good deal on 2 tanks?

[raposarose]

Hello all,

I just saw what I thought was a good deal for a couple of used tanks, but I am not too sure about pricing.

It was an almost new AL80 for $50 (though kind of a bright color) and a used Steel 80 for $120. It would be $10 more each separately.

The steel needs to be hydro tested, but the AL80 is good to go. Also I would need to buy a converter for the valve of the steel.

Should I go for it? I have been renting tanks and at $8-$10 per rental I would like to invest in some tanks. I have only dove AL80's before so I also have to figure out what the difference would be on the weight belt with the little steel 80. I guess I can take off a few pounds.

Opinions?

Thanks,
Fox

 

[pasley]

...It was an almost new AL80 for $50 (though kind of a bright color) and a used Steel 80 for $120. It would be $10 more each separately.
...

You can buy new AL80 with valve $109.00 any day of the week in Southern California. Usally on sale around the Scuba Show (May 22-23) for $99.00

Not an expert in the used market, but the prices are too close to new. For the steel, have them hydro it before you buy (you will pay for the hydro if it passes).

The AL, you don't say what brand or alloy it is. There are a lot of tanks out there particullarly Luxfer tanks out there that have a suspect alloy in them. If it is a catalina then it would most likely be fine.

http://www.scubabomb.freeservers.com/

 

[pescador775]

All good advice. You, raparose, also need to settle down and find out what you will be doing and whether you would prefer aluminum or steel tanks. That might be a fair price for a steel HP80 if it passes hydro. Switching from aluminum to steel tanks and vice versa can be inconvenient due to buoyancy differences and differences in length. (The buoyancy difference is 6#). Also, the valves may or may not be compatible with your regulator.

You can buy new AL80 with valve $109.00 any day of the week in Southern California. Usally on sale around the Scuba Show (May 22-23) for $99.00

Not an expert in the used market, but the prices are too close to new. For the steel, have them hydro it before you buy (you will pay for the hydro if it passes).

The AL, you don't say what brand or alloy it is. There are a lot of tanks out there particullarly Luxfer tanks out there that have a suspect alloy in them. If it is a catalina then it would most likely be fine.

http://www.scubabomb.freeservers.com/

(The

 

[raposarose]

The AL80 says catalina on in it, I don't know how to tell what alloy it is.

One tank is for me and one will be for my fiancee, so I am not concerned with switching back and forth. The valve for the steel is not compatible with my regulator so I have to get a converter.

That aluminum tank is compatible with the regulators. It is not very used at all.

The prices are from a dive shop so maybe they are a bit higher than a private individual's would be. I guess I'll shop around a bit. Thanks for the advice.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

The valve for the steel is not compatible with my regulator so I have to get a converter.

If my understanding is correct for this HP80 it should have a 300 bar DIN valve which won't be able to be converted to fit a yoke regulator. I don't think you can get the screw in converters to fit anything bigger than the 232 bar valves that are used for LP tanks.

 

[fldivenut]

If my understanding is correct for this HP80 it should have a 300 bar DIN valve which won't be able to be converted to fit a yoke regulator. I don't think you can get the screw in converters to fit anything bigger than the 232 bar valves that are used for LP tanks.

But most regulators can be converted to a 300 bar DIN by replacing the Yoke with a DIN fitting. Then you use a DIN to Yoke converter that screws on the DIN fitting when using a tank with a yoke valve. ~$50 for the DIN regulator conversion and ~$35 for the Yoke converter.

HP steel is kind of out though. They basically don't sell them any longer. For a woman that like a light small tank it could still be good if you have a place that can give you full fills. You check this by see if they use a yoke to DIN converter on their fill wip or if the have a DIN conection on their fill wipp, the later is good, the former runs into problems at 3500 PSI, the O-ring in the Yoke has problems above that.

For $120 (plus $80+ for reg conversion) I would probably not get it and instead get a new ALU 80 though.

--A

 

[pasley]

The AL80 says catalina on in it, I don't know how to tell what alloy it is.
....

Catalina is OK as they never used the problem alloy. Still, for only a few bucks more, you could have a new AL80 tank at SC.

 

[pescador775]

Rap
The HP 80 is the right size for a female, the aluminum is not unless she is about 5'9" and 140#. A small person cannot sit properly or easily clear the boat's gunnels in the act of rolling off while wearing the aluminum tank. My suggestion is to get an HP 100 for yourself and an HP 80 for the woman. Check prices. Whatever you do your combined set should have the same valves and fittings on tanks and regulators. It is an extra expense to convert a yoke regulator to DIN and not all regs can be converted. So, this would have to be factored in. The new E7 series are available in 100 and 80 and can be fitted with yoke valves but this may be inconvenient or expensive. However, if you can keep your yoke regulator configuration it may be easier to adapt to rental tanks when needed, say on trips

 

[jgarysmith]

But most regulators can be converted to a 300 bar DIN by replacing the Yoke with a DIN fitting. Then you use a DIN to Yoke converter that screws on the DIN fitting when using a tank with a yoke valve. ~$50 for the DIN regulator conversion and ~$35 for the Yoke converter.

HP steel is kind of out though. They basically don't sell them any longer. For a woman that like a light small tank it could still be good if you have a place that can give you full fills. You check this by see if they use a yoke to DIN converter on their fill wip or if the have a DIN conection on their fill wipp, the later is good, the former runs into problems at 3500 PSI, the O-ring in the Yoke has problems above that.

For $120 (plus $80+ for reg conversion) I would probably not get it and instead get a new ALU 80 though.

--A

fldivenut
Where did you get th HP is out? All PST's new E series tanks are Hp?

 

[pescador775]

That 'out' thing was kinda funny. Decades ago, I decided that I would never be routinely dependent on anybody else to get air fills so I can't speak to the availability of HP air at dive shops. Years ago, I did notice a trend for shops in CA to employ air amplifiers to jam the new 3000+ psi tanks. Now I'm hearing that, 30 years later, HP fills are still an issue. Great balls of fire, I made the right decision. My trusty Bauer Capitano, "Old Ironsides", was tweaked a bit to hit 3500 and there has never been a problem. The four stage Kidde portable will hit 4500 if needed. Mostly, it's not needed. I guess air banks are a factor for the shops.

fldivenut
Where did you get th HP is out? All PST's new E series tanks are Hp?