Aluminum 100

[BobbyT22]

Who out there has experience diving an AL 100? Love it? Hate it? Let me know, share your thoughts.

 

[Scubastud16]

No experience diving them, but from lugging them around the shop, they are BIG!

 

[Tienuts]

I had 2 of them years ago. They are big, heavy and not worth it. They will screw up your trim, and for the same size and weight, you could dive a X8-130. The only real advantage is they cost less, however over the long haul, as steel cylinder is a better investment.

 

[Charlie99]

Ugly tank.

Needs a 3300psi fill for full capacity, rather than the 3000psi that most shops automatically use for aluminum tanks.

Fat. 8" diameter.

Heavy -- around 40 pounds full weight, and then since it is 3 pounds positive buoyant when empty, you need to add 3 pounds of lead to compensate.

Look at the E7 series of HP100 tanks.

Scuba Cylinder Specification Chart from Huron Scuba, Ann Arbor Michigan

 

[F106A]

Who out there has experience diving an AL 100? Love it? Hate it? Let me know, share your thoughts.

I've used both ST (HP-3442#) and AL (Catalina 3300#) 100's. The AL's are about 3" taller, 3/4" more in diameter and weigh, IIRC, about 10# more when full. (I think the low pressure steels are fairly close to the AL's for size, weight and buoyancy; correct me if I'm wrong.) In the water the only different I noticed is the AL's aren't as top heavy as the ST's. That is, they don't try to roll me over on my back quite as much. No big deal though. As a trade off you can use a few less pounds of lead with the steel. With my 3442# ST's I sometimes have to nudge the shop to fill them to the very top. The 3300# AL's always seemed to get topped off nicely. Using Nitrox I've had to get the steel tanks tumbled once during their VIP. The AL's never needed that. And the ST's can cost 50-100% more than AL's. I got the ST's for a great price about three years ago, mainly because I wanted to switch to DIN. The AL's have been collecting dust since then. (Actually, only one has, the other was sold.)

 

[Notso_Ken]

I had 2 of them years ago. They are big, heavy and not worth it. They will screw up your trim, and for the same size and weight, you could dive a X8-130. The only real advantage is they cost less, however over the long haul, as steel cylinder is a better investment.

If:

The Al 100s cost less,

and:

both Al and Steel need to be VIP'd every year, and hydro'd every 5 years,

and:

Steel will in all likelihood have to be tumbled periodically when they get VIP'd (definitely not every year unless you get air from a bad source),

How does that make the steel a better investment? Seems like Al comes out cheaper to start with and stays that over time.


Now, the weight and balance issues with the Al are a different issue!


Ken

 

[OldNSalty]

Is it a regional thing as far as loving/hating the AL vs the Steel? It looks like, in looking at several threads, most people who support steel dive fresh water and/or are tech divers. From my perspective on the gulf coast Al is by far the more popular choice. Even some of the local dive shops I have talked to recommend the Al over the steel-suggesting that they are less trouble in the long run, cheaper, and for the average consumer will out last a steel tank. That last point might be because they think that Al is easier to care for and is therefore more forgiving to subtle abuse from ‘the average consumer.’

 

[ONESPEED]

I bought two several years ago, took them on about four dives and couldn't sell them fast enough. As Tienuts said, they will screw up your trim. They are not only huge but they are heavy and VERY floaty toward the end of a dive. If you must strap a monster tank on your back spend the extra $$$$ for a steel HP 130, you'll carry more gas, less lead and be much happier in the long run. I have three HP 130's and love them.

 

[BobbyT22]

great feedback...not worth it, very floaty, couldn't sell them fast enough, fat, heavy, ugly,....kind of what I expected, but good to hear from folks directly.

Thanks, exactly what I wanted to know. Now I just have to figure out how to trim my steel 119, but that's another thread

 

[Charlie99]

Is it a regional thing as far as loving/hating the AL vs the Steel? It looks like, in looking at several threads, most people who support steel dive fresh water and/or are tech divers. From my perspective on the gulf coast Al is by far the more popular choice. Even some of the local dive shops I have talked to recommend the Al over the steel-suggesting that they are less trouble in the long run, cheaper, and for the average consumer will out last a steel tank. That last point might be because they think that Al is easier to care for and is therefore more forgiving to subtle abuse from ‘the average consumer.’

I don't think that divers in fresh water prefer steels. IMO, it's more a case of thin wetsuit divers are well served by aluminum --- they aren't carrying a whole bunch of lead to compensate for the buoyancy of a thick wetsuit or a drysuit.

For a warm water diver with just a few pounds of lead, the extra dry land weight and the extra lead requirements of an AL80 compared to steel tanks aren't big enough problems to make the more expensive and more rust-prone steel tanks to win out. But the AL100 adds another 10 pounds of weight and is too clunky for most people.

If someone has to wear lots and lots of lead to compensate for thick wetsuits or a drysuit, then the negative buoyancy of steels make the very attractive. OTOH, some steels are so negatively buoyant that a 3mm wetsuit diver would be negatively buoyant even without any lead.

There are good reasons why aluminums are popular some places and steel tanks elsewhere.