Faber vs OMS

[TheDecoStop]

I have heard many explainations as to what the reason is for the different volume specs on what appear to be the same size tanks, but none of them definitive.

So... Why do the OMS 112 and Faber 108 appear to be identical for every spec other than volume.

Any reasons you would buy one over the other?

Also, what do you think of the different external coatings, and the lack of internal coating in the faber vs. the food grade coating in the OMS?

I'm out to purchase another set of doubles...

Thanks for any responses.


Rick

 

[MechDiver]

Faber makes OMS tanks.

Actually, I would buy PSTs for doubles.

MD

 

[AzAtty]

In the past, both OMS and Faber cylinders have been spray galvanized. I'm not a big fan of spray galvanizing cylinders. OMS is now selling a "hot dip" galvanized cylinder. If you're going to buy OMS, buy one of the new hot dipped cylinders. Faber is still making OMS' cylinders, but OMS is hot dipping them itself. You have to ask for the hot dipped cylinders, though. Otherwise, you'll get a plain old OMS/Faber tank.

I haven't found anything about the "food grade metal oxide" coating inside the OMS cylinder, so I don't know what that term means. Anything that can flake off and gum up a regulator is a bad thing, in my opinion. I'd try to find out about the interior coating before putting money down.

I like my Pressed Steel LP104 doubles. They're hot dipped, they cost less than the OMS, and they don't have a pretty paint job to ding up. Pressed Steel isn't coated on the inside per se, but there is a tight oxide binder on the inside of the tanks that is a by-product of the heat treating process.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[padiscubapro]

TheDecoStop once bubbled...
I have heard many explainations as to what the reason is for the different volume specs on what appear to be the same size tanks, but none of them definitive.

So... Why do the OMS 112 and Faber 108 appear to be identical for every spec other than volume.

Any reasons you would buy one over the other?

Also, what do you think of the different external coatings, and the lack of internal coating in the faber vs. the food grade coating in the OMS?

I'm out to purchase another set of doubles...

Thanks for any responses.


Rick

Its all a numbers game.. the rating of the tank depends on what gas you put in it.. put He in the mix and the tank holds less put a higher oxygen percentage the tank hold more..

 

[Scubaroo]

padiscubapro once bubbled...


Its all a numbers game.. the rating of the tank depends on what gas you put in it.. put He in the mix and the tank holds less put a higher oxygen percentage the tank hold more..

What the..? Can you explain that more clearly please padiscubapro! Are you saying that 108cf of mix at 2640 fits in the same space as 112cf of EAN at 2640?

I always thought that the different ratings were whether manufacturers gave volumes at rated pressure or + pressure, ie 2400 or 2640...

 

[Dryglove]

I have two Faber LP95 tanks and wish i would have purchased PST tanks. For one the pst tanks have a more durable finish and if i remember right the pst tanks are like -3lbs negative when empty and my faber tanks are +2 lbs positively buoyant empty.That right there is an extra 5lbs of lead i have to carry using a faber vs a pst tank.

I never realised my fabers were positively buoyant till the first time i threw them in a tub after a dive to rinse them and the bottom of the tank floated at the surface.I had just assumed all steel tanks were negatively buoyant......oops should have done my homework first Had i known there was a 5lb buoyancy difference between the pst and faber LP95 tanks i would have gone somewhere that sold pst tanks. Another lesson learned.

 

[pescador775]

If you haven't found anything about the Faber 'food grade oxide' internal coating you must not be looking. There have been extensive discussions on this board. The coating is iron phosphate and has significant anti rust properties. The comment about something flaking off and clogging something up is more applicable to corrosion common to an exposed bare metal surface than a coated one. Your views are uninformed speculation.

 

[Leadking]

OMS uses the Van der Waals table. This table is for air only and changes with pressure and gas mix. It's a way to say a OMS cylinder is different than a Faber cylinder.

The interior coating is a Food grade phosphate finish that converts free iron to a metal phosphate and helps inhibit rust

 

[bajashack]

I believe that OMS used to use FABER Steel however they have changed their manufacture about a year ago to someone else. My information comes from a hydrostatic facility in California. I don’t remember if they changed to PST or to another manufacture. One thing is for certain OMS is sure pricy.

 

[xiSkiGuy]

This thread dates to 2003 when OMS tanks were Fabers. The current high pressure OMS tanks are made by PST.