Buying new set of tanks - Looking for advice

[wolflegresley]

Lots of great food for thought, it's becomming clear to me that when I do go doubles than I will more than likely be buying a separate set for those adventures.

So does the fact that I'm looking at singles only change any of your recommendations?

 

[tomfcrist]

Single tank, you really can't beat LP121's.

 

[gcarter]

My favorite tank is my Faber 117.

 

[Dave616]

I'm 5'11'' with two HP119's and I would never consider diving them in backmount doubles. For backmount singles in freshwater with a 7mm on, they are great. I ditch extra lead and get more bottom time.

That said, all my future tank purchases will probably be Faber HP100's because my favorite tank is my Worthington X7 HP100.

 

[Tracy]

How about 4 lp95s? I will make you a hell of a deal on 4. Fresh hydro.

 

[NAM001]

Ok here is some more from me. my lp120's are great for going to lakes where they charge 10 or so for a fill. some places with double charge you for the 120 cause its larger than the al80. A popular place for me is 8 for a fill. size does not matter to "them". so having 2 lp120's at 3k is like having 4 al80's. less tank changing. And if you have a home compressor you really are set. For the larger tanks I dont necessarrily use the 500# rule i use the tank till i get down to say 10-15 cuft. thats like 250 psi. In a shallow lake its a moot point in regards ot the need of 500psi. That makes it so you have say 120-15 or 105 cuft which is same as 55 per al80. when you use an al80 and come up at 500 you are giving up about 13 cuft for each tank. with the lp120 you give it up once. That is why the lp120 is like 2 al80's and thats if they are only pumped to 2640. I hate tank changes. Id rather float the gear at the dock and come back to it. Quite often one tank can last the morn or after noon when the lake is 25-30 ft deep. Lots of 20 min dives.

 

[wolflegresley]

Thanks again for all the information, really learning a lot with this thread and my google-fu.

LP tanks don't seem to be that popular here in Ontario Canada (as most shops have to special order in the LP tanks at a premium) and it seems most dive shops here are capable of filling a HP without problems. I'm not too crazy about the idea that my LP tanks will loose 10% of their capacity after the first hydro (shops here will NOT overfill a tank without a valid +).

With that being said I am leaning towards an HP 100 or 117. The HP 133 seems to be overkill for any of the diving I will be doing with it (NDL) and the 120 is quite a bit longer than I would like.

Does that extra 3/4 inch circumference on the 117 make much difference for actual diving? Its actual affect on my streamlined rig?

 

[decompression]

I think you're on the right track, HP's are hard to beat. Generally the best bang for the buck are HP 100's. Don't worry about getting fills in other countries, the odds of taking your tanks are slim. HP100's work great as singles, doubles and Sidemount. There are no worries about fitting them with larger bands/manifolds etc. Early in my tech days I used twin HP120's, great for capacity but really overkill for most dives under extended range. The 100's are small, light, take weight off the belt, pack and move easy at the dive site and give lots of capacity for a lot of deco dives. If you're concerned just plan a few dives around 150-175' and see how many cuft you'll need. On the west coast they are the go to tank.


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[Tracy]

You don't lose the plus, it stays as long as the tank warrants it.

 

[lamby66]

If you can find some nos or used pst or worthington hp 130s (same as lp 95 pretty much), that is where I would head and maybe a a couple hp100s ( same as lp85s) You double the and have a decent amount of air and the single 130s trim awesome (for me anyway)

Edit- typed 104 instead of the 7-100 tank I was thinking of.

PS I feel a hp tank is nothing more than a lp tank that has an approval to get filled to 3442. So basicly a factory approval to cave fill it