DIR- Generic HELP DECIDE - Steel HP133

[great_white]

Hi all,

I am in the market to buy a pair of tanks and am looking at the Faber HP133. This will be my first and only owned set of tanks.
I am 6'4", 250 lbs muscular. So the common complaints of difficulty in handling these tanks on surface doesn't dissuade me a whole lot. I dive single tank at the moment but will likely transition to doubles sooner or later.

Any of you have experience diving these? I thought about going with HP100s but figured it wouldn't hurt to have more gas. Also figured, if anybody is to dive these big boys, it would be someone with more mass and strength plus more than average gas consumption. Granted, I wouldn't say I am an air hog and I manage gas fairly well, but with more body mass gas still goes faster than average.

I've asked around and as with most things, some guys LOVE diving these, some advise against them lol.

I'd love to hear what you guys think so please let me know your experience and thoughts.

Thanks so much!

 

[Tracy]

I have been diving 104s/133s as doubles for about a decade. I have tried many many tanks over the years and I keep going back. I have never found anything that trims out as well. I contend they are the best diving tanks made.
Yes, they are stupid heavy on land, but I didn't buy them for use on land.

 

[tbone1004]

If you are going to go bigger than HP100's, the HP130's are the obvious choice to "step up" and are the standard tanks in DIR diving. LP104=HP130=FX133 so it puts you in line with the standard tanks for DIR.
I'm about your size and I actually dive their big brothers LP120/FX149 but that's more for buoyancy characteristics than anything since they aren't quite as heavy in the water, albeit heavier above water.

 

[lukeb]

I just finished a year long search for double steels, after trying various different sets in the water.

I tried double HP130s for about a month. I consider myself pretty strong but the stress they put on my lower back made it not worth it to me. My back would hurt for a week after each dive.

I since purchased a pair of HP120s and love them. They are still heavy, but the weight is distributed better in my opinion, and they trim out beautifully in the water. I dived them off a boat on Friday and my back feels fine since.

I would strongly encourage you to try before you buy if you can.

Incidentally, my first set of doubles was a pair of ALU 80s. They were easy to dive with a decent amount of gas, and they gave me a great introduction to the world of doubles. Plus they are easy to split / sell if you later decide as I did to get steels. I would recommend them to anyone starting out in doubles. (This is the same advice that I gratefully received here on SB from several experienced divers).

Good luck with your search!

Edit: Sorry just noticed this was in the DIR forum. Sorry if I overstepped.

 

[Wibble]

What's a 133 in metric? Wet litres and pressure (ATA / Bar)

 

[tbone1004]

@lukeb the issue the OP would have with AL80 doubles and the reason I certainly wouldn't recommend them is the amount of lead he would have to put on there due to diving in Canada...FX133's are going to be about 25lbs heavier than AL80's, but will require about 10lbs less ballast so net increase of 15lbs. It's one thing in Florida where you aren't wearing a lot of ballast to begin with, but the complexity of having to add that much extra lead to a set of doubles in the cold is going to cause more problems than it solves

@Wibble 17L, ~240bar

 

[Wibble]

@Wibble17L, ~240bar

That's a massive twinset!

Get a rebeather and save your back (and bank balance if you want to go deeper)

 

[elan]

“HP100” - forget this combination of letters. With your build they will be pain both on the surface and in water as they are on the shorter side.

HP133 will be a perfect set for your body build. They are long. I have an LP108 worthington set and I love it in the water but hate to handle them on the surface. But I am 6’ 195lb. They also hold lots of gas. So if you are capable to handle 100+ lb tanks on the surface with ease then they are great.

 

[tbone1004]

That's a massive twinset!

Get a rebeather and save your back (and bank balance if you want to go deeper)

they're considered the standard twinset over here for cave diving

 

[Lorenzoid]

they're considered the standard twinset over here for cave diving

And there are some rather petite instructors using them and making some of us look like wimps for finding them heavy and tall.