your own tanks when you fly, you end up bouncing back and forth between AL and ST. Having to adjust weighting (both amount and position) all the time is another hassle.

I find the same problem switching between AL80 neutral and regular. The benefits of steel might justify it, but not aluminum.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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